Letters: November 23, 2016

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Concern for residents

NOW that the dust has settled on the plan to superimpose new parishes on to many areas in Swindon it is time to take a step back and review the outcomes.

So, as a resident of Liden, apart from the five per cent council tax rise next year, I will have to pay another £100 to pay for services that I have already paid for.

And I will be dictated to by parish councillors that I had no part in electing by a process that wasn’t engaging at all, but put on against my will.

Don’t check the small print on this plan either. No one seems to have any idea about the responsibility for the town centre nor for valued open spaces that straddle more than one parish.

All of us know that the reasons for this imposition of parishes is to do with raising a stealth tax, made necessary by the poor choices the Tory administration made locally and the savage cutting of money from the Tory Government.

Curiously, our two own MPs have not been very vocal in condemning this extra cost and haven’t supported residents.

It is interesting to read the words of one of the senior councillors in a local magazine.

He states: “Areas should work collaboratively to their advantage.

“The benefits of joined up working would protect the precept from unnecessary increases due to the greater buying power of a larger group.”

And yet when it came to establishing a single parish for the as yet un-parished areas in the town, he and his Tory colleagues voted against it, contradicting his written words.

As your paper stated in its editorial on the subject, “the lack of detail is a matter is rightly concerning.

“There is no evidence for any demand for parishing nor any evidence that alternatives have been mooted”.

Add to that while the plan was to send a leaflet explaining the likely outcome of parishing to all households, our senior councillor can only say: “Unfortunately many did not receive any information,” such is the level of their concern.

I feel that all residents of Swindon have been let down by this process, not just because their taxes will rise, but the affront to the democratic process that the Tory administration have pursued.

BOB PIXTON

Liden

Swindon

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Support priceless NHS

I SINCERELY hope that the takeover of “adult community healthcare services” by GWH from SEQOL (reported in The Adver, November 19) does really improve the “continuity of care” that patients so desperately need.

However, I cannot be overly optimistic because I fear that will not produce the extra front line staff needed to provide the actual care (and they are difficult to recruit).

Sadly, during my long experience of the NHS, I witnessed several “reorganisations” of the management of the NHS, none of which produced the required result.

The reason is simple; the politicians (of all parties) have repeatedly refused to address the basic problem facing the NHS (in both hospitals and the community) – DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY.

This has been so since its inception; but has increased rapidly in recent years due to an ageing population and the availability, now, of many effective, but expensive, treatments.

This has now reached crisis point – as has been seen by the failure to meet many clinical targets, as well as the financial failure resulting in most trusts being in deficit.

I fear that, unless there is a concerted effort to “reduce demand” (some sort of rationing) or “increase supply” (more front line staff and money) – or a mixture of both – plus a reduction in “central management”, we shall all witness a dangerous decline in the clinical care of patients.

The NHS is far too important to be allowed to fail.

Its value cannot be measured in financial terms – for it is priceless.

MALCOLM MORRISON

Retired Orthopaedic Surgeon

Prospect Hill

Old Town

Swindon

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Time will tell over vote

R MORE makes an interesting comment when suggesting that “even politicians who lined up to convince us to vote leave have wildly different versions of what Brexit means” (The Adver, November 21).

However, I think on this occasion your correspondent is possibly mixing two distinct parts of the Brexit process.

I stand by my view that “everyone who voted leave was perfectly aware of what the vote meant”, by which I mean there were only two choices – remain in the EU or leave the EU.

The remain team worked very hard to make sure the message with regard to leaving was crystal clear – vote leave and we exit every part of the EU political construct, with all the economic and social risk that such action would involve.

I, for one, bridled at the doomsday scenario promoted by almost every ‘expert’ economist, professional politician and pious banker.

Indeed, considering the force of the apocalyptic arguments put forward by such clever people (who resolutely refused to countenance any benefits from leaving) I was amazed (and delighted) when on the morning of June 24 I woke to the news that the UK had voted to leave the EU.

R More’s point that “politicians have wildly different versions of what Brexit means” is, I believe, a reference to the as yet unknown ‘outcome’ following the invoking of Article 50.

In this regard I believe he is perfectly correct – we do not know the exact nature of our relationship with the EU post invocation plus two years.

What I think we can be assured of is that the current politically inspired rhetoric will translate into more practical pragmatic language which recognises the reality of mutual economic and social dependency.

Alternatively, the EU could pull up the drawbridge, take its ball home and leave the UK to find other friends to play with.

History suggests we will not have to wait too long or search too far.

Whereas for the EU the situation will be that a major contributor to its funding stream will have left the club and, as with any organisation, it will have to make some adjustments – find new partners (with money to spend) or reduce its activities in line with its income.

The hard realism is that neither is likely, the first due to the non-existence of another cash cow, whereas the second is down to the ideological nature of the EU.

Without money to lavish on new entrants I suspect applications to join the ‘club’ may well be subject to greater scrutiny for I don’t envisage the German people falling over themselves to offer handouts.

DES MORGAN

Caraway Drive

Swindon

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Importance of poppy

THE Swindon Advertiser, like all local, regional and national papers on November 14, had reports and pictures of the previous day’s Remembrance services.

Taking a look at many pictures in several papers, I noted not one paper contained a picture of the white poppy, which was laid at cenotaphs across the country (including Swindon Cenotaph).

This year it was reported that a record 180,000 white poppies were sold.

The white poppy is a symbol of peace, so why does 96 per cent of the printed media media choose to ignore it?

MARTIN WEBB

Swindon Road

Old Town

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Backing for businesses

IT APPEARS, given the lack of fortitude shown from other political parties, that only UKIP have the well-being and firm policies to support our local businesses thrive during these uncertain economic trading conditions.

In the UK there are an estimated 5.2 million small businesses, together employing more than 12 million people with a combined turnover of £1.2 trillion Sterling.

These small businesses are the lifeblood of Great Britain.

They are a major contributor to turnover, employing 48 per cent of the workforce and creating 85 per cent of all new jobs.

It is UKIP policy to encourage local authorities to make life easier for established businesses to trade, and who are the mainstay of their communities all the year through.

We UKIP politicians want to see a more vigorous regeneration brought back into many once thriving High Streets, which have been blighted by years of stagnation and very poor support from successive governments and deficient local authorities.

In the coming weeks before Yuletide, I would appeal to shoppers to be more mindful of supporting foremost local businesses.

Do you really need to purchase from the internet, or worse, from the wide-boy pop-up barrow hucksters?

This season especially, it really is a case of use it or lose it.

Poor trading this quarter would see many enter into insolvency and unemployment in 2017.

As a UKIP politician, I will do everything I can in a bid to stop that from happening.

COUN PHILIP WINTER

Southmead Road

Filton Park

Filton

South Gloucestershire