Why can't we get a Lottery grant?

SIR - While the National Lottery has subsidised many worthwhile projects throughout the country, it takes a solicitor to understand the criteria and application forms.

There are many essential community projects that do not come within these ridiculous, unfair and narrow-minded criteria.

Sometimes there are whole villages, Wrose being one of them, and there must be many more where applications have been made time and again, but in vain.

In Wrose, we have a cricket club, a football club, a community centre and other new and ongoing initiatives for the young and elderly which require substantial funding. However I think "the minister responsible" would say, "North of Watford, tough!"

Had so much money not been wasted on personal monuments and white elephants, perhaps it would have been a different story. Unfortunately "the minister responsible" does not look at the real world but uses the media as a platform for pre-arranged propaganda to justify her position.

At one time the Saturday jackpot was always a minimum of £10 million. Now the public has cottoned on to the inequality of the system, a lot of them are not supporting it any more and can you blame them?

Coun Trevor Williams-Berry, Vice-chairman Wrose Parish Council, Bredon Avenue, Wrose.

Our sad decline

SIR - From some of the letters I have read over the last week, there has been a good response to Mr Bentley's letter on the pound shop dilemma in Bradford city centre and the lack of the quality clothes and food shops (T&A, February 15).

Others have commented on Bradfordians shopping in Leeds and Wakefield and Halifax. Why is that? Because Bradford has not got the pulling power of the city and towns mentioned.

Yes, Bradford is trying to catch up with the rest, and not before time.

Bradford was once a very proud working and shopping city. The night life was not bad either with music nights and games nights in the old traditional pubs.

Yes, the truth does hurt to know that your home city isn't as good as your neighbour but it's a fact.

Even some of the old pubs are closing which is a shame.

Martin Palliser, Waincliffe House, Laisterdyke.

BRI scandal

SIR - Once again there are wards closing and staff disruption at our hospitals, with the elderly are again at forefront of this.

The people responsible should resign now or be sacked. How can they say patient care will not be affected? Of course it will - they live in cloud cuckoo land! Patient care is not being carried out at BRI as they say it is. I was treated in a public waiting room with other people listening to my own medical records as there was no room available to do this in private.

I was at BRI to have a drip put up and was placed in a dirty office on my own with the drip taped to a cupboard. When the drip ran out I had to walk to find someone.

I am 74 years old and felt left alone with nobody to look after me in my hour of need.

J R Smith, Flawith Drive, Fagley.

Closure disgrace

SIR - I read with disbelief (T&A, February 24) that a gynaecology ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary and an elderly care ward at St Luke's Hospital are to close.

The Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a three-star award, based on a scheme devised by the Labour government, for operating the hospital on a Foundation Trust basis, yet another flawed Labour government health policy.

Three stars for a "dumbed-down" service? This is yet another example of the inability of the Labour government to keep its promises, and look after the needs of those who are ill and elderly.

What further contraction of services for the public can we expect? Already, in many parts of the country, the standard of health care is well below that of our industrialised peers.

His government's policy not only causes deep disappointment with the British public, it also detracts from the already damaged and low morale of NHS professionals.

The Labour MPs in the area should be ashamed of their government policies that are clearly failing the people of Bradford and the valiant efforts of our beleaguered healthcare professionals.

Dr Teck Khong, Bradford North Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Pasley Road Health Centre, Leicester.

Guidance for MPs

SIR - As we approach the decision on who should replace our current, but 'semi-detached', MP for Shipley (whose name escapes me), perhaps we should issue a public challenge to the alternatives and see how they respond.

Although elected on a broad manifesto, all MPs later face subjects on which they had not declared a personal position prior to election.

That's inevitable - but perhaps we now have the technology which, whenever this situation occurred, would allow them easily to consult their electorate directly.

Would any aspiring candidate be prepared to establish a 'Local Consultation' website? Then, whenever called upon to vote in the Commons on non-manifesto issues, the constituents could tick a box on the website, giving their MP valuable guidance on how they would prefer him/her to vote as their representative.

Displaying the result, alongside how he/she actually voted, would be a bonus for true democracy.

Such a candidate would surely gain considerable advantage over a clearly less constituency-aware incumbent.

But I can't imagine any being brave, or honest, enough to let their humble voters express an opinion more than on a vague manifesto twice a decade, can you?

Over to you candidates.

Graham Hoyle, Kirkbourne Grove, Baildon.

Blair's shame

SIR - The behaviour of a handful of British troops towards Iraqi prisoners is inexcusable and shameful and brings the British army into disrepute.

I believe it also places the remainder of our troops stationed out there in even greater danger.

However, while justice has been swiftly dealt out to these soldiers, it serves to highlight even more the disgrace that Tony Blair, pictured, is still our Prime Minister.

It is also disgraceful that no justice appears to be forthcoming for the families of the six military policemen who were butchered, let alone all the innocents who continue to be murdered out there every day.

Mr Blair may see himself as a regular sort of guy, but he is morally responsible for all the atrocities committed in Iraq.

It is galling that no retribution so far appears to have come his way. All I hope is that when the general election is called, all right-minded voters will finally give 'Teflon Tone' what he richly deserves by booting him and the rest of his cronies out of office.

Liz Balding, Ellar Carr Road, Cullingworth.

Think again...

SIR - After watching Street Crime on the Bravo channel, I would advise the powers-that-be to think again on extending pub opening hours. If people cannot control themselves at one or two in the morning, how are they going to cope later on?

They say they want to stop binge drinking, but this new law is not the way to stop it.

Harry Flynn, Powell Avenue, Little Horton.