Letters to the Editor

The leader of Bradford Council and chairman of the Bradford Vision board defended the salaries of staff and concluded that "we" were getting our money's worth.

This sort of comment would have been good in a victory speech, not in defeat, for after spending £1.25million on that most disgraceful fantasy the Capital of Culture bid, with the most predictable outcome since Adam met Eve, it's hard to justify to Les, me and 99 per cent of the population.

When Bradford Vision can spend vast amounts of cash chasing rainbows, £120,000 a year for a marketing and communications manager seems like a bargain so hire a good 'un. Solomon and Merlin spring to mind.

Gary Lorriman, Bramblewick, Harden

SIR - Re Margaret Eaton's letter of January 3. I am truly enlightened by her comments that "given the challenges we face in Bradford, in my view we are getting our money's worth " .

For most of us who live in the real world whether something is of "money's worth" is not judged by the challenge set but rather by whether that challenge has been achieved.

Judging by the ill-conceived bid for Capital of Culture status - a bid doomed to fail and another of Mrs Eaton's pet projects - I suggest judgement is reserved at present as to whether Ms Gandhi's is "money's worth" or not .

Amar Rashid, Chellow Lane, Bradford

SIR -- I would like to respond to the letter (T&A, January 3) as well as others from the past about Sharmila Gandhi, Bradford Vision's Chief Executive Officer.

It is obvious that Bradford is in need of a major facelift after falling victim to a series of unfortunate circumstances. However, I do feel that the rebuilding process from its current lifeless form to a much-deserved position of international recognition is certainly going to be a challenge and a half for Bradford and will be no easy success story even by the year 2020.

It also doesn't help if we start criticising and judging individuals such as Sharmila Gandhi without giving her a chance to demonstrate her true potential.After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and I'm sure Bradford certainly will take a little longer than that!

Furthermore, we should be more proactive by asking "What can we do to help? and at the same time offer a much-needed helping hand in rebuilding our great city (remember there are almost half a million pairs of hands within the

Bradford District).

We should also thank our lucky stars that Sharmila Gandhi doesn't take such negative remarks to heart and consider quitting.

Abid Hussain, Ellercroft Avenue, Lidget Green, Bradford 7

SIR - I find the defensive tone of Margaret Eaton's letter of January 3 unsurprising since she is undoubtedly in a difficult position, having full knowledge of the prior salary of Ms Gandhi as an employee of Bradford Council and wishing to avoid the obvious question of why she presided over a board that awarded one of the Council's employees such a massive increase in salary in the full knowledge that the job was purely cosmetic.

David Simpson, Hirst Avenue, Heckmondwike

SIR - It's amazing. The correspondents who write almost daily about negligent councillors or the Council are totally ignored. Yet let these correspondents write querying "high-fliers" and Mrs Eaton replies at length.

The Council leader and chairman of Bradford Vision chose her words very carefully re my correspondence with Mr Smith (Mrs Gandhi's boss). Typical of Bradford to employ on the city's most powerful committee someone who works in Leeds. I also wrote several letters to Mrs Gandhi.

What Mrs Eaton didn't tell you was that both Mr Smith and Mrs Gandhi offered no information for two months. When Mr Smith deigned to reply, in a letter dated July 27, I received it August 4 with the information that he had ceased to be employed by Bradford Vision on July 31. Two days later Mrs Gandhi replied telling me to mind my own business.

So we still don't know what qualifications the lady possesses pre-1999, to justify £75,000pa.

Les Brotherton, Caroline Street, Saltaire.

SIR - Having to work over the festive period and walking to work and back, on occasion when buses have been available, a Saturday service has been in place, but not Saturday fares. Why?

M J Baker, Amundsen Avenue, Swain House, Bradford.

SIR - In answer to N. Brown's letter (T&A, January 1) in which he asks "Why shouldn't Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction?" and suggest he should be free to have whatever weapons he chooses to defend his country, the same as the USA.

Now did you ever hear of George Bush gassing people in North Carolina? No. Did you ever hear of Bush shooting any of his own family? No. Did you ever hear of Bush torturing people? No. Did you ever hear of any scientists disappearing for no reason under Bush's administration? No. Did you ever see Bush stand on the balcony of the White House discharging bullets from any weapon? No.

The mentality of Saddam and people like him proves that he is not stable enough to even be allowed to own a pea shooter, let alone weapons of mass destruction.

If he'd had these weapons Kuwait would now be no more, nor Saudi or many of the other Gulf States. You might as well say. "Let Bin Laden have the atomic bomb." Now there's a good idea, I don't think.

B Thompson, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

SIR - All my life I have fought against bullies, and the more I see George W Bush on the news or read about him, the more I am turned away from him.

In his so-called search for terrorists with weapons of mass destruction who are a real threat to world peace, he has no further to look than his own country.

He is the one terrorising the Iraqi people. Saddam has neither threatened us nor attacked us to my knowledge.

Why should we, the British "send our young men and women to shed their blood" in a futile war. If we are attacked ourselves then that is another instance where we should fight back, like in the Falklands.

If I was Saddam, I would tell America that I have nuclear bombs placed in all my oil fields and if I am attacked, I will set them off.

If we attack Iraq and win then I hope Saddam destroys all of his oil fields. Then Bush's war will have been for nothing. Say "no" to all wars!

N Brown (an ex-serviceman), Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

SIR - After seeing your photograph of potted daffodils at Tong (T&A, December 29), I noted that local gardens aren't spectacular but are interesting.

In flower are red, white and various shades of pink cyclamen as well as daffodils (not potted). The blue lobelia has just stopped flowering in the wall basket.

Amazingly, the mini Sun Belle tomatoes are still ripening (orange now) outdoors. The pussy palm willow is showing silver-coloured buds. Strange. Why aren't the aconites and snowdrops showing and out first?

I've just seen the white heather flowers and pink, and a bush full of red berries is at the wall. These are on back-to-back houses.

Pat Potts, West Park Road, Girlington.