Letters to the Editor

Many Asians as well as Europeans at ground level see the active positive discrimination as the root cause of the major disruptions within the city.

In 1993 I became manager of a community centre in an area of 45 per cent Asian residents. Being on Christian premises, I was appalled to find they had not had a crib at Christmas for several years so as not to offend the Muslim community.

The manager of the Advice Centre with the Community Centre was a devout Muslim. From him I learned Muslims revere Jesus as a major prophet and therefore would not be offended over any Christian decorations or lay celebrations.

We had a wonderful Christmas that year with Christians and Muslims exchanging their versions of the story of Jesus's birth and traditions surrounding Christmas.

Is it not time to adopt a fair attitude to all people, treating and seeing everyone as human beings of one country with one set of laws for all, and stop the pussy-footing and pettiness that causes the problems?

Mrs Y E Levin, Dovesdale Grove, Bradford.

SIR - I was eating my Christmas dinner of sardines on toast followed by an apple when I got this feeling of remorse.

I hope the leaders of the trade unions currently in disputes forgive me my indulgences at Christmas, but I never thought of the poor firemen, railway workers, ambulance staff and the public sector workers as being on the breadline.

I should have known better at 85 years of age.

D Brewster, Hew Clews, Great Horton.

SIR - I must challenge your Comment (December 24) about those people in Bradford not exactly over-enamoured with Gareth Gates.

It's not all about seeing negatives in the city for the sake of it. Manufactured pop (pap) is sounding the death knell for creative pop.

No longer do the young have to aspire to learning instruments and honing a natural vocal style by performing in atmospheric little venues. No longer do they have to pen their own songs when their plastic producers can regurgitate the past. It's all about looks, image and packaging.

So don't expect the real music fans to revel in the heavy T&A press coverage about Gareth and Kimberley Walsh.

We don't want to be party to the further demise of the Top Ten.

But in the midst of the city's gloom I can report some positive news on the music front. There are some excellent pub venues for real music dotted about the area. At McRory's on Easby Road on Sunday night you can catch some fine acts ranging from folk rock, cajun, blues, jazz and country rock.

Now that would have been worth citing in our culture bid.

P J Hunter, Herbert Street, Saltaire.

SIR - In response to Derek Bell, (Letters, December 26), when Asians first arrived in Bradford, I showed Pakistani films on Sunday mornings and went into pubs with Pakistanis. I did not see signs saying "No Blacks".

However, having lived abroad, I can say that immigrants do not receive "red-carpet" treatment in any country. They must adapt to the new country without demanding special concessions and new laws.

Previous immigrants, including Asians from non-Muslim countries, have made the effort, learned our language, and successfully fitted in.

What may or may not have happened 40 years ago is no excuse for what is happening now.

L Hobsbaum, Willow Crescent, Bradford 2.

SIR - I write in response to Mr Brotherton's letter "Footing the Bill" (December 10). I appreciate his concerns about highly-paid officers and whether we are really getting value for money.

I am aware that Mr Brotherton has written previously to Sharmila Gandhi, Bradford Vision's chief executive, about this matter, and Sharmila responded to him.

He also wrote to Paul Smith, a former deputy chief executive of the Health Authority and chairman of the Bradford Vision Executive on the same matter, and Mr Smith wrote back.

I would like to take this opportunity to have my say as Leader of Bradford MDC and as chairman of the Bradford Vision board.

Bradford Vision is the district's Local Strategic Partnership. It has a huge agenda and is required by Government to deliver not only the district's long-term vision, but also the district's neighbourhood renewal agenda. In return the Government will provide us with additional resources, freedoms and flexibilities.

Last year we appointed a chief executive for Bradford Vision who, unfortunately, left prematurely for personal reasons. Given the demands placed on this post and what it is required to deliver, we advertised the post at up to £75K, which includes an element of performance-related pay.

After a lengthy recruitment process, which involved 16 people on several panels over two weeks, we appointed Sharmila Gandhi.

Sharmila left Bradford Council and over ten years of continuous service in local government to work for Bradford Vision, which is a totally separate company, for a fixed-term contact of three years.

The appointee has an excellent track record of achievement, has the necessary experience, many relevant qualifications and, very importantly, is committed to Bradford.

All the jobs that have been advertised by Bradford Vision are graded at a level considered to be in line with similar posts in the country. Given the challenges we face in Bradford, in my view, we are getting our money's worth!

Councillor Margaret Eaton, chairman of Bradford Vision, Mercury House, Manchester Road, Bradford.

SIR - I am absolutely amazed to learn that there are people in a more desperate plight than Caroline Shaw, the Clayton registered-blind single mother with two children who has been given notice to leave her privately-rented home through no fault of her own and yet Bradford's Housing Department say that she is not a "priority case" for Council housing (T&A, December 27).

I would really hate to be a priority case then. It is disgraceful that someone who has lived in the same district all her life and is registered blind is not a number one priority on the grounds that if she has to be moved out of the area then she will be even more alienated than she already is through suffering from blindness.

I know that there have to be "rules" but rules are for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools.

Phil Boase, Elizabeth Street, Wyke.

SIR - I see Neil Shaw (Letters, December 28) is promoting the old fiction that councillors are democratically elected. To pretend that electing self-serving egotists by considerably less than 40 per cent of the eligible electorate is democratic is falling for the propaganda promoted by the useless and corrupt political parties.

I would much prefer that where a councillor receives less than 50 per cent of the vote a randomly-selected elector is appointed in their place and the failed politician banned from political office for life.

Why should these failed teachers, polytechnic lecturers and social workers be allowed to preen and feather their nests at public expense?

As to the Audit Commission decision, I would say this is proof that the commission does get things badly wrong on occasion.

David Simpson, Hirst Avenue, Heckmondwike