What to do if you find a stray dog

SIR - Re the letter "Is this any way for the RSPCA to act?" from Mrs Sheila Robinson, of Baildon.

While I applaud Mrs Robinson's friend for taking the initiative to improve the lot of an "abandoned" dog, he may not have ultimately behaved in the dog's best interest.

The RSPCA are not responsible for stray dogs and our receptionist gave accurate advice. New government legislation (Environmental Protection Act 1990) has reduced the unprecedented workload of strays on the RSPCA, and by law the following steps must be taken by a person finding a stray dog:

1. Make every attempt to return it to its rightful owner.

2. Contact the Dog Warden Service during office hours.

3. Take it to a local police station.

Problems will arise when these steps are not followed. The dog may have been lost originally and tethered by a less responsible person. Taking that dog out of the proper system may stop the original owner being able to trace his pet, and be reunited!

Additionally, impromptu re-homing without proper checks is not an answer to that dog's future well-being.

Ray Robertshaw, general manager, RSPCA Bradford branch, Mount Street, Bradford 3.

Salary questions

SIR - Bradford Vision, accelerating with all the speed of a constipated tortoise, is now seeking a communications officer.

Several months ago the T&A announced the "in-house" appointment of Sharmila Gandhi as chief executive officer for Bradford Vision at a salary of £75,000 per annum. Shortly afterwards your paper announced that BV were hoping to secure a commercial director at a similar salary.

Through the auspices of your paper could you ask Mrs Gandhi about the post of commercial director, as announced last week in the T&A, to manage the finance initiatives of the new company Bradford Vision are setting up to manage the commercial results of its work.

Is this the same post as BV's commercial director and will the post, or posts, be similar in salary to her own? Will the salary of the communications director also be in the £75k range?

Apart from these enormous salaries, could Mrs Gandhi tell us if these appointments, including her own, attract fringe benefits such as a personal car, petrol allowance, expenses etc?

Finally, could Mrs Gandhi tell us if these very expensive appointments will be advertised nationally, or will these positions be filled by "in-house" staff.

Les Brotherton, Caroline Street, Saltaire.

LEA blunder

SIR - In 1998 I was a governor and teacher at Parkland Primary School and attended a number of meetings run by the LEA in preparation for the re-organisation of schools.

I remember one particular governor's meeting held in the December when we were asked to predict our pupil numbers for the coming years and plan our budgets and staffing accordingly.

I can recall the Parkland governors questioning the figures given to them. But we were assured that Parkland Primary would become a two-form entry school, despite the fact that both Greengates and Thorpe were no longer closing.

I have recently looked at my notes from this meeting and clearly, in the margin, I had written, "Where are these children coming from?"

If the LEA had done their calculation correctly in 1998, and listened to the queries put forward by the governors of Parkland School, the school would not be threatened with closure now.

C Ward, Carr Manor Grove, Moortown, Leeds.

No change, then

SIR - The indigenous population of Bradford were just about coming to terms with the fact that people who rioted were being punished accordingly and maybe a level of respect was reached for the parents who handed their children into the police.

Suddenly protesting Muslims, do-gooding solicitors and a Lord pipe up and confirm what we were all thinking: "They will just get away with it as usual".

So after all the damage caused to property, businesses and Bradford's meagre public funds by yobs having "the most exciting night of their mundane lives", we are back to square one!

Dene Bentley, Broad Ings Way, Shelf.

Nice and clean

SIR - Once again may I, through the T&A, say a very grateful thank you to the wonderful team of people from St John's Church, East Bowing, and the Council for the clean-up on Sunday morning.

I was born and bred in East Bowling and have seen many changes (some good, some bad) but I am sure with these good people from St John's and East Bowling Community Centre, we shall hopefully see East Bowling back like it used to be.

Thanks again to all concerned.

Mrs Winifred Austen, Rayleigh Street, Bradford 4.