SIR - While I have every sympathy for the gentleman who has had his car stolen for the second time while visiting Bradford (T&A Letters, June 29), I have been in the same situation myself. I must take exception to his answer to the problem.

I also was born and have lived all my life in Bradford and I accept it has many problems, but please do not assume all people who live here are the same.

I live in a beautiful spot, and as I write this letter, I am able to see horses, cows and sheep, all grazing peacefully in the fields around my house. I work in the local community and find most people to be honest and caring. I'm not sure who the gentleman was blaming for the fact he won't be visiting his mother again, but surely that is his decision and not the fault of anyone else.

I would like to see improvements in Bradford, especially a reduction in crime, but this will only be solved when we have more police on the streets and appropriate punishments handed out to people convicted of crime.

J Buckley, Delph Grove, Clayton.

SIR - I thoroughly object to J W Marsden's letter (T&A, June 29). While I sympathise with he or she having a car stolen for the second time in Bradford city centre, I think the suggestion to build a wall around the city, stopping contamination, is a bit far-fetched.

Are all the people in Brighouse Holier than Thou? Is there no crime there? Do not tar us all with the same brush, because most of us are decent honest people and work hard for our belongings.

The fact that your car has been stolen twice is bad news, but is Bradford the only place where crime exists?

I suggest to J W Marsden to keep their promise, and not enter our city again, because suggestions such as this are rather pathetic, and only do more to bring our city down, and make people think every person living in Bradford is worthless, which quite simply is not true.

Mrs K Wood, Grasmere Road, Bradford 2.

SIR - Every time I open a newspaper I am reminded of racial harmony, cultural diversity, political correctness, etc. All this jargon is costing the taxpayer thousands of millions of pounds with nothing to show for it.

We have the Commission for Racial Equality, the racial equality councils and Bradford Vision, all names without meanings, all non-achievers. Can anybody tell me what they have achieved? If proven, I will apologise.

We will never get racial harmony in Bradford or in Britain. It's not being racist, it's being logical. It has long passed the point of no return to achieve any racial harmony - last year's riots proved that.

To save a few more million quid, drop the idea regarding the City of Culture entry. Our only asset is the Bradford Bulls (bless 'em) as I said before: Bradford cannot win the Culture accolade on merit, and it must not be won on propaganda. As our once lovely city slips deeper into the slough of despond, we will all go with it.

Derek Wright, Westbury Street, Bradford 4.

SIR - With regard to your Bulls article in the T&A (July 3), the cat is really among the pigeons now.

Whoever signed the so called "contract" with Bradford Northern (The Bulls since 1994) in 1986 committed taxpayers' money to the tune of £4.8 million to prop up a limited company playing professional rugby at Odsal.

A very serious issue arises here as to whether the signatories for the council on this "contract" had the legal right to do so. Not only that, but it now seems likely that we taxpayers will be stung for a huge payout to cover the remaining 17 years of the contract, something in the region of £5.1 million going by the earlier payments!

The Bulls will continue to use Odsal of course paying "A Small Rent", I suppose we should be grateful for that.

I have a much better suggestion, we taxpayers retain ownership of Odsal and the Bulls pay the correct commercial rent to play there, plus they meet all upgrading costs and ongoing costs in full for the next 17 years !

Barry Wood, Knights Fold, Bradford 7

SIR - We hear today of awful tales of cruelty to animals. Gone are the days when to take one's dog for a walk, merited a friendly pat of the dog's head and perhaps a biscuit or two.

It seems that the indigenous populace of canines and felines are no longer welcome. Taking my friendly canine, Bess, for a walk these days is like Mission Impossible.

Verbal abuse follows me, people banging on windows, shouting over fences. I have no intention of letting her pollute their tatty little piece of grass, she has better taste. Is it too much to ask that she be allowed to stretch her legs at least twice a day in peace? A nation of animal lovers? I think not!

Mrs Doreen Webster, Buller Street, Bradford 4

SIR - I was astonished by the effrontery of the chief executive of the Airedale Hospital Trust reported in the T&A (July 4). Our hospital in Ilkley a luxury?

Yet, why should I be surprised? Ilkley has lost one of its two fire engines, its good further education facilities, its full-time police, and now it is to lose its Coronation Hospital - so what's new? We are no longer a democracy. We are being governed more and more by non-elected bureaucrats whose salary depends on how many underlings are under their control.

Our freedoms are being successively eroded. The EU is a typical example - demanding (and getting from a government which refuses to oppose it) the abolition of the right to trial by jury, and the writ of habeas corpus. They are imposing the ability for another member state of the EU extradite us, without any possible UK appeal, to that country where we will have to defend ourselves with no UK help.

Surely it is time to rise up and say no to all our hard-won freedoms being taken away.

The best way for Airedale Hospital "Trust(!)" to save money is to cut the number of managers that seem to have grown like a cancer over the years, reducing the life force of the services that they were meant to minister to.

Dr Arthur R Bailey, Nelson Road, Ilkley.

SIR - When Manchester Road was rebuilt many years ago, one felt pride for the City Council, a sign of moving forward. It was a link road from the M606 to the city centre. A treble carriageway to be proud of.

What a mess the current city planners have made. Most recently, installing traffic lights at every junction and spending £30 million on a bus lane, which is neither 'use nor ornament'.

Has it eased traffic congestion? No! I travel up and down Manchester Road daily, there is no let-up in traffic. Now, another 'white elephant' is in the pipeline. Replacing the Manchester Road, Mayo Avenue roundabout with another set of lights. New York, New York. Why couldn't they build an underpass, as the original planners did at Odsal?

Which part of their anatomy, do the planners look through? Certainly not their eyes.

Jerry Prytulak, Hunterscombe Court, Saltaire Road, Eldwick.

SIR - Anyone objecting to ID cards must have something to hide or is hiding someone else. We had them in the war years, so why not now? Anything that interferes with things illegal should be welcomed. Other countries have them, so why not us?

D Burnett, Gt Horton Road, Great Horton.

SIR - Why has Bradford got the worst bus passes in England? We get six hours - 9.30am to 3pm, 20p then half fares. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland get them free. We war veterans get poppy day, and the rest of the year forgotten.

S Teale, Holmewood Road, Holme Wood.