Letters to the Editor

SIR - I was very pleased to read the comments of Mr Andrew Lambert, of opticians Tunnacliffe & Lambert, about Great Horton (T&A, January 23).

Mr Lambert said that "the Great Horton area is looking brighter of late..."

The credit for this is due to a number of things happening at the same time - the hard work of the members of Great Horton Community Partnership and, lately, Great Horton Business Watch, together with Bradford Vision, Bradford Council and the Government which have funded improvements.

We have only just started the 'turn around' but we will keep going to make Great Horton a great place to live, work, and do business in.

Coun John D Godward, (Lab, Great Horton), Naseby Rise, Queensbury.

Let regions rule

SIR - It is commendable that Metro is compiling a 20-year transport plan for the region (T&A, January 23), but in view of central government's current policy of diverting most resources to the capital to finance projects like London cross-rail and preparation for the Olympic Games, it is unlikely major schemes will be undertaken in the regions.

One method of ensuring a fairer distribution of resources is to introduce regional government, where the regions would have more control of their budgets to finance major investment schemes such as Leeds Supertram and would replace unelected bodies such as Yorkshire Forward and Yorkshire and Humberside Assembly.

Regional governments would better be able to co-ordinate policies for the whole region, while at the moment local authorities struggle to identify individual priorities which tends towards fragmentation, although West Yorkshire Metro is able to offer some coherence in transport matters.

Once regional government is adopted, important public transport schemes are likely to be honoured, such as re-opening the Spen Valley line, station re-openings and introducing light rail.

Alec Suchi, Bradford Rail Users Group, Allerton Road, Bradford.

Claims query

SIR - No right-thinking person could argue against Bradford Council's proposed action to reduce expenditure on rocketing claims made by people who have tripped and injured themselves on the city's streets (T&A, January 21).

However, if the cost of such claims has been increasing so sharply for ten years, one might question why such action has not been taken earlier.

In fact, many local authorities have historically taken the view that it is cheaper to pay off claimants than to rectify the defects in the first place.

Only now are they realising that being seen as a soft touch merely encourages the more unscrupulous elements of our society to make false exaggerated claims.

I would also like to correct a common misapprehension quoted in your editorial. The practice of 'taking a substantial cut of any compensation' is not acceptable and very rarely carried out nowadays by claims companies or solicitors.

The law provides for all reasonable costs and expenses to be recovered from the responsible party, meaning claimants can be guaranteed a full per cent of their settlement.

Anyone considering making a personal injury claim should ensure their representative is a member of the Claims Standards Council, the voluntary regulatory body for claims management companies, which polices the activities of its members.

Bernard Thornton, New Inn Court, Otley.

Parking poser

SIR - Re Eddie Pells' letter on parking in Lister Park (T&A, January 21), when the matter was first raised a request for restricted parking was turned down because it would have been too hard to police and the leader comment was, if this were so, parking altogether would have to be banned.

I thought at the time that if restricted parking would be difficult to police, then how would a complete ban be any less difficult to enforce?

I did not see the logic then and don't now.

P E Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley.

Resolve boosted

SIR - While my letter (T&A, January 23) was published exactly as written, the heading 'Please vote no' was the work of the T&A not me, for I would not presume to tell people how to vote.

They should make their own decision based on the facts.

However, your statement in Rebecca Wright's article (T&A, January 24) that the final decision rests with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister strengthens my resolve to have nothing to do with any pie which has Prescott's finger in it.

John Pashley, Westcliffe Avenue, Baildon.

Astonishing claim

SIR - People with a fanatical axe to grind feel no need for evidence to support their wild statements.

Kate Alley (T&A, January 19) clearly does not know the difference between ventilation and filtering.

Her astonishing claim that "second-hand smoke kills more British workers than all other industrial accidents combined" is unsupported by facts or research.

If she has ever worked in industry she will have been exposed to chemical fumes, dust, and other carcinogens, possibly including asbestos.

When everybody has given up smoking, but people continue to die of the same old diseases, will she jump on another bandwagon?

L Hobsbaum, Willow Crescent, Bradford.

Why no action?

SIR - Perhaps if the departments concerned took action when they received information concerning dangerous paths, people would not make claims against the Council.

I informed the department that deals with footpaths that the path in Harrogate Road outside the NHS officers at the upper end of Ruswarp Parade (BD10) was in a very dangerous condition.

I gave my name, address and phone number, but nothing has been done. This must have been at least ten weeks ago.

The paths above the entrance to Sainsbury's and Matalan car parks have been covered in wet and slippery leaves since autumn.

Perhaps if the Council got its act together it would not cost it too much money.

Mrs Janet E Lambert, Flower Garth, Bradford.

Change of title?

SIR - For weeks now, the letters page has echoed to the sound of calls for the return of capital punishment. However, the clamour migrated across the page to the "In My View" column (T&A, January 20) where Colleen Stephenson opined that there was nothing wrong with a paedophile that a good hanging wouldn't cure.

Normal service was resumed though (T&A, January 21), when the ever-dependable Gary Lorriman wrote expressing his not-so-quite satisfaction at the impending fate of the Thai fishermen.

If this trend continues I fear you may have to consider a change of title for this newspaper. The Gallows Gazette, perhaps, or the Executions Express and Examiner. Maybe even the Noose of the World!

Peter Wilson, Thornhill Grove, Calverley.