Letters to the Editor - September 17th

Sep 17 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

Same old look to shops

RECENTLY, I enquired about leasing one of the units within the Liverpool 1 Paradise St project.

I wanted to pursue my dream of opening my own business and bring something selective to the table with a high-class tea shop run by women over the age of 60.

The first thing that I found annoying was that the letting agents for these units are not in Liverpool. They are in London and Manchester. Why are we not sourcing all the business from within our own city? After all, the letting agents will have more local knowledge.

I had £100,000 to invest which included a year’s lease, shopfitting and stock, etc. This was not enough, though. After I had installed my own toilets, air conditioning, shop front glass, plumbing, electrics and whole host of extras, there was no money left in the budget.

It looks like Liverpool One is going to be like every other large shopping complex with the usual shops that we have come to expect.

When the tourists flock to Liverpool to see our new creation, they will be met with the same old boring brand names that they can get in their own cities.

Why hasn’t our council at least created a part/segment that encourages individuality and helps Liverpool people with a vision to contribute to the success of the mega retail launch?

I think you’d find it would probably be the busiest part of the complex, as people want what the real Liverpool can provide.

Samantha, Cheshire, via email

Indefensible cuts

RECENTLY, we’ve had another Labour minister defending the indefensible. This time, NHS cuts – or, as Labour prefers – “reconfiguration”.

If these changes were about improving the service, why have there been over 30,000 jobs cut in the NHS in the past 18 months, when the UK population has grown by around 1m people? Even the most ardent Labour supporter must accept that the cuts, along with below-inflation pay increases in the public sector, are due to the economic dire straights created by the Government.

Even Labour’s argument that closures are about concentrating resources into more effective “super” units doesn’t add up. First there is the stress, expense and difficulty imposed upon patients – and staff – in having to travel farther to these centres.

Then, if you create a super centre, what happens if it needs to close due to fire, infection, etc? This concentration also makes a mockery of the Government’s pledges of creating patient choice and improved efficiency by internal competition.

It’s true that the UK’s cancer treatment success rates, etc, are well below equivalent and supposedly “inferior” countries’ rates, but what is needed is an improvement in NHS standards – putting more money into front-line services – nota reduction in treatment centres.

With 21st-century technology, the world’s experts and medical databases are just an internet connection away.

Mark Bill, UK Independence Party, Liverpool

Green record

WE ARE delighted the Green Party are meeting in Liverpool, and we hope they consider their record in the city to date.

Over the past few years, we have been keen to join with many other groups and individuals fighting to save our parks and playing fields and to prevent the wholesale demolition of terraced working class communities in Anfield, Wavertree and Edge Hill from the policies of our Lib-Dem/ Labour demolition coalition.

On many on these campaigns, we had hoped and expected the Green Party to join us and numerous residents groups.

When it came to calling for public inquiries against the demolitions – no submission from the Greens.

When we invited the Green councillor to appear at the three housing inquiries, he declined.

When we supported residents contesting building on Tunnel Road Fields, Dixie Dean Fields, Newsham Park and others throughout the city, where were the letters of objection from the Green Party?

As Greens gather in Liverpool, we hope they see the wholesale destruction of fields and parks and terraced communities, all issues and campaigns their party has walked away from.

It strikes us the Green Party likes the trendy headlines, but does not want to roll its sleeves up and involve itself with working- class communities.

Cllrs Steve Radford, Hazel Williams and Chris Lenton, Liberal Party Group

Strand traffic

IN RESPONSE to E Brown’s Letter (September 14) and previous submissions from Williams and Gunning regarding the recent Strand scheme, I feel the point of the exercise has been misunderstood.

The “Boulevard” approach to the Strand works has clearly been implemented to improve the links between our beautiful and historic waterfront and the ever-growing and thriving city centre. The scheme, although designed to aid vehicular traffic, is clearly looking to integrate the historically separated segments of the city centre and place an emphasis on the pedestrian as opposed to always accommodating the driver.

The suggestions of Brown to provide a wider carriageway resulting in a 6-8 lane “motorway” between the city centre and waterfront is obscene. Where do the pedestrians go? It always amuses me that people who choose to travel by car to the city centre, even though it is very easily accessible by other modes, then choose to complain about congestion. After all, you are the problem.

Name and address supplied

Diverse talents

IN APRIL, Liverpool's Liberal Democrat-led city council set up the long-needed Countdown Group in an attempt to sort the physical regeneration of Liverpool before our big 2008 year.

Currently, in September, they are doing the same with the Board of the Culture Company, with even less time for manoeuvre to achieve success.

Both the Countdown programme and Culture Board are now led exclusively by white men. But with such a singular perspective, how can these city council appointees even hope to do a decent job for everyone?

It needs saying yet again that Liverpool's political leaders have no idea how to engage all the richly diverse talents of this city's citizens.

Such exclusion of women, and of people from the BEM communities, demonstrates a huge failure by our political leaders to reflect on inclusion before they act – a consistent omission which may well impact on the success of 2008 and beyond.

Hilary Burrage, via email

Lunch cut

I AM not impressed by Bebington High’s plan to cut their pupils’ dinner hour.

This is not only bad for the children but also for the teachers, who have to fit so much into their day as it is.

This will not help keep children’s attention in lessons and increase their concentration spans. It will merely mean that they are exhausted and irritable.

I have taught children in the past and I know how the middle of the lesson is the best time to make them listen and absorb information.

That’s because they get tired towards the end of the lesson and need a break.

Mrs T Bryant, Allerton

Excitement

I AM thoroughly looking forward to this weekend. It is the start of the Clipper Race, the Hope Street Festival, the BBC’s Big History Show at St George’s Hall and probably lots of other things that I don’t know about.

The weather is looking good, too, and hopefully it will make up for all the awful rain and cold we had to suffer this summer.

I don’t know if it has anything to do with Liverpool’s 800th birthday, the Capital of Culture Year looming or just the leaves starting to change to beautiful autumnal shades, but there is a certain sense of excitement in the air at the moment.

T Harvey, West Derby

Good old Kirkby

I HAVE seen the letters in the Daily Post criticising the people of Kirkby for having the guts to stand up and say that they don’t want a football stadium in their town.

I am right behind them. I know Kirkby has suffered from economic misfortune and is not the most desirable place for people to want to live in Merseyside, but that does not mean the good people there should just roll over and say thanks to Messrs Kenwright and Leahy.

Kirkby has a good little town centre. Yes, more investment is needed, but why should the residents have to put up with all the problems a football stadium would bring like parking, rowdy fans, drunken behaviour.

They have every right to stand their ground.

H Milton, St Helens

Better buses

IT WOULD be fascinating to know why the Arriva 86 bus takes passengers down Dale Street during the rush hour of a morning, but not during the corresponding time of an afternoon.

Does it not matter how they get home, or is it simply a matter that nobody actually cares?

I asked a vaguely important-looking Arriva official on Dale Street and he had no idea, other than telling me that the 86 terminates there in the morning.

Surely it is time the buses served the people of Liverpool rather than the convenience of the bus operators.

Michael Kane, Wavetree

Feet on seats

REGARDING the issue of feet on seats on Merseyrail trains. For years now, people of this rude society have got away with behaving just how they like. Now someone has said they will not stand for it any more.

But it is not just feet on seats. We should be taking the zero tolerance approach much further on, to other socially disgusting acts, and then maybe we will end up with a society that is actually pleasant for people to be a part of.

TW, via email