Letters to the Editor

SIR - Why are the EMA payments to encourage children to stay on for further education at school or college means-tested?

The children of parents who are on benefits or not earning a "good" wage get the maximum £30-per-week plus an attendance bonus, while the children of parents who work and earn over £30,000 a year get nothing.

Surely this is passing the wrong message on to children at an early stage - the lower your income the more you get.

On the application form there are no questions regarding outgoing payments, only how much you earn! How can this reflect how much of your income you have left at the end of the week?

Just because you earn the money does not necessarily mean you have a spare £30-per-week and enough to pay the couple of hundred bonus attendance payment.

I (and a lot of other parents in the same situation) think this should be paid to all children in further education regardless of their parents' circumstances.

How can we as parents encourage our children to better themselves and train for their desired occupation when this type of message is being given out?

Tina Banks, Vine Terrace, Thornton.

A jungle of crime

SIR - From time to time, you report on encouraging crime statistics appertaining to Bradford. Even the most cynical folk have a warm feeling reading about these targeted successes.

However, the realists are not fooled by the work of the statistician when many thousands of crimes go unreported, and many more probably go recorded as trivial incidents.

Since the politicians have downgraded many crimes once regarded as serious to 'low grade' or 'anti-social behaviour' they perpetrate false myths of good crime-fighting.

Woe betide the politician or policemen who regards the recent vandalism of my car as 'low grade' crime!

I'm afraid I cannot take the police seriously when they boast about better detection rates. As I stroll about Toller Lane, drivers use their mobile phones as a matter of course, oblivious to any possibility the police might stop them. Perhaps they are right.

Residents are allowed to block pavements with skips, cars or all manner of obstruction. The police habitually drive or walk past lawbreakers.

I accept they cannot be everywhere in this jungle of crime, or nail every villain in sight, but please don't try to kid us that crime is being cracked.

Peter Drummond, Toller Lane, Bradford.

Dangerous road

SIR - I am writing to express my concern over traffic on the rural stretch of Allerton Road. My partner and I do not have a car and must walk the entire stretch, where there is no pavement, twice a day. We have done this for six months and have witnessed many acts of dangerous stupidity.

The road has sharp blind bends and despite the 30mph speed limit we are often terrorised by motorists attempting the bends at 60mph.

Not once in this time have I witnessed a police presence or any indication that the matter is being investigated. If you look at the damage to dry-stone walls, as we do each day, there is clear evidence that motorists lose control of their vehicles on this stretch regularly.

We're not asking for expensive speed cameras, just a reminder to drivers that pedestrians use the road and driving conditions are dangerous. We are tired of being frightened on our way to work.

I suggest that, as Bradford Council has seen fit to install unnecessary speed cameras in Wibsey, perhaps some of that revenue could be diverted to achieve road safety somewhere where it is actually needed.

Peter North, Allerton Upper Green, Allerton, Bradford.

Bumpy ride ahead

SIR - When, merely to differentiate himself from his predecessor, Shipley's novice MP Philip Davies claimed to have no interest in high ministerial office, let's face it, none of us really believed him. He is a young politician, after all.

But then, within six months of election, he's not only appeared on all the national media backing the charisma-free David Davis for the Tory leadership, he has also leapt out of the euro-closet, all guns blazing, and declared firmly Britain should leave the EU. Wow!

Whether you agree or not, if the latter doesn't guarantee his omission from future promotion, nothing will.

So, Philip, I'm sorry if we doubted you - in a few short months you are already showing us to be the cynics we probably are.

Stay independent, be yourself and keep clear of the greasy poles and gravy-trains of politics. It will be a bumpy ride, but lots of fun for all of us.

Then, if you're very lucky, you may eventually ascend to that elevated status currently enjoyed only by Dennis Skinner, Austin Mitchell and a few other rarities - brave people of genuine integrity in Parliament. We need more of them.

Graham Hoyle, Kirkbourne Grove, Baildon.

A strong leader

SIR - Re the letter by Haron Rashid, 'A leader needed" (T&A, October 5), I have never been a Conservative nor am I likely to be. Nonetheless I can see very clearly the point Mr Rashid is trying to make and that is that a very strong leader must be elected, if the Conservative party is to survive.

May I point out the mistake the Tories have made since Mrs Thatcher's time in office came to a sudden end in November 1990.

Although I disliked Mrs Thatcher intensely, I will say one thing - she had strength of character and was a fighter.

That kind of leadership quality has not been seen since. Leaders like William Hague and Ian Duncan Smith have not exactly lit up the Tory party torch too brightly.

I would suggest the Conservative hierarchy pull up their socks. The idea of being stuck with Mr Blair's new Labour is an unpleasant thought.

So come on and elect a decent leader. What are you waiting for?

R Halliday, Crag Road, Shipley.

Carry on, Cliff!

SIR - There has been quite a few letters about Cliff Richard recently. May I say that he is still a marvellous entertainer at the age of 65.

Young and old like him (I have been a fan for 47 years).

He is certainly not past it and nobody should be sorry for him or say that younger stars have never had as much opportunity.

Younger stars don't last the test of time because they set themselves to appeal to no other then the younger generation.

There are many of us out here who can appreciate a good new song (I like Six Million Bicycles at age 60!)

Let us have our share of Cliff Richard - he takes some beating!

Mrs H Bond, Lady Park Gardens, Lady Park Avenue, Bingley.

Yes, we DO care

SIR - Re the letter "Reasons not to" (T&A, October 6). I was very upset to read that Mrs J Briggs was not happy with the way she was dealt with in my store upon realising that she may have lost her purse.

When a situation like this occurs in our store, we are extremely sympathetic. We have a set procedure in place where a manager and a security guard are called. We will call the police and allow the customer the use of the phone to cancel cards, etc, if required. In one instance, I arranged for a member of staff to drive an elderly lady home after it became apparent her purse had been lost.

I am pleased that Mrs Briggs eventually found her purse at home and I can assure customers who may find themselves in this situation, that I and my staff will help in any way possible.

Debbie Rawson, Store General Manager, Wm Morrisons Supermarket, Worth Way, Keighley.

Beyond belief

SIR - The paranoid propaganda of the anti-smoking fanatics and the futile waste of research and money thrown at the NHS and drug companies to eradicate so-called smoking-related illnesses is beyond my comprehension.

The fact is that all these diseases are suffered by non-smokers too and if every smoker quit in the world we would still have the same problems, not to mention an economic crisis.

All our resources should be put into cracking the genetic code for homo-sapiens and gaining true scientific knowledge in order to eradicate diseases plaguing mankind.

Alan Holdsworth, Chippendale Court, Bradford Road, Menston.