Sir, I read the article in The Courier, March 5, entitled, Tax hits most vulnerable. I thought I should clarify the statement of the Department of Works and Pension that they “are giving councils £155 million so that they can help their vulnerable tenants”.
When this is broken down between all councils it means around £100,000 will be available to Perth and Kinross and this will not be enough to cover the effects of the bedroom tax on those who are in the unfortunate position of having the “luxury” of so-called “spare” bedrooms.
Given the lack of council housing generally and the almost non-existence of single-bedroom accommodation currently available from all the social housing providers, this is not something people have demanded or even asked for.
Many would love to downsize to save on ever-rising fuel costs. But enough smaller affordable accommodation simply does not exist. It also leaves some people who need additional rooms due to medical conditions very vulnerable. Not to mention families who foster children and servicemen and women who may wish to stay with parents when they come home on leave.
The sum of £700 a year may not sound much to lose to wealthy Tories, but to those of us living in the real world it is a large figure.
I would also draw attention to a Welfare Reform information day in my ward at Letham St Mark’s Church, Perth, on Monday March 11, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.
It has been organised by Roseanna Cunningham MSP and advice groups attending include the Perth Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Perth Welfare Rights, Scottish Pensioner’s Forum, Perth Youth Services and Plus Perth. It is an informal drop-in session and everyone is welcome.
Elspeth Maclachlan. Cllr, Perth City North, 122 Dunsinane Drive, Letham, Perth.
Their duty to stop this from happening
Sir, Within the next few days 700 female deer and their calves are about to be killed by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Deer Commission in the Angus Glens. This is a major animal crime and must be stopped.
There is no excuse for this barbarity. The deer themselves are causing very little habitat degradation. It is our duty to protect these animals not destroy them.
It is the SSPCA’s responsibility to stop this. The fact that Scottish Natural Heritage and the Deer Commission are wealthy, influential and powerful is no excuse for the SSPCA to turn a blind eye.
I quote from an SSPCA money appeal leaflet I recently received in the post:
“The Scottish SPCA is the only animal charity in Scotland able to investigate cruelty to animals and help take people guilty of abuse and neglect to court. Preventing cruelty is at the heart of our work”.
If this is true then it is Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn’s responsibility to put a stop to this before it happens.
As well as the unnecessary government target of the 700 female deer and their calves to be killed it will also cause needless stress and suffering to countless more deer on the hills. I have mentioned the urgency of this situation to the SSPCA on more than one occasion.
Anne Haddow. 6 Maclean Terrace, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye.
Has it all been thought out?
Sir, I read in The Courier that Dundee Council’s environment department is still thinking of fortnightly household bin collections.
Has anyone among those planning this move asked the men who actually do the job, how this would affect them?
Also, not everybody has a car in which to drive to a recycling centre with household rubbish.
It is also very obvious that some households seem to recycle absolutely nothing, everything just goes in the bin. A walk along my street any Monday morning shows some bins overflowing. What would it be like if the bins were only emptied every fortnight? I shudder to think.
June Reid. 12 Findhorn Street, Fintry, Dundee.
Alex needs to come clean
Sir, Yet another political letter from Alex Orr (March 4) this time on whether an independent Scotland will automatically be a member of the European Union or will be forced to re-apply.
Alex Orr writes numerous letters to the press but rarely gives his background, preferring to be “just an ordinary member of the concerned public”.
This is hardly surprising since not only is he pro-EU, being a board member of the European Movement, but also an SNP activist supporting all SNP policies.
He is managing director of Orbit Communications, which is a public relations and public affairs specialist.
I think we should be told whether Alex Salmond’s SNP pays for Alex Orr’s avalanche of pro-SNP letters on the supposed benefits of the EU and that Scotland will flow with milk and honey if we all vote for independence.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Full of sectarian vehemence
Sir Ian Stewart’s letter (March 6) dripping with ignorance and sectarian vehemence suggests he would benefit from a modicum of schooling, denominational or not.
God bless.
Fr Steven Mulholland. St Mary’s Rectory, 22 Powrie Place, Dundee.