Sir, – I write with reference to your article, Residents fear sewage will swamp pitches (August 13) regarding concerns raised by Crieff residents about health and wellbeing risks to young people from development of the pitches at Dallerie by Morrison’s Academy.
The authorities have been unable or unwilling to correct the problemof sewage and foul water which floods thearea.
What is most surprising is that it was even seen fit by Perth andKinross Council to approve this application in principle.
This is not something that has just occurred but over the last years has been getting worse after heavy rain, which allows overflow raw sewage and foul water drainage to invade the rugby playing fields.
What is surprisingis that the playing of matches has been allowed within daysof contamination, regardless of the risk to young people and the wider public. This attitude does not show nor give confidence that those in authority are willing to address the problem in the interest of the safety of thechildren.
Unless and until an imposed viable solution is found, the thought of development on theDallerie flood plain should surely beshelved.
In your article, it was noteworthy thatSEPA has urged the council to “consider the health implications” of the source of theflooding.
Photographs showing flooding and raw human sewage have been shown to the school and a local councillor, yet this situation seems to have been completely ignored.
Photographs and back-up information relevant to the foregoing can been seen in documents and comments lodged with Perth and Kinross Council, planning application reference 15/01036/FLL.
Douglas Gorrie. Sauchie Road, Crieff.
Efficient public sector response
Sir, – I am writing in praise of service I received recently from Perth and Kinross Council roads department.
During particularly heavy rainfall, water was flowing from the main road onto our property in Invergowrie, causing flooding.
I contacted Stuart D’all, who is deputy manager in road partnership management at the council with an explanation and photographs.
He and his team, led by Jim Gibbon, responded quickly and put in place a plan to tie in a newdrain on the road. This has resolved theproblem.
Their response and attention bursts the myths we often hear about local government services. They were responsive, concerned and proactive. The work was done promptly and efficiently.
Our local councils are often in the firing line. In this case, the service we received was exemplary.
Andy Lothian. Errol Road, Invergowrie.
Perth car park questions
Sir, – Two questions for Perth and KinrossCouncil.
How much do Smart Parking pay the council?
Did they agree the method of payment in the Kinnoull Street car park?
Garry Barnett. The Garden House, Campsie Hill, Guildtown.
Fife victim of power struggle
Sir, – It is clearly devastating news to see Scottish Power taking the decision to close the Longannet power station in Fife in March 2016, with the associated loss of hundreds of jobs (August 19).
The key reason for this is an iniquitous transmission charging regime, where pricing is based on location, that discriminates against Scotland.
So, while we host 12% of electricity generation in the UK, we pay 35% of the network’s running costs.
This means that Longannet pays £40 million a year to connect to the National Grid, while an equivalentgenerator in Yorkshire would pay £15m and a power station in London would receive a subsidy of around £4m.
It is nonsensical to lose such a huge capacity at a time of tight supply margins and it is vital that the UK Government end once and for all an iniquitous charging regime that discriminates against all forms of power generation in Scotland.
To add insult to injury, UK Government proposals for the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset will see French and Chinese corporations receive a subsidy of between £800m to £1 billion a year for generation costs, double the present going rate.
For those who fought to retain the Union under a slogan of Better Together, this clearly did not extend to thetransmission charging regime which is illogical, unfair, and, if we are to keep the lights on, in need of urgent reform.
Alex Orr. 77 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh.
Lights will go out this winter
Sir, – Operator Scottish Power announced that coal-fired power station Longannet is to close on March 31 next year, four years ahead of schedule. (August 19).
The reasons for this closure were given as high carbon taxes and transmission charges.
However, with no regard for the workforce of 236 people, theScottish Greens and WWF Scotland said the closure was “inevitable” due to air pollution rules and the growth in renewable energy.
Why? Scotland’s CO2 emissions are 0.15% of global emissions.
There are 2,300 coal-fired plants in the world and another 2,177 either being built or planned.
Europe is the biggest importer of coal from the US and even green Germany is building 19 new coal-fired plants.
The world is rich in coal and shale gas and it will be exploited.
A world without coal and shale gas, as espoused by WWF, Friends of Earth and green zealots is unrealistic, so blame them and the wind-turbine fixated SNP when the lights go out this winter.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
When will tax rise in Scotland?
Sir, – How much longer must we wait until Nicola Sturgeon tells us when she’s going to vary Scottish income tax above present UK rates and by how much?
Prior to the General Election, Ms Sturgeon repeatedly told us she was going to save Scotland from austerity.
But since then, pretty much all we’ve seen from the SNP is tedious game-playing at Westminster and daily demands for an imminent second referendum.
The Smith Commission granted the First Minister extensive new powers over incometax. This is her perfect opportunity to generate additional incomefrom us to tackleausterity.
But perhaps all that welfare rhetoric issimply forgotten nowthe SNP has 95% ofScottish Westminster seats and we won’t have to pay higher incometax in Scotland afterall?
Hitherto, the SNP has merely spent money and complained the Barnett Formula isn’t fair.
The nationalists have long since had theopportunity to vary income tax though have never done so.
The First Minister may be about to find outraising taxes is as unpopular as anti-austerity rhetoric is popular.
It is time Ms Sturgeon told us how she’s going to put our money where her mouth is.
Martin Redfern. 4 Royal Circus, Edinburgh.
Ninewells was outstanding
Sir, – In this day and age, so many stories are reported of poor care within the NHS, of uncaring staff and neglect.
We as a family would like to highlight our personal experience of the complete opposite.
Our father was admitted to Ninewells Hospital (cardiology ward one) on Tuesday August 11 and from the outset had the most amazing care from all the doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff.
He was treated with the upmost dignity and respect at all times.
He sadly passed away on Saturday August 15 but staff facilitated forus as a family to staywith him around the clock during his final days, even providinga bed in the room, refreshments at anytime and tremendous support for our mother and ourselves throughout.
We felt the need to write this as we can never thank the staff involved enough.
The nursing staff involved truly deserve to be recognised for their hard work in an extremely demanding and stressful job.
It is all too often pointed out, especially in situations like this, when people do a poor job but we believe it should be recognised when such an outstanding job has been done.
Rebecca Storer. The Drysdale Family, 15 Wishart Gardens, St Andrews.
Chilcot may not be instructive
Sir, – MPs have expressed frustration at the delay in publication of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War.
I doubt whether it is likely to reveal much more than we already know from four previous reports into the causes of the conflict.
Some of our elected representatives andrelatives of the fallen still believe, obviously, that there is political capital to be made from itsfindings.
No doubt some pointers will come from Sir John Chilcot as to how governments should behave when there is a serious prospect of this country going to war.
How meaningful they will be is a matter of conjecture. Nobody can really predict the circumstances in which we might be involved inbattle. Certainly nobody can prescribe just exactly how we should approach battle if it is evernecessary.
The current situation in Syria is a case in point. Parliament voted against military action against the Assad regime nearly two years ago.
Now there is controversy about whether our military personnel should be helping the United States to tackle so-called Islamic State there.
It is so difficult to predict what action a government should take.
I still think it is certain that if we tell our enemies too much about how we would react, that is simply going to play into their hands.
We need to get thebalance between House of Commons’ approval for war and effectivetactics right.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.