Sir – I read with interest the letter from Mr Newman (January 21) concerning his claim against Angus Council for damage suffered to his car as a result of a pothole in the road.
I too have beenfighting with Angus Council since November 2014 concerning some quite serious damagesuffered to my car as a result of the sameoccurrence.
I was so angry at the damage caused I went back to the road in question and photographed, the pothole as well as taking measurements of length, depth and width.
All of this was sentto Angus Council tosupport my claim.
I was advised by the car dealer and manufacturer not to drive the car as damage could have been caused to the suspension as well as damage to the wheel, which was plain for all to see.
I, therefore, had to have my car lifted onto a lorry (at my expense) and taken to thedealership to be thoroughly checked before I could drive it again.
The total cost including transport was £1,000 and, like Mr Newman, I placed a claim with Angus Council.
I received acknowledgement of the claim stating that it had been passed to their insurers.
Nothing further was heard so I sent a chase letter in February 2015 to then receive a letter from the insurers that they were denyingliability as the council, as in Mr Newman’s case, did not know the pothole was there.
I maintain the council has a duty of care to the motorists using its roads to ensure they are safe when doing so.
It is now almostFebruary 2016 and my case is still being argued as I have placed it in the hands of solicitors.
It is disgraceful that we all pay our council tax and a large portion of this is for the maintenance of our roads and yet it seems Angus Council can repeatedly avoid theliability because it“didn’t know”.
The council would soon be on my doorstep if I withheld the portion of council tax detailed for the road networks in Angus.
If this is truly the case I would suggest its inspection regime is vastly at fault and needs some careful attention.
It seems we all have to report every pothole we see in the roads or the council, via their insurers can plead ignorance and get away with it.
I always understood that in law ignorance was no excuse.Maybe other readers have had similar experiences?
Ian R. Barnard. Paradise House, Woodville, Arbroath.
Councillor has been late to act
Sir, – Fife Councillor Mark Hood has being doing the rounds, highlighting the urgent need for a health centre in Lochgelly and blaming the Scottish Government that the process will take at least five years.
Why has Councillor Hood waited so long to push forward this issue when he was clearly notified by residents during the Lochgelly Charrettes (2010) and consultations on the Cowdenbeath Area Local Plan (2003) that the current health centre was inadequate to meet the needs of a growing population, especially when councillors, including Mr Hood, were approving more than 1,500 houses to be zoned around Lochgelly.
Councillor Hood has failed to act in a timely manner to address local concerns with regards to the health centre and if he had progressed the issue when residents originally raised it,
Lochgelly would have had a health clinic fit for purpose by now. I can only assume the latest posturing by Mr Hood is due to the upcoming elections because his spin ignores the facts.
James Glen. 20 Walker Street, Lochgelly.
Young people were a credit
Sir, – Last Friday,January 22, I attended a traditional Burns Supper in St Pius Church Hall in Douglas, Dundee. The whole evening was a great experience.
We were entertained all evening by three ladies who played songs for singing along to (words were supplied for this) and they also played their fiddles for Scottish country dancing, which was enjoyed by all the guests.
We were also entertained by a choir from Finmill Community Centre in Fintry, who also played and sang for us.
I must also compliment all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone had a good night.
It was heart warming to see so many teenagers volunteering at this event and they worked very hard as well.
These days, youth are inclined to be given a bad press but these young ones were a creditto their families andcommunity.
June Reid. 12 Findhorn Street, Fintry, Dundee.
Moors must be managed
Sir, – I read the response from Kenneth Stephen (January 22) on the latest rant from Jim Crumley.
It was a well-written response to another one-sided article from Mr Crumley. The new generation of gamekeepers and wildlife supporters have a much different agenda. I spend two months in August/September working my dogs on a grouse moor.
I am retired and do this as a hobby, not for profit. I see all kinds of wildlife every day including many types of raptor, which are not persecuted.
The head keeper on my estate rescued an injured kestrel last year, had him treated, looked after for a few weeks and released to the wild.
We need the moorland to be managed but it does have a cost. Owners need the income from grouse and deer stalking to make it work.
There are manyseasons when the whole exercise is run at a loss but the owners, these toffs, to use Mr Crumley’s vernacular, still pay the bills and wages in the tough times.
There is an estate at the top of Glen Esk which runs day trips in a 4×4 for four to five people with a professional keeper who could show Mr Crumley and hisfollowers the other side of the glens. I suggest he gets his wallet outand buys a few days to educate himself and a few of his friends. That would be a small price to pay for a real education.
George Sangster. Woodlands, Logie Craigo, Montrose.
Christianity is evidence based
Sir, – Robert Canning of the Scottish Secular Society (January 21) states that no international human rightscharter obliges
Scotland’s state schools to teach on the basis of Christian beliefs. He is wrong.
The European Convention on Human Rights Protocol 1 Article 2, states: “in the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and teaching, the state shall respect the rights of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions”.
This is part of the Human Rights Act which the secularists claim they support.
He also claims hedoes not want atheismto be the default position of every school inScotland and yet says that state schoolsshould be banned from promoting supernatural belief.
Given that atheism is just the lack of belief in the supernatural, he is in effect asking for all schools to be based on atheism.
And he is de facto excluding Christianity, except as it can be taught by atheists as myth.
He demonstratesthe irrationality and intolerance of theatheistic secularistposition when he declares that what is taught as fact with state money should be supported by evidence.
This is a statement I totally agree with. Which is why I, as a Christian,am more than happyto go into state schools and provide theevidence for Jesus Christ and the Christian way of life.
The trouble is MrCanning’s faith insists I should not be allowed to do so and that all children in Scotland should be educated in a state system based on his belief that there is noevidence for God, abelief which itself lacks evidence and which he cannot prove.
David A. Robertson. 14 Shamrock Street, Dundee.
Join fight to beat austerity
Sir, – In my short time as an elected member, I have come to consider Councillor Fraser Macpherson as acourteous and hardworking councillor and in my opinion fair-minded.
However, although a Liberal Democrat, he should be aware heno longer has to be the bag carrier for Toryausterity (January 21).
To ignore what ishappening now inWestminster flies in the face of common sense and facts.
Following theirdisastrous election pact with the Tories, it has been a chasteningexperience for Liberal Democrats to see the carnage in their elected ranks during successive elections and I, therefore, would only ask that Councillor Macpherson continues to work with the SNP to protect our citizens from the excesses of Tory austerity and current Labour inaction.
Councillor KevinCordell. Ferry Ward, Dundee City Council, c/o City Chambers Dundee.