Sir, – I am sure I am not alone in being alarmed to learn of the extensive savings (£28 million) that Dundee City Council has advised it must make to balance its books.
Councillors have already indicated that they intend to cut 45 street-cleaning jobs and the council leader has stated that more cuts can be expected at all levels in the future.
While I commend him for trying to improve council efficiency and reduce costs, I am concerned as to what the real impact is likely to be, both on those individuals who will lose their livelihoods and the level of service that we can expect from Dundee City Council in the future.
In the light of this need for savings, I am also puzzled as to why the council has opted to accept the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland’s suggestion to amend the Dundee boundaries.
The council obviously knew it would have to make economies in the coming months yet accepted a proposal that will increase the number of councillors in Dundee overall, which could add approximately £34,000 to its annual salary bill.
One of the other options offered by the LGBCS was one of no change to the council wards.
This is clearly what the voting public want. A recent article revealed that a record number of 971 objections had been sent to LGBCS opposing any change to the Ferry Ward.
It seems illogical to be announcing cuts to important council services and jobs such as street cleaning while also adding more councillors to the council’s salary bill.
I can only hope that common sense will prevail within LGBCS and Dundee City Council and that they will ultimately reject any change to the local government boundaries.
This would reflect the very strong feelings held by most Broughty Ferry folk, as well as assisting the whole of Dundee by creating albeit a small, but very important, saving to the council’s budget in these challenging times.
After all, surely the citizens of Dundee would prefer clean streets to more councillors?
Judith Fraser. 9 Dawson Road, West Ferry.
SNP will protect council services
Sir, – Aspiring Labour candidate Jim Malone believes Councillor Ken Guild is wrong to suggest the Labour Party has “lost touch with reality” (December 11).
During the council debates that Mr Malone cites, Labour put forward three amendments which proposed deferring actions to be taken by the administration, some being relevant to budgetary considerations.
Like Mr Micawber, the Labour group proposed doing nothing in the hope that “something will turn up”.
This inaction does suggest the Labour Party has lost touch with reality, as they seem oblivious to the financial challenges facing councils the length and breadth of these islands.
Here in Scotland these challenges are partly the result of Labour’s campaign for a no vote in the referendum.
But if Mr Malone needs further evidence, I would remind him that only this week the Labour leader of Blaenau Gwent Council in Wales stepped down from his post, citing the “horrific” Tory Government cuts which had made this “the most difficult and challenging time in the history of local government”.
However, unlike the Labour Party, the SNP will not just stick our heads in the sand and hope something turns up but will continue to stand up for our people and do our utmost to protect them and the services they rely on.
Councillor KevinCordell. The Ferry Ward, Dundee City Council, City Chamber.
In safe hands on Scotland’s trains
Sir, – I would like to commend the actionsof the guard/ticket inspector on the 16.00 train from Edinburgh Waverley to Dundee on Thursday December 10.
On the journey between Waverley and Haymarket he announced that a bag had been found left just inside the door of one of the carriages and he appealed to the owner to claim it immediately, otherwise he said the bag would be removed from the train at Haymarket.
I am pleased to say the bag was claimed and the guard/ticket inspector informed passengers of this.
I thought the guard’s conduct was exemplary.
Given the worrying times we live in with terrorist threats, I find it very reassuring that ScotRail staff are conducting themselves in this way, placing the safety of their passengers as a priority and keeping them advised of the position.
And to do this when the train was packed due to the closure of the Forth Road Bridge, with staff under exceptional pressure, makes the guard’s conduct all the more commendable.
I also feel all ScotRail staff should be thanked for the way they have responded to coping with the extra pressures caused by the road bridge closure.
Nigel Hawkins. 1 Auchterhouse Park, Auchterhouse.
Nothing wrong with big classes
Sir, – I cannot understand why there is so much fuss about the size of classes in schools. In my day, 30 pupils was quite normal.
We had one teacher who taught us almost everything, apart from music, another teacher did that, and we went to a gym hall for P.T.
Our teacher also taught us to knit and sew, as well as the usual subjects. We also had little tests on a regular basis and, in fact, our education was excellent.
I also think that some parents don’t teach their children how to behave in public and this makes life more difficult for teachers when they go to school.
June Reid. 12 Findhorn Street, Fintry, Dundee.
Dictatorial secularism
Sir, – Angus Brown (December 14) accuses me of “immoderate” views because I opposed the secularist witchhunt against SNP MSP candidate Sophia Coyle and yet he repeats my position exactly: that each person has a vote based on personal choice of an MSP who best fits their moral standards as well as a political choice.
The SNP, like all mainstream political parties, has not made moral questions such as abortion, same-sex marriage and euthanasia policy issues which all their candidates must uphold.
If the SNP wish to inform those of us who are opposed to abortion, SSM and euthanasia that these are core parts of their policy which none of their candidates are allowed to have opposite views on, then so be it.
They will lose mine and tens of thousands of others votes. But that is for the SNP to decide.
It is not for the secularists to tell parties who they can and cannot select, based on their own absolutist standards.
That is immoderate.
David A. Robertson. St Peter’s Free Church, 4 St Peter Street, Dundee.
The genius of James Maxwell
Sir, – BBC Two Scotland gave us an excellent hour-long programme on James Clerk Maxwell: The Man who Changed the World, recognisedas the world’s greatest scientist between Newton and Einstein.
When Einstein was asked if he stood on the shoulders of Newton, he replied: “No, on the shoulders of Maxwell”, whose photo had pride of place on his study wall.
Elsewhere in Britain, BBC Two treated viewers to the Tottenham MP’s advice surgery. Whether or not the BBC will show Maxwell more widely in due course, such programmes surely merit simultaneous transmission throughout Britain.
Scottish ignorance of our home-grown genius is regrettable enough but is probably worse in the rest of the UK.
John Birkett. 12 Horseleys Park, St Andrews.
Valid viewpoint of Donald Trump
Sir, – I am astonished how many people seem unable to distinguish between religion and race in calling Donald Trump a “racist”.
Islam is a belief system based on the teaching of the Koran and the example of Mohammed.
Having studied these, I conclude that the moderate majority of Muslims in the UK do not implement much of the clear instruction and exhortation contained therein, thankfully.
When some Islamic extremists in Western countries boast of demographic changes bringing in Sharia law within so many years, it is understandable that some start asking how to avoid this destiny for their children.
Mr Trump’s populist response is brash, ill-considered and unprincipled but the question is a valid one.
Richard Lucas. 11 Broomyknowe, Colinton, Edinburgh.
What will be SNP’s tactics?
Sir, – More potential for mischief making by the SNP.
A report for the SNP-dominated Europe Committee at Holyrood, suggests David Cameron might have to extend his tour of European capitals to Edinburgh as he seeks to secure backing for his EU reforms.
Apparently the report suggests that if the reforms are interpreted as impacting on Scottish devolved matters then the Scottish Parliament might have to give its approval.
Similarly, if the eventual EU referendum decides on an exit, the Scottish Parliament might again need to give its approval.
Something of a conundrum then for the First Minister in deciding how she can cause the most trouble.
Will she veto the reforms to undermine the Prime Minister’s chances of securing a vote to remain in the EU, leading to her trigger for another Scottish independence referendum?
Or hold off, hoping for a vote to leave the EU and then threaten to veto that as a bargaining chip to secure UK Government support for another Scottish referendum?
Keith Howell. White Moss, West Linton.