SO the Conservative Government’s secret is out. The Prime Minister and Chancellor were making all sorts of pre-election promises around transport to benefit York they knew they couldn’t or wouldn’t keep post-election.

Although the crisis at Network Rail has only come to public prominence in recent days, the electrification schemes, including York to Manchester, were known to be in serious trouble back in December, well before many of Mr Cameron’s public pronouncements.

It was then that the chief executive of the Office of the Rail Regulator wrote to Network Rail to say the timetable for Transpennine electrification (to be delivered in the period 2014 to 2019) would slip.

That can only mean one thing; it almost certainly won’t be delivered in this Parliament which means leading Tories have been misleading the public.

This has all the makings of a post-election row back on David Cameron’s and George Osborne’s commitment to invest in and improve rail connectivity in the north, including to and from York, which threatens to undermine any suggestion that the Tories’ are truly committed to rebalancing the national economy through the creation of the so called northern powerhouse.

Cllr Dafydd Williams, Labour group leader, City of York Council

 

CHRISTIAN VASSIE asks us to “Forget the scandal of MPs’ salaries and expenses” (Letters, June 22).

An expectation of probity in public service is surely essential as an indication of a more general moral sense.

Forgetting what we know to be wrong is either dangerous complacency or mere cynicism, a dreary celebration of our own impuissance.

The Profumo scandal, which rocked the Macmillan government, and led to a 30 years penance of the disgraced MP, seems to belong to some distant age of misplaced chivalry.

A “full and frank” tongue-in-cheek confession is all that would be required today.

As to the Palace of Westminster, Barry’s architecture is just old enough and young enough to be unfashionable, but it has acquired symbolic status as much by its situation as by its history.

I think it worth preserving as a work-place for those better and more democratic assemblies we hope for.

Public money might be worse spent.

Even tourists will want to see more than a ruin, will they not?

William Dixon Smith, Welland Rise, Acomb, York

 

ONCE again I write in the hope people will back my attempt to get City of York Council to intervene to save York’s historic tram shed, the former Reynards Garage site in Piccadilly.

Were it not for the enlightened former York City Council, our city would not have our now world famous Castle Museum, alongside Clifford’s Tower, which draws visitors from around the world.

As does the world’s largest and most spectacular Gothic cathedral, York Minster, and more recently the National Railway Museum.

A short tram track from the restored site to the NRM would delight those, like me, old enough to remember train journeys across the United Kingdom.

Over to you councillors.

Derek Wortley, Heslington, York

 

ONLY a few short months ago Cllr Dafydd Williams vowed to work cross-party for the benefit of York residents.

So why is he now publicly criticising the new council leader for approaching neighbouring councils to help meet York’s housing shortage? (The Press, June 19) Cllr Williams’ group were happy to hook up with Leeds to secure funding for the ring road development, so what’s the difference?

As Cllr David Levene rightly states (Letters, June 16), York residents don’t care with whom they work – they are more interested in results.

The polarised, negative and insular views of Cllr Williams are clearly about putting party ahead of people.

It is political posturing such as this that has thwarted progress with York’s much needed Local Plan for almost a year.

Councillors Chris Steward and Keith Aspden are to be congratulated on collaborating, co-operating and thinking outside the box in the council’s attempts to satisfy York’s housing needs.

Allan Charlesworth, Old Earswick, York

 

THE increasing reports on incidents involving young people who, after a drink-fuelled night on the town, end up in a late night dip in the Ouse or Foss rivers is most concerning.

The establishment of a rescue service is a very positive step, however, they cannot be everywhere.

One of the main difficulties faced by any swimmer in our rivers is that it is easy to get in but difficult to get out.

The banks of both Ouse and Foss are reinforced with concrete walls to lessen erosion making leaving the rivers at all but landing points quite difficult, particularly when the bather is befuddled by alcohol.

Were some form of grab ropes to be installed in areas devoid of landing points to offer support until rescue services arrived, then possibly some of these idiots would be saved in spite of themselves. Just a thought.

J A Whitmore, Springfield Road, York