WE take this opportunity to thank everybody who supported our campaign to buy and redevelop Oliver House.

It has been an incredible few months and we have been overwhelmed by the kindness, commitment and conviction of those who have supported us, both locally and further afield, by attending our public meetings, signing the online petition, and contacting York councillors and council executive members.

You are our foundation stone; we look forward to working with you again in the future.

YorSpace recognise the difficult predicament in which the council executive find themselves, subject to substantial budget constraints, and under pressure to deliver best value for local residents in their business transactions.

We appreciate the motivations behind the decision to sell the site to the highest bidder. However, we feel that this decision represents a missed opportunity for the new administration to tackle the housing crisis currently affecting York.

We strongly welcome the recommendation from Cllr Chris Steward that City of York Council work closely with YorSpace to identify alternative opportunities for the development of affordable housing, and we look forward to meeting with officers to discuss possible sites.

We look forward to developing a productive dialogue with the council executive in order to re-examine the approach currently taken to the disposal of public assets, and to formulate a new local housing plan with social value at its core.

We hope that in future council assets will be utilised to create decent, low-cost, sustainable housing much needed by the residents of York.

Susannah Bird and James Newton, YorSpace, Sustainable Community Housing for York

 

WITH reference to Judith Morris’ letter “Yellow lines plea” (June 30).

There is a cycle/pedestrian lane running parallel to Heslington Lane which you can get on to just after the small roundabout and ends at University Road.

What concerns me is how, in an emergency, will the police, ambulance or fire engines get down.

Last week, I had started to pass the parked cars when two school double decker buses decided to come the other way and I and two cars behind me had to pull up onto the hedge side so they could pass.

I understand that by mid-July it will be sorted but if not we will have to keep at those in charge to buy that tin of yellow paint.

Maureen Robinson, Broadway, York

 

WHILE maintaining a single-minded determination to continue the bombing of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the USA has delegated the bombing of Somalia to Kenya, the bombing of Libya to Egypt, the bombing of Yemen to ten vile dictatorships led by Saudi Arabia (it is, however, offering “bombing assistance” as necessary).

In Iraq and Syria, 20 “allies” desperate to wade in that quagmire of human flesh, now bolster the quota of bombing raids so mercilessly terrorising these devastated nations.

That one deranged individual seeks revenge for these atrocities by targeting UK nationals in Tunisia is about as illogical as the original crime but surely no less shocking or surprising.

No less surprising to see now this obscene government and their equally obscene “opposition” uniting in their desire to wade even deeper in the bloodbath and promote their Islamophobic hate campaign in the process.

The US has coined the term “ISIS” as a brand name for all the resistance to their interventions in the Middle East and North Africa.

Their news briefings from “scorpion bombs” to “viagra rations” are but a clue as to the idiocy of the whole ridiculously misnamed “war on terror”.

Roger Westmoreland, York

 

OBVIOUSLY Howard Perry (Letters, July 1) is a strong Republican with the usual views Republicans have against a Royal Family.

His letter was quite well put together but he lost his way quite a lot, especially when he suggested Buckingham Palace was “a 52 bedroom council house”.

Ergo this observation must mean the likes of Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace, Windsor Castle et al are also council houses.

Why do “her 425 members of staff (who are probably on zero hours contracts)”, cause concern to Mr Perry?

The staff at Buckingham Palace are not (as Mr Perry hinted at) employed by the Queen but will be Government employees who will be paid the minimum wage and, quite probably, with zero contracts.

Personally I would imagine there is quite some cachet in telling people you work at Buck House.

Plus, of course, the 425 people who work at the palace are more than likely to be in a job for life and actually love working there.

Despite Mr Perry’s fervent wish for Britain not to have a Royal Family, I’m sure he’d find most people in Britain love our having the Establishment and would find the idea of a Republic a total non-starter.

The Queen is still carrying-out her Royal duties at the age of 89. Will Mr Perry still be working when he is 89?

Philip Roe, Roman Avenue South, Stamford Bridge