IT was depressing and a little frightening to watch TV coverage of the Chancellor’s budget speech.

Seeing benches full of well paid, well fed MPs grinning and cheering on millionaire George Osborne as he announced cuts in welfare which support our most vulnerable people, was a sorry spectacle.

If such cuts to the welfare budget are unavoidable, at least could we persuade these comfortably-off people to look regretful as they decimate already small incomes.

Not much chance of second homes or expenses claims among people working for the minimum or even the “living” wage.

We were then advised that in return for accepting elected mayors, larger cities would be in receipt of “devolved powers”.

It seems likely in a time of unpopular policies, cutbacks and redundancies, that devolved powers is just another name for passing the buck.

The very fact that we are being offered something which we apparently want, in return for accepting directly elected mayors, which we do not want suggests, to me at least, a hidden agenda.

And do we believe that Westminster politicians are sincere when they talk about the “Northern powerhouse”?

Pamela Brown, Goodwood Grove, York

 

WITH the General Election well and truly over, it’s time for the super rich to take their rewards.

The media over the five years of the previous government’s time was discrediting all opposition to the Conservatives, doing enough to persuade the floating voters to elect a Conservative government.

With knighthoods handed out to major donors it’s time to reward further those that really run the country, the super rich and multi-national companies.

The first budget of a Conservative government and it’s the same as the last five years, take more money out of the pockets of the poorest in society and give a little to the middle class, they voted you in.

Talk as if you’re going to do something about the super rich avoiding paying their taxes but do nothing. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

For those at the bottom there will be more and more people losing their homes, more people dying of cold in the winter, more dying through lack of food, more taking their own lives.

But what does this matter, the super rich will get richer, they have doubled their wealth in the last five years. When you have invested to get the government that you want, nothing else matters.

Chris Mangham, Lindsey Avenue, Acomb, York

 

DRIVING in regularly from Sutton-on-Derwent, A W Clarke noticed the high number of student blocks recently built on Hull Road, and questions why more homes were not built for residents (Letters, July 14).

The answer is simple. The council’s disastrous affordable housing policy was directly to blame. The council had no planning power to discriminate against student housing and developers would naturally choose the most viable schemes. They would be crazy to do otherwise.

Between 2005 and 2010 any developer putting up 15 or more family dwellings was expected to hand over 50 per cent of them at a financial loss to a housing association; and would then be trying to sell the remaining private dwellings next to social housing.

But if the developer put up student blocks, none of his product had to be given away at a knockdown price. The result was entirely predictable but no one at York council would listen.

The 50 per cent policy was an unmitigated disaster and the percentage was eventually lowered, but it was far too little and far too late. The exemption for student housing remained.

Little wonder then that substantial student accommodation is still being built instead of regular housing for families, couples or single persons.

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayors Walk, York

 

THE antics of local cyclists are certainly dangerous and seem totally devoid of sense.

As well as frequently failing to use handlebars to control their bicycles (eg hands on heads, in pockets, under saddles, holding bottles or mobile phones, or pretending to etc) while cycling, they also do wheelies (dangerously raising front wheel), cycle two or three abreast across the road and often face oncoming traffic on the ‘wrong’ side of the road.

Clearly something needs to be done to stop these errant cyclists before someone is seriously injured. A police campaign would be welcome.

Alexander Ogilvy, Lindsey Avenue, Acomb