WELL, we now know what sort of council the local Tory-Lib Dem coalition is going to be.

The green waste collection service was a key priority funded in the coalition budget. And yet worryingly, council leader Cllr Chris Steward and indeed Cllr Ian Cuthbertson (Letters, July 17), fail to recognise that more environmentally sustainable methods of green waste disposal exist than sending polluting lorries to kerbsides across the city, at times collecting very little green waste at all.

Green waste collection charges and ordinary refuse collection frequency changes, along with a whole series of other possible proposals came forward for consideration following a public consultation in December.

Council officers presented various ways in which waste services could contribute to the millions in savings expected by the then coalition Government.

But neither was subject to a decision to press ahead by the Labour administration. This of course didn’t stop Liberal Democrats telling voters that they were both going to happen, which won’t surprise those who have become accustomed to misleading statements from this party.

It’s unfortunate that there weren’t any policy options discussed at council to support all residents to dispose of their waste in more cost effective and environmentally friendly ways.

Cllr Tina Funnell, Labour, Upper Price Street, York

 

IS anyone at Station Rise worried that our council has debts of £269 million (The Press, July 14) on annual net expenditure of £120 million, which is a worse debt to GDP ratio than bankrupt Greece?

However they have dressed it up, previous administrations have not lived within their means, preferring to leave harsh decisions for those that come after them.

In our council tax bill statement of data, the £10 million paid out each year in interest payments is called “supporting capital investment”. Fancy words but the truth is this sum is “debt interest paid”.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington, York

 

I TAKE exception with AL Dixon’s contention that the ‘green lobby’ are blocking house building on the green belt (Letters, July 17).

It is simply not true. Firstly, the green belt does not officially exist, something our councillors continue to ignore because they haven’t the will or the talent to ratify it. Secondly, the draft green belt is hardly green, it is mostly private agricultural land with no amenity value to the public or to nature conservation; 25,000 hectares in size with only ten hectares of park and 20 hectares of nature reserve.

While York’s coalition politicians encourage people to live 40 miles away and commute into York to work, people with an interest in creating a sustainable future recognise that creating homes around the city, on brownfield and green belt sites, is essential to a low carbon future.

The key is a Local Plan (that local councillors have failed to deliver for over 50 years) to create a decent public transport network, the requirement that all homes in the draft green belt are built to passive house standard, and a decent cycle track network.

We could also create new lakes and forests. York is slipping further and further behind.

Christian Vassie, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York

 

MY wife and I recently returned after a 14-day, 1,500-mile driving holiday in Germany.

We visited west, central, southern (Bavaria) and eastern Germany.

Everywhere we went we met kind, helpful, polite, caring, considerate, happy, friendly people. This has been true on all our German holidays.

We also used their superb integrated local train, tram and bus services. It was a pleasure to drive on their good roads and excellent autobahns.

All the villages, towns and cities we went through were tidy, beautifully clean and free of litter.

We stayed in hotels, private homes and self-catering flats. The food was very good and the scenery stunning.

One thing we especially liked was the German policy of charging a deposit (premium) on all liquids served in plastic bottles and/or containers.

The price varied from 20 cents to 30 cents per bottle, redeemable on returning the empty canister, bottle, container.

This rule encourages folk not to just throw away, discard, empty bottles, here, there and everywhere, as in England and in other countries.

Very good towards improving the environment, landfills and sea, river pollution.

How I wish far more English people would visit Germany and see for themselves what a wonderful nation it is.

David Quarrie, Holgate, York