IN reply to the unsuccessful Labour council candidate (Letters, July 21) who describes the current executive as “a group of old water buffalo”, it is perhaps worth paraphrasing a famous quote by saying that “when the election is lost, insults become the tool of the loser”.

The letter goes on from this personal remark to make a number of slightly odd points.

Residents in Dringhouses and Woodthorpe who opposed Labour’s plans to charge for all green bin collections will certainly be surprised to hear themselves described as “country voters”.

Similarly, those in the ward that have seen the limited impact Labour’s costly blanket 20mph policy has had will be bemused by the idea that the possibility of reviewing the limits (in consultation with residents) will turn Woodthorpe into Silverstone overnight.

The new executive will continue to focus on frontline services for residents and pursuing evidence-based policies when it comes to road safety, congestion and issues such as the Local Plan.

It is the substance of these policies that we should be discussing and that residents should judge us on.

Cllr Ann Reid (Dringhouses & Woodthorpe), Deputy Leader of the Lib Dem Group, Grassholme, Woodthorpe, York

 

WITH reference to Cllr Ian Cuthbertson’s letter (The Press, July 17), Unison are writing to correct his comment regarding taxpayer-funded trade union work.

No trade union is given money by their employer and all trade union reps are volunteers.

The council follows the ACAS code “Time off for trade union duties and activities” published in January 2010.

This applies to all employers in both the private and public sectors where there is a recognition agreement.

The right to time off is enshrined in a Conservative law, the Trades Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act (TULRCA) 1992.

Under council administrations of all political colours, it has been clearly recognised that the work the trade unions do in partnership with the council makes good business sense.

Unison would like to remind Cllr Cuthbertson that the previous Liberal Democrat administration increased trade union facility time to facilitate the More4York Programme to implement the swingeing cuts to Local Government funding that had been passed by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government after the general election in 2010.

The Liberal Democrats appear to have U-turned under Conservative pressure.

The decision to attack staff’s right to representation is a complete contradiction to the letter they got from Cllrs Steward and Aspden saying how valued and important they are; showing complete disregard for their employees.

Make no mistake, staff (also taxpayers) will suffer as the council attacks their rights and this will cost the residents of York hundreds of thousands of pounds as they lose the financial benefit of good union engagement.

Heather McKenzie, Andrea Dudding and Terry Shiels, Unison York City Branch, King’s Court, The Shambles, York

 

LOOKING after asylum seekers has hit a high. Last year it cost £786 million to house, feed and clothe them.

This will obviously increase year by year.

This total does not include the cost of flying migrants home if their bid for asylum fails.

This is all wrong. The country cannot keep paying these amounts.

If an asylum seeker is a migrant, then that person should be put on a plane and deported back to their homeland.

Who is to blame for this migrant crisis? Well, you’ve guessed it, Tony Blair.

He was the one who opened the gates for this influx of migrants coming to this country.

Surely he must have known about the massive increase in population that would happen in this country.

Tom Mitchell, Mendip Close, Huntington, York