I found Emma Clayton’s article about scattering deceased relatives’ ashes very compassionate, and am sure it will have struck a chord with many readers (No easy way to say farewell, August 18). I have the ashes of my adult son Zachary who took his own life in November 2012 at age 28 (it was reported in The Press) in a beautiful sealed casket, and although a part of me would dearly love to scatter them at a place where he was happy, I can’t make up my mind whether doing so would be laying him to rest or “throwing him away”.

In addition, the thought of being without those ashes makes me feel bereft. But Zack was more than capable of making his own decisions in life, including his final one, and keeping his ashes feels as if I’ve claimed ownership of him. It would be very interesting to know if other readers feel similarly.

Fiona Crawford, Heath Moor Drive, Fulford, York

 

WHAT a mess First York have made of the buses. I used the No 6 nearly every day.

So now I have to change at Rougier Street, cross over one busy road to catch the No 4 and on the way back it’s worse because I have to cross two busy roads in rush hour to get to Station Avenue to catch it back to Clifton Moor.

I wrote to them over a week ago but no response as yet.

We need our service back. Instead we are getting three or four buses together, or waiting over half-an-hour in some cases while they are all going together in the other direction. Things will only get worse. It is the summer holidays. Wait until the schools go back and there is more traffic.

Name and address supplied.

 

Many thanks to Ian Foster, of Haxby (Letters, August 17), who has highlighted the “disastrous bus service changes” on the number 10 route. This was previously a well-run 30 minute service which has been altered to run every 35 minutes. This change is most unsatisfactory and not helpful to anyone.

In addition, the route has been altered and no longer calls at York railway station.

Janet Ponsford, Battleflats Way, Stamford Bridge

 

I hope York’s BID is successful (Vote will decide whether city means business, August 19). Local businessmen know what is needed for our city centre. To really succeed, they will need to keep York councillors’ involvement to the bare minimum.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington

 

I note with satisfaction that the new joint executive at City of York have announced a dramatic increase in the powers and funding available to local residents through ward committees.

Under the plans put forward by the Liberal Democrats, nearly £1m will be devolved to communities to spend as they wish.

Re-establishing these ward committees was a key part of the Liberal Democrat manifesto and I am delighted that they have delivered it. I am glad to see that local residents are now being trusted to make decisions in their own areas rather than having them imposed from the centre. Public meetings will take place in the autumn where residents can come and have their say on how the money should be spent in their area. I would encourage everyone in the community to get engaged, speak to their ward councillors and contribute to this process.

However, it is hardly surprising that Labour are opposing these changes as they ignored communities and took decisions behind closed doors for the last four years.

Local solutions are needed to solve the problems our city faces and the new Ward Committees will facilitate this. These changes are not only needed; they are the right thing to do.

Tony Fisher, West End, Strensall

 

I simply could not believe my eyes when I read the letter from Philip Johnson (Pay nowt – it’s York’s favourite price, Letters, August 19), especially when read in conjunction with the letter from Phil Shepherdson about paying for our milk (Letters, same day).

Of all providers of our services, paying a fair price to dairy farmers for that most vital product, milk, should be top priority.

This comes from living animals and has done so for centuries – why on earth can we not ensure that people who rear and look after those animals are paid what they are worth for their vital contribution to our health and well-being? It is about time that the British public got their priorities right.

Heather Causnett, Escrick Park Gardens, Escrick, York