LETTER: Westminster Tories don’t care about North

HS2, and much-needed wider improvements to our rail network, are crucial to improving North/South connectivity, improving the capacity on our creaking lines and allowing the North to be catch up with London and the South East in terms of jobs and investment.

This is further evidence of the lack of interest the Conservative Party shows in our region, along with the chronic under-funding of our schools and CCGs and the constant delays to improvements to the northern ring road.

In the race to butter up the 0.2 per cent of the country that are Tory members currently deciding who will be the next Prime Minster, he appears to be more concerned with tax cuts for the wealthy than the steps needed to rebalance our economy, increase investment in infrastructure and give the North a real voice at the top table.In contrast, I was pleased that both candidates in the Lib Dem leadership contest and my colleague Cllr Keith Aspden, the Liberal Democrat Leader of City of York Council, have committed to backing the ‘Power Up The North’ campaign.

Cllr Andrew Hollyer,

Haxby and Wigginton Ward,

The Village, Haxby, York

We’re well along on the road to nowhere

Does anyone remember the Tory 2015 election poster ‘The road to recovery’, with David Cameron posing beside a photo of a road disappearing into distant mountains?

It looks like we are now nearing the end of the road!

P Dawson,

Fordlands Road,

Fulford, York

We need more silver greyhounds

The latest diplomatic row over leaked emails reminds me that in my youth sensitive diplomatic messages were carried in sealed briefcases chained to the wrist of a King’s Messenger. He was a man of complete integrity: a member of an elite corps identified by a silver greyhound badge. I would like to think that such people still exist at a time when personal integrity appears to be a rare commodity.

AV Martin,

Westfield Close,

Wigginton, York