Evening Press Readers' Letters

Your report that the greedy councillors of York have awarded themselves computers, at the expense of council tax payers, supposedly to enable them to do their "jobs" will have angered every parent of schoolchildren in York ('£40,000 Computer Offer To Councillors', February 23).

At last year's council elections it was stated that each child in York would be provided with a computer at home.

Head teachers city-wide must have been incredulous at that electoral pledge because they were, and still are, desperate to fund such provision within the schools where they would be of much more benefit.

The computers which many school children now use are antiques.

Schools have been left with no option but to obtain them by their own heroic fund-raising initiatives or the laborious task of collecting supermarket vouchers.

Councillors need to reassess their priorities, step down from their clouds and realise they are not the most deserving cases when it comes to dishing out the freebies.

There are many in York who suspect councillors are not doing their jobs properly already and, if their current trend of closures and fund-withdrawal continues, there will be nothing left for them to run on their state-of-the-art computers.

If they believe they are so important they must have a computer, then they should pay for one themselves out of the substantial allowances they claim.

Every councillor who accepts this perk should hang their head in shame.

Robin Dickson,

New Walk Terrace, York.

...In reply to the letter Computers Will Help Councillors Do Their Work" I say computers do need to be updated regularly to be able to respond more speedily and access the Internet and its interesting global sites, which can enhance everyone's future and views of the world of technology.

Many schools in York would love to be able to spend £40,000 on new, or even a few modern, machines but this is the real world of education and not City of York Council. Schools have to collect vouchers from big local retailers to stand a chance of getting a machine.

The Labour council promised to provide all primary school children with a computer but how long do they have to wait to visit the wonderful world of IT?

Will all be revealed before the next election or has Labour's pledge just been lost on the hard drive of your old computers?

Ian Snedden,

Cherrywood Crescent,

Fulford, York.

...It would seem City of York Council can find money for laptop computers for its members, and there is talk of senior members and the leader of the council being paid a salary.

But there is no cash available for the Wilberforce Home for the Blind.

I am not concerned with party politics, but I wonder if Coun Fletcher's conscience will bother him when he is using his new computer?

And will he receive a salary? It used to be an honour to serve on City of York Council, now it would seem it's a case of I'm All Right Jack.

Irene Phyllis Sapcote,

Glenridding,

Woodthorpe, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.