Ian Murray omits police figures from his sums - your views

Murray omits police figures from his sums

In his article on Edinburgh City Council cuts (News, January 14), Ian Murray yet again ignores the fact that prior to the formation of Police Scotland in 2014 Edinburgh contributed £46 million a year towards local policing but last year it was only £2 million.

This factor alone accounts for a staggering £250 million saving in the last six years on Ian Murray’s figure of £352 million of cuts over nine years. Also, unlike nine years ago, local authorities now have the flexibility to increase council tax levels by up to three per cent each year.

Following the economic consequences of the UK government’s failure to tackle the Covid pandemic, I don’t envy Kate Forbes’ task of producing the Scottish Budget on January 28, with the corresponding impact on council finances.

Fraser Grant, Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh.

Spaces for People no help to the disabled

Lesley Macinnes explains how wonderful the Spaces for People scheme is for families to be able to walk to the Hermitage on Braid Road (News, January 11).

Let me address one aspect of SfP. When a member of the SfP team informed a councillor that the new double yellow lines were to help Blue Badge holders in mid-December (later retracted as another embarrassing blunder), I wrote to Cllr Macinnes to ask her to address the concerns of Blue Badge holders who can no longer park there. I quoted one disabled lady who pleaded for help on Facebook.

‘I am afraid that “places for people” is turning out to mean in practice places for able bodied people only because no thought has been given to blue badge holders in these traffic changes, and we are being excluded from many parts of the city.’

She referred to several locations including the Hermitage and received over 50 “likes” on Facebook.

Since I had not received replies to any previous emails to Cllr Macinnes, I ended my request as follows: “Please have the courtesy to reply and show consideration for Blue Badge holders.

All I received was an automated reply which had nothing to do with my request. Her final paragraph in the News - that it gives us an idea what could be achieved in the long term - reveals the pretence that SfP is intended to be a temporary measure.

Paul Bailey, Braid Road, Edinburgh.

BBC forget the old tunes are the best

It's sad and bewildering that Radio 2's 'Pick of the Pops' on Saturdays has stopped playing music before the 1980s.

The Beatles, Elvis and Roy Orbison are just a few examples of the artists now excluded from this once great programme.

Given the 'pop' genre began in the 1950s it feels our musical heritage is being obliterated by Radio 2 management who call these changes a 'shift of emphasis'.

Perhaps Lorna Clarke , Controller of BBC Pop, could shift the emphasis back?

Jeanne Berry, Elcombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

I drink to forget to vote for SNP in May

Many "oldies", myself included, do their shopping very early in the morning to beat the rush and "keep safe".

It is annoying that due to Scottish government legislation we cannot buy alcohol before 10am. This should be changed to 7.30am and the grateful public will flock to vote for the SNP in May.

Wait a minute, forget what I said the prospect of another four years of even more SNP failures would certainly drive people to drink.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.