Latest news with #PeterGittins
Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Don't blame the police – it's woke politicians who have given up on fighting crime
SIR – Commentators are far too quick to abuse the police for prioritising certain crimes above others ('Faith in the police', Letters, June 15). We must stop this, as at the sharp end of policing we have constables obeying orders from their seniors. Who controls senior police officers? The politicians we voted for. Twelve months ago they were Conservatives; now they're Labour. They are all tarred with the same woke brush. Our constables are treated with derision because they are the face of policing. Shame on our politicians. Peter Gittins Stirling SIR – Many senior police officers, often over-promoted because they hold degrees, have turned policing on its head with their politically correct pursuit of social-media offences. In 1979, my first shift sergeant told me that, if you allow a man to go unpunished for stealing something as small as a Mars bar, it won't be long before he returns to empty the shop. He held similar views on graffiti and anti-social behaviour. I challenge senior officers to run a six-month experiment: flood the streets with officers out of their cars, arresting anyone who commits an arrestable offence, no matter how minor, and see how quickly such behaviour subsides. This would be especially effective if the Crown Prosecution Service were to back up the police with court action, as it did after the recent riots. Tim Davies Lampeter, Cardiganshire SIR – As a resident of Bournemouth, I want to see more officers of the calibre of Lorne Castle on our streets, willing to take action against troublemakers and make our town safe. Yet this officer was dismissed for gross misconduct after tackling a masked 15-year-old suspect to the ground and holding him down while telling him to 'stop screaming like a b----' (report, June 20). With crimes going unsolved and unpunished, it is fair to say that faith in policing in Dorset is nonexistent. Mr Castle was sacked because his actions had supposedly undermined public confidence in the police. However, it is quite apparent to me that the opposite is true: in sacking him, the misconduct panel has damaged public confidence. Can we therefore expect its members to be removed? Barry Gray Bournemouth, Dorset SIR – Daniel Hannan deplores the state of public areas in Britain, along with growing threats to personal safety ('Britain is turning into a Third World country', Comment, June 15). In smaller communities, where councillors care little for grandstanding, public life goes on as it should. In Norwich, the Covid-era habits of guerrilla gardening, after-hours litter-picking and police liaison have endured, and are being adopted more widely. 'Friends' groups who take care of provincial railway stations across the UK are pioneers in this area. What was a default task for underemployed railway platform staff has been taken up by community activists. Thomas Carr Norwich A shift in British values SIR – As I approach my 75th birthday, I reflect on how values have changed over my lifetime. Respect for our elders was drummed into us during my youth. Today, we have a Government that is willing to take winter fuel support away from pensioners, and tax inheritance that would otherwise go to heirs. To cap it all, it now seems likely that we will have to navigate the intricacies of assisted dying ('Assisted dying Bill set to become law', report, June 20). It will be quite a job to ensure that there is no coercion, no fear of 'doing the right thing' to avoid being a burden, and that the professionals are driven by the right motives. A viewing of the cult film Soylent Green might help us understand the kind of dystopian future towards which we seem to be headed. Tony Wolfe Penrith, Cumbria Lebanon's liberation SIR – Those Lebanese dancing under missiles fired at Israel (report, June 18) ought rather to cheer the Israeli planes heading for Iran. After decades of death, destruction and economic collapse, can they still not see the enormous damage that Iran, via Hezbollah, has inflicted on their once peaceful land? What have they gained from being a centerpiece of Iran's 'axis of resistance' against Israel? Israel and Lebanon once peacefully coexisted. It was even jocularly noted that if any Arab country first made peace with Israel, Lebanon would be the second to do so. Hezbollah was the reason that Lebanon had no president for two years; Israel's loosening of its tight grip on the state is what finally broke the impasse in the legislature. In violation of UN-brokered agreements, Hezbollah militarised south Lebanon below the Litani River. The day after Hamas's October 7 massacre of innocent Israeli civilians, Hezbollah initiated daily rocket fire into northern Israel, leading to massive destruction and the flight of tens of thousands of residents. Subsequent fighting has yielded yet more destruction and depopulation on the Lebanese side of the border. With Hezbollah and its patron, Iran, weakened, Lebanon has a real opportunity to free itself from their malignant yoke. Should it succeed in doing so, Israelis would be among the first to dance and cheer, welcoming a renewal of friendship. Richard D Wilkins Syracuse, New York, United States The logic of Sizewell C SIR – Research suggests that Sizewell C nuclear power station (Letters, June 20) will cost approximately £12.5 million per megawatt to build. The Rolls-Royce small modular reactor (SMR) units are estimated to cost less than £5 million per megawatt. Sizewell C is unlikely to be commissioned before the mid-2030s, allowing for the usual delays. Overall build time for the SMR units is estimated to be four years, including testing and commissioning. Given that the small reactors are less than half the price and can be built twice as quickly, why are we bothering with Sizewell C? Ian Brent-Smith Bicester, Oxfordshire SIR – I was interested to read your report (June 18) about Westinghouse wanting to site a large nuclear power station at Wylfa on Anglesey. The Nuclear Industry Association keeps repeating the mantra that Wylfa is the best site in the UK for a large nuclear station. Unfortunately, it is forgetting about the grid constraints that give Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, headaches elsewhere. As the National Energy Systems Operator has said, the grid in North Wales will be near capacity by 2030, and a new line of pylons will have two national parks and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to negotiate before fighting through the Midlands to southern England. The south-east of England will be deficient in renewables, so to minimise total system cost, that would be the best place to site a new station. Dr Jonathan F Dean Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Llannerch-y-medd, Anglesey Training nurses SIR – In the 1980s, I taught at a girls' secondary school in Sittingbourne, Kent. Following a good basic education, at 16 many of our pupils went on to become nurses at local hospitals (Letters, June 15). When the university degree requirement was announced, the careers adviser – a lady of considerable experience – said: 'That's the end of the British nurse. Many of our girls do not want to aspire to degrees. We will lose a huge number of competent, caring health professionals.' Why have successive governments ignored this crisis? Ministers should work towards providing high-class, on-the-job training for those who have already proved themselves capable of following their chosen career. Jeannette Meyers Ashford, Kent Fallen Angel SIR – In a prime spot in Lavenham – England's best-preserved medieval village – stands the 600-year-old Angel Hotel. It has been a public house since 1420. For want of a tenant, this once convivial meeting place now stands empty, neglected and forlorn. When I came to live in Lavenham 35 years ago, the Angel was thriving and profitable. With the right management, it could quickly regain its former popularity and become a magnet for tourists from all over the world. As for the locals, we would flock back to a well-run village pub. David Brown Lavenham, Suffolk Lunches box SIR – My sister and I started school in 1950. For lunch (Letters, June 15) we took a bread and dripping sandwich in a greaseproof bag with our names on. The teacher took these offerings from us on arrival and put them in a box with all the others. There were no fridges then. They were given out to the appropriate child at lunchtime. Jan Denbury Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire Lads and ladies SIR – It appears that using the term lads in the workplace when there are females present could count as sexual harassment (report, June 12). Further, a recent complainant may be entitled to compensation. With this in mind, I will contact all the bars and restaurants that my wife and I have visited in recent years and demand redress for sexual harassment. Phrases such as 'Hello guys', 'Is everything OK with you, guys?', or 'Would you guys like to see the dessert menu?' surely fall into the same category. I wonder if I can find a sympathetic judge. Vic Storey Dereham, Norfolk When offices ran on ink and blotting paper SIR – With reference to Vivien Womersley's letter (June 15) on inkwells in school desks, I had to refill them and change blotting paper at the bank after I left school aged 16. The manager used red ink, and my hands ended up covered. Veronica Lown Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey SIR – I was gratified to read Vivien Womersley's recollection that the typical ink monitor from her school days was 'a trusted, steady-handed classmate'. My own appointment as ink monitor at a Hornchurch primary school in 1955 gave me useful experience in the responsible allocation of resources. However, I then went into academic life, where I fear I wasted much ink. Shanacoole, Co Cork, Ireland
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
City's most popular pool excluded as council tests the waters with $2 entry trial
IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled". IT'S the most popular watering hole in the city, but Lambton pool will be excluded from a $2 entry trial next season. While some councillors wanted to dive in the deep end with all five pools, a majority chose to test the waters at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend before taking the plunge. Lambton pool will not be included in the 2025/26 trial due to "operational and safety risks", given the already high visitation numbers each season, but will be considered for inclusion in future. Councillors also approved a free entry trial at all pools on Australia Day, but not before wading through murky waters during an almost one-hour debate on Tuesday night. Independent Cr Mark Brooker said he was disappointed Lambton pool would not be included in the trial, given 75 per cent of people who took part in community consultation said they intended to take advantage of $2 entry there. "We're delivering for only one quarter of the people who went to the trouble of engaging with us, we're only delivering for 41 per cent of pool users across the swim season that has just concluded," he said. "I don't for a moment want to risk the safety of the public, not for one moment, but I believe there are ways we could make it work." Fellow independent Cr Peter Gittins said he could not support a motion that, whether true or not, creates a perception of a "two-class society" that is both "inequitable and unfair". Lambton pool accounted for almost 60 per cent of 430,000 visitors to the city's five swimming pools last season. Its entry fee will remain at $6. According to the council, including Lambton in the trial would increase costs by an estimated $1 million each year and result in a $700,000 budget deficit. Labor Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk said Cr Gittins' suggestion excluding Lambton pool from the trial would create a two-class society was "insulting". "We have to make a choice about where our money goes within the parameters that we work in," she said. "What we have before us tonight is ... a sensible middle ground that's found a pathway forward to ensure we are actually delivering on our commitment to our communities, to create equitable, inclusive, connected and healthy communities that will have a real impact in material terms in people's lives." Greens Cr Charlotte McCabe made a move for Lambton pool to be included, but council meeting procedure meant it could only be voted on if the original motion excluding it was lost. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge also tried to have Lambton pool included in the original motion, but Labor Cr Declan Clausen argued it was a "direct negative" of the proposal he put forward, so it could not be included. "I would like to see Lambton included in this trial, but we do have a responsibility as a group of councillors not just to listen to what we see, but also to consider the expert advice that we are given," Cr Clausen said. "What we are voting on tonight is a targeted, financially responsible and community-backed initiative to trial $2 pool entry at four of our inland pools. It's not the end of the conversation; it's just the beginning. Cr Clausen said councillors could either vote for a "meaningful improvement" to pool access or hold out for the perfect solution that may never arrive. "I ask each of you not to make the perfect the enemy of the good," he said. The trial is expected to cost the council $900,000 in 2025/26 and a further $200,000 in enhanced security at all pools. According to the council, the trial will increase the annual spend on pools to $4 million. City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath has the power to terminate the trial before the end of the 2026 summer swim season, but only if "significant risks" eventuate that cannot be "sufficiently controlled".
