Murky corners (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Murky corners

9:52am Friday 3rd July 2009

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Sir, – I refer to the recent correspondence regarding our MP’s second home expenses.

The allowances culture has developed over at least the last 40 years. Every government shies away from increasing the salary of MPs as it knows there will be a hulabaloo from the Press and public, and this led to the Spanish practices that have just been exposed.

Now that, at last, a light has been shone in these murky corners, we can expect the whole issue to be regularised.

Our MP, Miss Anne McIntosh, has been a hardworking and conscientious MP for our area, having done a great deal of good work on behalf of her constituents of all political persuasions and none. She has to have a base in North Yorkshire so that she can carry out her duties here. She only rents a property and so will not be “flipping” it in order to pocket the capital gain, unlike many MPs of all parties.

It is unreasonable to expect her to have the time or energy to do her own gardening. If she resigned over this, what guarantee is there that a subsequent person would do better?

Of more immediate concern to the taxpayers of Hambleton should be the generosity of the council in giving £3,600 of our money to the Thirsk Clock project in order to buy a pool table, plasma TV and laptops for the unemployed youths of this area, especially as we now learn they only have a three month lease left on their premises.

Why are these young men getting paid just for being? Why are they not out clearing the verges, helping the national parks with maintenance or doing other socially useful jobs in return for their dole money?

Nearly every shop and business in Thirsk has an advert in their window requiring staff.

Questions need to be asked as to what has gone wrong with the family and school systems that we have produced a generation of unemployable young men.

Hambleton Council is also generously providing books for Polish readers. If Poles want to read books in Polish, then they can go back to Poland to read them, or else bring them with them.

We have just had council elections and I did not see any reference to wasting our money on these unnecessary projects.

R M ROBINSON Watergate Farm, Sutton

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