Readers' letters - May 12

Neil left good memories
Neil and Eileen Farnworth on their wedding day. A reader pays tribute to Neil, who used to work at the LEP. See letterNeil and Eileen Farnworth on their wedding day. A reader pays tribute to Neil, who used to work at the LEP. See letter
Neil and Eileen Farnworth on their wedding day. A reader pays tribute to Neil, who used to work at the LEP. See letter

Re: Neil Farnworth (LEP April 21), I write in my capacity as the former press secretary of the Preston & District Football League. It was a position undertaken over a period of approximately 10 years during the time of Neil’s stewardship of the press reports for all of the amateur football at the LEP, amongst his other jobs.

It is very sad to hear of his recent passing but thought I would like to pass on a few memories.

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In the early days, Neil gave me the impression that his job was made difficult by the newspaper’s typesetters and printers.

Therefore I was encouraged to prepare the weekly reports and releases on foolscrap paper and in double spacing with only one side of paper used.

This seemingly made their production process easier. I quickly adopted this method and have used it continuously at times during my career.

All of the officials on the Preston & District Football League had full-time jobs, myself included, and the weekly reports were compiled in the evenings by myself and hand-delivered to Neil at Fishergate, Preston, or sometimes to his home at that time on Cinnamon Hill.

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Because of space limitations, I was restricted to 1,000 words (I think) but there were times when the report was reduced by the LEP in-house because of other reports and available space.

I always joked with Neil that my report was shortened whereas other leagues’ reports were not.

One evening towards the end of the football season, when the local league finals were played on Deepdale, he asked me to cover the LEP Sunday League Trial because he was involved elsewhere, which I duly did.

I went home after the game and typed a report with match details and an interview with the match-winning scorer.

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It was duly delivered to Fishergate the following morning by myself. The report appeared in the evening paper that night – cut down considerably! So it wasn’t just our league, this was the LEP’s own league.

So sad that you have left us Neil, but some nice memories.

Peter Davies, Hutton

Protected south, punished north

I was wondering if Nigel Evans MP could explain to his constituents how £14.5bn can be spent on London’s cross rail, £5.7bn on the planned parliament refurbishment, and even £175m on a garden bridge over the Thames, while 40 libraries are being closed in Lancashire saving only £7m, four of which are located in the Ribble Valley?

In a few weeks’ time he will no doubt be joining campaigns to save those libraries blaming Lancashire County Council and talking about the deficit.

Did the deficit stop his 10 per cent pay rise?

Is £7m going to significantly reduce the deficit?

The real question is why is Nigel’s party forcing these cuts onto Lancashire’s vital services?

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Can he admit that London had been protected while Lancashire is punished?

Tim Lynas, Billington

Out campaign is Project Myth

If letters are to be sent to the Lancashire Evening Post for publication on either side of the Referendum debate, could protagonists please check the facts before putting pen to paper or pressing the keys?

Not to do so weakens any argument.

Most of the fears (it really is a Project Fear) that EJ Tilley expresses about Remaining can be answered by two words: “veto” and “unanimous” (LEP May 10).

And the latter being the necessity of all 28 states agreeing on many issues.

I really see what has 
been written as “Project 
Myth”.

Chris Jackson

Ashton

Police election lacks democracy

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There is something not quite democratic going on in Lancashire.

It is understandable­ and demonstrable that the voter turn­out is much lower in places where only the Police & Crime Commissioner is being elected, than it is in places where local councillors are also being elected.

Yet we have just elected a

Police & Crime Commissioner, with just seven Lancashire boroughs also voting for councillors and six of them are Labour­-controlled (the other one is ‘no overall control’.)

None of the Conservative­-controlled boroughs were voting for councillors. In this scenario, it is almost automatic that a Labour Police & Crime Commissioner will be elected.

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If the Commissioner election was carried out when only the Conservative-controlled councils were also electing councillors, it would be almost automatic that a Conservative Commissioner would be elected. But that would not be democratic either.

If all the boroughs cannot vote for councillors at the same time as the Police & Crime Commissioner elections, it would seem necessary to conduct the election on its own, on a separate date.

Neil Inkley, Walton­-le-­Dale

Time for BGT judge rethink

As a regular viewer of Britain’s Got Talent, I am having serious doubts about this programme.

Simon Cowell may have impressive credentials for judging new talent but when it comes to deciding who sits on his panels for both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, he is definitely found wanting.

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He could not even be bothered to turn up on time for the edition of Saturday, April 30, and left it to the irritatingly unfunny David Walliams to get up to his usual antics of trying to take over the show. What on earth was the point of dragging his mother out of the audience to sit in Cowell’s vacant chair? Obviously the point being it was more air-time for David Walliams.

This man’s constant winding­up of Cowell is also wrecking the show. Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden are also past their sell-by dates. The only judges worth having on these shows have been Piers Morgan, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue.

But will Cowell listen to what the viewers think? I doubt it.

Mohammed Ismail, Bolton