Letters August 22: We must move away from home ownership

In last Tuesday's LP, you called the housing market 'broken', with the seeds planted by this Government's hero, Margaret Thatcher (LP August 14).
Do we need to focus more on social housing?Do we need to focus more on social housing?
Do we need to focus more on social housing?

Well said.

The pitiful social housing green paper from the Tories underlines how deep the rot in our society has spread.

It does nothing to tackle the immediate housing crisis, fails to deal with the root cause and is based, fundamentally, on the very market philosophy that created it all years ago.

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It all taps deeply into the worst aspect of the current approach to housing in

this country... home ownership.

To continue to push people out of social housing into this ownership model and refusing to remove the cap on local authority borrowing, which thereby restricts the building of new council housing, contributes to a greater housing crisis and does not solve the problem.

The Government must invest in a massive house building programme.

We should be increasing the stock of socially-owned housing, redrawing the rules on affordable rents and making housing affordable to working people.

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Rather than focus on home ownership, why are we not giving tenants a genuine voice in, and the control over, the decisions that affect them – making councils and other social landlords accountable to the people they exist to serve?

Royston Jones

Address supplied

local politics

Cost of mobiles is too high

What is the county council thinking of in offering new iPhone 7s to each of the 84 county councillors (LP August 13)?

The lowest current price of this phone in the UK is £549 each.

If all the councillors

take up the offer, the

gross cost would be over £46,000.

Your article states that the councillors are being given “several” options to deal with the problems they may be having with the phones issued to them a year

ago.

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It is to be hoped that each of the councillors opt for a cheaper solution to any problem they may have with their existing phone.

At this time of pressure on local authority budgets and with council taxpayers now receiving increases in annual charges, councillors should consider very carefully how the council spends taxpayers’ money.

Spending other people’s money is simple!

In this instance, if they each ask themselves: would they spend £549 of their own money on a replacement to a one-year-old phone and the honest answer is no, as it almost certainly would be, the action they should take is self- evident.

Malcolm Fortnam

St Annes

fishergate

Disappearing bollard

I was interested in the continuing saga of the Fishergate bollards and I spotted something in one of the pictures which may provide a clue as to why so many vehicles have hit the now world famous bollards (LP, August 18).

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Drivers are wondering what the sign etched in relief on the side of the bollard says but, as the sign is on its edge, they are leaning their heads over.

In doing so, they are swerving and thus hitting any one of the numerous bollards.

The word FISHERGATE is perhaps now etched into the memories of these hapless motorists. But wait! Hmm, a bit knocked off the top and another piece removed from the bottom and what are we left with? SHERGA! And we all know what happened to the almost namesake horse. Yes, it disappeared. Something which, no doubt, the hapless motorists were wishing had happened to the Fishergate bollards before they crashed into one of them.

Neil Swindlehurst

Walmer Bridge

fundraiser

Ladies in Hats raised £300

Can I thank everyone who came to our Ladies in Hats Afternoon Tea on the Terrace at the Guild Hall?

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I organised this in order to raise funds for the Mayor’s Charity, Headway, Preston and Chorley.

The guests included eight mayors, accompanied by their mayoresses looking resplendent in their beautiful hats.

All the other ladies wore hats and said how much they enjoyed getting dressed up for the occasion.

The Guild Hall did a fabulous job on the new Terrace overlooking Preston, serving afternoon tea and being very helpful and efficient.

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I must thank all who donated raffle prizes and those who gave generously.

We raised over £300 which was brilliant for such a small event. I have had numerous emails of thanks, saying what a wonderful afternoon it was. I will definitely do this again as it was so enjoyable.

Christine Abram

Cottam

Would they spend