Letters - January 22, 2016

I had my blue bin emptied on December 24. On Christmas Day, we put in 13 bottles of wine and 13 bottles of beer.

We then had family and friends across continually during the Christmas period, including over 30 people around for eight hours on New Years Eve. With all this, for the first time ever, in two weeks we filled our blue bin.

Now I know that Fylde Borough Council, and especially Coun Pounder, have done a fantastic job in managing the bins and reducing costs, but I wonder if more can be saved.

Do we need our green bins emptied between November and March, with gardens barely touched?

Given my story of the blue bin, and what I see on our street does the blue bin need to be done every two weeks?

Maybe these could be moved to monthly, or six weeks and the grey bin collections increased to reduce rats and smells and save money in reducing bin runs?

Tim Armit

Blackpool

POLITICS

Labour is in decline, that’s the truth

Marjorie Nye states that Labour membership is soaring (Your Say, Gazette, January 20).

Unfortunately, the true position is very dire. According to Labour veteran Margaret Beckett, support for Labour has plunged from 59 per cent in 1994 to just 37 per cent in 2016, while the Tory support among workers stands at 54 per cent.

Also, bear in mind anyone can join the Labour Party for just £4, while membership of the Conservative Party will cost you £25.

Recent polls put Labour eight points behind the Conservatives. By the time of the next elections, Labour under the fool, Corbyn, will fall even further behind as he states he will send our nuclear subs to sea unarmed.

He also plans to lead the UK back to the 1970’s with continual strikes, three-day working weeks, blackouts, uncollected mountains of rubbish and the dead being stored in warehouses, all thanks to left-wing led unions, which JC supports.

Anyone under the age of 50 who never experienced these terrible times under Labour should ensure Labour is never allowed to take a new generation back to the dark ages. Be afraid – be very afraid.

Ms Nye needs to comprehend that, nationally, Labour is dying. Its position on Europe is untenable, especially as JC refuses to give his party members a free vote, unless you join the “Labour Leave” campaign.

It is an outright lie to blame the present Conservative Government for all the cuts being imposed on councils after the spending spree of the last Labour Government, underlined by them leaving a note to say “There is no money left”, but not mentioning the huge mountain of debt which the Conservatives hope to reduce to zero by 2020.

But there again, we should be used to Labour lies, rather than a transparent, positive Conservative Government.

Brian Crawford

Rossall

Fleetwood

POLITICS

There are better ways to spend cash

Has David Cameron gone completely off his rocker? He has set aside £20m to teach Muslim girls English. The mind boggles.

Hasn’t he looked around this country to see the devastation caused by the flooding, the state of the NHS, parents who cannot get their children into schools of their choice and cuts to local services which, to most people, are essential? I could go on.

Relatives of mine who lived in Spain for a number of years had to pay to attend classes to be taught and learn the language.

I cannot help but despair at the way this country is going. As a retired person who has paid taxes all his life, and still does, my heart now truly aches.

Barry Foster

Address supplied

PLANNING

Have we learned nothing from flood?

I read Wednesday’s Gazette with interest, especially the planning application for Rosemount Avenue for 44 homes.

The roads in the area are certainly inadequate, and if work starts on the gas storage it will be a total disaster, with queues stretching back from Shard Bridge to Stalmine in busy periods.

However I note this area is liable to flood, have we learned nothing in the last few weeks? The wet seasons are here to stay for the foreseeable future, so this proposal is simply ill-advised

Peter Boden Haigh

Pilling Lane

Preesall