LORRAINE Jeffrey, chairman of the bench at Wakefield Magistrates, has set a precedent.

In future, no-one who drives for a living should be banned from driving.

Huddersfield Town chief executive Nigel Clibbens chose to exceed the speed limit.

No-one forced him to drive at excessive speed. Doesn’t everybody face losing their job if disqualified from driving when driving is part of their job description?

He could have travelled to work by train, which is inexpensive.

How much does he earn as chief executive?

This smacks of one law for the rich, another for the poor.

If I ever face a driving ban I shall ask to be dealt with by Ms Jeffrey. I know I will not get a ban if I tell her I cannot afford a disqualification.

If a burglar is facing jail could he not now claim it would cause him and his family unnecessary hardship?

It is no use complaining about excess speed causing deaths when such law-breakers are allowed to get away with it.

Hard up and fed up

Huddersfield

Empty Lib Dem promises?

I WOULD like to comment on some of the remarks made by Markham Weavill in his letter printed on December 2.

He suggests that Labour activists are rattled – not at all!

Speaking for myself, I am very annoyed that the Lib Dems think the electorate are so stupid that they believe voting patterns at local elections bear any relation to the outcome of the General Election.

Since Labour won the Colne Valley seat in 1997, the Lib Dem vote has averaged out at 23.9%. Who in their right mind thinks it is going to suddenly jump to 37% as their literature suggests? Election calculus is predicting just less than 20% at the moment.

The Lib Dems promise the earth, as they do all over the country, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be held to account as there won’t be a Lib Dem government.

This is written in a personal capacity – if I were writing on behalf of the Labour Party branch I would sign it as such.

Cath Ingham

Holme Valley

A matter of trust

TO answer, or follow up, Mrs G Senior’s letter No Trust In Our NHS – I quite agree. There certainly isn’t any trust.

My dear father died last year in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. I was appalled at the lack of quality of basic nursing care.

He never was in a confused state, suffering pneumonia, yet was prescribed an anti-psychotic drug used to control violent aggressive manifestations, among other things – a drug that can produce disturbing side effects. This was given to control vomiting.

When Aneurin Bevan started the NHS in 1948 it was to be given from cradle to grave. Forget the cradle part. Many have to go all the way to Calderdale to give birth and a few weeks later return there to register the birth.

Not everyone has a car and the journey can be a long one with a baby in arms in winter.

Relatives of patients should not trust blindly the treatment, medication and supposed care given their relative or friend.

Be observant of care, or lack of, among other patients. Do not accept staffing levels being inadequate. Inadequate care to other patients will undoubtedly be visited upon your relative or friend.

Voice any concerns you have about care and medication. You are entitled to answers to your concerns. Do not accept being fobbed off.

Are we not to add the name of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to the list of those who cannot be trusted and are lacking basic care standards?

We have lost to this town Dean House, Bradley Wood, Mill Hill, Storthes Hall, Princess Royal and now soon St Luke’s hospitals.

Anyone would think the Huddersfield area was shrinking instead of bursting at the seams.

pat

Retired SRN, NDN

Loneliness of arthritis

FOR most of us, Christmas is a time for getting together with the family, celebrating with friends, eating wonderful food and exchanging presents.

But for many of the UK’s nine million people with arthritis it can be a surprisingly lonely time. Some people who are severely affected by the condition may be housebound in icy weather while others are isolated by their own pain and the depression it causes, even when surrounded by people.

Arthritis doesn’t go away for Christmas and just because someone doesn’t complain or is not obviously in pain doesn’t mean they are not suffering inside.

To help, I’m proud to say that Arthritis Care is opening its help lines for extra days during the holiday. This special Santa Service means that people who are cut off by pain or loneliness can pick up the phone and get real support from someone who understands.

So, if you or someone in the family has arthritis do keep Arthritis Care’s free number 0808 800 4050 nearby. It could make a real difference in a moment of need.

I wish all your readers a very happy Christmas.

Jane Asher

President, Arthritis Care

Dogged determination

PLEASE could the ignorant dog walkers in Grove Street, Longwood clean up after their pets? It’s disgusting!

ANNOYED POSTMAN

Longwood

Cuts are just the job

HAVING recently greeted Kirklees Council’s news of massive cutbacks commencing in 2010 with thoughts of ‘about time’, I looked forward to further detail.

Would this result in dropping grants to the local weird and wonderful, or perhaps cutting staff outings to European gatherings which result in high travel costs and massive time off in lieu?

Would frontline services have to suffer (the usual threat) or would natural wastage through early retirement on full pension ease the pressure?

One thing I did not expect to see on the Kirklees website was the banner ‘80 jobs available in Kirklees, apply now’.

If Kirklees management and councillors are committed to these cuts, how can it be feasible to recruit another 80 people in December of the year before cuts are due to begin?

In the real world, the first step on a company’s fight for survival is to stop all recruitment until their strategic plan for the future is agreed. Why is Kirklees any different if they are truly committed to cost reduction?

J R Horsfall

TaxPayers’ Alliance, Honley

In the right lane

IN Joe Froggatt’s response he refers to motorists in the inside lane at Lockwood Bar who show scant regard to others who are ‘correctly situated’ in the middle lane.

Joe, I think you missed the point. Both lanes are for turning right – therefore by being in either lane you are correctly situated.

Tim Radcliffe

Holmfirth

Are Tory sums right?

I NOTICE that it emerged last week that the Tories’ proposed tax plan to cut Child Tax Credits for households on more than £50,000 per year in total would raise only £45m – not the £400m that they claimed it would.

In fact, to raise £400m they would have to cut Child Tax Credit from couples earning as little as £16,000 each.

Can local Tories answer the following question – is this miscalculation simply a sign of the Tories’ lack of experience and inability to do their sums or do they intend to remove Child Tax Credit from couples earning as little as £16,000 each?

P Moynan

Skelmanthorpe

A big thank you

ON Monday I was taken ill in town and I would just like to say thank you to the people who came to help me.

A gentleman went and got me a bottle of Lucozade from Sainsbury’s and a lady called Audrey Iredale stayed with me until the ambulance arrived.

I got home safely and I’m all right now.

Thank you so much.

mrs b holroyd

Crosland Moor

TV volunteers wanted

I’M producing a brand new series for Living TV following their hit show Four Weddings.

This time it’s birthday parties – in particular, parties with a difference.

It’s similar to Come Dine With Me where four people attend each others events, score them and the one with the highest score will walk away with the ultimate birthday present.

We are keeping the prize a secret as part of the format, but it really will be worth their while. In addition, the birthday girls/guys will have a special souvenir of their celebration.

The first episode is 21st birthday parties and we’re looking for anyone turning 21 who is celebrating with a creative, stand-out party in January or February 2010.

Or maybe parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or neighbours wish to nominate their young!

Jon Durbridge

Series producer