Letter: Infrastructure - Politicians must get a grip

Here's a quick quiz for your readers: which one of these institutions in crisis? The NHS, the Prison Service, Social Care Service, The Education Service, Child Care Service, Library Service, Refuse Service.
Traffic on Skipton Road, Harrogate.(2312033j)Traffic on Skipton Road, Harrogate.(2312033j)
Traffic on Skipton Road, Harrogate.(2312033j)

The answer is - yes, they are all in crisis but our government is in complete denial and has the affrontory to to suggest that it is not their fault.

It beggars belief that after seven years of Tory austerity we are now told we must continue to suffer several more years of the same. What is there left to cut?

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More houses are being built locally at last but are they affordable and is the local infrastructure up to it? I think not, especially transport.

The school term time gridlock that bedevils this town will surely get worse unless politicians who are socially responsible take a grip and I don’t mean building a road corridor through Bilton.

What we need is good public transport which works for the benefit of the community, not its profiteering owners.

Other local authorities have started to take back partial control of municipal services proving that it is more cost effective and efficient.

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Our local MP is a Minister for Transport but there’s no evidence of improvements on his own patch.

In fact, it was he who voted to overturn the Labour amendment to the ‘Buses bill’ being discussed in Parliament next month which would allow for municipal ownership of bus companies.

The move away from diesel to electric cars is taking off nationally but you won’t find any public charging points in our area, why ever not Mr Jones?

The Tour de Yorkshire shouldn’t be the only time cyclists abound on the local roads but the sheer volume of motor vehicles is a real danger and general health hazard to cyclists - see the council’s last air quality report.

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At a time when the country and our town are crying out for investment in new infrastructure, green transport, social housing and public services, this government and its local representatives seem hell bent on pursuing ideology at the expense of rationality.

Mark Campey

Malden Road,

Harrogate

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