YOUR LETTERS: October 16 2008
A ROUND-UP of letters from the October 16 edition of the Advertiser.
Want to air your views? Email us a letter by clicking here or write to us at: Letter's Page, Rugby Advertiser, 2 Albert Street, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 2RS.
All letters MUST include full names and addresses to make sure it is bona fide. If you wish for these details not to be published, please state so in the letter.
The council is barking up the wrong tree with do lead law
HAVE the people in power who propose the new dog control orders any idea what they are doing?
The public have not been party to any information regarding the reason behind the proposals, but we can only presume that it is an unresearched, biased reaction to incidents involving dogs and irresponsible owners. So instead of using existing laws to tackle the problem (eg Dangerous Dogs Act (amended) 1997 or Clean Neighbourhoods and Enivornment Act 2005), the new proposals just waste scarce resources to shift the problem elsewhere.
As a responsible dog owner I am very upset about the council's plans to relocate the problem. I am very fortunate to own a car, which allows me the choice to freely exercise my dogs away from populated areas. What about those who are less fortunate, and do not drive - for example, the elderly? Meeting others in the local amenities is the backbone of some people's social opportunities. This will leave some sections of the community isolated. Meeting and socialising with others is also vital to how dogs develop and behave.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 made it a legal requirement for anyone who is responsible for an animal to ensure that the animal's basic needs are met. There is also a recognised problem called 'leash aggression'.
Walking on a lead does not constitute exercise. The proposals, therefore, will directly affect many dogs' health. How does the council plan to police these new measures if they are unable to police the ones which are already in place? There is one overworked dog warden at present, whose main duty is litter control.
Would it not be wiser to suggest giving more power to utilise present legislation before trying to introduce new? Let's solve problems instead of moving them about.
Heather Mitchell,
Gorse Close,
Rugby.
WHAT is it with Rugby Borough Council lately and their apparent opposition to animal freedom?
Firstly, there was the possible eviction of 25 free range chickens from their loving home.
Then they may have the weird notion to use their 'power' by introducing a law restricting the running free of our canine friends in the safety of open spaces, while closely monitored.
There presently exists a greyhound racing business, an intensive chicken farm and a battery hen business, all paying council tax to the council.
So as a Rugbeian born and bred and a council tax payer can I propose through the council a law preventing the keeping of caged and imprisoned birds and the racing of greyhounds for profit?
I implore the council to acknowledge the rights of animals in allowing them to enjoy their natural freedom. Rugby Borough Council is certainly 'barking up the wrong tree'.
Janet Cummings,
Tower Road,
Rugby.
WE are writing to make representations in respect of the proposed orders pursuant to the powers under the Clean Neighbours and Environment Act 2005.
We fully support the provisions requiring the immediate removal of faeces by dog owers. Every owner should always be ready to clean up after their dogs. We also agree with the proposals regarding keeping a dog on a lead when told to do so by a responsible officer, and prohibiting dogs from children's play areas and school grounds.
Our concern lies with the proposed 'Dogs on Leads Borough of Rugby Order 2008'.
The terms of the proposed order make it an offence if an owner does not keep his dog on a lead in the named recreation grounds and appear to extend to any footpath within the borough of Rugby (Schedule para 1 (c).
If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place, then the owner is already committing an offence under section 3 (1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The proposed new order regarding immediate removal of faeces will ensure that an owners is committing an offence if he does not clean up after his dog. An order preventing dogs being exercised off the lead in recreation areas
and on footpaths is a disproportionate restriction on responsible dog owners.
We should be grateful if you would provide details of the number of complaints made to Rugby Borough Council about incidents involving dogs being off lead in the areas referred to in Schedule 1 (a) and (c) of the proposed Dogs on Leads Borough of Rugby Order 2008. We make this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and look forward to receiving your response.
(Copy of letter to Rugby Borough Council's Head of Democratic
and Legal Services. Re: proposed making of dog control orders).
C.J. and S.C. Greenway,
Dunsmore Kennels,
London Road,
Stretton-on-Dunsmore.
Labour's political point scoring
THE local Labour Party's campaign to oppose car parking charges at the Hospital of St. Cross and Walsgrave's University Hospital is political opportunism in the extreme.
Of course people dislike paying for parking when they visit hospital; of course a daily rate of 10 at Walsgrave is too high; of course where charges exist there should be season ticket type concessions to those who have to make repeated visits; of course hospital staff should receive preferential treatment and of course The Advertiser is right to draw attention to the difficulties that car parking charges cause for so many people.
However, it is astonishing that this campaign is being run by the Labour candidate for Rugby who was the Member of Parliament for Rugby and Kenilworth at the time when his Government entered into a contract to redevelop Walsgrave Hospital under the Private Finance Initiative. He will know that car park charges are specifically covered by that contract, with an agreed level of income from car parking included. This contract will be in place for decades.
As a direct result of the system of funding chosen by his Government, it is simply not possible for car parking charges to be ended at Walsgrave.
So why does he insult the intelligence of Rugby voters by pretending that they can? And if the PFI contract was such a bad deal for Rugby patients, why did he not speak out at this time?
During the period in which parking charges have been imposed at local hospitals, the National Health Service has seen massive increases in funding an expenditure with the budget for the NHS tripling since Labour came to power.
Much of this extra money has been wasted, with nine reorganisations in 11 years and with an extra 100,000 administrators and bureaucrats in a system dirven by directives and targets rather than clinical outcomes.
If just a small proportion of this additional funding had been spent more wisely, then it might be possible for car parking charges to be ended in those hospitals where responsibility remains with local hospital managers.
Mark Pawsey - Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby.
Another tax on staff's wages
I certainly back Andy King and the Advertiser in starting a petition to end charging to park your car at St. Cross and University hospital Coventry,and I think all parties should get behind this campaign.
Paying to park hits everybody's pocket especially people of retirement age who often make quite a few visits to hospitals, and what should be stopped immadiately is charging hospital staff to park at their place of work, this is just another tax on their wages and this unfair practice should cease now.
I think with the full weight of the public behind this petition we can bring pressure where its needed.
Paying to park your car at an NHS hospital is an outrage we should not tolerate. Let's all get on board this campaign because people power can make a difference.
Stan Buckley
Reservoir Rd
Rugby.
Charged to see dying friend
IN May I sat for hours with a dying friend and paid 10 parking fees at Walsgrave hospital. The next day I paid 4.30. He died that day.
I had to go back another day to collect the death certificate and paid another 3 plus in parking fees, that's over 17. That's daylight robbery! I often have to go for appointments myself and have to pay parking fees. Being disabled I cannot park elsewhere and walk in, so am stuck paying carpark charges. I have had two operations at Walsgrave in the past three years and my parents sat with me for hours incurring large parking charges. Is this what they brought parking fees for?
Carol Smith,
Percival Road,
Rugby.
Still committed to developing Academy
Re: Front page story on October 2 and the p3 continuation "Restrictions could put 39 million college and Power Academy in doubt."
Clearly we are fully supportive of a comprehensive development of the Catthorpe junction which gives full access from the motorway network as this is clearly important to the economic development of the Rugby area. We would also support an improvement in the local distribution routes around Rugby.
However, you state possible restrictions on this road improvement could put the development of the new Warwickshire College and the Power Academy in doubt.
In response to this we can state categorically there is no risk to the future of the proposed development of the new college and Power Academy as currently designed.
We are fully committed to this exciting project and the opportunities it offers for developing our relationship with the Rugby community.
Chris Paget,
Warwickshire College Director of Estates.
Thanks from Wings
ON BEHALF of the committee and members of the Rugby and District branch of the Royal Air Forces Association I would like to thank all who took part in collecting and all those who generously donated to our recent street collection in Rugby town centre in aid of the Battle of Britain Wings Appeal. A total of 828.98 was raised, which will go to providing welfare to former RAF personnel.
Bryan Higgs, Chairman and Wings Appeal organiser,
Troubridge Walk, Rugby
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