Parking wardens needed at hospital

Dear Editor, It’s a pity that the forthcoming enforcement of parking restrictions in North Lanarkshire couldn’t be extended to Monklands Hospital.

Cars are left on pavements; in ambulance zones, drop-off areas and taxi spaces; in areas reserved for blue badge holders but without one displayed – all with a car park and onstreet parking a few minutes’ walk away.

Why do we have to accept this disgusting behaviour by lazy drivers who seem to think they are entitled to ignore the rules that the rest of us obey? Name and address supplied

Weak administration

Dear Editor, Conservative Councillor Sandy Watson largely makes my point for me when he states that the combined Labour and Tory vote [at the North Lanarkshire Council election] last May represents a “unionist” vote of 48 per cent.

Labour, with just 33 per cent of the vote, were put into power by their Tory fellow unionists. A number of Labour councillors won their seats only with Tory transfer votes.

Councillor Watson’s unionist alliance allows arch-tribalist Jim Logue to stumble on with a very weak minority administration in hoc to the Tories.

My point remains – we are witnessing the results of weak Labour rule with their three major U-turns on wheelie bins and recycling, school transport and community alarms – all in the first eight months of a five-year council.

What 71 per cent of people voted for was a Labour-SNP administration (38 per cent SNP; 33 per cent Labour).

To avoid weak governance by U-turn and arithmetical guesswork, Councillor Logue should ditch the Tories and take up the SNP offer of a joint left-of-centre administration in North Lanarkshire. Councillor Tom Johnston, depute leader, North Lanarkshire SNP group