Is it too dangerous to study in our city?
THE council are falling over themselves in their frantic quest to turn this city into one massive student campus. Yet the recent headline, ‘Students ‘scared to walk streets’ after stabbings’ (Feb 28) paints a pretty grim picture.
What is worse is that many stabbings now seem to occur in broad daylight, as in the case of two stabbings in Far Gosford Street. Certainly not a good advert for the City of Culture team who ironically use The Specials band as a major prop in their promotion of the city. Strange really, as most of The Specials songs painted a very negative image of the city and that’s putting it politely.
But is the situation as bad as some say? Sadly it is probably a lot worse, remember Aylesford House in Hillfields?
I recall planners wanting to turn the site into student accommodation, but the council on three occasions turned the plans down on the basis that the area was too dangerous for students to live there.
I remember in a TV interview I heard Rolling Stone Keith Richards once say: “A good education is never cheap”. Become a student in Coventry and it could cost you more than just your money. Brian Nathan-Partridge Stivichall
I recall playing on tanks as child
A LETTER appeared in your column recently asking if anyone recalls tanks being parked on Fletchamstead Highway towards the end and after the Second World War (Feb 21). I agree with her, it is not a figment of her imagination as at this time I lived in Elm Tree Avenue, and often went on walks with my parents and went with them along the highway and would jump from tank to tank. To the best of my knowledge they were parked at least as far as the current Allesley underpass.
Incidentally traces of them could be found i.e. track impressions on the service road for a long time after they were removed. George Arnett Cheylesmore
Blame the greedy banks for cuts
MATTHEW Batson may be right in saying that Coventry City Council have made many mistakes (Feb 26) but his main point is fundamentally wrong in saying that austerity is not the main reason for reduced services and an increase in council tax.
He must know that there has been a huge reduction in government funding for local councils all over the country. This stems from the bank crash of 2008 when the taxpayer had to prop up the greedy and incompetent banks with at least £200 billion pounds. This is the lowest of several figures I have seen reported.
The banks tried to call this “sub-prime loans” but it was really the banks lending money to people who could not repay it, in the hope of getting large interest payments.
This has been followed by pathetic regulation of the banks by the government; the Bank of England; the FSA and now, the FCA. Malc Graham Long Itchington
Switch off engines outside schools
WHEN picking up my granddaughter from primary school I became concerned at the number of parents who sit in their cars with the engine running.
With pollution levels so high, is it too much to ask parents to turn off their engines while stationary? Especially outside schools, where young children are most vulnerable. Fran Roberts Coundon
Tax is the price we pay for civilisation
NOBODY likes paying tax, but we have to except that you get nothing for nothing and tax is the price we have to pay to live in a civilised society.
Recently the council voted to raise the local council tax to help meet their costs of providing services. Councillor Jim O’Boyle explained the need for this rise in a recent letter. I have met Cllr O’Boyle on a number of occasions and found him to be a very fair man and most of all realistic as well.
Sadly there will always be those who wish to stir the pot and criticise council decisions, and they are usually the ones with no credible alternative to offer. But if we want services as well as meeting our moral and humanitarian liabilities like welcoming those in need then we have to except that it costs money, and I for one do not object to paying into a system that provides and cares for all. Phyllis N Bembridge Ball Hill