Crossing patrollers removal
Dear Editor,
I read the breathtaking hypocrisy Graham Simpson has written in his latest column (Pennypinching decision to axe crossing patrols, October 4).
He claimed: “It was a sad day a couple of weeks ago for the residents of my area of the town.
“Our local lollipop man Jim McCulloch safely saw his last schoolchildren across the road at Stewartfield Crescent after nine years of dedicated service.
“SNP-led South Lanarkshire Council, in their wisdom, decided that there was no longer a need for Jim’s services.”
The truth of the matter is the removal of this crossing patroller was part of the final efficiency saving relating to the removal of school patrollers since 2010/2011, it was the last of five saving proposals under the last Tory/Labour administration which has presided over the removal of 149 school crossing patrollers which did not meet the criteria and Graham Simpson voted in favour of all five proposals.
Is Graham Simpson honestly saying that only one of the 149 patrollers that he voted to remove should be reinstated because it is in his area of the town?
As a list MSP, does he not care about the other 148 crossing patrollers? After all, he was happy to vote in favour of their removal.
Is he saying this particular street should have a patroller although it does not meet the criteria, a criteria he was happy to use when rejecting requests for patrollers to be installed when he was chair of the road safety committee?
As these and the other cuts are a direct result of the Tories’ austerity agenda, my advice is stop blaming others for the decision you took as a councillor and instead use your time to persuade Theresa May to COUGH up some additional funding for public services. Councillor John Anderson, East Kilbride Central South
Put a stop to vandalism Dear Editor,
It was with great sadness that I read your story about the MUGA pitch at South Park Primary School being badly damaged by vandalism (School pitch is wrecked, October 4).
Once again, money which could be better spent elsewhere will have to be used to repair the damage caused by individuals who could not give a damn about the impact of their anti-social behaviour and selfish actions.
It seems that being pursued by the police is of no deterrent to these yobs and you have to wonder what it would take for them to take a look at what they are doing and stop.
This isn’t just high jinx. Facilities such as the one at South Park cost an awful lot of money to construct and, therefore, there is a price to be paid if they have to be repaired.
There is also the impact on the boys and girls who regularly use the pitch and having to explain to them why certain events can’t be held or areas used.
Maybe the way to make these vandals see sense is if they were forced to stand up in front of a school hall of parents, teachers and kids and explain their actions. Would they find that ‘just a laugh’? D Miller, via email
Thankyouverymuch Dear Editor,
Thank you to all the tenants at Plover Drive Sheltered Housing Complex for raising a fantastic £402 at our recent coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Well done to all the fantastic fundraisers, knitters , bakers, volunteers and staff. Catherine Beagan, Sheltered Housing Officer, East Kilbride