It’s over to you, mayor, about bus price rises
QUICK question to Mayor Andy Burnham who when campaigning said that public transport was one of his priorities.
January has rolled around and with its now traditional above inflation price rises by the private bus operators – my First Bus ‘weekly route saver’ ticket will rise by over four per cent when inflation is just above three per cent, and well above the one per cent (if you were lucky) wage increase that many of your constituents received last year.
Were you not going to look into franchising the buses in Greater Manchester as Transport for London do successfully and thereby have the ability to cap rises and streamline/reduce fare structures?
Over to you, Mr Mayor. John Gleave, Middleton
Scholes right on Jose rant
I DISAGREE with Harry Singleton (M.E.N. Viewpoints, January 3) – it’s not about how much Jose has won, it’s about ‘park the bus’ performances.
l watch United home and away, spending a lot of money, and not once has Jose or the players come out and apologised to the fans for some bad performances.
So, fair play to Paul Scholes for the criticism – he his only saying what some of the fans think, but we don’t get the chance to say it. Mal, Eccles
Estate plan after ballot?
WITH reference to Grey Mare Lane estate: The news that properties in the area may be demolished must have been alarming for tenants who have been through it all before, and those with small children at local schools.
However, I think we can rest assured that little else will come of it until after the local May elections. Sage, Beswick
Tune in for an operation
‘PATIENTS should be offered the chance of listening to music so that they are less anxious during operations,’ a leading surgeon said.
A review published in the Journal of Urology in Southampton found urology patients who were distracted by music had lower levels of pain and anxiety in 90 per cent of studies overall, satisfaction was better in 53 per cent of them.
A consultant urologist surgeon at University Southampton NHS foundation trust said it was a practical, cheap and harmless intervention.
He said he thinks there is a very strong case for patients to be offered, at the very least, the option of music as an additional therapy when undergoing procedures.
Personally, I have found that dental surgeries that have had music on when I have visited to be more relaxing. M M, Middleton
Start to help the homeless
HOMELESSNESS is admitted to be growing across the country. People are in tents and in shop doorways in all towns and cities.
This is a disgrace in winter (especially at Christmas time). Yet, Theresa May’s Tory government can only make vague promises about dealing with what they call ‘rough sleepers.’
The tragic situation needs to be given greater priority by the governments. Charities and sympathetic individuals are doing wonderful work. Max Nottingham, via email
Working for better place
I WON’T flatter myself by saying ‘great minds think alike,’ but the report of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association’s efforts (‘Youth group clean up the streets,’ M.E.N. January 3) is cheering.
I endorse Abdul Lodhi’s sentiment: ‘It’s all about giving back – it’s a big part of our faith to help in any way we possibly can, we want to practice – not just preach.’
Would that we all, whatever our creed or culture, do this – building bridges across community groups by working together in a partnership.
But let’s go beyond one-offs to tackle symptoms.
So I hope the AMYA will not only clean the streets, they will raise their voices, calling for positive changes for those worse off than we are. J Josson, Ardwick Green