Don’t undo years of peacekeeping

budget of £64,320,000 for adult social care, less proposed savings of £3,987,000, leaving a proposed budget of £60,333,000 – this is less than the 2017/18 budget of £61,060,000.

Of the proposed savings, £1,850,00 relates to ‘a reduction in adult social care demand’ – this will be news to Gateshead residents who have difficulty in accessing care services. Can Gateshead Council explain why nearly £4m is being clawed back from the adult social care budget at a time when service provision is woeful and charges for care in the home packages have been raised?

Only £498,000 has been identified as adult social care income generation. Council tax raised specifically for adult social care must be ring-fenced and not put towards general savings targets.

CT, GATESHEAD I WAS surprised to read Mr Atkinson’s letter saying that there was ‘no Irish border problem’ in the Brexit negotiations. In fact, I’d take IN the beginning you and I were there, I was with you, you were with me all day, But it was written in the sunny air That either you or I must go away. Parting is such sweet sorrow so they say, But, this time, sweet it certainly was not, It had to happen so that we could lay To rest dark issues earlier in the plot. quite a different view – there’s a very clear problem, a problem which was clearly predictable before the referendum even took place, and one which is turning into a prime example of why I still believe we’d be better off remaining in the EU.

The total disregard of our government for people in Northern Ireland, along with their disregard for the impact that their lack of preparation will have both here and in the Republic, is sadly not something that surprises me at this stage, but it is a source of huge concern.

The fact that there are those both in government and even in the Labour Party who are prepared to put the Good Friday agreement at risk and effectively throw away the years of progress made in my lifetime is extremely worrying.

The question of the Irish border isn’t one that can be simply swept under the carpet.

KATIE ROSKAMS, Alnwick