Killer cats

ment, water, air and soil pollution are not among these.

Also, there is little power to instigate desired changes, or stop unwanted ones, such as closure of hospital departments, schools and shops. Large public agencies such as Transport Scotland, Scottish Water, the NHS, Education Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, Sepa and local government services hold the purse-strings and so call the shots. Development plans must be based on their policies.

Most changes needed can be effected within the existing system if there is the political will to do so.

Although the government says it wants planning policies to serve aims for employment, health, education, housing, transport, social equity, climate change, etc, these are often not seen as priorities by planners, development committees or those of the public who express views on proposals as priorities. In contrast to other services, planning decisions rarely mention finance.

Improving public health and reducing social inequality were key reasons for establishing the planning system and for many years great progress was made. Now it has largely been reversed.

There are huge differences of interest between generations, homeowners and renters, city and rural dwellers. Planning decisions involve favouring one group over another. Most representations are by those seeking to retain their privileges.

There is a dearth of innovation in planning and housing and a lack of knowledge of, or interest in what happens abroad.

The UK is far behind in many ways. Remedying this will do far more good than will the proposed changes to the planning system. WALTER MARKHAM

Atholl Road, Pitlochry Carolyn Taylor takes issue with me over the question of cats killing birds and mammals (Letters, 18 February).

How many cats does she have? She mentions feral cats but these are still domestic and are strays or abandoned pets including pedigree breeds.

There are 7.4 million cats in the UK plus another one million feral cats, though some animal charities put this as high as two million. That’s a lot of cats and the numbers are nearly twice the size of the Scottish population.

A licencing system, with free neutering provided, would reduce the cat population and help wildlife.

Feral cats breed with the pure wildcat and thus endanger that species. Ms Taylor suggests that pet cats do not know how to deliver the coupde-grace but this is patently wrong, as many will testify. Magpie numbers have grown astronomically over the years and, like grey squirrels, have also spread geographically.

To quote from the article by Colin Strang Steel (14 February) “we must wake up to the fact that control of some species is necessary”.

CLARK CROSS Springfield Road, Linlithgow