Airport was worse than Third World

From: Andrew Brice,

St Bede’s Avenue, Northallerton.

ON March 5 we returned to the UK, arriving early evening at our so-called International Airport, an airport that keeps promoting itself to be our Yorkshire Gateway.

Well, how surprised were we to find the most appalling conditions in the toilets in the arrivals/luggage collection area at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Three flights had arrived almost together, resulting in approximately 500 people milling around the collecting area.

A large number were obviously desperate to use the toilet facilities, as indeed we were. This can only be described as a complete mistake.

The gents had four urinals, four washbasins, one liquid soap dispenser with a queue of people waiting to use them and two hand driers. There was no sign of additional hand sanitisers anywhere.

The entry and exit door was utterly filthy and looked as though no one had even thought to clean it ever. My wife’s experience mirrored mine. There were a few photocopied Covid-19 notices stuck to walls with what appeared to be Blue Tac, the writing too small to read properly.

With the advice of the Government to wash hands frequently, and the scrum in the toilet area, I can only think the powers that be at LBA were still sitting around glowing at the thought of the proposed new terminal.

My advice would be they spend more time on the here and now and improve the experience of people arriving at an airport that can only be described as being worse than Third World and creating a poor example of the gateway to this great county.

I write this letter as LBA cannot be bothered to reply to my comments left on the website, despite saying they will reply within 24 hours.

They had my phone number and email address but one week later nothing has been forthcoming. Is this yet another example of the contempt with which LBA treat their passengers?

From: Beckie Hart,

CBI regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber.

AS the UK responds to the Covid-19 challenge, people are the first priority. So the measures to expand and ease access to sick pay and benefits are vital to protect people’s health and livelihoods.

The Chancellor’s actions on business rates, emergency funds and loans will help ensure firms can weather the storm, especially smaller firms. Larger firms may also need support as the situation develops.

Covid-19 will bring new challenges daily, which will need to be resolved at speed. Today’s impressive economic response

Will it be possible to recreate the flavour of the Sheffield bitter? should now evolve with business insight to become as agile as our approach to public health.

While the response to Covid-19 is urgent, it is very good to see this Budget’s focus on innovation and infrastructure. The Chancellor has listened to many calls from CBI members, with decisive action on vital long-term issues.

The significant uplift in R&D funding, creation of a UK version of ARPA, a fundamental review of business rates and spending promises on infrastructure will all bring real benefits to people, business and communities.

The Chancellor has set out some powerful incentives to get businesses investing, increasing the R&D tax credit and the Structures and Buildings Allowance. The £5bn of new export loans will encourage the best of UK business to look to new global markets.

The next few months will bring opportunities for the Government to make major decisions they have understandably had to put to one side today. Some gaps still need to be filled in around skills, energy efficiency and powering the UK’s low-carbon future.

Overall, this Budget is a powerful signal to firms at home and abroad that the UK can and will manage the immediate challenges and long-term opportunities in parallel.

From: Manuel Cortes, General Secretary, TSSA.

TRANSPORT workers are receiving different advice from different companies – and in some cases even within the same company – about what action to take in the event of suspected or actual illness.

There is concern over managing attendance procedures and how they are being applied. Clearly, if someone is told to self-isolate they should not then be penalised by their employer for doing so in the interest of public health, yet this is the case in the rail and bus industries.

Our privatised transport system is not conducive to swift and coordinated responses.

There is apparently no consistency across the public transport network in how transport workers will be treated if they fall ill.

Companies where employees work side by side with transport workers employed by another company are being treated differently, leading to confusion and frustration.

In terms of passenger and employee safety, we applaud the first steps taken by Transport for London to enhance cleaning and disinfectant. But there is apparently no coordination, oversight or central guidance from the Government.

Public transport could play a major role in combating the spread of coronavirus but we need a coordinated response and some common guidance in place.