'This just shows if it's not broke don't fix it' - Your Letters: August 4

I read the article regarding West Midlands Police is to have horses at Tally Ho (even the name is horse related) Birmingham and the way it read made me chuckle a little bit, it spoke as if the West Midlands had never had horses but in 1999 the then Chief Constable Edward Crew decided they were too expensive and disbanded the mounted branch to save money but in the process many officers with a world of experience in this field, were moved to other duties and all the expertise was gone forever.

At the time this was thought to be a bad decision and there was an outcry not to disband the mounted branch because of the very important function horses were involved in, public order, football matches, parades, woodland searches and now how the tide has turned. 

Now West Midlands Police have to rebuild premises, recruit officers for the role, buy horses and train them, vets will be involved, so if not having horses was wrong, what about the same for all those stations being closed, traffic divisions closed, underwater search units closed, all those officers moved, could these be shown to have been a mistake in just a few years. 

This just shows if it's not broke don't fix it.

Pete Lowe, West Midlands

EXPRETS CAN'T SEE THE OBVIOUS

We have yet more more evidence that economic experts can never see the blindingly obvious. We are told that inflation's rise to 3.6 per cent was totally unexpected by the these so-called experts, why would that be the case? Anyone with the slightest knowledge of how real businesses seek to pass on inflation to customers would know this was coming.

I guess the 'experts' were looking at the past few months and thinking that the Chancellor got away with last autumn's inflation fuelling budget. Yes, for a short period as stocks of pre-inflationary goods are sold, there is a slight dampening but eventually, as I used to do when in business, an amount plus that needed to maintain margins would be included in a price increase.

All of this was easily understood last autumn and surely the civil servants who are paid an arm and a leg to predict future movements should have realised this?

Alan M Etheridge, West Midlands

WHY MAKE THE ELDERLY POORER?

Why does the government hate pensioners while providing outstanding pensions for its Members of Parliament? 

Have you ever thought how can that be fair or honest? 

Pensioners have lost their free TV licence, winter fuel allowance, triple lock of 2.5 per cent, and are paying income tax on their pensions.

These coffee house tricks can only be attributed to a desire to make the elderly and the low paid poorer, making poverty in this country worse?

Perhaps your readers might have a view on this?

M Cooper, Midlands

HAPPY MEMORIES OF A VILLAGE PUB

I was delighted to read that the Coach & Horses in Wheaton Aston was still up and running. It brought back happy memories for me circa 1937 aged six or seven when I would stay with my grandma and grandad John Fletcher in a new development known as Trevitt Place built by the local coal man Will Childs. I can see him now weighing and filling the coal bags and loading them onto his model ‘T’ Ford lorry!

So Trevitt Place overlooked the Coach & Horses and grandma would relate to me that grandad drove the carriers cart from the Coach & Horses every market day into Wolverhampton, carrying produce and passengers to Wolverhampton Market. So yes, your article brought back happy memories and I was delighted to learn the Coach & Horses is still going strong and wish the landlords continuing success.

Stephen Bridgwater, Shrewsbury

CONCERN GROWS OVER WIND FARMS

There is indeed growing anger to the Bute Energy wind farms, as well as the Green GEN Cymru lines of pylons, like those into Shropshire.

The whole of Wales can meet 2050 net zero targets using only offshore wind, and the plans are already in place, so there is no need for onshore wind. Wales is only building onshore wind as the Welsh Government consistently fails to get the Westminster Government to grant more offshore capacity in the Welsh Seas.

The last UK government put all the focus on the North Sea and granted Scotland the right to make its own decisions. The current UK government isn’t releasing enough seabed in Wales soon enough and the current Welsh Government aren’t pushing them. So much for two Labour governments each end of the M4!

Dr Jonathan F Dean, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales

Send us your letters for publication to [email protected]

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address and will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to condense or amend letters.