SIR – Worcestershire County Council’s refusal to hand over the full safety audit of the Ketch Island following the Worcester News’s freedom of information request is simply staggering.
The excuses they have wheeled out are also somewhat puzzling, considering three junior officials have already  been suspended without us knowing.
All of us could be excused for thinking this has all the hallmarks of quiet scapegoating, and a
cover-up.
The extent of the design flaws are so serious it is imperative that we the public know exactly what has gone on.
And as senior managers, and even councillors have been an integral part of this process, we need to know their input too.
Trying to hide behind cobbled-together excuses isn’t good enough.
Safety is at stake, as well as an enormous waste of public money.
Accountability is the watchword of senior management, and public officials. It’s what we expect, and pay for.
Let’s see it in action.
RICHARD FARRELL-ADAMS
St John’s,Worcester


Corbyn has Tories running scared
SIR – Your editorial, “Leadership battle holds key to future” (July 24) cites some opinions around that a Jeremy Corbyn Labour leadership would be a disaster, or could result in the party “ripping itself to shreds” while “flirting with a far left candidate a la Michael Foot 1980s style (which could) keep it out of office for decades” or worse.
I was a Labour Parliamentary candidate (in South Worcestershire) in 1983 and witnessed the vilification directed at Michael Foot. Michael Foot was a thoroughly decent man of the highest intellect without a shred of corruption or hypocrisy in his body, and who would have made a great Prime Minister. His Tory enemies and business were afraid of him. The Tory press attacked him for his walk, his donkey jacket and his support for unilateral nuclear disarmament. The Labour defectors who left because Foot would pull out of the EU and formed the SDP did the Tories’ dirty work for them.
Jeremy Corbyn is now striking fear into the Tories and their rich friends and most Labour MPs are plotting against Corbyn because the negative press campaign against him could lose many their seats, they believe. They will probably succeed and Andy Burnham will likely win.
It would be 1983 all over again but for the general election result in Scotland where the anti-nuclear SNP wiped Labour out. I believe people are ready to abandon Labour in England and Wales and that this is the opportunity for the Green Party to do to Labour in 2020 what the SNP did in 2015.
PETER NIELSEN
Worcester

Health trust’s focus should be whole county
SIR – Once again the Worcester NHS Trust board has shown contempt for Redditch and the surrounding area, plus its incompetence.
I read in your paper about a 50 per cent increase to the A&E department at Worcestershire Royal by putting pods between the new Oncology Department and the A&E Department.
To increase the A&E they are proposing to put the helicopter pad on some form of scaffolding.
Questions arise that they must then build a way of getting patients into the hospital, surely the downdraft from the helicopter would damage the cars parked below and finally, as they have already moved the helicopter pad once to build the Oncology Department, where are they going to move it to while building the new pad? This would mean it has been moved at least three times and at what cost?
Land that was to be used at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch for expansion is being sold off for housing, and no doubt any profit made will be spent at Worcester. To me it seems that the people of Redditch and surrounding area are just a cash cow paying for the bad planning of Worcester NHS Trust. The money being considered to expand A&E could have been spent keeping the A&E at Redditch open properly and therefore reduce the wasted money of running ambulances from the Redditch area to Worcester.
Perhaps now is the time to get new board members who only have one commitment, that of Worcestershire county, and not be members of other boads.
KEVIN DRINKWATER

Redditch

Boycott French goods over Calais mess
SIR – When is David Cameron going to stop talking and dithering and do something about Calais problems? How can it be that hundreds of illegals are using empty rail wagons to enter into the UK?
Why aren’t the border security checking this? It’s their job – do we only talk about security and not do any?
We need a strong arm approach... The French do nothing to stop it, in fact they encourage it and they allow criminal strikers to bring the port to a standstill.
We need to start getting tough, and boycotting French goods until they get real.
G B DIPPER
Leominster

Thank you, one and all at respite centre
SIR – I would like to thank Henwick Grange for the wonderful 10 days’ respite Brian had there.
Thank you to all the carers, nurses, cook and domestics for all the good work you do.
Thank you once again.
JOYCE FISHER
Barbourne, Worcester