'Who voted for these homes?'

SIR, I wonder if any of your readers are now, like myself, growing increasingly concerned about the amount of housing development currently underway in the city and close surrounding area.

Virtually every major road in the area I drive through seems to have some kind of housing project under construction.

I know that as a nation we need to build more homes because of limitations in the past which, of course, the local development plan addresses.

However, the question is,do we need to build so much for the natural hereditary population,or are we being forced to,because of current immigration policies.

Within the last week two further substantial developments have been proposed, with no evidence of sufficient infrastructure improvements to cope.

I am sure the new one at Perdiswell will be accepted easily, although in terms of a new football ground, that saga has dragged on for years. Where is the fairness?

I also don’t recall swamping the country with massive house building numbers being one of the main manifesto points that recent government were elected in for.

I certainly didn’t vote for it.

Robert Kinchin

Worcester

'City’s pinball planning'

Sir - The Worcester News is yet again to be congratulated on highlighting the latest ‘draft stage’ example of Worcester`s `Pin Ball Planning` - where ideas which appear half baked and ill-judged are bounced around until investigative journalism brings them to our collective awareness and (hopefully) stops them dead.

The proposal for a ‘master plan’ for Pediswell is an excellent, if somewhat belated, idea and, given the ad-hoc nature of much of what has happened there, vital.

But when we as a community have spent years toiling through the gestation of the SWDP to create an overall development strategy, why suddenly decide to throw it out of the window and think it might be good to build between 250 - 300 houses there, along with other facilities which could include a boating lake?

Perdiswell has a crucial `green` function for the north of the city and includes open recreational space, golf and allotments (which just happen to be in the Green Belt).

By all means come to a conclusion over the mothballed park-and-ride site (thereby saving £3,000 a month in unnecessary expense on security and lighting, to say nothing of the loss of income) - actually an excellent location for the new north Worcester school - and look at the wider framework for the green spaces.

But the inclusion of a new football stadium, together with all these other ill-considered ideas...... forget it!

So thank you Tom Edwards - you may not make too many friends in part of the council with your publicising these ideas, but we as a community are eternally grateful - keep up the good work!

Dr Malcolm Nixon

Worcester

'Us oldies and our pensions'

SIR - Geoffrey Bishop asks where has all his money gone?

This caused me to look at the last monthly pay slip which I received on retirement.

My NIC was £140 (1680 per year) so my gross contribution to the National Insurance Scheme over 40 years was a maximum of £67,000 or so.

I never paid anything like that monthly contribution during most of my career so the real contribution was much less.

I have drawn OA Pension for 10 years and the current rate is better than £7,000 per year.

Simple mathematics shows that for me at least the National Insurance Scheme was extremely good value for money.

The problem is that I now have to rely on the younger generation to keep paying my pension, let alone take care of any health problems I might suffer.

I am grateful to them for this generosity.

In addition, when I and my family returned to this city 25 years ago we paid £112,500 for our current house.

It has been well maintained but the current value of £350000+ is due almost entirely to property price inflation.

What the Lord giveth....... I think us oldies need to take a more realistic view of history than the version I read regularly in your newspaper – especially on a Saturday!

Peter G Gething O.B.E.

Worcester

'Sir Steve’s health plea'

SIR - November this year marks the twentieth anniversary of when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Having been at four Olympics, I thought my chances of competing in another one were non-existent but I quickly learned from medical professionals that the condition can be managed.

Diabetes remains a huge health crisis and it’s on the rise. That’s why I’m really keen to make more people aware of the work Diabetes UK does.

This is Diabetes Week and this year’s theme is one close to my heart, ‘Know diabetes. Fight diabetes’.

During Diabetes Week, the charity would like to encourage people with the condition to get in touch and share their knowledge and experience, to help and inspire others.

What have you learned about diabetes which has made a difference for you? Help Diabetes UK fight for better care, more research and less stigma.

Visit www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetesweek.

Sir Steve Redgrave

'West’s role in terrorism'

SIR - the recent terrorist attacks use the excuse of revenge for crimes against Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan.

If that is so, then ISIS should target the politicians who destroyed these countries by the West’s 16 years of war.

The same politicians and soppy liberals then open the borders up to everybody with an AK 47.

The fact is ISIS didn’t exist in these countries until the West invaded on fabricated evidence, to steal their oil or profit from continuous war.

The “refugee” problem was engineered to cause civil war across Europe, the Middle East war footage you see on your TV you will see enacted on the streets of Europe and Britain.

Stop invading innocent countries, put the guilty politicians and their backers on trial.

Carl Mason

The British Resistance Party, Worcester

'Slaughter of the lambs'

SIR - Many readers will have been delighted to see the lovely picture of two lambs, by Sheryl Neale (Readers’ Pictures).

However, I do wonder how long these beautiful animals, and all the other lambs born this Spring, will be allowed to live.

That’s because about 50% of the 14 million sheep that are slaughtered in the UK every year are killed while still lambs at just a few months old.

All this suffering and slaughter is totally unnecessary, because we can all live perfectly healthily without meat or any other animal products.

Thankfully more and more people are becoming vegan every year and ending their consumption of meat, fish, eggs and dairy, out of concern for animals, the environment or their own health.

For more information, readers can take a look at the Animal Aid website at www.animalaid.org.uk.

Peter Talbot

Worcester

'Long-winded intellectuals'

SIR - Thank you Dave Skelton for your kind words.

I was about to ask “Why wasn’t the 250 word rule not observed?” when the ‘blindingly obvious occurred to me.

Rulers ignored for the ‘long winded intellectuals’, but obliged, to keep us lesser mortals in our place.

Jean Harris

Worcester

'Young are also killed'

SIR - Reference your article on fox hunting (June 1).

Dr Ken Pollock said that only old and sick foxes are killed.

I live in the countryside and have seen young foxes chased.

Also, I used to walk my Labrador on public rights of way (public footpaths) and the hunt master said the hounds would kill my dog.

Geoff Potter

Apperley