The NHS has been decimated by Tory underfunding for 14 years and now the BBC - following freedom of information requests - has reported that billions of pounds of unused PPE has been destroyed.

This follows on from the likes of Matt Hancock doing deals with a pub landlord to supply PPE and the government chartering a boat from a company without boats. Not to mention wasting another £250 million on the Rwanda debacle.

Then Sunak has the barefaced cheek to tell voters not to vote Labour as it will mean higher taxes - forgetting to mention that the Tories have presided over the biggest tax increases since 1945.

And let’s not forget the £350 million a week for the NHS and 40 new hospitals promised by Johnson. No wonder York has had so many pigs flying overhead.

John D Brian, Moorfield Way, Wilberfoss

 

...but it’s PPE we might have needed

One again we hear the BBC being highly critical of the Conservatives, this time about the excess equipment left surplus after the Covid pandemic.

Had tour medical scientists and doctors not been so skilled and had no antidote been found, then the equipment that is now left over may not have been enough to meet need.

Also, don’t forget that a lot of the Labour Party were highly critical of the methods used, and of Boris Johnson for putting all his trust in British medical science. So Auntie BBC, put your mouth in gear before you open it in future.

TJ Ryder, Acomb, York

 

Closure of SH Structures

I was so sad to read of the closure of SH Structures in Sherburn in Elmet (The Press, June 19).

The skilled workforce assembled by this firm have built many complex engineering structures and their loss is a direct result of 14 years of Tory economic failure.

It is particularly unfortunate that the closure has occurred just when the general election looks likely to throw out this incompetent government and bring a Labour Party with new policies for growth that may have given this skilled workforce new projects to work on.

I was privileged to work on the Kelpie project and visitors to Falkirk can see the skill and care with which SE Structures fabricated these iconic 30 metre high horses.

Christopher Rainger, Grange Street, York

 

Delayed green bin charge

The letters inviting people to pay £46 (or part thereof) for the green bin collection scheme in York were scheduled to be sent out by the council on June 24, with free green bin collection ending on July 22.

The letters are now not being sent out until after July 4 and free collection will now end in late August.

This means that an even smaller amount of revenue will be raised and the money collected may be less than that spent collecting it.

Can anyone think what might be happening on July 4 so that a Labour-controlled council would delay asking people to pay this extra charge, given the massive unpopularity of the green bin tax, especially in York Outer?

Cllr Tony Fisher (Lib Dem), West End, Strensall