Last updated 16:29, Thursday, 24 April 2008

SIR – As I write this letter, the issue of Copeland Council prosecuting young Mr Corkhill in relation to the overfilling of his fortnightly-collected wheelie bin is the subject of national television news.

Gareth Wilson-Corkhill

SIR – As I write this letter, the issue of Copeland Council prosecuting young Mr Corkhill in relation to the overfilling of his fortnightly-collected wheelie bin is the subject of national television news. The issue reflects more negatively, I feel, upon the high-handedness and patronising manner in which Copeland Council, and in particular certain elected members and senior officers involved in this wider issue, have acted.
Surely the first duty of Copeland Borough Council is to respond to Mr Corkhill’s problem in managing the disposal of his household’s rubbish within the restrictions of the Council’s inadequate service – in other words to look at their own deficiencies before condemning the good name of those they are paid and elected to serve.
To deal with this borough-wide problem by scapegoating Mr Corkhill and damaging his life with a criminal record is irresponsible on the part of Copeland Borough Council, and falls far short of what tax payers should expect from their local government services.
In order to show solidarity and compassion with the sad state that Mr Corkhill has found himself in, I intend to seek donations from the community to reimburse Mr Corkhill and his young family, the £210 given to him, by the courts, in fines and costs. Hopefully the community of Whitehaven, which is not known for cowering to this sort of bullying, can demonstrate its feelings of disgust by this small but supportive action.
Sadly, what we cannot do, as a community, is to right the injustice done to Mr Corkhill by Copeland Borough Council, in making him a criminal by their actions.
I would be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to make a donation to this cause.
Rev John BANNISTER
Rector of Whitehaven
Tel: 01946 693474

SIR – I would like to offer my congratulations to the refuse police on Copeland Council for the successful termination of Operation Wheelie Bin at The Oval, Mirehouse.
It begs the question what else might these officials be doing instead of creeping around housing estates with cameras looking for raised bin lids. I could take them to just about any estate on collection day and find any number of raised lids; I could also take the cameraman down to the Market Place where a certain shop has been allowed to deteriorate for years without so much as a snapshot. Where are the enforcement police on this issue? It is a disgrace to the town and absolutely nothing is done about it.
I also ask where is the cameraman when all the fly tipping is taking place? I envisage an increase after this ill-judged episode. This bin case should never have been brought in the first place, just exactly what are the refuse teams employed for other than to collect refuse? The lame excuse of recycling and so on just does not hold water, but is merely a convenient tool to use – any hammer to knock in the nail.
The truth in this argument is that fortnightly collections are not suitable for the vast majority of families or households in this area. Copeland Council is merely trying to make the end justify the means.
I say to whoever was responsible for this sad episode: hang your heads in shame. I thought we were elected to represent and aid the people of Copeland, not take them to court on a contrived matter that would never have seen the light of day in communist eastern Europe.
Coun A MOSSOP
(Con, Bransty)

SIR – Excuse the pun, but what a load of rubbish, Mr Corkhill being fined because his rubbish bin lid was open by four inches.
What a waste of council tax payers’ money sending someone around with a camera to take photos. Send the budding David Bailey to Tesco to take some photos of the recycling containers in the car park. More times than not they are either overflowing or there is rubbish lying round and about them. I don’t know if they are council run or not but I think there is reason for someone else to be fined.
They will be photographing the bin men next, because more often than not, if they drop any litter while they are doing the collections it’s rarely picked up.
Come on, Copeland Council, you are a joke!
Tony JENKINSON
High Meadows, Whitehaven

SIR – Assuming the national press has fairly reported the issuing of a £110 penalty for an over-filled wheelie bin, I suspect that Copeland Council does not fully recognise the wider consequences of their penalty system – or perhaps they don’t care.
Quite apart from the absurdity of such a harsh penalty for such a trivial matter (drivers are fined less in court for careless driving and shoplifters are fined even less), it adds further to the growing contempt that the general public have for authority.
In times gone by such an attitude was confined to the criminal classes. Nowadays, upright, honest citizens – the backbone of society whom authority, if it had any sense, should be supporting – are being penalised at every opportunity, whether for parking or overfilling bins, for heaven’s sake. As a result, ordinary people are increasingly regarding those in office, not as dutiful public servants, but as petty, vindictive, greedy and foolish, viewing the public as adversaries rather than allies.
Andrew McLAUCHLIN
Loxley Road, Stratford upon Avon
How to save post offices? Use them
SIR – My letter to The Whitehaven News (April 10) was a comment on the rant in the letters page of March 27 by the councillors Clarkson, in which they trashed our MP over his stance on the Post Office closure plans announced in Parliament.
They announced their intention to demand that Mr Reed attend a public meeting, where no doubt they could indulge in a PR stunt by giving him a good handbagging.
Their letter to me smacked more of blatant “band waggoning” in order to gain political points than having any relevance to the proposed Post Office closure plan.
It now appears that Coun Yvonne Clarkson admits to working with a cross party committee to put forward the case for helping the threatened post offices in the area. Congratulations perhaps are in order.
Yvonne criticises me for not supporting those working on this committee (ie her). But, Yvonne, I am and have been for a long time supporting my local post office in Calderbridge. I pay bills there, including council tax; I buy stamps there; until recently I obtained my father his pension there. I also regularly buy items of grocery from the shop side of Calderbridge post office.
Perhaps she could show real support for her local post office by using it. The post office counter and shop are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm. The shop only is open Saturday and Sunday 9am to 11am.
Perhaps also she could add to her crusade the “fine” imposed by the greedy, privatised utilities (E.ON, United Utilities, BT, TV Licensing) on those people who don’t want to be pressganged into direct debit and pay at the post office instead. Perhaps she could get Dave Cameron to take up the case after he’s mastered the cycling proficiency test?
Robert B LACE
Moss Side, Egremont

SIR – May I congratulate Mr Eric Martlew MP for Carlisle who recently displayed honesty and principle when he voted against the government on Post Office closures.
Jamie Reed apparently wanted to run with the pack and hunt with the hounds when faced with the same question. Jamie’s request to Post Offices threatened with closure – to provide petition forms to fight closures, with his name displayed – takes some beating. He should remember the saying that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. He should also remember that the people who voted him in can also vote him out.
I would remind him that he represents all of the people in Copeland not just Sellafield employees. His constant carping about other political parties and constant amounts of cash thrown at problems in health, education and law and order are not producing results.
It is beyond belief that West Cumberland Hospital’s future can be in doubt. The existing hospital should be retained and returned to its former prominence.
Jamie Reed once described it as dilapidated, that was after ten years of New Labour government. The last thing we need is reduced facilities or reliance on the Cumberland Infirmary at Carlisle.
The problems in health are shown by two old ladies: one lives at Seascale and one at Alston. The one from Seascale has received an appointment at Carlisle and the one from Alston has received an appointment at West Cumberland Hospital, both for eye problems.
The only dentist in Egremont has recently retired and his patients have been directed to Carlisle, Wigton and Keswick.
Copeland Borough Council have large premises and facilities yet it is believed that councillors have been transported and given meals and overnight accommodation at an hotel in Allerdale. Some others received transport and meals at an expensive hotel in Copeland. In view of openness and transparency can CBC inform the council tax payers if this is correct and what was the cost of each shindig?
When I examine the political situation in Cumbria and the dirty state of Egremont Main Street I wish that Carlisle constituency could be extended to include both Copeland and Allerdale while retaining their MP. This is not so silly because approximately 75 per cent of our laws are now made in Brussels so we should be able to manage with a reduction in the number of MPs.
Name and address supplied
Teachers need to show restraint
SIR – Now that the global economic gloom is upon us I think it is wrong that there should be above norm wage increases, namely the teachers, who should be thinking on these lines.
Some people would say that they have a very hard job but other than politicians, there are not many easy jobs in the pipeline.
At the same time, with 16 weeks of paid holidays, this can’t be bad but if this high wage increase is granted it would mean that the government would have to do more borrowing with already the balance of payments being well in debt and would also affect the low wage brackets and the pensioners.
James TAYLOR
Midtown Close, Distington

An evening of mining memories
SIR – On behalf of the Board, staff and volunteers of The Haig Colliery Mining Museum, I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved with the performance of An Evening of Mining Memories at Rosehill Theatre.
Alan and Eleanor Butler – The Miners Lamp Company – were stunning in their roles as they talked the audience through the events surrounding two of the worst coal mining disasters in Whitehaven - Wellington 1910 and William 1947.
The sound of Whitehaven Male Voice Choir with guest singer Gillian Rothery in Rosehill for the first time was spell binding.
Special thanks also to Rosehill Theatre, Karen and the staff who worked that evening. And most importantly to those who came along to support us.
Pamela TELFORD
Manager, Haig Colliery Mining Museum
Friends reunited
SIR – This year we are mounting a sustained effort to locate previously serving members for the annual 1st Battalion Border Regiment reunion on May 9, as age is obviously reducing the numbers each year.
The youngest are in their early 70s, the oldest into their 90s, indeed we have one member attending who fought in Afghanistan prior to WWII. Many were recruited from your area and of course people have migrated since leaving the army.
The informal dinner/dance will be held at The Shepherd’s Inn, Carlisle, tickets cost £16 and can be obtained from John Mallinson on 01228 520 877.
John LITTLE
Wirral

Looking for Nora
SIR – During the war, a young woman from Egremont, called Nora (no surname available) married a serving soldier based at Nethertown army camp. Nora, if still alive, will be in her 80s. Does anyone know of this lady, and could help me rediscover this romantic story?
Ron FOWLER
Nethertown, Egremont
Charity thanks
SIR – Cancer Research UK would like to thank Tesco at Whitehaven for letting us collect money on April 18 and 19, when we collected £675.27.
We would also like to thank Brian Moore and staff at Balfour Kilpatrick Sellafield Site and also Dawn Murphy and staff also at Sellafield Site for their recent donations to our charity. Again thank you very much.
Enid B BUTTRISS
President, Cancer Research UK
South West Cumbria

WE have been asked to clarify that the Egremont branch of leukaemia research succeeded in raising a total of £12,000 and not £1,200 as previously reported, thanks to public support over the past 12 months.