Readers' letters - January 29

As we’re continually told that we stand to benefit from Greater Manchester’s councils working together, perhaps councillors in Wigan could learn from some of their neighbours.

In Trafford last week, councillors listened to a concerned group of citizens worried about the impact of fracking on their borough, and voted to ban fracking in their area. In Bolton, the council has promised to follow suit following a petition signed by more than 2,000 residents.

At Wigan Council’s last meeting, the hot topic was whether council meetings should start at 6pm or 7pm. A discussion on local healthcare didn’t generate anywhere near as much debate, neither did a statement on the future of public services in the borough.

Despite this being the first meeting since the December fracking licences were awarded, and since the Boxing Day floods brought so much disruption to the area, neither were mentioned.

And the brief discussions of policy that did take place were approached from the aim of saving or making money, not promoting public wellbeing.

In fact, the only sign that the people of the borough had even been considered was a notice displayed in the public gallery warning us that we’d be thrown out in the unlikely event that we behaved worse than the councillors.

Wigan Council needs to follow the example of Trafford and Bolton. We need councillors who will work for a fairer, more sustainable local economy, and for healthier, safer and smarter communities. We need councillors who will put the people they represent first.

Put simply, we need Green Party councillors.

Will Patterson,

Chairman,

Wigan & Leigh Green 
Party,

Wigan

A unique tax system

In the improbable event, similar to Google, I had somehow managed to avoid paying my legitimate income tax of 20 per cent over the past ten years, then, even more improbably, the tax authorities allowed me to pay back only three per cent of these arrears, I would believe I had struck a good deal.

These same tax people, along with successive Governments, devised a system named P.A.Y.E. This system collected at source and immediately the taxes from salaries and wages from ordinary working people.

Surely it is not beyond the wit of these tax officials to come up with a similar system applied to companies?

I would suggest it could be named P.I.M.P.S. which stood for Pay In My Profits Sometimes.

Denis Lee via email

We don’t have to kill

I would just like to drop a line on the culling of badgers as they seem to be still going ahead with it.

I’ve heard that in Wales they are trying a different method and I think it seems to be working as in trying the vaccination of cattle.

I don’t believe this government has really tried all the options, I think they just want to get it done.

I have never seen a badger in the wild and it looks like I never will.

I also have never seen a beaver or any of the other wild animals.

When they have killed all the badgers, what are they going to do then? This seems to be the way of the world now, and so many animals are in danger because of people’s arrogance and indifference.

Katherine Newman

Address supplied