Where will the enterprise to see Glasgow revived come from?

I understand that business rates are considerably higher than in equivalent English cities and that £200 million provided by Westminster for passing on to businesses has not been passed on by the SNP Government. Nicola Sturgeon's Glasgow constituency is one of the poorest areas in Europe, but she has taken little interest in tackling the endemic poverty there and in other areas, while Humza Yousaf seems to think he that he can adequately represent Glasgow Pollok from his middle-class haven of Broughty Ferry in Dundee. Glasgow has lost a disproportionate amount of government funding over the years and unlike Edinburgh, has to pay for it its galleries and museums.

Re late night transport, it's not just the buses. My last train on a prime commuting line run by state-owned ScotRail, for example, is at 10.45pm, even on weekends, which is a joke. Every time there is an election, there are newspaper headlines along the lines of "Glasgow to get a new Metro system", then nothing seems to happen, yet numerous English cities have been able to construct extensive tram networks. We market ourselves as the No 2 shopping destination in the UK after London, then are content to see our two central malls potentially demolished for yet more offices, hotels and student flats. Our biggest employer, the city council, permits most of its staff to work from home, thus adding to the problems facing transport and the lunchtime trade.

Then there is the litter and the unkempt buildings with numerous upper floors of city centre buildings in a poor state, often with vegetation growing out of them. And the beggars, many professional, and the increasingly no-go area around Central Station, particularly the west side of Union Street, where I have seen open drug-dealing in broad daylight.

We have done nothing about the Tory-gerrymandered local authority boundaries. Isn't it beyond time that Greater Glasgow was created, giving to it its natural middle-class suburbs?

Our Victorian forefathers, who created the Loch Katrine water system, the subway and one of the biggest tram networks in Europe, had enterprise and vision. Even 30-odd years ago, we had the very progressive and successful Strathclyde Regional Council and the Glasgow Development Agency, with people like Michael Kelly in the City Chambers. The only person in either of the Scottish or Westminster parliaments who appears to consistently stand up for Glasgow is the Labour MSP Paul Sweeney.

Robert Murray, Glasgow.

• HAVING spent all of June and most of July recovering from a fractured shoulder sustained from a fall in Glasgow's city centre, I can thoroughly agree with Alison Rowat's assessment of the dilapidation of our once-vibrant city.

Just before my trip I was commenting on the state of the paving slabs which were, I think, laid in readiness for Glasgow's Year of Culture in 1990, and which did not appear to have been maintained since. I made the mistake of looking up at one of the few remaining handsome buildings in the centre, when my toe caught the edge of a displaced paver, and I paid the price for my inattention.

Although I do not now live in Glasgow, I still retain a strong affection for my native city, and it saddens me to see it become a dirty and ill-maintained slum.

Kay Shaw, Fairlie.

Read more: Glaswegians must work together if the city is to recover

Why heat pump plan won't wor

TTHE hint of a softer stance on boiler penalties ("FM hints at softer stance on boiler penalties", The Herald, July 27) does little to sweeten the enormous financial burden that is going to be imposed on a large section of the community, by way of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

So far there has been no indication of the total cost of insulation and a heat pump that may be needed to bring an average house/building up to the required standard, bearing in mind the uniqueness of each building.

I live in a block of 40 flats with a central fossil-fuel heating system. The building is 50-odd years old with further insulation only possible by lining the internal walls of each flat with suitable boarding. The idea of filling the gap between the outer and inner walls with a foam insulation has already been investigated and rejected as unrealistic, with the outer dark brick walls looking like a piebald horse, and over time, a pile of dried foam lying in a heap between the two walls, aiding and abetting the transfer of dampness across what was a void.

There must be many public and civic buildings caught in the same trap, yet there has been little guidance or publicity as to not only the scale of the problem, but also practical ways of achieving the latest dictat of hot air from Holyrood.

Robin Johnston, Newton Mearns.

Beef up rail ticket offices

REGARDING the proposed closures of rail ticket offices: today at the Edinburgh Waverley Rail ticket office, staff were having to assist tourists with their inquiries regarding their journeys. How can anyone even consider closure of this vital service? Tourists from all over the world are travelling the country, they require assistance with booking their travel arrangements. The staff were doing their best to assist.

During the main tourist season there needs to be more staff on duty to take the pressure off the few staff that are there. The more people employed to assist the travelling public, the more passengers will use the service. Increased use of the rail service will reduce car use, benefiting the environment.

Jim Mackenzie, Edinburgh.

The Fox hunt

I SEE we're now being offered the chance to name an arctic fox ("Arctic fox cubs born at Scottish park " and you could help name one, heraldscotland, July 27). I've no doubt your frequent correspondent Thelma Edwards will opt for "Freddie". However, given that it is a scavenger whose operating territory has steadily been reduced, I'll just stick with Liam.

Robert Menzies, Falkirk.