DONALD MacLeod is correct to highlight the damaging effects of the LEZ on Glasgow’s economy (“LEZ must be suspended at night for the sake of hospitality sector”, The Herald, April 8). Its regressive social impact is equally significant but has attracted less comment.
The LEZ impacts disproportionately on average and below-average income households. These households cannot afford EVs and are more likely to own older cars that do not comply with the LEZ’s emission requirements. They are more likely to have jobs that require their physical presence in the workplace (such as manufacturing and assembly line jobs, warehouse jobs, retail jobs and hospitality and health care jobs). And because they often work shifts, they may be travelling to and from work at times when public transport is less frequent or absent, and work in locations (such as industrial estates and retail parks) that are poorly served by public transport. For all these reasons they have a higher dependence on a car to get to their work.
There are also huge hidden social costs. Let me give one example. Friends who live in Kirkintilloch used to take people from their church to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for medical appointments and to visit friends in hospital. Because their car does not comply with the LEZ emissions standards they have had to stop providing this valuable service to their community.
As Andy Burnham, Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, recognised when he announced the scrapping of the plan for a clean air charging zone, they “push people into hardship, [and] threaten people’s businesses and livelihoods. The path to net zero has to be to take people with it rather than seeking to punish people.”
So let’s be clear, the social effects of the LEZ are regressive. Moreover, they are the opposite of the SNP city council’s stated objectives of “reducing poverty and inequality in our communities” and “increase opportunity and prosperity for all our citizens”. Once again, the SNP’s policies directly contradict its declared aspirations.
Colin Mason, Kilmarnock.
Why won't the council listen?
DONALD MacLeod speaks eloquently of the sad decline of Glasgow's once-thriving city centre. The evidence of this is there in plain sight, whether it be graffiti, litter, empty or boarded-up shops or simply the palpable feeling that the spirit of our once-proud city has finally been broken.
For many businesses operating in the city centre it must feel as if they are engaged in a protracted war of attrition with Glasgow City Council, which seems hell-bent on making it more and more difficult to travel to and from from the city centre. The LEZ was badly planned and no thought was given to the consequences of its rushed introduction, the decimation of Glasgow's black cab numbers and the burden placed on staff who work in the night-time economy being two obvious examples.
Public transport in Glasgow is expensive, disjointed, unreliable and does not operate when many workers would need it so I think the idea that the LEZ be suspended at night makes perfect sense. Surely anything that helps the local economy can only be good for Glasgow. Is it too much too ask that the council listens to the people who generate the revenues (and pay the business rates) that support our city?
William Gold, Glasgow.
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Market must decide prices
I READ Andy Stanton’s rant (his own word) about pricing (Letters, April 9) and yes it’s frustrating to find to so many different prices on the same products.
However in a capitalist system we have a free market of sorts. I say of sorts because if all the filling stations met up and agreed the price of petrol they would be prosecuted for forming a cartel. We had the same problem in the brewing industry where I worked for many years.
The key issue here is freedom of choice, the type of car we choose to drive versus what we need is one example of us incurring petrol costs that we don’t need because it’s our choice.
As for convenience store pricing it’s again a matter of choice. When we were younger with hungry kids in the house, we did supermarket shopping most of the time. Now we’re retired we often use the wonderful Co-op store in Doonfoot as it’s within walking distance and perfect for bread, milk papers and the like. The staff are friendly and always have time for customers.
No business should have to explain its pricing, nor should it be controlled by any outside body. The people behind the business have risked their time, money and sometimes personal guarantees on borrowings to get where they are.
If the product is priced wrongly then the consumer will not buy it and the product will fail. That’s the true test of pricing.
John Gilligan, Ayr.
• WHAT beats me is the difference in price between branches of supermarkets, in some cases around three miles apart.
After all, they sell bread for the same price in different branches.
Gordon W Smith, Paisley.
How to find a winner
THE thrilling Old Firm match at Ibrox on Sunday was an excellent advertisement for Scottish football, living up to the adage of a game of two halves, the first won by Celtic and the second by Rangers. However, the resulting draw satisfied neither manager, both claiming their side deserved to win.
Perhaps in future, if a match is drawn, the team with fewer cards awarded against it could be declared the winner, with a yellow counting one and a red two. If that still produced a draw, then corners could be counted. Whilst no doubt such changes will never be introduced, if they were they could well result in fewer injuries and more attacking play.
Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop.
Isnae right
YOUR recent run of letters reminds me of Stanley Baxter's wonderful guide Parliamo Glasgow and how relevant it remains today.
A friend was a paediatric physiotherapist in Glasgow in the 1970s. One Monday morning as she entered the ward, a small boy clyped on his fellow patient: "Miss! He wisnae daein' his exercises!"
"It's not 'wisnae' Jim, it's 'was not'! " she rebuked him.
There was a short pause of bewilderment then wee Jimmy replied: "Naw it isnae, it's wisnae!"
Peter Wright, West Kilbride.
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