Letters: Satisfaction not guaranteed from flawed council survey

I don’t know how the council recruited their canvassers, but the poor woman who stopped me in Stockbridge last autumn could hardly speak – or understand – English. In response to one question, I said something about there being too much provision for tourists at the expense of local residents.

This went down on her clipboard as “expensive local residents”.

If this is typical of the quality of research on which it’s based, the survey’s extraordinarily cheerful conclusions look pretty dodgy. Now there’s a surprise.

David Jackson Young, India Street, Edinburgh

Hole lot of repairs needed for roads

PERHAPS when our glorious local authority has finished investigating the statutory notices fiasco then it may find time to carry out an investigation into the criminal state of road repairs carried out in this “Athens of the North”.

Soon George Street will only be an option for people with four-wheel drive vehicles.

The condition of both sides of the road in this once beautiful street is not only dangerous for normal cars, but anyone attempting to cross George Street should also be wary about breaking ankles or disappearing down one of its many cavernous potholes. I’d be very grateful if our city fathers could find money in the budget to fund a team of specialist mine rescue workers for when the inevitable happens.

J A Greechan, Edinburgh

Lothian to blame for bus fare rises

SO the Scottish Government is to blame for Lothian Buses price increases?

Was it to blame for the whole 106 per cent rise in prices within the last decade? No, it wasn’t.

Each time Lothian Buses has a new fanciful excuse. It always seems to buy oil at the wrong time, or the economy is bad.

Funny how then with these price rises it can afford an ineffectual advertising campaign (as much as I like Grant Stott, he alienates half the city , there are those that don’t listen to him and he’s hardly likely to make international visitors choose Lothian).

It also makes new buses when the old ones are fine and new facelifts every two years (why not just have buses that can be used for multiple routes rather than silly, wasteful individualisation – nothing more stupid than seeing a 26 on the 44 route).

They might have made efficiencies but there is still plenty of waste.

Ross William Quinn, Delta Crescent, Musselburgh, East Lothian

Dramatic price of theatre tickets

I PHONED up an 0844 number to book a theatre ticket at Edinburgh Playhouse and all bookings are being handled by an agent.

I was suitably appalled to be told when buying my ticket that there was a £4 booking fee and a £4 administrative fee. That is £8 on top of the ticket.

As well as the overpriced phone call, that is absolutely scandalous.

When I complained I was told that I could go to the box office and buy the ticket – but I live 50 miles away.

They have a captive market, but there is no excuse or justification for hiking up the cost of the ticket by one-third of the actual ticket price.

Gordon Kennedy, Simpson Square, Perth

Immigration and drought linked

THERE were two interesting reports in the news this week.

The first was that the crowded south-east of England has a diminishing supply of water and householders have been warned to cut water use.

It is similar in East Anglia and the Midlands.

Reservoirs are now very low.

The other news item was that the Border Agency had dropped or downgraded major immigration controls allowing uncontrolled immigration to this country.

I would suggest that the two news items – not enough water for the population and mass, uncontrolled immigration – are connected, but politicians are frightened to say so.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow