Letters: City must change its priorities and put grit on pavements

The council has done well to keep many roads open in very severe weather but, as so often in the past, pavements are largely untouched, so pedestrians are routinely walking on busy roads themselves, to avoid the icy pavements. The council must change its priorities to grit pavements as much as roads.

David Hunter, Gilmore Place, Edinburgh

People should help themselves in snow

I FIND myself agreeing with Councillor Work (News, 6 January) – many residents could do more to clear the footpaths outside their homes.

Having cleared the path outside my house a few days ago, I feel able to comment on how the council has dealt with the cold spell.

On a recent trip to the city centre, I was appalled at the condition of the footpaths. Surely these areas should be a priority?

I was also notified at 3pm on 5 January that my children's school would be closed the next day as the "playground was too icy and the emergency doors were frozen shut". I find it incredible that the issue could not be resolved in the 24 hours before the school was due to open in the morning.

Dr S Arthur, Buckstone Crescent, Edinburgh

Labour can't claim moral high ground

I WAS staggered to hear Labour councillor Andrew Burns berating the city council for not gritting minor roads and housing schemes (News, 5 January).

It was his previous Labour council which left this city millions of pounds in debt.

They then foisted the much hated trams upon us and when the SNP tried to call a halt to this fiasco they were stopped in their tracks by the main political parties whose only goal was to try to destabilise the minority government.

So, Mr Burns, it was the Labour Party's fault there are no gritters, and your party's fault schools are closing.

The Scottish elections are fast approaching. I know where my vote's going.

R Johnston, Dalry

Sums don't add up over new decade

HERE we go again! Celebration by the media of the end of a decade – a year early! Can people not do simple arithmetic? If I was given a contract of work for ten years commencing 1 January 2001, I would expect it to end on 31 December 2010 – ten complete years. We had the same farce celebrating the new millennium a year early. For those who still don't understand, the new millennium started on the first day of the third millennium, ie 1 January 2001.

The first 2000 years ended on 31 December 2000.

George Cornwall, Hyndfords Close, High Street, Edinburgh

Old enough to have seen it all .. almost

GREAT story about Sam Latter who used to play for Third Lanark and has reached the age of 106 (News, 5 January).

It really does make the mind boggle to think that Sam has lived through two world wars. Sam has also seen so many inventions, many of them by Scotsmen and throughout his life he has seen society change beyond recognition.

You would have to think that having been on planet earth for so long that Sam has seen everything, but hold it a minute, Sam was born on 4 January 1904.

My goodness, that means that even Sam isn't old enough to have seen Hibs win the Scottish Cup!

S Brown, Edinburgh

Thanks for helping charity raise funds

ONCE again, the generosity of shoppers at Ocean Terminal has helped the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) Lothians charity to raise 2,110.71 by having their Christmas shopping gift-wrapped by our team of volunteers between 21 and 24 December.

Thanks also to the management office at Ocean Terminal for allocating a space to us – it always helps that we are able to raise the profile of this charity, which relies on fundraising ventures like this to maintain the counselling and support services it provides.

Jane Lockhart, Volunteer Co-ordinator