Raft of cuts loom
Dear Editor
I read with interest in Paul Basham’s letter (Gazette, Jan 13th). 
Evidently he was so put off by his previous public speaking at Council meetings that he decided not to speak at the one he’s complaining about! 
I would like to concentrate on what nobody is talking about.
The council recently finished consulting on its 2022 budget, and there is a raft of cuts coming to services across Basingstoke that will affect everyone in the Borough. 
Bus services are facing subsidy cuts, which mean we could lose some services, at a time when we are wanting more people to use public transport due to the Climate Emergency. 
Our Arts and Heritage grants budget is being reduced by 10 per cent, this is after the Anvil Trust had their grants halved last year. 
The Basingstoke Transport Festival, Basingstoke Kite Festival, and Euskirchen Festival of Sport will stop getting council funding. 
The Council Tax Reduction Scheme helps 8,243 residents on low incomes, this is at risk and comes on top of cuts to Universal Credit, increases to national insurance, and massive increases to fuel bills. 
Discretionary Business Rate Relief is under threat when we have record vacant units in the Top of Town and Festival Place. 
Bulky household waste charges have massive hikes proposed at a time when we have record fly-tipping. 
Black wheelie-bin replacements will also go up to £50.
Why is nobody talking about these things, when it’s within the gift of the council to sort them?
Steve Rolfe,
Oakridge

Tories are taking us for fools
Dear Editor
It was a real shock to hear the Conservative Chancellor announcing that he was writing off a staggering £4.3bn in Covid Fraud - the equivalent of 128,000 nurses salaries, 146,000 police officers, or 1 and a half QE Class Aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. 
All of these areas (the NHS, the Police, and the Military) have seen huge cuts to their budgets under successive Conservative governments and now we see they are willing to waste the equivalent of £156 per household on fraud alone. 
Across Basingstoke and Deane that works out to be nearly £12m.
Families across Basingstoke are facing a cost of living crisis - thanks in no small part to this government.
 The Conservatives are the party of high tax because they are the party of low growth.
 That means higher National Insurance, cuts to support for working families and they want every council in the country to raise council tax as well - which the Conservatives in Basingstoke are more than happy to oblige.
Now we know that while hammering Basingstoke residents with higher taxes and lower support, whilst they cut services from the council or ask us to pay more for using them (like the introduction of a fee to park at the carpark in Eastrop) - the Conservatives, supported by Maria Miller, are at the very same time - happy to write off more than £4bn in fraud. 
That’s £11,840,400 based on a 2018 estimate of the number of households across our local authority - it’s nothing short of outrageous! 
When the Conservatives took over government in 2010 they said that we were all in it together and that there was no money to support those in most need yet they printed money to save banks and bankers.
Whether it’s lockdown parties in Downing Street or raising taxes for us while fraudsters get off scot free - this Conservative Government are taking us for fools.
Alex Lee
Basingstoke

RNLI collections
Dear Editor
I am writing to report the outcome of the two recent RNLI supermarket collections held by the Basingstoke branch. 
The one at ASDA held on Saturday 16th October raised £255.34, and that at Morrisons on Saturday 27th November made £568.15. 
Please pass on our sincere thanks to all the customers of both supermarkets who generously supported the fundraising for our national sea rescue service.
Martin Boddy
Treasurer


Valuable toolkit for the climate
Dear Editor, 
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council launched the Climate Change Toolkit (Gazette, November 18, 2021) to enable householders to take action in response to the declared climate emergency. I personally found it useful but have not yet met anyone else who has accessed it. 
More publicity please - especially for those not on social media. 
Jean Wilde, Chineham

Time to say bye
Dear Editor,
Boris Johnson must go. The sooner the better. Hopefully by the time this letter is published. Serial lying, false apologies and the inability to take responsibility are behaviours that Johnson has consistently produced in his careers as journalist and politician. Unfortunately for the country, these are not the behaviours needed for our Prime Minister.
At risk is not just the reputation of a tarnished Conservative Party but also the foundations of our strong liberal democracy. 
Johnson has a sense of entitlement worthy of a decadent Roman emperor. 
Any potential threats to curtailing his power are attacked. 
Over the last couple of years, we have seen attempts to reduce parliament to a rubber stamp, attacks on judges and the rule of law, and more recently the BBC because it dared to shine a light on the party gate scandals. 
In the real world, outside the Number 10 party bubble, people are questioning why rules apply to them but not to the Downing St self-appointed elite. 
People are looking with disbelief at Johnson’s antics and his sense of entitlement.
Being a former electoral asset is all very well, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
 Delivery of competent government has not been a Johnson strong point. Brexit is still not sorted out, immigration still a problem, the cost of living has not gone away, and energy prices are increasing.
I am sure that there will be a whole wage of populist policies, many of which reek of desperation, but there will be a lack of good solid competent policy which is what government is all about. 
Johnson must go. 
He is a rule breaker and incompetent Prime Minister. 
He should do the country and all of us a favour.
Luigi Gregori, Liberal Democrat spokesperson