Echo letters, 31st July 2007

Paid to manage

NEVER have I read such an arrogant letter as that in last Thursday’s ECHO from Ms Davis & Ms Green regarding regeneration.

I have no idea of what Mr Westgaph has or has not said in his columns. Indeed, living outside the city area I have not been personally touched by the issues over regeneration.

What appalls me is the dictatorial tone taken by two people on the public payroll. Please remember, Ms Davis & Green, you are public employees paid to manage matters, not run a dictatorship in which any complaint is from those with a "narrow perspective" – perhaps if your homes were threatened the perspective would be somewhat wider.

Perhaps you would prefer to demolish the entire city and build stainless steel clad apartment blocks from the Rocket to the Pier Head?

Every paragraph of your letter oozed dictatorial "we know best", please go away. You refer to "detailed and extensive consultation", yet you appear to not want to have to do that if only those "individuals and special interest groups" would acquiesce.

You refer to "superficial analyses and romanticised reflections of a city/region that no longer exists" – are such views banned under your regime? Possibly regeneration will ensure you have your way and no hint of romance remains in the city/region as the march of the apartment blocks continues.

Roger Pearce, via email

Utter arrogance

In response to the joint letter by heads of New Heartlands and City Council Housing (ECHO, July 26) may I repudiate and reprimand the utter arrogance and contempt shown by these two highly paid officials.

They claim that there is detailed consultation in the demolition areas. The fact is, when individual residents have indicated yes to selective demolition of houses this has then been distorted to justify wholescale eviction and destruction of streets and communities. In every one of the communities there has been an irrefutable effect of bitter division.

They claim all demolition areas are evidence based.

What utter nonsense. When I cross examined the council's witnesses they could not accurately detail which houses were structurally sound or unsound.

The arrogance of these individuals is shown in their attack on residents who do not wish to be forced out of their homes or businesses when they describe them as as individuals or special vested interests with a narrow perspective.

How dare they show such contempt for ordinary people defending their legal right to live in their own home.

Cllr Steve Radford, Leader, Liberal Party Group