I RECEIVED the latest leaflet from the Labour Party in the post this morning. 

I have a question about two items mentioned in it. 

Firstly, it talks about tax increases and secondly, about a windfall tax on energy companies.

I am rather confused about this as, last time I checked the Scotland Act, both National Insurance payments and Corporation Tax were both matters reserved to the Westminster Government. 

Could someone, say Anas Sarwar or Jackie Baillie, explain just how, exactly, a Labour councillor can bring these policies into reality?

I should be most interested to learn about this.

Andrew Haddow

 

SUSAN Aitken, full of promises, was elected five years ago as councillor for the Langside ward.

In Toryglen for example, she displaced a previous Labour councillor who had done nothing for the area (just like his then Labour colleagues) hence a new broom was welcome. Ms Aitken was invited to assist with Toryglen residents’ campaign against the local housing association which was eventually proven by the Scottish Housing Regulator to be corrupt, grossly mismanaged, nepotistic to the extent that every member of staff, bar one part timer, was of the same or similar background and paid favours accordingly. 

Ms Aitken promised to sweep away Thistle Housing Association but ended up supporting its activities until the Regulator published its report. Why you may ask. 

Simple – the corruption in that association was so blatant and the grant monies misspent that it reflected badly on Glasgow City Council. 

Not one single person in that association was investigated even though almost £1 million vanished without explanation. 

Ms Aitken promised that the roads and pavements in the area would be renewed. 

She promised that the overflowing drains would be cleared. 

She promised so many enhancements to an area which had not as much as a penny invested in it since the 1950s. 

What was the result? Nothing. No responses to correspondence, no councillor surgeries, no engagement with residents until, of course, election time.

Party politics aside, this self-serving councillor has been a complete and utter failure, too busy standing before the camera to be bothered with the actual requirements of being a local councillor.

Ms Aitken simply has to go.

SP Loomis