Reader letters of the week: Pavement parking, Daleks and mental health

•Pavement parking

Monday February 29

David Parker,

Windsor Park, Dereham.

Re the continuing obstruction of pavements by vehicles. Of course the footways/pavements are for people, they are to provide a refuge for pedestrians from passing traffic. And most have a 'barrier' in the form of a kerb to demonstrate this. So why the apparent reluctance of Norfolk County Council as the responsible (highway) authority to endeavour to see that they are kept reasonably free of obstruction? NCC has told me that pavements are for pedestrians (and cyclists where appropriate – eg a cycleway is in place), that it does not encourage pavement parking and that the civilian wardens only have limited powers. Those powers to take action on pavement parking rest with the police. So they can be called to deal with an obstruction. So report it – simple! But please bear in mind that such an incident cannot be high priority – they may well have more important things to attend to. If this issue is a costly one for NCC to confront, surely the imposition of fines would mean it could be self financing. Some while ago the EDP published a report that the 'parking' department might have to be closed due to lack of funding. Maybe if it was more zealous in delivering parking notices on pavement parking it would help? Simon Hoare MP has attempted to table a motion for there to be a blanket ban nationwide on pavement parking, but this was delayed for further consideration this year. So perhaps some encouragement to one's MP to support Mr Hoare might be an idea?

•Governments must be responsible for health, education and welfare

Tuesday March 1

John Chapman,

Garlic Street, Pulham St Mary.

With each passing day that I read the EDP I am driven increasingly to lament the paradox of a society which produces so many examples of kindness, generosity and common humanity and, at the same time, so many examples of the systematic destruction of that very society. I am struck by the relevance of words written 240 years ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men...' I fear that our society is falling victim to the total abdication of government from responsibility for those basic and universal principles so eloquently expressed in the American Declaration of Independence. Is not the provision of appropriate structures for health, welfare, education and justice the very essence of the duty to secure those 'unalienable' rights ? Yet we now see those structures being torn apart in the name of an allegedly unavoidable austerity and, in many cases, handed to the commercial sector. The experience of decades now demonstrates unequivocally that the claims from this sector of improved service, increased efficiency and financial savings tend to be realised in exactly opposite outcomes and, therefore, hardship and suffering for many. Add to this, then, a finance culture in which the acquisition of extreme wealth is the end that justifies any means to get it, an almost complete lack of personal accountability and government complicity through 'light touch' regulation and PFI. Then add to all this moves to prevent challenge from those who feel wronged by removing legal aid, restricting judicial review, attacking Freedom of Information laws and even closing courts and one begins to see why there is a rising sense of injustice. There is no overnight cure, so what is the point of writing letters like this? I believe that change can and will come as more of those who, like me, are normally silent are compelled to stand up and say 'enough is enough'. Sadly, while the cancer of party before people continues to pervade politics, change will, in every sense, be painfully slow. As to the rights of the people, the ultimate answer today is the same as it was 240 years ago : '. . .whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it . . .'

•Daleks' earlier arrival

Wednesday March 2

Ethan lusher (15),

Chapel Road School, Chapel Road, Attleborough.

I thought your story about Tristram Cary was very good (EDP, February 22) but you got one fact wrong about the Daleks. You said that the Daleks were revealed in early 1964, but really they were revealed on December 21, 1963. The Daleks (also known as The Mutants and The Dead Planet) was the second serial in Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from December 21, 1963, to February 1, 1964. It was the first serial to be entirely set on an alien planet. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by Christopher Barry and Richard Martin. This story marks the first appearance of the Doctor's greatest extra-terrestrial enemies, the Daleks, and is also the first to feature recurring Skaro people, the Thals. In the serial, the first Doctor (William Hartnell), his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and her teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) land in an alien jungle and are captured by the Daleks, a race of mutated creatures who are surviving off the radiation that remains in the atmosphere after a nuclear war they waged with their enemies. I am a big Doctor Who fan and I hope you don't mind me writing to you about this.

•Mental health service providers must tackle the helpline issue

Thursday March 3

County Cllr Brian Watkins,

Chairman, Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board, County Hall, Norwich. Along with many EDP readers, I am disturbed by the news that the MIND Mental Health support line could close at the end of March due to loss of funding. This service fields over 800 calls per month, and is an invaluable support to so many people with mental health concerns. Without the helpline many of them would face even greater risk to their wellbeing, so it is important that we do whatever we can to save it. After all, we are only talking about a relatively modest £120k a year to keep the helpline afloat. As chair of the Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board, it is not for me to suggest which organisation/s should stump up the cash. I recognise that each of them have their own strategic priorities, as well as obligations to balance their books. However, we cannot just hope that the problem will go away. There are many vulnerable people out there who are extremely fearful about the possible loss of the helpline, and it's important that they are given suitable reassurance. That's why we have to find a solution to this funding issue as soon as possible. Once again, I repeat, the offer that I made in my earlier press comments on this matter. It is important that all parties with responsibility for discharging mental health services in this area come together to address this issue as a matter of urgency. We cannot allow this to drag on indefinitely. I note Chloe Smith's interest in this important matter and share her concerns. I repeat that I am more than happy to broker a meeting at County Hall on behalf of the Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board where all parties could meet on neutral ground to consider funding options carefully in the hope that an agreement can be reached. My belief is that both sides have a shared duty to find a way forward for this crucial service.

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