READERS send in their views and concerns about Coventry in this weeks’ letters page.
Needs of disabled must be taken into account
YOU REPORTED on Coventry City Council’s consultation on cycle riding in the city centre.
I have commented and expressed my concern about e-bikes and scooters.
I use a motorised scooter moving slowly when there and would find it very difficult to avoid any fast-moving bicycle.
No doubt other disabled people would feel the same way.
I hope the needs of disabled people are taken fully into account.
Honorary Alderman David Skinner MBE
Parking charges turning city centre ‘upside-down’
I AM writing to talk about parking charges and the city centre.
The council is turning the city centre upside-down and inside-out with its misguided vision and desperate money-making schemes.
Firstly, I think one of the council’s biggest mistakes was closing the road through Broadgate.
This is because it has stopped buses going into the heart of the city centre which has affected passing trade.
Secondly, the council has driven commercial businesses out of the city centre in favour of more and more student accommodation. This has also reduced footfall from traditional office workers.
Now the council is increasing parking charges in the city centre at times when it will have the most impact which could drive even more visitors away.
The council should stop forcing major changes in the city centre and focus on rebalancing the local economy to help drive growth.
For example, successful city centres have three times more office space than retail which suggests Coventry has got the balance wrong.
What’s more, business parks are going out of fashion due to their isolation, as well as changing business models post-pandemic.
This means businesses are now looking to downsize and relocate.
Furthermore, independent research recommends councils provide small amounts of flexible office space in city centres as demand is expected to continue to increase.
However, Coventry has gone in the opposite direction by building a large office block next to the rail station while supporting luxury hotels and apartments in the city centre instead.
It seems the council has failed to recognise what businesses want and the steps needed to help drive growth in the city centre.
I was also surprised to read that charges will be introduced at free car parks in two of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods.
It seems the council has very little regard for the effect this could have on local businesses.
Ian A Rogers
Founder
Coventry Citizens Party
Put your foot forward for memory walk
WHEN I was first asked to join a Memory Walk it was an instant yes. Anything I can do to help raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Society – I didn’t have to think twice.
I had no idea what to expect that first time in Plymouth. I took my mum, and young son Jack and we walked with my beloved dad at the centre of our thoughts, reflecting on our love for him and desperately hoping there would soon be a solution.
That was 13 years ago and I haven’t missed a walk since. It’s a unique atmosphere and I’m urging as many people who can to join one of the 24 walks across the country. The next one is in Coventry this Sunday, September 24.
As well as a buzz in the crowd knowing the money raised will help conduct more vital work, there are also quiet moments of remembrance, shared stories, the hug of a stranger who understands how living with someone with Alzheimer’s feels or the deep loss that is felt by their passing.
Whatever you feel on the day, you won’t be alone.
And with every step and pound raised, you will make a huge difference to the lives of people living with dementia, funding faster diagnosis, ongoing support and vital research.
Alzheimer’s Society’s work provides help and hope to everyone affected by dementia.
The charity is supporting more people than ever through some of the hardest and most frightening times and is pushing for cutting edge breakthroughs and societal change that will improve the lives of everyone affected by dementia now and in the future.
I’m calling on everyone to join me to walk for a future where dementia no longer devastates lives. It really has never been more important, with one in three people born today in the UK going on to develop dementia.
I’ll be walking again this year in memory of my dad, along with our dog Maggie. She has become quite the Memory Walk supporter – she even has a Memory Walk bandana.
Visit memorywalk.org.uk to sign up for free.
I look forward to seeing you all there!
Ruth Langsford
Alzheimer’s Society ambassador
Cartoons help restore kindness and care for children
I AM writing about Robert Jenrick’s order to paint over children’s cartoon murals at UK asylum intake centres.
It’s been a month since our campaign to restore the cartoons launched.
We won’t give up on this issue and I wanted to explain why.
A cartoon mural could provide a moment of escape for a child during a distressing time.
This was taken away from them – and we can’t ignore this.
The cartoons have become symbolic of immigration policies that fail the most vulnerable in our society – and with no benefit.
The Government said cartoons were ‘too welcoming’ – then that they were not ‘age-appropriate’.
But its own inspection reports show that young children pass through these centres. We need to set things right and show these children that we see them.
To readers who support the Cartoons Not Cruelty campaign, sign our Change.org petition. It’s already backed by 120,000 people.
We’re taking steps to get cartoons to children ourselves to help restore some kindness and care. And we’ll keep campaigning, to make sure this never happens again.
Colin Bennett
Coventry, CV5
Editor’s Comment
CONGRATULATIONS to Coventry Job Shop on its 10th anniversary.
To have helped 12,500 people find employment as part of Coventry City Council’s Jobs Strategy is a fantastic achievement.
With the current cost-of-living crisis, the Cov Job Shop’s services could be needed more than ever to help citizens get to where they want to be and provide for their households.
Good luck to the project for the next ten years – and with its relocation as part of the City Centre South development.
WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS- Email [email protected] with your views.
