I AM pleased to confirm that short of unexpected events, the King's is under no immediate threat of closure. As soon as we were made aware that this could be an issue by the management of the King's we made it our urgent business to investigate.
I have since taken advice from electrical consultants who report that there is no imminent threat to the King's. The King's management are aware of this and I'm assured and confident that their technical team have a solid understanding of issues inv
olved in managing a building of this age.
As the council's budgeting process proceeds I will continue to press the case for the city's cultural sector which will of course include the King's. We must however be realistic about how much can be invested as this administration has inherited an infrastructure in desperate need of investment at a time when the council faces a difficult financial situation."
I do agree that the King's Theatre is in need of investment and we are very keen to secure the future of the venue. We eagerly await sight of a business case from the Festival City Theatres Trust about the future of the venue and once we receive that we can make realistic decisions.
City of Edinburgh Council Culture Leader, Deidre Brock Reality of disabled travel is differentIT was interesting to read the article on transport for disabled people (Mouthpiece, January 7).
I agree that transport is one enormous problem, despite the valiant efforts of the providers, and many of us, more particularly those of us who have no other options open to us, find that getting transport for basic necessities – shopping, bank, dentist, etc – is difficult enough, let alone getting out for pleasure.
We accept that there are many "hidden" disabilities – as life-long disabled people, we are probably more aware than those who make the eligibility rules – but there are people who hop nimbly into the vehicle and say, without any shame, "This is much cheaper than a taxi" or "If I hadn't been able to book this, I would have had to catch the bus!" Dream on.
A basic criterion should apply: if you have enough bend/movement to climb into, sit down, stand up and climb out of a taxi and enough mental ability to cope with such a journey – use one.
This argument will doubtless have the people who would be excluded up in arms, but a taxi will deliver you from door to door with no more effort.
That would free up some journeys for the people who cannot use public transport.
If there is surplus space, OK, it can be open to others. For older people who need an escort or for those people who have psychological problems that make public transport travel a no-no; for those whose chairs are too large for taxis or who need extra help when travelling, specialist transport is a blessing.
I often wonder how those who set the policies would cope with their lives if, for example, they were limited to one outing per week or if they could count on the fingers of half a hand the number of times they could go to the theatre/bingo/cinema!
Not a whinge, just reality!
Pat Duncan, Learmonth Gardens, Edinburgh Stop cringeing and fuel speed aheadTHE latest hike in the price of fuel in a cold winter should make all Scots ask why it is that we pay more for electricity, gas and petrol than any other country in Europe, despite the fact that we are an energy-rich country.
After all, most countries in the world finding oil in their waters would count themselves lucky. Why has such a potential financial boon never been seen as such by some of our politicians?
It almost seems as if many Scots are afraid to acknowledge that we have a source of great wealth on our doorstep, and are too ashamed to admit that we have essentially given half of it away. In denial we therefore make excuses to each other such as 'it's not ours anyway', 'it's running out', or 'the price is too volatile' .
Such nonsense does not appear to trouble the Norwegians who have sensibly invested billions of their revenues for future generations.
I would suggest that we Scots get over our "Oil Cringe" and start to emulate our Norwegian neighbours who see nothing wrong in investing their own wealth for future generations.
Gavin Fleming, Webster's Land, Grassmarket, EdinburghPiece misrepresents group's good work IT was with utter astonishment I read Adam Morris's headline story "Antisocial behaviour squad set to tackle Capital's unruly areas" (Evening News, December 28)).
I felt as the Chair of the Clean Green & Safe Group I needed to respond to this piece. It totally misrepresents the prime function of the group and undermines the good work we are carrying out in the Forth Neighbourhood Ward.
At the initial meeting held by the group on December 3 we agreed a 15-point priority list to be returned to the community councils who are primary players in the group and also the housing association/tenants groups to consult widely with the community and prioritise the points raised and to identify other priorities that may be raised during the consultation.
In the interim period, we highlighted three areas of concern that the officers are tasked with. These are street lighting; dog fouling in public areas; and identifying private landlords who also have a role to play in setting up a clean green and safe environment for all.
We can and will look at issues such as anti-social behaviour, rent arrears etc, but that is a matter for the community to decide whilst prioritising our activities.
We will not be led under any political agenda or individual's preference for the group.
We have no intentions of setting up sub-groups looking at single issues at the moment, and as for comments of the supposed physical regeneration arm, this, in fact, is a totally separate group in the throes of being set up.
I would recommend to all members of the public to get involved through the community councils or the Forth Neighbourhood Partnership public meetings.
George A Gordon, Granton Place, EdinburghSeeing red over this Green rectorWE hear a lot from politicians about tackling antisocial behaviour, so isn't it time something was done about the "down and outs" who seem to be turning the student centre of Bristo Square into a drinking den?
One of Edinburgh's most populated student areas is now dominated by 'social drinkers' who give the impression to visitors that Edinburgh is a city of drunks who shout foul language at students attending lectures, before leaving a trail of litter in their wake. Is this really the image of Edinburgh that we want to portray?
The current Rector, Mark Ballard, was full of promises do address the situation before his election, but since then has become largely silent on the issue. Do tramps all vote Green?
Sophie L Anderson, Marchmont Road