What’s happening with Dial a Ride?

Dear Editor,
As a regular and satisfied customer of dial a ride for some years can anyone from the County Council please explain what is happening to this service for the elderly and infirm?
As if lockdown is not bad enough we are denied essential shopping journeys and told that only medical ones are allowed.
However when trying to book for a 09:00 hospital appointment I am informed that al drivers are on school runs as this time in the morning.
Now school runs will also impinge on afternoon activities and allowing for lunch times what is left is hardly the service we are used to.
Surely the elderly are entitled to some explanation about the deterioration of such a valuable service.
Mrs J.A. Ball, Hulbert Way, South Ham

Culver Road hostel plan
Dear Editor,
In response to your article in last weeks Gazette concerning the proposed homeless accommodation in Culver Road. (‘We will not sweep these issues under the carpet’ March 11th) The idea of accommodation for those who find themselves homeless can only be good but to me it seems that this should be carefully considered. I was for a while volunteering for a charity that mentored ex-offenders on release from prison and returning them to their home town of Reading. There we worked to try to rehabilitate them back into society. The homeless hostels that I saw in Reading were bare, basic and soulless institutions and rife with drugs and addicts. One ex-offender refused to be housed in one due to the fact that he knew he would be intimidated by the others because he was trying to stay clean. He told me that he would rather live on the street.
In complete contrast to this I have also helped in a homeless house in Basingstoke and found it to be clean, well kept, comfortable and run by people who cared very much for each inhabitant. This was run by people from the local churches and there were strict rules that controlled behaviour which, mostly, were observed due to respect for the leaders. I would ask anyone which is the preferred outcome for the Culver Road hostel? I trust those who are responsible will choose the latter, not only for the sake of the homeless but also for the neighbourhood.
Ian Richards, Basingstoke

Sad to see shops closing
Dear Editor,
It was sad to read that yet another retailer had closed shop in the Top of Town (Gazette Thursday 11th March). The Heart Foundation had always been a rewarding destination for anyone wanting good quality household items.
Even after the effects of the pandemic recede, it can only be a matter of time before we see the proverbial tumbleweed rolling down Winchester and London streets. That is, unless we get to see more support from our Council. Reading the Spring edition of Basingstoke & Deane Today, I note the appointment of a new chief executive, whose “focus is on doing everything we can to support our communities and enable recovery from the economic and social impacts of Covid-19”.
A good start would be to announce free two-hour parking in all car parks near the Top of Town. Anything less may just accelerate shop closures.
Hugh Sawyer, Basingstoke

Morgan is entitled to his opinion
Dear Editor,
I think it was a bit extreme to say that the remarks made by Piers Morgan, in response to the interview by Oprah Winfrey, were “sinister”. 
He clarified them the next day to say he wasn’t referring to claims of mental illness or racism but, in his opinion, he didn’t believe a word about the outrageous claims made against the Royal family and our newspapers. 
And why not? He has is as much entitled to his opinion as the Duke and Duchess are theirs. Subsequently, many of the claims in the interview have been shown to be untrue or a distortion of the truth. Our freedom of speech and expression are under a threat as never before from the Woke Brigade as they try to stifle everyone and everything that does not agree with them. That, to my mind, is very sinister.
Gina Oxer, The Berg Estate


Sell land to a farmer
Dear Editor
So Lord Lymington wants to cover his 302 hectare estate in thousands of houses to ‘provide jobs’ and it’s not just to put tens of millions of pounds in his pocket from developers.
If he no longer wants to grow crops, then sell it to a farmer that will. Over 10 years how many tens of thousands of tons of grain would that land produce. Without this, Britain will have to import ship loads from the EU and Russia etc. 302 hectares is over 746 acres, that is a huge area of productive farmland to lose, plus all the trees and flora, fauna and fungi that will vanish forever.
I believe selling his land for building houses will put several hundred million pounds in Lord Lymingston’s pockets. What if all our formers did this? Who wants to see the loss of all our fields, woods and pasture covered in houses and roads? How many more villages will become suburbs of Basingstoke? Kempshott used to be a village. So was Chineham. Popley wwas a farm. Where have they gone?
Manydown will become a vast suburb joining Worting to Oakley. Will Basingstoke join with Whitchurch, Winchester, Hook and Tadley only a few more farms and estates to purchase?
Farmland is NOT wasteland. Millions of tons of grain make our break. We already have to import shiploads of grain, vegetables, fruit due to lost farmland. How much timber is imported due to lost woods and forests? Councils will cover the countryside in houses. It’s supposed to be Green Belt - land growing food for us. 
A.D. Carter, Basingstoke

Disagree with Cllr Putty’s assertion
Dear Editor,
I find that I must take issue with your March 11th article on Cllr Putty’s assertion that he was ignored at Buckingham Place by Royalty due to the colour of his skin. 
In the article Cllr. Putty is expressing an opinion in alleging racism, and that can only remain an opinion and not a fact, or as is now fashionable called a ‘truth’, until it has been subject to objective scrutiny. In the article there is limited context or detail let alone evidence. In the court of ‘truth’ Cllr Putty’s allegation would quickly fall under the forensic scrutiny of a legal mind or the objective analysis of a team of research scientists.
It is a pity that in this type of populist scenario much of our press, broadcasters or public institutions seem to duck asking more critical questions from a fear of an unpopular reaction and the vitriol of the Troll Tirade. The Trolls may preen themselves with shutting down reasoned discussion, but they forget that such bullying attitudes hack people off, widen divisions and undo much of the more constructive progress made by the less shouty anti-racism activists.
My late father attended a Palace event. He was not spoke to by a Royal and would have laughed at the idea that he should have felt offended. To him it was a pleasure to have been there. If a royal spoke to you it was a matter of luck in that they might spot something they could start talking to you about such as your tie or hat or that simply they had some form of system such as talking to every third person. As simple as that.
Peter Phillips, Basingstoke

Cllr Putty’s claim is nonsense 
Dear Editor, 
Cllr Putty must think that none of the rest of us have ever been to a Royal Garden party (Ex-Mayor ignored by Royals 11 March). These are not intimate little tea parties in the back garden and we attended one in 2009 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Naval Air Service which became the Fleet Air Arm and I was told that there were in excess 2000 people at this event. 
I would estimate that at least 80% of the guests did not get to talk to a member of the Royal family and we certainly did not even though Princess Anne, who I have met, was there and she is one of the best circulators in the family. 
The Royals all develop their own methods of working a crowd but to claim that their failure to speak to him implies racism is simply nonsense and dangerous nonsense at that because of what it implies; it leaves an unpleasant innuendo. Indeed he is doing much as Meghan Markel has done in that she has made an allegation based entirely on hearsay evidence when we do not know the context of the alleged remark. 
A number of mixed race couples have come forward to say that it is by no means unusual to speculate on the colour of a mixed race child and in most cases it is simply curiosity and certainly not racism. She has now left a slur on the Royal Family which, because of the emotion attached to racist claims, is very hard for them to refute and it is unwarranted without hard evidence and extremely unfair. If you have any doubts about this woman’s agenda ask yourself why Oprah Winfrey was asked to the wedding when she had only met her once.   
Mike Sant, Basingstoke 

Picture of the week
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you about the picture of the week from last week. It was not a Golden Eagle in the picture but a Red Kite. A Golden Eagle is golden brown all over not stripy with a blue head and brown feathers.
Sally Cheesman, Basingstoke