downsmail.co.uk Educate the litter louts


IWAS interested to read your piece in Downs Mail about the private firm con- tracted to enforce littering on the streets of Maidstone. I have come across this in other parts of


the country and the system is just the same. The provider secures a local authority con- tract – not necessarily Kingdom Security, al- though it is a big player – and then sends guys out to target primarily smokers throw- ing dog ends on the ground. They’re an easy hit and the smokers are usually guilty. For every £70 or £80 fine they dish out, the


local authority – which is desperate to raise income from any source in these pressed times – gets half for doing little or nothing for it. It is up to the contractor to run its busi- ness efficiently, so that it can raise the cash to pay the wages and other overheads. So how do they incentivise their staff?


That’s a grey area. On the one hand they’ll say the staff get a bonus for all sorts of as- pects of their work – conduct, smart dress and dealing with public, for example, and not just the tickets they issue. It is a deliber-


faster than the road traffic. I do wonder how many people siing in


their cars could change their habits for the beer, but I do realise there are many reasons that could make it difficult. The benefits are great though – improved health and my family of five can manage with one car. In the summer, there are short cuts or


even detours I can take to enjoy country lanes or the river path. What the local councillors could be doing


is creating more safe cycle routes in the borough. Towns like Ashford are puing us to shame in that respect. Mahew Fraser, by email


Have respect for elders


WHEN I saw the leer from Paul Fitch in Downs Mail, Iwas disgusted that he could talk thatway about pensioners. He might think that he is right , and


others may feel that all pensioners should be given the flight tickets to Swierland for the injection, but I would like to point out we, as a generation, are proud of the vote to give Britain back to Britain.We have paid our taxes,we have not abused the benefits’ system,we saved our money to achieve whatwewanted andwewere not


ate obfuscation. What the BBC Panorama documentary appeared to show was that after so many tickets were issued each day and paid straight to Kingdom, the operatives took a small cut of each fine thereafter. It is how they manage to bump up their basic salaries. From a motivational and business point of


view, it is a sensible way to get your team to work efficiently and to their maximum po-


given hand-outs. We did not have mobile phones and


iPads –wewere the generation who educated ourselves and our children and we did not whinge or ask for help at every turn. We worked hard andwent without so


that our children could achieve their goals. It is allwell and good moaning about us,


but I know the votewasn't taken lightly andwewant our grandchildren to have the chance to achieve their aspirations. I have no idea how old Paul is, but I do


know that his opinion is insulting to families, children, parents and grandparents. Instead of whinging, do something positive. We are not to blame, have some respect


for your elders.We try hard to keep our opinions to ourselves whenwe are insulted and spoken over by the younger generation. Elaine Chivers, by email


Travel for cancer patients


HAD difficulty geing travel insurance for your summer break? Macmillan Cancer Supportwants to hear from you. If you have cancer, or have had a


tential, otherwise they would complete the bare minimum and sit back for the rest of the day. I dislike littering as much as anyone else,


but I would rather all councils dropped this money-for-nothing scheme and invested in educating people – particularly the young - about not despoiling the environment they live in. GPrice, by email


diagnosis in the past, you might have noticed geing travel insurance isn’t as easy as it used to be. Perhaps your premiumswere higher


than usual, you had to change your plans due to the unexpected costs, or maybe you had to travel with no cover for cancer- related claims orwere refused cover completely? Whatever your issue Macmillanwants to hear from you. As part of our “Make Money One Less Worry” campaignwewant to raise awareness of the hidden, and often unexpected, financial impact of cancer. To help uswe are looking for people who, because of their cancer, have had difficulty with travel insurance and would like to add their voice to our campaign. If you would like to share your story


please call us on 020 7091 2368 or email us your story, with a daytime telephone contact number, to jwarriner@macmillan.org.uk. In the meantime, if you and anyone you


know has cancer and needs advice about travel insurance you can visit the Macmillanwebsite and search ‘travel insurance’ or call the support line on 0808 808 0000 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm). JaneWarriner, regional communications officer for Surrey, Sussex and Kent


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