Letters: City has come a long way in fight against potholes

Your report (January 20) about the state of Edinburgh's roads was perhaps a bit misleading. According to Audit Scotland, Edinburgh is ranked 11th out of 32 Scottish councils. Not the best – but certainly not the worst.

And we have come a long way as a result of the huge increase in investment in roads in recent years – in 2005/6 we were ranked 29th out of 32 and more than half the network was in need of repair. As of 2009/10 that had fallen to one-third of the network needing repair.

Your coverage of an AA report on the condition of Scotland's roads claimed that "Edinburgh was today named as having the worst roads in Scotland". The report in fact said no such thing. The AA has confirmed that data is only available at the regional, not the city level, relating to AA members from the whole of the EH postcode area, so it is not appropriate to relate findings to local authority areas.

Our roads have taken a bashing during the recent severe weather and the photo of Burdiehouse Road was a good example. But I am pleased to report that work on Burdiehouse Road and others is well under way. This is part of the council's emergency response to potholes following the severe weather and by the end of January we will have spent 500,000 in an intensive repairs programme dealing with the worst potholes.

Gordon Mackenzie, transport convener

Let the politicians carry the burden

THE SNP wants supermarkets to pay higher business rates to raise 30 million for local authorities.

Despite protests from businesses this is part of the SNP's draft budget. Alex Salmond insists that those with "the broadest shoulders" should help out at a time of public spending cuts.

I suggest all politicians, their spin doctors and public sector workers earning more than 50,000 a year have very broad shoulders and should have their salaries cut, their pension contributions raised and their free car parking taken away.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road Linlithgow

Lessons to learn from Irish plight

THE tragedy unfolding in Ireland seems to be never-ending. It is important that vital lessons are learnt.

Firstly that lower corporation taxes actually mean lower tax take for government to spend on an educated work force, better roads, railways, airports and seaports. Secondly, membership of the euro has been wildly bad for the Irish economy.

Not being able to set your own interest rates and the value of your currency in relation to others has been at the heart of the Irish collapse.

Thank goodness there are no political parties in Scotland who advocate the Reagonomics of the Laffer Curve and joining the euro. Oh, wait a minute . . .

Michelle Smythe, Dalry Road, Edinburgh

Leave ships and air bases alone

IT would appear David Cameron and the coalition have made the same mistake as Margaret Thatcher by putting more emphasis on methods instead of the end result and ending up with confusion.

If they think that taking ships out of service or closing air bases will sort the problem, they are wrong. Think again.

CJR Fentiman, Polwarth Gardens, Edinburgh