'Don't build more houses without sewage capacity and other infrastructure' as Banbury has 'worst' sewage capacity in region - Letters to the Editor

Infrastructure before homes

On January 21st, appearing in the national press was a report into the capacity of sewage works along the upper Thames river. Most were under the capacity needed for their area. Banbury was the worst, being only 43 per cent of what was needed for our area.

In last week’s Banbury Guardian there was a planning application for another 30 houses in Kings Sutton. Additional housing should never be approved until the infrastructure, especially sewage, is sufficient for the new houses. Sewage (along with gas and electricity) must be expanded to accommodate the massive increase of new houses.

Our council, by rushing to fill any space with new homes, has ignored their basic duty by not ensuring Thames Water are keeping up with, or ahead of, local demand.

Planning applications for these new estates should not be approved until capacity is available. Thames Water meanwhile will continue to dump raw sewage into the river because they cannot treat it. Disgraceful, and avoidable.

B Lack, Banbury

Time to change voting system

First past the post is an archaic system that gives excessive power to the winning party and exists in no other part of Europe. It encourages a two party system and denies representation to smaller parties without a geographic base.

By allowing parties to govern on their own, it polarises both the legislature and voters. It tends to create “safe seats” and “swing seats”. Invariably parties spend more funds on “swing seats” and tailor policies to suit their voters, to the possible detriment of the rest of the country.

It can also lead to tactical voting; voters try to block an unwanted candidate rather than feeling free to vote for their preferred choice. This magnifies differences and makes the outcome even less representative. Many people end up being represented by politicians they didn’t vote for.

With Proportional Representation voters number candidates in order of their preference. A quota that would guarantee election is worked out. Excess votes go to the next choice and the candidate with the lowest vote is eliminated. The process is repeated until enough candidates reach the quota or only one is left.

This offers smaller parties a better chance of representation and ensures that parties appeal to core voters rather than swing voters in marginal seats.

Proportional Representation rarely produces an absolute majority for one party and so requires greater consensus in policy making. Greater and more representative choice may encourage turnout and reduce voter apathy. With low voter turnout governments can often be considered minority governments despite winning the election.

Carol Broom, Banbury

Help needed for parents

Families of seriously ill children in the UK desperately need a new deal on care staff. They are increasingly being asked to fill the void left by complex care staff shortages and that is having a dangerous impact on an already tired and weary population of unpaid carers, whose children require round the clock medical supervision and complex care.

The families that WellChild supports have had two years without the proper care and support they need to keep their children safe at home, instead of hospital. It is not acceptable or sustainable for already exhausted parents to continue to cover care staff shortages, which will often include consecutive day and night shifts. It is now a matter of urgency that action is taken on this immediate crisis before it’s too late.

In a recent WellChild survey, more than 50 families from across the UK have shared their individual experiences of reduced care packages with the charity, with nearly 80% experiencing problems with their current care package since the outbreak of Covid-19 and 88% saying that there is an expectation from their care provider that they would cover ever more frequent staff shortages. Having had to step up during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, many are being expected to continue to do so with no respite in sight.

The impacts of this reduction to care packages on families are enormous.

WellChild is urgently calling for a ‘new deal’ for parents and carers of children with complex care needs. Including: Urgent action to address complex care workforce shortages; provision and priority access to tailored mental health support for families; a review into the complex care workforce and implementation of a new national framework for care staff recruitment, pay, training and retention.

Colin Dyer, Chief Executive, WellChild

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