THIS week's letters to the Advertiser include views on a possible Business Improvement District in Helensburgh, the consultation on the town's waterfront project, changes to tax rates for service personnel and more.

To have your say on any local issue, just email your views to editorial@helensburghadvertiser.co.uk (with 'Letter' in the subject line of your email). Please remember to supply your name and address, and also a daytime contact phone number in case we need to check any details at short notice, though this will not be printed.

Happy writing!

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Further to the Business Improvement District (BID) article in last week’s Advertiser, we would like the opportunity to expand on comments made.

Whilst not entering into the pros and cons of the BID initiative it is essential that the decision to commit business ratepayers to contribute to the cost for a period of five years be made on the basis of objective information from an unbiased source.

For a vote on a BID to progress it would require the approval of only 25 per cent of the business ratepayers in the designated area to trigger a vote and then 51 per cent of those voting to go ahead.

In the worst case scenario that would enable only12.5 per cent of business ratepayers to commit 100 per cent of business ratepayers to the levy for five years.

A grant of £20,000 has been made available to appoint a consultant allegedly to provide objective facts and information about the BID initiative and what it would mean to business ratepayers.

With over 70 BID initiatives existing, or in the process of being set up, throughout Scotland it should be possible for Helensburgh business rate payers to be provided with factual evidence of the measurable effects on the local economy, rather than the rhetoric of ‘The King’s New Clothes’ approach.

In order to achieve this objective we believe it is essential that the be consultant be independent of the BID organisation.

The role of the consultant would be to research and provide an information pack to each business ratepayer in the zone containing the following information: a list of all the businesses entitled to vote; an illustration by rateable value of the potential cost ,banded by amount, of any project that a BID would be required to provide to the town; a projection of ongoing cost of administration and consultants should a BID go ahead.

All business rate payers in the BID zone should be provided with an information pack to enable them to make an informed decision.

The information should be presented from a neutral standpoint with pro and cons explained in a transparent manner without bias, leaving the discussion and decision to the business ratepayer.

Only once the information packs have been distributed should the consultant contact or visit businesses in the area to offer explanation where required , assess opinion, and not to influence or make arguments either or for or against.

Our objective is to ensure that any decision is made on the basis of a transparent, informed, process.

Roger Ferdinand (Perceptive Marketing Ltd) and Fiona Howard (Lets Promote Ltd)

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Having seen the plans for the proposed swimming pool on the Helensburgh waterfront site, I must say that I was unimpressed by what appears to me to be a fairly pedestrian building.

I have no doubt that the designers have responded to a brief which probably called for a simple building to house the necessary accommodation, and could be built within a limited budget.

However the building is one which could fit into any small town anywhere.

Helensburgh is not just any small town: it is the cradle of television, and the inspiration of modern architecture and design sitting on the banks of the famous River Clyde, so I think we deserve better.

It will be recalled that Sydney went ahead with an opera house which exceeded its budget and its build time by an astronomical amount, but now is world famous and is repaying that cost many times over.

While not talking of a building of Sydney’s scale,we could strive for something that has a similar impact.

I have a vision of some of the thousands that come up the Clyde on these enormous cruise ships noticing an arresting piece of design that would so stir their curiosity as to make them come over for a closer look and spend money in our shops and cafes.

Councillor Mulvaney is reported as saying that he doesn’t want “everyone and their auntie” putting in their twopenceworth at this late stage.

But everyone and their auntie– and their nieces and nephews – will have to live with this for many years to come, so it would be a pity not to get this right.

This is the last chance, so it must be done boldly.

Ian Plenderleath, via email

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I AM writing to share some research-supported facts on Scotland’s budget and how the tax band changes will affect those in the armed forces.

You may have read news stories that the threshold for Scottish armed forces personnel paying more than those in England is now £24,000.

At first glance, this looks to be the case.

However, research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) found that while the tax rate goes up from 20 per cent to 21 per cent for those earning over £24,000, the actual amount payable does not.

This is partly down to the increase in the personal allowance – the amount of income you don’t pay tax on – from £11,500 to £11,850.

It is also affected by the new lower rate of 19 per cent for lower earners. According to the SPICe calculations, those earning up to £33,000 will pay less in tax than they will in the current year 2017-18.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAS) also examined the new tax bands.

Their finding was that at £24,000, Scots would be £20 better off than their counterparts in England, and those at £26,000 would pay the same amount in either country.

Sometimes things are not as they first appear, and it’s often worth double-checking from multiple sources to get a balanced picture.

J. Baxter

Rhu

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Monday gave us a hint of the spring to come. I took advantage of the sunshine to walk from Helensburgh town centre to Kitson Park along the West Esplanade.

I wanted to check on the repaving work being done in the car park there. In the current age of austerity in Argyll and Bute, I was surprised that the streets of the town were not a priority.

I am assured by Councillor Ellen Morton that the funds for Kidston Park’s resurfacing come from a different budget. The potholes will remain, but the council’s fiscal integrity is intact.

On the walk there, I was impressed by the park benches, each remembering someone who loved the walk and the views. Shaun Dougan, Jim Gentles, Jim Eaton, Jenny McIntosh. Provost Samuel Bryden J.P. (1851-1931), and Walter McEwen Bryden J.P. (1878-1961).

Samuel Bryden and Walter Bryden were part of Macneur and Bryden, a name that is still visible if you look across the street when leaving the railway station.

The firm were stationers and in 1880 started the Helensburgh and Gareloch Times, which published local news until 1973 when it was taken over and shut down.

In the meantime, Craig Jeffries had started an upstart rival called the Helensburgh Advertiser.

All are local heroes, all remembered on a neglected park bench.

I wonder what they wanted for the town and what they might make of what it has become.

The thing they wanted to be associated with in death was the simple pleasure of sitting on the front in Helensburgh, looking across the water to Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock and enjoying life.

On the walk from Kidston Park back to town, I came to realize what was wrong with the town’s CHORD works, and will be wrong with the current pierhead project.

Helensburgh was a Victorian seaside town. That is and has been its raison d’etre. With £8 million of Chinese granite, the council attempted to give the old lady a facelift. And failed.

The town centre has been painted with money. It sparkles in the sunshine in Colquhoun Square, which is now a wasteland.

It sparkles on the wide pavement outside Tesco, where cars can no longer pick up shoppers laden with their groceries.

It confuses in the brickwork of the parking bays, where it isn’t clear what is decoration and what is the parking limit.

The town centre has the appearance of an aged Hollywood star given a make-over.

She should have worn her age with grace and dignity. Now she looks gaudy and tawdry.

Outside the designated town centre, the neglect continues. The pavements need work, and the streets have grade 1 and grade 2 potholes.

The stone work on the West Esplanade needs to be repointed, and the park benches need some tender, loving care, so that the next generation of local heroes can sit, look out across the water of the Clyde and think about life.

John Black, 6 Woodhollow House, Helensburgh

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I AM delighted to say that the fashion show held in M&Co in Helensburgh last week in aid of Alzheimer Scotland, for the Helensburgh Dementia Resource Centre, raised the wonderful sum of £811.

A very big thank-you to everyone who took part in the endeavour.

Katie English (Volunteer, Helensburgh Dementia Resource Centre)

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On behalf of James Street Community Garden, I would like to thank the Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary Club for their generous donation of 1,000 crocuses.

These crocuses are a symbol of their on-going campaign to help eradicate polio world-wide.

Now that they are in full bloom, they have been much admired by members of the public passing the garden.

Jean Macaulay (Treasurer, James Street Community Garden Association

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With the expectation of spring on the way, many of us will be going for walks and working in the garden.

People with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are no exception to this but they do need to take a little more care, especially of their feet. Unfortunately, we have found that some people with diabetes are not aware that they need to take the extra care of their feet.

Around 130 diabetes-related amputations take place every week in this country alone, mainly as a result of foot ulcers but 80% of these are avoidable with proper foot care.

So, people with diabetes should have their feet checked at least annually by a trained healthcare professional and should also be taught how to look after their feet themselves.

To try to reduce the risks of foot damage and amputations, the InDependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) has published a FREE booklet called ‘Diabetes – Looking After Your Feet’.

This is designed to help people to look after their feet by knowing what to look for and when to seek treatment to keep their feet healthy and avoid foot ulcers.

If foot ulcers are left untreated they can eventually lead to amputation, which drastically changes a person’s quality of life.

A more active life in the spring can also mean a change in eating habits, so our booklet, ‘Diabetes – Everyday Eating’, which contains 28 days of menus of everyday, affordable meals, and much more, is also useful to help people manage their diabetes.

All our booklets are FREE, so we hope you will let your readers know that we can help. They can obtain a copy of ‘Diabetes – Looking After Your Feet’ and ‘Diabetes – Everyday Eating’ by contacting IDDT on 01604 622837 or email jenny@iddtinternational.org.

Jenny Hirst

Co-chair, Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust