Letters: Sob stories from landlords about thermal upgrade costs leave me cold

Landlords should have planned ahead

Julie Llama’s letter makes an often-heard point that, as a private landlord, she cannot afford the capital outlay required to bring her three properties up to an EPC rating of ‘C’. 

Obviously, I don’t know the circumstances by which Julie obtained these three properties but, assuming she bought them, then the price she paid should have reflected their relatively high cost of heating, as expressed by their poor EPCs. Sadly, landlords usually focus only on income potential and capital growth and ignore the connection between purchase cost (which they pay) and running costs (which tenants pay). 

Poorly insulated homes cost more to run, and this is a factor which all buyers should consider. While the government should certainly contribute towards upgrading the thermal performance of old homes, limited resources should rightly go to social housing rather than private landlords, who would enjoy the benefits of greater tenant satisfaction and health which comes from living in a warm, damp-free home.

Jerry Diccox, Wilsden Hill

Staying mobile

John Bird is right about social mobility. This is especially relevant to disability, where you are more at risk of isolation. My main fear is that, if I lose my car, my world will shrink overnight. A 20-minute car journey can take up to an hour on a bus in places like Cornwall, and not all of the county is next to a railway station. Most of the jobs I have had in my lifetime have been only possible with a car.

Christopher Burns

History lesson

Two things came to mind when reading the interview with Steven Knight on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. First, is John Beckett based on the real-life John Beckett? A man of the left (Independent Labour Party) who swung to the right and joined the British Union of Fascists and became one of Mosley’s lieutenants, later forming the National Socialist League with William Joyce (of ‘Lord Haw-Haw’ fame)? Second, Duke cannot know that “his dad fought fascism in the last war” because fascism is a post-World War I phenomenon. 

As John Foot observes in his book, Blood and Power, “Italy invented fascism. Out of the chaos of the First World War in which 600,000 Italian soldiers lost their lives, a new movement emerged which preached hatred for politicians and love for the fatherland.” If Steven Knight wishes to be faithful to historical accuracy, he needs to avoid anachronism. 

Joe, Stockton on Tees

Read more:

• Rise of the good landlords: Inside the movement to make the private rental sector tackle homelessness
• Would 1.5m landlords selling up and leaving the rental market really be a bad thing?
• 40% of landlords say they would not rent out their property to people on benefits

Conflict avoidance

The only function of RAF Akrotiri, the British Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus, is to drag us into wars in the Middle East. Its only permanent residents are people who could not move to the new Republic
of Cyprus because we refused to compensate them properly. They are Cypriot rather than British citizens. Everyone knows what would be the result of a referendum among them, so let it be held and give us the opportunity to cut our losses. 

Iran has been accused of trying to bomb Diego Garcia but there is no suggestion that it succeeded – which would be the basis for any claim that Iranian ballistic missiles could hit London. But even if that were true, it would be an argument for Chagossian self-determination and for Britain to avoid conflict with Iran.

David Lindsay

Ill wind

When I read about SSE’s proposed wind farm at Berwick Bank, with its compensation scheme for projected losses of seabirds, I thought it was a joke. Who would be reckless enough to locate a wind farm near the East Lothian and Fife coasts, an area of vital habitat for globally important colonies of seabirds? It had to be a joke. But it wasn’t.

They think they can buy their way out from killing masses of sea birds. These birds are OUR birds. They belong to the Scottish people. They are our wildlife. They are a tourist attraction They are our heritage. They are not a commodity to be bought and sold by an energy company. Projected figures show 261 Gannets, 2,808 Guillemots, 815 Kittiwakes, 66 Puffins and 154 Razorbills will be killed in the first year. Tens of thousands in the years afterwards. Berwick Bank threatens to be one of the deadliest wind farms for birds anywhere in the world.

I would ask your readers to please add their voice to those at RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the National Trust for Scotland and the Marine Conservation Society. Tell Martin Pibworth, Chief Executive at SSE Glasgow, and the Scottish First Minister to Cancel Berwick Bank.

Nicole Wharton, Fraserburgh

Grow up

When children go to school they’re often told: Let’s try to take turns and share with others, let’s not tell fibs, or be greedy or bully anyone else… and let’s say sorry for mistakes. They learn that ‘they started it’ doesn’t mean that the rules no longer apply.

But adults? Perhaps many ‘grown ups’, especially those in high office, really need to go back to school!

Mary Robertson

Responses to: Paul McNamee’s final editorial 

Paul’s editor column is the first piece I turn to. Thank you for your words. I learned, and continue to do so, from Big Issue.

Berenice Howard-Smith, Facebook

You were a great torchbearer.

Terry Mccarthy, Facebook

What an innings, fella. Total publishing legend.

reevesy10, Instagram

Congrats Paul, best wishes for what’s next!

Derek Walmsley, Bluesky

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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