RE: 225 houses on the ex-Gladman’s land at Westfield, Kirkbymoorside.

The covering letter from the new applicant Countryside Properties blows it own environmental

trumpet, telling us about awards won, and their concern for energy efficiency.

When I asked whether that meant that they would be building a carbon neutral development, of course they said no, they would not be doing so. Why not? Because they will be building to current regulations.

In 2015 the Tory government removed the law that would have meant that all new builds would have had to be built to carbon neutral standards by 2016.

Despite the serious climate emergency, now recognised by our own council nothing sensible will happen.

The costs of building to this standard may be as little as one or two per cent extra, the benefits enormous.

The council cannot insist as the company will appeal and the council will lose.

We need to write to the company and get them to see that a move in this direction will be to everyone’s advantage, even theirs. The address to write to is eleanor.fenton@cpplc.com.

Let’s not put up with more greenwash.

Nelly Trevelyan, Appleton-le-Moors

Benefits are joke

IT’S a joke trying to get benefits from this government.

Somebody can work their entire life, buy a house, pay into a pension scheme, but if they find themselves out of work and put in a claim for support, they may find that they cannot even get the £317 per month basic from the Universal Credit scheme.

I also found that paying NI stamps your entire life counts for absolutely nothing if you try to claim Job Seekers Allowance.

Yet members of the House of Lords are just about to get a daily allowance increase to £323 (£6,000 plus per month) and the Prime Minister gets a free £15,000 holiday.

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others, apparently.

I spoke to a colleague who is a foodbank manager in a different area to ours (Colchester) and last year they dealt with 9,400 people compared to the previous year of 7,000. This they blame directly to Universal Credit.

Stephen Preston, Malton

Heart hero call-out

THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) will host its third national Heart Hero Awards ceremony this year.

Our event last year was a fantastic and emotional night which celebrated winners and nominees from different walks of life and from every part of the UK.

They ranged from inspirational children to remarkable fundraisers and heroic individuals who stepped up to save the life of a stranger using CPR.

Each winner and nominee shared a spirit that embodies all that is best about the UK.

We know there are many more unsung Heart Heroes out there and we want to shine a light on their selfless achievements.

This will help the BHF raise awareness of the need for continued funding to bring new hope to the seven million people in the UK who are living with conditions such as stroke, coronary heart disease, vascular dementia and diabetes.

That’s why we are calling on your readers to make a valuable nomination for the Heart Hero Awards 2020.

A “Heart Hero” can be anyone from a nurse or doctor working in the field of heart disease to a young person with heart disease that has shown incredible courage and determination.

Those shortlisted will be invited to a glitzy awards ceremony in London in September, when the winners will be announced.

There are three categories open for public nominations: My Healthcare Hero, Inspiration and the Young Heart Hero Award (under 18).

To find out more about the categories or to make a nomination, visit bhf.org.uk/heartheroes.

Entries close on Saturday, February 29 – we wish everyone the best of luck with their entries.

Carolan Davidge, interim chief executive, British Heart Foundation