Tell traders the proposed costs

WE fear council official John Mother-sole may be unduly optimistic in dismissing Federation of Small Businesses concerns that independent traders will be priced out of the market in Sheff-ield's new retail quarter. He is executive director of development and is closely involved in the biggest scheme in Sheffield in generations. And he reckons the federation's concerns are a 'fundamental misconception'.

We are not sure upon what basis he makes the claim. Certainly, the federation will have seen colleagues shut up shop when developers want a return on their investment. And there is no doubt the New Retail Quarter is costing a pretty penny: someone, sometime, is going to want to see a profit.

If there is a ‘misconception’, some proposed rental figures would be a welcome means of putting it to rest.

One organisation needed for floods

MANY will be surprised to hear the head of the Environment Agency, Baroness Young, call for one organisation to be responsible for all flood water management. Such a move is so obvious it is nothing short of astonishing to learn it is not already in place.

It seems the agency is responsible for river management but not for the networks which deal with surface flooding - the cause of this summer’s devastation when drains failed to cope with unprecedented rainfall levels.

With a patchwork of responsibility, it is all too easy for a co-ordinated app-roach to floods to be lost. It is time for a single organisation to have responsibility for this very urgent problem.

Weather wise...

WITH the weather taking a distinct lurch towards autumn, the experts are back in business, making grand predictions for the months ahead. Looking into scientific crystal balls, they suggest that, while it’s going to be colder than last year, we’ll have a fairly mild and dry winter, with little chance of heavy snow. These, of course, are the same experts who failed to warn us that thousands would be swept from their homes by summer flooding!