I agree with Samantha Cooper when she says that Glasgow is losing its character.

In her “save our character” letter, she mentions the threat to the famous University Café from parking charges among other things. All over our city local independent traders are being driven out of business by City Parking’s apparent desire to make it almost impossible to work in or travel to many parts of Glasgow.

Public transport in Glasgow leaves a lot to be desired with a subway system that does not serve many areas of the city and bus routes which change regularly and don’t always go where workers and shoppers want to go. So until we have public transport which is fit for purpose many traders will still have to rely on motor vehicles both to trade and to allow customers to visit them.

Glasgow City Council has overseen the demise of many once thriving shopping areas, the High Street has lost many of its independent traders, many streets are now a parade of charity shops, bookies and tanning salons. The Trongate is a forlorn and tatty shadow of its former self and Sauchiehall Street is now a grubby and depressing place to visit with its broken pavements and closed and boarded up shops.

Billy Gold, via email

At all costs

I find it very misleading that the SNP do everything they can to get Scottish Independence but never tell us what Independence would mean for the people of Scotland.

They as a party may constantly criticise Brexit but at least we have a good idea of what Brexit would mean for the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she does not know which currency an independent Scotland would use. She has also said Scotland would keep the pound because it is ‘our currency as much as it is the currency of anywhere else’. But she also insisted she would apply for full membership of the EU, which would mean Scotland would be pressed into adopting the euro.

Theresa May is right to say now is not the time for a second Scottish Independence referendum. The PM is about to embark on a most complex and difficult set of negotiations as she tries to secure the best deal for the whole of the UK leaving the EU. However one thing is certain, no matter what deal the UK gets, it will never be good enough for the SNP, as all they want is independence at any cost, even if it’s not in Scotlands best interest to go Independent.

Jason Findlay, Linnhead Drive, Glasgow

Nice one Jackie

In the wake of the terrorist attack at the houses of parliament in London I was astounded to hear Jackie Bird interviewing the Holyrood presiding officer and letting the terrorist world know that armed police are not routinely on duty at the Scottish parliament.

Nice one Jackie.

Leslie Millar, Hyndland