May I attempt to nail the persistent notion that people who have no children or who pay for private education are “subsidising a state sector” from which they derive no benefit (Letters, 26 June?
By contributing towards universal education, they receive the benefit of living in a society with enough doctors, nurses, police officers, civil servants, plumbers and technicians who literally keep the machinery of society running. In economic terms, a social good not only benefits those who directly use it, but all those who live in that society.
Social security and youth clubs reduce crime; the support of minorities and people on the fringes of conventional society reduces alienation and strengthens their sense of belonging and loyalty towards that society, which reduces the risk of terrorism.
A strong NHS reduces the number of long-term sick, identified as being a significant contribution to economic inactivity and the labour shortage. Cheap and efficient public transport increases economic activity and reduces congestion. I could go on.
Tim Bloomfield
Acton, Suffolk
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