A pleasant surprise from highways

I have now been retired for a number of years and have to admit that I seem to have slowly become a member of the 'Grumpy Old Men' brigade.

Consequently, when the Highways Department decided to resurface our roads after many years, I knew of course what was going to happen ie:

1 Complete disruption.

2 Tea breaks galore.

3 Work rate approaching zero.

4 Attention to detail non-existent.

5 The whole place left in a mess.

Well you've guessed it, I was so very, very wrong on all counts !

Every member of the crew worked non-stop until the job was finished, it was so impressive to see the crew use their heavy equipment with so much precision and split second timing and yes, they left the site looking neat and tidy.

A sincere thank you to all concerned for a job so well done.

I am now on extended leave from the 'Grumpy Old Men' brigade !

Ronnie Baxter,

Starbotton.

SIR - The year is 2005 and the supermarkets are here to stay. They are part of our lives and we cannot live without them. But they must not dominate our lives!

Why do I say this? Recent press coverage has shown independent producers, and growers, battling to stay in business because the "big boys" delay payments or the producer is told his product is no longer required and another supplier has been sourced. This is after huge investment by the producer on behalf of the supermarket. A recently reported case involved a Yorkshire mushroom producer, the Office of Fair Trading and the threat of a job loss for 80 staff.

How many times have we heard the supermarkets bleating on about "it is customer demand" when challenged about their imports of meat, poultry, milk and other produce that they could have bought local. The housewife (sorry chaps - and others) do not know the price difference between home produced and imported unless offered it.

Put the two side by side on the shelf and, yes, the lowest priced will be more popular. If it were all home produced would the consumer refuse to pay? I doubt it, but should the purse be getting low then a cheaper cut could be purchased. For customer demand - read profits demand.

Further domination comes in with what were "foodstores" now supplying everything from electrical goods to clothing.

Coppers saved on a tank full of petrol has led to the closure of how many petrol stations? Can this really be classed as fair trading? When there is nowhere else to shop will these prices still be competitive? I think not.

Loyalty cards, just like the old Green Shield stamps and the Co-op divi are understandable but why, oh why, are these stores issuing credit and debit cards?

The unsuspecting consumer, thinking their favourite store is helping them, does not realise that other shops, when presented with these cards, have to pay more than a standard bank card. Guess where this money goes?

Just like the offer of air miles, it is the shopkeeper who pays. Regularly we are offered certain cards with the comment, I would like to use this one to get my airmiles/points. I reply, tongue in cheek, with 'I would prefer not to be paying for your holiday and would you mind using another card that costs me less!'.

It may be a surprise to many shoppers that, yes, every time they present a card, it costs money. This is why minimum spends are often introduced, to help balance the books.

Where do all the special offers come from? Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Next time you are offered a third bottle of wine free, having purchased two, ask the assistant how much the wine used to be. If it is not the consumer paying for their own offer it is likely to be the producer being screwed into the ground. Was this where I came in?

Bob Wright,

President elect,

Skipton Chamber of Trade

SIR - The article in your newspaper dated May 6 is a reminder to readers that controversial proposals at Grassington are still on the agenda.

The Garrs End Lane Conservation Group has always stressed it is the choice of site that it opposes, not the principle of affordable homes.

Most of the objection letters to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority mentioned road safety and environmental issues as their main concerns.

All three access lanes are single track lanes, typically 3 metres (10 feet) wide, with two of them narrowing to as little as 2.1 metres (6ft 10ins). Passing places will give drivers greater confidence and lead to higher road speeds leaving pedestrians at greater risk, particularly in the absence of a footpath. These passing places will destroy the intrinsic character of one of the few country lanes left within the village.

Readers should bear in mind that Grassington Parish Council, when it discussed the matter in December 2004, only supported the proposal by five votes to four.

Readers should also bear in mind that the Housing Needs Survey you referred to is almost identical to the survey that was recently criticised in your newspaper in relation to Long Preston.

Notwithstanding that, the Grassington survey was so very superficial and loosely worded, not one of the 95 claiming to be in housing need within 10 years wanted to rent a two or three bedroom family house of the type proposed for this site.

Andrew Earnshaw

Chairman, Garrs End Lane Conservation Group

Chapel Street, Grassington.

SIR - I am pleased to see that the scaffolding has been removed from High Street House in Newmarket Street. I am also fascinated to see this important and imposing building emerging from behind its shrouds restored to all its former glory.

Although the experience has shown little regard for the convenience of the community, the period of construction has not been without its own benefits.

Those of us who live or work in the area have found it much easier and safer to cross the road. Road noise has been reduced and deliveries to local businesses has caused less hold-ups.

I suspect that drivers have found using this route less stressful.

I believe that it is now time with this experience on record to give urgent and serious consideration to making Newmarket Street a one way street with the traffic heading east.

John Kerwin-Davey,

Newmarket Street, Skipton.

SIR - Yesterday I saw my brother Warren Burnett's photograph in your newspaper while reading the Craven Herald.

Imagine what a shock I got to see him so badly bruised and battered.

That was the first I had heard of his unfortunate entanglement with such heartless criminals. His actions however were very normal for him. He has always proved to be a loving, caring person.

Anne Sheeran,

Central Ave, Pittsburg,

California, USA

SIR - Some of your readers with knowledge of an elderly, slightly eccentric gentleman, best known locally in south Craven for travelling around with his bicycle, have been aware of, and concerned at, his circumstances over the past winter.

This has now been largely resolved thanks to the generous assistance of various local individuals. It seems only right that this help is recognised publicly.

In that respect, Skipton Rotary, through president Andrew Simpson, have been immediately responsive and helpful.

So too were John Nelson, Denis of Hall St Motors and the Post Office staff at Cross Hills, Towler and Staines Keighley, and Ripon Farm Services Cross Hills. Sincere thanks to you all.

Regrettably I cannot add Age Concern, which was unable to offer practical assistance.

Jim O'Rourke

Cross Hills.

SIR - I write in response to the letter from Sue Brown about how good Ingleton is.

Does she think we can live on gifts and wine? There used to be some grocers in Ingleton, but these have closed. There are no clothes shops, no shoe shops.

I am a pensioner and cannot get out of town. If I needed a new coat, do I buy a bottle of wine to pour over myself; if I need new shoes, do I buy gifts and put them on my feet?

For groceries all we have is a Co-op, which also stocks wine.

When I came 47 years ago, one could buy anything in Ingleton. Now it's getting like a ghost town. Man cannot live on wine and gifts alone, he must have transport to go to town. I don't and as I am lame and cannot walk far, public transport is out of the question.

S Lockey,

Westhouses, Ingleton.

SIR - Call me old-fashioned when it comes to election campaigns but only by knocking on doors and listening to people express opinions and concerns directly can the candidate be properly aware of the mood of the electorate.

Merely to push a leaflet through the letter box is to treat voters with light regard. If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing properly.

May I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all those who supported and helped me at the county council election on May 5. The electorate across North Yorkshire has spoken. It is now our elected responsibility to respond vigorously to the aspirations and hopes of those who have placed in us their trust.

Coun Robert Heseltine,

The Ginnel Place,

Newmarket Street, Skipton.

SIR - I have lived in the Skipton area all my life, and just experienced my first time pushing (or should I say trying to push) a wheelchair through the town. I have to say it's virtually impossible.

My aim was to get my partner to the Town Hall, but after nearly losing him out of his chair on more than one occasion and having to spend more time on the road than the pavement, we then found we couldn't get into the Town Hall as the lift at the entrance was not working and couldn't find any other way in.

Until you find you have to push a wheelchair about, you don't realise just how bad our footpaths are. Also, people parking cars on footpaths doesn't help, one of which I did report to the police.

It will be a long time before I take on the task of a visit to Skipton again unless I go on my own. It's not fair to put anybody through such torment.

Judith Long,

Alexandra Ville, Skipton.

SIR - With reference to the Craven Diary of May 6, "Special Reception", it seems the district councillor has overlooked the direct weekday bus service operated by Keighley and District Travel from Skipton to Keighley via Bradley and Airedale Hospital.

It is appreciated that the bus has to negotiate the canal bridge at Bradley and the level crossing at Cononley, but observations at Cononley indicate the buses keep to time quite well!

Running time is 31 minutes, thus just over an hour for the round trip.

The members at Farnhill parish meeting were no doubt muttering about their own service, which does leave much to be desired!

David S Clarke,

Crag View, Cononley.

SIR - In reply to Mr Pickering's letter regarding Skipton market and its new council appointee, should Mr Pickering have contacted the new appointee, the facts as to why the vans were on the setts could have been addressed.

Also, may I point out that the new appointee is not paid from the local tax payers but from the Skipton market traders. The stall holders pay approximately £69,000 annually to Craven District Council for market management, administration, cleansing and other market related expenses.

So before putting pen to paper, I suggest doing some homework.

Darren Lawson

Secretary,

Skipton Market Traders Association.

SIR - Having read your preview in the Craven Herald and seen a colourful leaflet describing an illuminated procession at 7.30pm on Sunday, stalls and a picture of a juggler, my friends and I came from Bradford, Leeds and Otley to the Skipton Waterways Festival expecting an enjoyable evening. What happened? Nothing.

No jugglers, the stalls were all boarded up and there was no procession and apparently no preparations for one. All we saw were a lot of people sitting on moored boats with a glass of wine and even more people lining the canal and the bridges waiting for something to happen.

We were disappointed angry and cold and would like some sort of apology and explanation. This sort of thing shows Skipton in a poor light and puts people off from coming to the town in future.

Sue Stanwell,

Ilkley Road, Otley.

SIR - On one page of last week's Craven Herald was an article saying Councillor Carl Lis was pleased with the reaction of the new blue bin owners while on the next page the editorial told us that the Herald had not had so many uncomplimentary letters on any subject for a long time.

Since writing my letter another complaint has sadly arisen.

How many householders realised that they had not got back their own inner bins? After spending nearly a fortnight washing and drying out tins, the bin collectors took my clean grey bin and left a dirty one with spilt beer - I hadn't put any beer cans in my bin.

I have personalised all three of my bins - brown, green and blue with my house number to make sure I get my own back but there is no way this can be done with the inner bins.

What is stopping the collectors taking the bins, emptying them and putting the same bins back together?

It happened with the blue bag scheme - my first clean bag disappeared and every collection brought another torn or painted spotted one, hardly fit to put in the house.

I actually enjoy recycling, or did till this incident. It is not acceptable to me to have my clean bin replaced with someone else's dirty one. Surely I can't be the only one who feels this way.

Patricia Mason,

Greatwood Avenue, Skipton.

SIR - So the wheelie bin captive breeding programme has been a success and I have three siblings in my garden. How clever that they have produced three different colours - does Craven District Council have a licence for genetic engineering?

I agree with Caroline McGarvier of Embsay in last week's letters column that we need more provision for recycling of plastic.

Back to the laboratory, Coun Frankenstein, and we could hear the trundle of little wheels but after that please keep the critters apart. We don't want an invasion of the wheelie bins.

Wendy Milner

Church Street, Gargrave.