VILLAGE leaders in Addingham have launched a tirade of complaints against city hall chiefs in Bradford - and branded them 'a waste of time'.

They have issued a 'give us the money and we'll do it ourselves' message and accused Bradford Council 'of providing fewer and fewer services to Addingham while at the same time taking out more and more money.

Parish councillor Alan Jerome said: "Bradford are doing less and less in the village of Addingham. What are we getting for the rates we pay?

"All the things that used to happen are getting less and less. Addingham Parish Council is getting less and less, they have got their priorities totally wrong. What are we getting for our money?"

The tirade was sparked off by Councillor Danny Palmer who was upset about the lack of upkeep of verges and other grassed areas in Addingham. Councillors have also criticised gully cleaning in the village.

He told the parish council meeting: "They don't cut it often enough - I would like to suggest we take over and get the money from Bradford because they are a waste of time."

Coun Jerome claimed that the grass cutting issue was just 'the tip of the iceberg'. He said that as well as being provided with poorer services, villagers had recently, through the precept on the Council Tax, been handed the bill for running their own parish council.

Parish council chairman Gordon Campbell said that Bradford Council officers had recently introduced a charge of £8.50 per week for marking out the village football pitch, a service previously provided through the Council Tax.

Coun Campbell said that he was going to contact the new £120,000-a-year Bradford Chief Executive, Philip Robinson, about the problems the village was having, and Coun Jerome asked for Mr Robinson to be invited to a meeting of the parish council.

Coun Michael Aldridge said that basic work which should be carried out by the local authority was not getting done. And Parish Clerk Pam Boulton attacked the Bradford Council's system of reporting problems to the correct departments.

She said: "The number we have to report everything is rubbish. By the time you have waited for three-quarters of an hour you forget what you wanted to ring it for in the first place."

Councillor Penny Jerome said she had inspected the public toilets on Sugar Hill, which had been damaged by fire some weeks ago, on behalf of the parish. She said: "The public toilets are terrible. Nothing has been done and there was no toilet paper - nothing to dry your hands on.

"This is another instance where I feel Bradford should give us the money and let us do the job. Nothing has been done since the fire and that is appalling."

Councillor Stanley Flesher, who farms on Addingham Moorside, said tractors and higher vehicles had suffered damage because overhanging bushes had not been cut back on the narrow lanes. He said: "The bushes on Cocking Lane and Turner Lane are a yard out into the carriageway."

A council spokesperson said: "The council is responsible for more than 85,000 gullies throughout the district which, apart from those that cannot be reached because of parked cars, are thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected at least once a year.

"However, the exceptionally wet summer has caused problems because of silt building up in many gullies but we are responding as quickly as possible to requests for them to be cleared.

"The gullies in Addingham are due to be cleared in three weeks' time.

"Similarly, although the verges are cut on a regular basis, the wet summer has caused the grass to grow much faster than in normal years, which makes the cutting more difficult, causing some delays. The verges in Addingham are due to be cut this week.

"In theory, parish councils could take on the maintenance of gullies and verges themselves but this would have to be negotiated.

"Anyone concerned about gullies or verges can call the Council helpline on 01274 431000. The majority of calls - around 90 per cent - are answered within 20 to 50 seconds. There have been slightly longer waiting times in the last few weeks, due to the introduction of a new management system, but we are making every effort to ensure things return to normal shortly.

"Residents can also pass on their comments by text message on 07786 208100 or email by clicking on 'contact us' from the web site at (www.bdirect.org.uk).

The Ilkley Gazette tried calling the council help line and the call was answered within one minute.