Plight of disabled people is shameful

Perhaps, like me, Mrs Burland should be feeling more than a little ashamed. Civilisation is thousands of years old yet it has taken recent Government legislation for many, like me, to realise that those who are disabled are disaffected.

Legislation deems that public buildings have to be completely accessible by 2004. Surely, it is shameful to all of us, who are not disabled, not to realise that those who are disabled have rights as well.

To suggest that weeding the streets is more valuable than making Otley Civic Centre compatible with the recommendations concerning the Disability Discrimination Act clearly illustrates why Otley Labour councillors cannot work with Otley Liberals. Labour clearly seeks to work for the benefit of all.

Coun Ray Dunn

Chairman,

Civic Centre Committee,

42 St David's Road

Otley..

Claim 'is an error'

SIR, - The anonymous correspondent who in the Wharfedale and Airedale Observer on February 7, had much to say about developments in Guiseley was in error to claim the building of Tranmere Park was 'allowed by the then Aireborough UDC'.

The first dwellings constructed on the estate were completed during the 1920s at a time when Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon had their own Urban District Councils.

These were amalgamated into Aireborough Urban District Council on 'All Fools Day' April 1, 1937, a date considered by many locals to be most appropriate.

Gerald Myers

6 Moorway

Tranmere Park

Guiseley

Leeds

Different plans

SIR - I sympathise with Mrs Burland's point that political parties should stop squabbling, and work together, but this is difficult to achieve in practice.

In small communities, where everyone knows everyone else, we are aware of the views of individual candidates at elections and vote accordingly.

In larger communities like Otley, candidates stand for election under party labels so that electors know what they stand for. The parties then continually jockey for position.

In fact Otley councillors from all parties have worked to try to control lorry traffic on Newall Carr Road, so far without much success. However when it comes to Mrs Burland's complaint about the ongoing argument over the refurbishment of Otley Civic Centre, the strength of the party system becomes apparent.

Recent legislation has made it compulsory to improve access to public buildings for the disabled.

The Liberal Democrats proposed alterations to the Civic Centre that would cost £100,000, money that would be raised by a one-off increase in the council tax. The Labour Party proposed a different scheme that would be financed by a loan taken out over 20 years, and would cost the taxpayer half a million pounds over that time.

Our position is that the Liberal Democrat scheme would have involved some instant pain for the taxpayer, but would have been prudent and would not have committed the council to repay large sums of money for many years after any equipment installed had become obsolete and out of guarantee. After all, it is not our money we are spending; it's yours.

In the spirit of not alienating Mrs Burland further, I will not criticise the Labour Party's proposals, but I will merely repeat that they are different from ours. This difference is a good thing for electors as it gives them a clear choice when it comes to voting for party candidates in elections.

James Hoskins

55 Cross Green

Otley

Not healthy

SIR - The Government recently announced that more patients will be travelling abroad for treatment because of bed shortages in our own hospitals.

This may be good news for the patients who have been waiting for the Government to provide their operations, but is it a wise use of taxpayers' money to pay foreign private companies over the odds for operations which could and should be done by the NHS? If the Government were prepared to make the necessary investment in social services, hospital beds would not be occupied by elderly people awaiting discharge to residential or nursing care.

Everybody wants a better health service but it has to be paid for. Almost every other European country invests more in its health service than britain does.

Sending patients abroad creates a whole new level of unfairness in the system. For example, people living in Yorkshire and the Humber will probably live too far away from the Eurostar to be able to benefit.

Once again it looks like it will be the North of England that could miss out. A much fairer solution would be a properly funded NHS that is available to all.

Diana Wallis

Liberal Democrat MEP,

Yorkshire and Humber .

Saddam's fault

SIR - We hear once again from amnesiac critics of Anglo-American air action against Iraq and the suffering of innocent people.

It is incorrect to assert that the no-fly zone is illegal. The people of Iraq are the victims, not so much of sanctions as of the callous actions of Saddam Hussein. Since 1992 it has been open for Iraq to sell oil in sufficient quantities to feed its people and provide healthcare.

Iraq refused persistently to implement relevant Security Council resolutions, preferring women and children to die in order to lay the blame on sanctions. We don't require lessons in patriotism from the holier than thou brigade, it is for those who provide aid and comfort to Saddam to examine their consciences.

Anyhow, United Nations inspectors must be allowed into Iraq if Saddam wants to stay in power - and he knows it.

F Dickinson (Mr)

Larkfield Road

Rawdon.