Letters to the Editor

who can continue good work in the village

SIR, -In a recent issue of their newsletter, the Chairman of the Menston Community Association anticipates the creation of a Menston Parish Council. The leading article states that the Association ".....exists as an inevitable response to the lack of a truly local representative Parish Council, which Ilkley Parish Council could never be.....".

Ilkley Parish Council has always had elected or nominated councillors from Menston who, over the years, have very ably represented the interests of the people of Menston. Further, the interests of Menston have been looked after by the Parish Council as a whole, just as the interests of the whole parish have been served by Menston Councillors.

Over recent years, Councillors from Menston have brought great experience and knowledge of local affairs to the council and have provided a total of seven chairmen of Council, Planning and finance and General Purpose committees. They have helped save several areas from development in the village and generally kept Menston green. They have had concerns with up-dating Menston Station and have had inputs into the High Royds development and many enquiries and appeals.

The existence of a Community Association is a sign that a community is developing and maturing politically as in the case of Burley. It was an initiative by the Burley Community Council which has led to the case for a split in the Parish Council with no clear case being made by Menston except of having to go along that route. I sincerely hope that when the time comes to elect the seven councillors required for the Menston Parish Council that sufficient people come forward of the calibre of the people from Menston that I have had the privilege of working with on Ilkley Parish Council.

Brian Mann

Chairman

Ilkley Parish Council

Fact finding

SIR, - There have been several letters over the past weeks about the Burley Bridge, all of them long on opinions but short on facts. The opinions have been backed up by figures allegedly taken ballots on the subject, unfortunately none of the figures seem to agree with any other. I have lived in Burley for nearly twenty years but I can't recall ever being balloted about the bridge, and I don't even know who organised them. It would help me, and perhaps other people if the organisers of the ballots could tell us when they took place and what form they took; were they by word of mouth, by a show of hands or in written form by post? In each case can the organisers tell us how many people were balloted, how many were Burley residents and how many were outsiders: How many replies were received, how many were for and against the bridge and how many came from Burley residents? And, finally, who independently audited the results? Such figures might at least clarify part of the controversy although it may not affect the opinions.

Michael Wayte

Whitecroft

Bradford Road

Burley in Wharfedale

It's good to talk

SIR, - I would like to draw to the attention of Addingham Parish Council chairman Mr Gordon Campbell the following statement:

"The purpose of Scouting is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities." This is the opening part of the official Scout policy document.

To state publicly that we would rather 'bury our heads in the sand and wait' rather than sit down with the Parish Council and discuss the future of the Scout HQ is ridiculous to the point of being offensive.

Mr Campbell made it implicitly clear at a meeting with the Scout group in January this year that nothing was likely to happen at the proposed site for somewhere in the region of two to three years, which is hardly a timescale to set pulses racing!

And now he's at it again, having a go at the group at the past Parish Council meeting. He stated that we couldn't give a firm date in August for a meeting as we were on holiday. This is true, and hardly surprising, as it tends to be a rather popular time to go on holiday . . . but again Mr Campbell 'overlooked' that for five evenings a week, for the past five weeks, we have been filling our HQ to bursting point while collecting for our grand auction, meaning that we have had neither the time, nor the space, to hold a meeting with the council.

He has also stated that he finds it impossible to communicate with the group. Well, Mr Chairman, why don't you give your fellow councillor (and Scout group chairman) a call to arrange a meeting, or call the Cub leader (the one you called to deliver your village letter at the 11th hour earlier in the year), or failing that you could always pop down on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening and have a word with the 70 children that meets at the Scout HQ each week, at which we as leaders do our best too uphold the purpose of Scouting in Addingham.

PS: You promised some time ago that we would receive a payment for delivering the letter mentioned earlier. Can we expect this soon, or shall we just bury our heads in the sand and wait . . . ?

PAUL JENNINGS

Assistant Cub Scout Leader,

15, School Lane,

Addingham

A bridge too far

SIR. - I was reading an account of the Lynmouth flood disaster when a similar fate befell Boscastle. It struck me how little man has learned from the former. Management of river banks are the concern of all who live besides such water courses, which leads me again to question the building of a bridge atop Burley's weir.

Much of Lynmouth's damage was caused by detritus blocking bridges. Damming watercourses until pressure broke the bridge down. A domino effect took place as ever more floodwater hit bridges lower down. Until the enormity of it all took a large proportion of Lynmouth into the sea beyond.

A recent letter informed us there are 39 road and footbridges across the Wharfe. How many are built atop a weir? Also Burley (the sixth largest community near the river) is without a single bridge. Today maybe, but not in the past. Strange that Burley Bridge Association have never thought to mention this fact. Nor that the former bridge foundations are still in existence.

One would have thought a tried and tested route would be more beneficial than a dubious construction across a weir. A weir noted for being hit by large trees and similar detritus in time of flood. A weir if damaged by an unwanted construction could cost millions to put right. Fast flowing water would cause an unbalancing experience of spectacular proportions. Have BurBriAss taken this into account along with their construction costs of £240,000? If not, then why not?

FRAZER IRWIN

Queens Road,

Ilkley

Poor service

SIR, - May I join the Addingham Parish councillors in their condemnation of Bradford City Hall chiefs over their frequent failures to perform even the bare essentials of the statutory duties with which they are charged. I give two examples.

When sewerage work commenced in Valley Road causing its closure at the junction with Leeds Road I was concerned for the safety of pedestrians, as the adjacent street light had been extinguished for some time. I reported this (and the attendant hazard) to the Street Lighting department on August 11.

Up to Sunday, September 26, the lamp remained unlit. I made a telephone call on September 27 to report the problem again which elicited placatory words and promises of action; the light was repaired that day. My stated intention to write this letter may also have influenced these people.

On September 26 there had been a further ten unlit lamps between the Toll Bridge and the last house on Skipton Road despite this being a trunk road. Whilst no promises were given for immediate repairs in these cases there was a hint of systematic vandalism being the underlying problem. Trees obscuring the lamps exacerbate the lack of lighting in Skipton Road as, even with all the street lamps in working order, there are still large areas of badly lit pavement. Therefore several lamps out of action in one area is a serious matter calling for prompt attention.

I cannot see why this state of affairs exists and why it seems necessary for the public to have to repeatedly report street lamp failures. I am sure that the statutory duty of this authority is to provide and maintain street lighting without input from the public.

We need to look no further than the Leeds Road allotments for another glaring example of Bradford's failure to perform. In 1974 the then Ilkley Urban District Council acquired land adjacent to the existing allotments between Leeds Road and the river, intending to extend the allotments. Other events overtook this project bringing a transfer of administration from Ilkley to Bradford. Nevertheless, I have a letter from the then Clerk to Ilkley Urban District Council assuring me that fears of it becoming an untidy shanty town were unfounded.

Under Bradford's stewardship, or rather neglect, this area has become a wilderness of shoulder high weeds in summer with an annual cloud of floating seeds contaminating every garden downwind for miles. Yes, not a shantytown but maybe something worse.

Early this year long stretches of the boundary fence fell over onto the riverside path, one stretch is over 20 metres long. Months later the fences still lie across the path despite City Hall having had men clear the undergrowth encroaching on the river path later this year. One man carefully strimmed around the fallen chestnut paling and left the grass to grow through them. Now the fallen fence is obscured by long grass and dangerous. Many people returning home from the annual Lions' bonfire use this path and I suggest that there is an accident waiting to happen here.

With rising Council Tax and falling services, I feel that it is high time that this town flexed its muscles and insisted on a fair deal.

H MOORE

269, Leeds Road,

Ilkley

Waste of energy

The Yorkshire Water spokesman (Ilkley Gazette, September 9) put on more spin than a turbine when he said "Every year the company spends tens of millions of pounds on fuel costs."

Just how many millions will be saved by a puny windmill on Bingley Moor? I suggest - not a single million. Even with the subsidies paid by taxpayers it will hardly break even, but it will be another blot on our landscape. They should not be allowed to waste our money on this.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth is perfectly correct - the effect of turbines on our scenery and environment is 'absolutely diabolical'.

Ken Cooke

Wheatley Road, Ilkley