Sometimes, when organisations come up with proposals which they suspect are not likely to prove popular with the public, there must be a great temptation to simply go ahead with the plan without announcing it first.

However, that is not acceptable at a time when there is so much emphasis on partnership and consultation. It is very important to be seen to be answerable, even if the answer might not be to the organisation's liking.

The people living around the Carlisle Business Centre in Carlisle Road, Manningham, obviously had great reservations about a plan to relocate the drug-dependency clinic currently being run by Dr Michael Ross at Akam House to the centre. However, it's possible that their worries might have been eased if there had been a proper consultation about the proposal.

Unfortunately, though, Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust decided to go ahead with no consultation. The result, understandably, was strong objections from leaders of the neighbouring Hanfia mosque. Now the plan has been shelved but the clinic, which has to vacate its current premises after they were condemned by health and safety inspectors, still needs to find a new home.

It is good that lessons appear to have been learned, with the trust now promising a two-month public consultation on what it describes as "a number of options".

That is the proper way to do things. As Manningham vicar the Reverend Bob Hill says, it may slow the process down but at the end of the day the public will feel more involved and the outcome might actually benefit the people who use the service.