Letters to the Editor

SIR, - Referring to former Otley Councillor Lawrence Ross's statement in the Lib Dems' 'Focus' freesheet, I find his comments disappointing and misleading.

During summer weekends Wharfemeadows Park is inundated with visitors from Leeds, Bradford and elsewhere as well as Otley folk wishing to enjoy it. This many people are bound to create a lot of litter.

The fact that, to quote former Coun Ross, 'the litter bins were full to overflowing' on the occasion he visited it obviously means that the vast majority of visitors wanted to use the bins, full or not, rather than scattering their litter over the ground. Leeds City Council's 'failure to keep it tidy' is a slight on the hard working parks team, who although they are employed by LCC are mostly Otley people.

By eight o'clock every Monday morning the bins have been emptied, the grass cut and any loose litter (very often blown out of the bins by the wind) picked up. The commitment and hard work of the Otley Parks Department, is a major factor in the town having done progressively well in 'Otley in Bloom'.

If former Coun Ross wants to ask LCC awkward questions they should be 'Why don't you pay the parks team overtime to empty the bins when the visitors leave?' or 'Why don't you provide more bins?'

A walk through the park on a Saturday is bound to find the bins full. You might as well base an evaluation of the tidiness of Temple Newsam Park on the morning after the Breeze concert!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no Leeds City Council hack: I view their commitment to outlying areas (Welcome to Leeds: Otley) with deep suspicion, but former Coun Ross is using his brickbat ineffectively.

The town and the park have problems: late night vandalism, a large police station unmanned after 6pm, and the need by a small minority to heave anything they find into the river, but litter in Wharfemeadows Park wouldn't be at the top of my agenda.

Of all the political parties I feel the most sympathy towards the Lib Dems, but items like this do little to help their cause. If the point is to make political capital and infer that Otley would be Utopian if we voted for one party over another, then this in my opinion is the precise reason why so much political apathy and cynicism exist.

If former Coun Ross's motives are community rather than politically motivated, I suggest he picks up his broom and joins the Otley in Bloom team. We don't walk past the litter: we pick it up!

Nic and Sarah Shipp

Bridge Avenue

Otley.

Church secrecy

SIR, - May I be allowed a right of redress through your columns. The Easter Day prayers did not form a political statement - remember, a majority of the House of Commons voted for the hostilities.

They were humanitarian prayers, offered out of a sense of despair for the Iraqi people. Instead of simply offering an anodyne prayer along the lines of 'we pray for the Iraqi people', there are occasions when the Church must speak out and must be seen to speak out unequivocally against evil anywhere.

Subsequent events appear to confirm that the allies have still not put appropriate humanitarian aid and infra-structure into place. For that, I consider Bush and Blair to be perpetrating a form of evil.

I would refer people to the circumstances which appear to surround the vicar's unilateral decision to ban my involvement without any apparent discussion, certainly not with me. I understand that she sought, but was not able to obtain, a unanimous vote to ban my involvement. I wonder, therefore, whether there is a case that the vicar wishes to impose a form of censorship to prayers offered.

The church members will recall my concern - as well as general concern - at the annual church meeting at which I questioned the apparent secrecy with which the vicar appeared to be putting forward plans to build an extension to the church. The process appeared to be completely without precedent, in that a visit was sought from the diocesan advisory committee to view and possibly approve plans BEFORE the congregation had had any input into the matter.

By convening a sub-committee of six parishioners only to discuss the plans, the vicar did appear to be, quite wrongly, by-passing the parochial church council. Many parishioners appeared unhappy to learn that an extension appears to have been planned in secret.

At a time when the diocese is looking to reduce livings and to close churches, it is not at all the time to be considering to build expensive extensions. If I have heard correctly, and the vicar was heard to state that she would succeed where two previous incumbents had 'failed' to build extensions, I do wonder what the vicar's intentions are and whether she believes that things could and should be achieved despite a will against this within the congregation.

Mark Jepson

21 Kings Road,

Bramhope.

Road unsafe

SIR, - Yeadon High Street extends for two-thirds of a mile from Victoria Avenue to its junction with Ivegate and Silver Lane. It includes more than 50 shops, a busy supermarket, a bingo hall and our splendid Town Hall.

The shops are within walking distance of several areas of retirement housing, many of whose residents now use motorised wheelchairs. It could be ideal.

Yet at no point in this entire length (two-thirds of a mile remember) is there a single safe place for pedestrians to cross the road. Pedestrians take their lives in their hands at the Victoria Avenue traffic lights, at the entrance to Dam Lane, at the Harper Lane roundabout, and in front of Morrisons' supermarket - where two steps lead directly on to the busy road immediately ahead of a bus stop.

At the Town Hall Square, with its library and market place, the bend in the road obscures the view of on-coming traffic to make crossing extremely hazardous.

Sadly, this seems to symbolise Leeds City Council's neglect of its outlying towns, despite the best efforts of our local councillors. It would be hard indeed to imagine any similar length of busy road in the inner city being completely devoid of safe crossing places.

Proper pedestrian crossings are urgently needed, and the busiest part of the High Street should be a 20 mph zone with pedestrian priority.

Come on city council, show that you care before a tragedy exposes your neglect.

John Bale

14 Balmoral Way,

Yeadon.

Carnival tribute

SIR, - On behalf of Otley Carnival Committee, I should like to express our sadness on hearing of the death of Keith Wilkinson.

Keith was one of the most loyal and enthusiastic supporters of the carnival and I think it would be no exaggeration to say that carnival day was one of the highlights of his year.

Every year he was to be seen vying with the Pipe Band, the Bellman and the mounted police for the honour of being at the head of the parade; he wielded his collecting tin with much enthusiasm and he was always the first to ask how much he had collected.

In 1999 he was thrilled to win our trophy for the best collector and we were delighted when Keith broke the habit of a lifetime and came out in the evening to accept his trophy at our AGM - I am sure that no trophy has ever been polished with such pride and diligence.

Keith was one of Otley's genuine 'characters' and he will be missed by so many people in the town, not least by his friends on the Carnival Committee on Carnival Day next year.

Ann V Steval

Otley Carnival Committee.

A kindly man

SIR, - I was very sad to read in last week's 'Wharfedale' about the death of Keith 'Wiggy' Wilkinson.

I was born around the corner from Keith on the Oval in 1955 and although I moved several times over the years to neighbouring towns I often return to Otley in my role as a driving instructor and in the 1990s that of a Special Constable with West Yorkshire Police.

It was almost guaranteed that I would bump into Keith around the town as he was always out mingling and chatting. He never forgot me and would always stop and chat or wave if I was passing by in the car.

He and his cheery smile and kind nature will be missed by so many people in Otley

I certainly will never forget, 'Mr Otley'. God bless you Keith.

Martin Holmes

Featherbank Lane,

Horsforth.

Keith mourned

SIR, - I was sorry to hear about the death of Keith Wilkinson, I used to see him around the town and have a word with him. He was a fan of Daniel O' Donnell.

Keith was at school the same time as me at the old St. Joseph School down Crow Lane along with his sister. He will be missed.

Thomas Carroll

39 Westbourne Grove,

Otley.

Time to say 'no'

SIR, - Regarding the report recently published by the Boundary Committee for England, I have a copy of the full report since I was one of the Arthington residents who were so outraged by this disgraceful political vandalism that I made a formal objection to them.

They note in their report that Arthington Parish Council and ten local residents all objected. They do not mention a single person being in support. What they fail to mention in their arrogant dismissal of people's views is how strongly people feel about this.

I made it clear to them in my objection that this is utterly unacceptable and that I would fight it every step of the way. I informed them that, should they force it through in spite of overwhelming local objection to it we will still not accept it. Once it has been done the fight simply changes to one to force its reversal.

Just why a public body should set itself up to start a fight against its own public is a mystery to me but they sure have a fight on their hands now!

Would you be so good as to remind your readers that this country still claims to be a democracy. This is not over. People of the Wharfe Valley do not have to accept this being forced upon them. Resist it, protect about it, make formal complaints about it.

What right have they to take your vote away by drowning the Wharfe villages under thousands of urban Leeds voters.

Let's leave our MPs and councillors in no doubt whatever about this. We are not having it and that is final! Arthington, Bramhope and Pool say No!

Leo Brennan

Arthington Lane,

Arthington.

Making the best of a bad job

SIR, - Once again the needs of Otley, Yeadon and Wharfedale have been overlooked by a system that seems designed for the convenience of Leeds.

The Liberal Democrats suggested that rather than imposing a model of three councillor wards across the greater Leeds area variable sizes of wards could exist if this suited local needs better. In that way Otley and the Wharfedale villages could have been in a two-councillor ward, and Yeadon could have been in a separate two councillor ward.

Natural communities would have remained together, represented by councillors who knew them well.

However, now that the Boundary Committee has reported on the changes that will occur it is important that we make the best of a bad job. The Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign on behalf of electors in the new wards as actively as we did in the old wards, ensuring that the interests of Yeadon are not sacrificed for the interests of Otley and vice versa, that the villages of Pool, Arthington and Bramhope are not overlooked in the new Adel and Wharfedale ward.

Richard Downes

Chairman,

Otley and Wharfedale Liberal

Democrats

Chapel House, Manor Gardens,

Pool-in-Wharfedale