Letters to the Editor

SIR - So now Parliament has decided with a democratic free vote of MPs to ban smoking in all workplaces.

Without wishing to re-hash the rights and wrongs of this, it is worth remembering two things.

Firstly, all the Labour MPs who voted for the complete ban stood for election on the promise of a partial ban and have blatantly reneged on this election commitment. This includes our Prime Minister, who actually voted against his own policy.

They have justified their breaking of this manifesto pledge by citing the need for bar workers, etc, to be protected from secondary inhalation of smoke and the difficulty of enforcing a partial ban.

Which leads me to point two - regular readers may remember I asked our local MPs via this column if the Palace of Westminster would be included in a complete ban.

Either none of them read the T&A or they didn't have the honesty to reply and admit that it wouldn't. Why then, is the Palace of Westminster to be exempted? Surely the workers in the bars at Westminster are just as deserving of protection as the workers at my local.

Derrick Hargreaves, Middlebrook Crescent, Bradford

Follow my lead!

SIR - I have been a fairly heavy smoker for the past 30-odd years and felt somewhat surprised and disappointed at the decision to ban smoking from all pubs and private clubs.

I could never have imagined going to my local and not having a smoke but the reality is we are going to have to get used to it. I decided on hearing the news to stop smoking and I hope that by writing to you it may reinforce my pledge to quit.

I think most smokers realise they have a bad addiction but are not prepared to face up to the consequences and use a barrow load of excuses to justify their selfish habit, me included!

My message to all smokers is to make the effort now and when the ban becomes law your enjoyment of your night out at the pub will not be diminished by having to stand outside in the freezing cold to light up.

In addition just think of the benefits to you, financial and health wise!

Andy Hall, Fenwick Drive, Woodside, Bradford

Sheer snobbery

SIR - The ban on smoking in clubs and pubs is nothing more than victimisation and snobbery.

Smokers tend to be regular pub-goers and if smokers can't smoke in pubs then they will stay at home. I appreciate non-smokers will go out more often but can a pub survive on the takings of someone who only goes out four times a year?

Can I please take this opportunity to thank all those who campaigned for this new law and for their massive part in death of the British pub trade. I am ashamed to call myself a non-smoker in case people confuse me with people like this.

Andy Butterworth, Roy Road, Horton Bank Top

There's still time...

SIR - The purpose of this letter is to register my opposition to the demolition of the New Victoria/Gaumont/Odeon Cinema. In the past we have seen our Council demolish many buildings which, with hindsight, is now seen to have been a mistake, and it is interesting how so many of the "new" buildings of the 1950/1960 era are now being pulled down due to various reasons such as unsuitability. The Council has a duty to think long and hard before making any more such mistakes.

As far as the problems of refurbishing the building are concerned, we are told that it cannot be done but if you think about the case of the Maria Kirche in Dresden which was rededicated late last year after it was destroyed by the RAF in the Second World War, it shows that such arguments are just rubbish.

In this high-tech age anything can be done, and nearer to home we have the work being done on Eastbrook Hall, where only the facade is being kept.

To our Dick Whittington councillors I say "turn again" before it is too late.

J G Waddington, Toller Lane, Bradford

Caring for carers

SIR - A recent news campaign has highlighted a "bleak outlook for carers", describing declining health in carers and the question of where carers themselves can get the support they need.

This is not just an issue in deprived areas. In Airedale alone there are more than 12,000 carers - unpaid people looking after a friend or family member with a disability or illness. The answer to ITN's 'Who Cares?' campaign, at least locally, is we do.

The Carers' Resource is working with general practices across Airedale to improve support for carers. We have offices in Harrogate and Skipton and we help many thousands of carers of all ages both practically and emotionally.

Working with other voluntary and statutory organisations within the community, we encourage carers to think of their own needs by providing information, one-to-one support, benefits advice, personalised training and employment guidance, social groups, and many volunteering opportunities to help make it a better outlook for carers and the person they care for.

If you are a carer and would like more information, or if you would like to volunteer, please contact The Carers' Resource on 01756 700888

Anne Smyth, Director, The Carers' Resource, 11 North Park Road, Harrogate

Chance to speak

SIR - I feel Mr Lacey (T&A, February 13) is both too pessimistic and factually incorrect about parish councils.

Factually incorrect because in many of the council committee meetings I attend, members of the public are allowed to speak - at the discretion of the chair.

Good chairing of a meeting means there is time for public comment and a time for committee discussion and decision making. And the two need to be kept quite separate.

Parish councils can set their own standing orders by which they organise their proceedings. While Mr Lacey may identify some parish councils which give little scope for public comment, this does not have to be the case.

I would hope that any parish council in Baildon - or elsewhere - will look to allocate time for public comment. However, as noted above, the Council will have to reserve its own discussion and decision-making time.

Coun John Cole, (Lib-Dem, Baildon), Oakroyd Terrace, Baildon

Lack of hygiene

SIR - I had the unfortunate experience of attending the A&E department at BRI.

While there I witnessed a patient vomiting on the floor in the reception area. We were in the area for nearly three hours before anybody came to see to it.

All they did was to cover it up with paper. Anybody could have either slipped on it or even worse trodden it into the treatment area, or if they were admitted take the infection on to a ward.

No wonder MRSA is rife in hospitals. We mentioned the incident to a member of staff and they said: "Oh, we are waiting for a domestic to attend to it."

You go to hospital to recover, not to catch more diseases. Let's hope they get their act together in the future for the sake of the patients.

David Horsfall, Daleside Walk, Bradford