SIR – John Tempest (T&A letters, June 15) was somewhat castigated by the Editor for criticizing the stance of the paper with regard to the Odeon Cinema building.

Whilst one has to accept that the T&A can take whatever stance it wants, in my opinion it has been a great shame that our local paper could not have been more supportive of what is undoubtedly the majority view that this building be retained and refurbished.

Also, that it has never really continually taken either Yorkshire Forward or Bradford Council to task for the way in which they have allowed the Odeon to rot away over the years, despite it being in a conservation area and in a prominent position adjacent to the Alhambra Theatre, has been sad to see.

For many people, that the paper has not felt able to support that majority has reflected badly on the T&A.

Most of us had hoped for much more support for local opinion from our one and only Bradford paper. We feel badly let down.

Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon

- EDITOR’S NOTE: Like all protest groups, BORG and its supporters claim that its view is the “majority” one but, short of an expensive full-scale referendum, we will never know if they are correct. We would also suggest that if the vast majority of Bradford people wanted the Odeon to be saved, their elected representatives on all sides would have been forced to respond to such a huge groundswell of opinion. We do not believe that it is right to waste taxpayers’ money on an unrealistic project which has no funding. Rather than overshadow the Alhambra with a white elephant, we believe it would be better to provide a new context for this important and successful theatre and to concentrate on protecting the 6,000 or so buildings in Bradford which, unlike the former Odeon, have attracted Listed status. We cannot support every local cause simply because its supporters shout the loudest and attack anyone who proposes an alternative view. We provide plenty of coverage for BORG’s campaign and their efforts to influence official decision-making but, at the same time, we promise our readers that our editorial opinion always has the interests of the wider community at heart.