The haves and have nots of recycling

The scheme may well be assisting the council to meet its recycling targets but it is far from the perfect answer because the way that it has been introduced has created a situation of "haves and have nots".

In short it is a shambles. There are quite a few households in Skipton that do not have the bins for various reasons.

For example, the households in Burnside Avenue with access to the main part of the road have the bins but many of those who live in the cul-de-sacs and in Ashfield Terrace do not have them.

The reason, we are told, is that the lorry used to collect the rubbish is too wide to gain access down these cul-de-sacs. We are also told that the council is not prepared for their employees to collect the bins and wheel them down to the main road to the lorry and back because this would slow down the process of collection.

All the households in Burnside had the opportunity of using the blue bag scheme for newspapers (even though the collection of the bags in some of the cul-de-sacs was "hit and miss") now those without bins don't even have the opportunity to use these.

We have asked the council about this problem and they have suggested that we collect our recyclable rubbish and take it to the collection points in places like Morrison's car park or to the Yorwaste tip.

Nevertheless the council does not provide us with a bin in which to collect the rubbish and so we are expected to make our own collection and storage arrangements.

It also presumes that all non-bin households have motorised transport in which to take the rubbish to the central collection points.

Those who do have the time and inclination and a car will use their vehicles to take the rubbish to the collection points. The vehicles will emit noxious emissions and so any good they are creating by actively recycling is being cancelled out by the damage the car emissions are doing to the environment.

Finally, no doubt the council has taken the cost of the blue bins collections into account in setting this year's council tax and so the "have nots" are paying for a service for others which they do not have.

These days most people live very busy lives. Responsible recycling takes a few minutes longer in everyone's day but leaving many households without any means to responsibly recycle "without tears" is hardly the way for Craven District Council to encourage people to engage in this worthwhile cause.

Of course the answer would have been for the council to acquire a vehicle that was suitable for use in all width of roads in the district but that takes forethought and planning.

I contacted both the council and our local ward councillor some weeks ago about these issues and they said that they are working on finding a solution but the 10,000 bins that the council has purchased have already been allocated. We are still waiting for the results of their deliberations on this matter.

John Manley

Burnside Avenue, Skipton

SIR - I was very pleased to read about the progress of the blue bin scheme in the Herald (June 3), particularly so because the council wants to encourage us to recycle more!

However, we have not been issued with a blue bin. I made enquiries with the council as to why and was informed that it was because we do not have a garden: I couldn't quite understand why households with gardens produce less recycling that those without!

When I asked for clarification I was then informed that the new lorry, (at a cost of £170,000 plus £90,000 for "associated equipment"), cannot collect from my house because it is too big. This despite the fact that lorries and buses manage to navigate Keighley Road every day!

I was told that the allocation of bins would be re-assessed, but that no time scale could be given.

Craven says it wants to encourage us to recycle; I want to recycle and want the chance to do so. It is a shame that I will not be given the opportunity!

Will those of us who have not been given a blue bin will be offered a rebate on our council tax from the savings the council are going to make?

David Baker

Keighley Road, Skipton

SIR - I read with interest a letter written to you from Elaine Farrier, about the lack of a soft play area in Skipton (Craven Herald June 3).

Not so far away in Settle there is a fabulous one called The Play Barn, it is to be found on The Sidings - great for the train!

You can the leave the car at home and walk into town to enjoy all the other benefits this town has to offer.

Home baked cakes, ice creams and ice lollies can be bought from the cafe area and also a host of food prepared freshly on the premises. There is a super climbing wall to encourage children safe climbing strategies.

AJ Walker

Mill Close, Settle

SIR - The landscape of England is beautiful, especially in the north. Yet even here we are increasingly suffering from "cloned" country towns, anonymous housing estates in our villages and a serious loss of habitat for our threatened wildlife.

How disturbing it is, therefore, to see that Pendle Council wishes to give planning permission for the building of 50 houses on a green field site.

Let us hope that the Council has a change of heart.

Let us hope that our children and grandchildren will inherit a wonderful countryside with its special qualities and that the habitat of our creatures and plants will be saved.

Let us not ruin what is so beautiful and important.

Hilary Fenten

Chairman

Craven Branch,

Campaign to Protect Rural England,

Selside

SIR - Your issue of May 20 quoted Coun Buck for West Craven, wanting to turn Greenberfield Lane into a "quiet lane".

Is he not aware the Ordinance Survey Map (sheet SD 84) lists this lane as a road. It has been a road since Roman times. It is a wonderful passage for walkers, riders and drivers.

Its starting point is just above Ghyll Brow. A large sign at that point states "Not Suitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles". That is the only restriction placed on it.

This road runs for miles along Brogden Lane out on to the main Barrowford to Gisburn Road and beyond.

Care has to be taken at all times but as I walk the area often I have yet to hear of any injuries or crashes or just how many cars use this road.

This road is part of our heritage of all the people of Barnoldswick and not just for one or more sections of the public. You, Mr Buck, were elected to represent all sections of public opinion.

The greatest danger of people using this road is from drowning. This road has flooded four times in the last nine months, the last occasion the big winds on January 17 when the road was under water for about 50 per cent of its length.

Mr Sellers, Pendle's drainage officer, was informed and responded quickly. All the grates were cleaned out along with the grill near Greenberfield Farm.

It won't prevent floods but it will help.

E Spencer,

Gisburn Road, Barnoldswick.

SIR - Having read that a new bus station for Skipton has - yet again - been put back sine die, may I heartily congratulate all groups entrusted with the non-development of Skipton for keeping "Project Banana" soundly on track: i.e. "build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything".

Brian Smith

Keighley Road, Skipton.

SIR - May I use your letters page to say a big thank you from our family to all the staff on ward 15 and ward 3 at Airedale Hospital for their professional, skill, dedication and kindness to my husband and to us all during the last week of his life. Also to the care and community team based at Airedale and at Grassington Medical Centre for their support during the previous weeks.

At a time when we hear so much criticism of the National Health Service, we want to record publicly our very positive experience which helped us all through a difficult time.

To all the dedicated people who work in our health service: Thank you. Don't let the critics get you down.

Anne Marsden,

Hardy Meadows, Grassington.

SIR - As a concerned parent I feel its about time someone stood up for the young people of Barnoldswick and surrounding villages.

It seems every time you pick up a local newspaper there is something else being thrown at them.

Now where can I start, oh yes, Clough Park. We spend money on a site that was not ideal for a play area, and created a haven for under aged drinking and drug use, because it is tucked away out of sight of grown ups' eyes.

We then have to bring extra police and support units to deal with the problems of drink and drugs. In addition to this we inflict a curfew and a security person on that park.

Surely as adults we should have seen this coming. The naivety of the people making these restrictive decisions is not helping our young people at all.

Then we move into the Town Square, and the area around the town, a dispersal order is then inflicted on our youngsters, yet somewhere else they are not allowed to be.

The children are then forced down to Victory Park, yet another dark haven, out of sight of adults.

We yet again send extra police and support units to deal with it, again something we have created. If you inflicted this kind of pressure to any other section of society, it would be classed as discrimination.

Then to cap it all I read an article in the local newspapers asking for volunteers to man a CCTV unit for the police, the project costing £30,000.

Surely, wouldn't it be better to channel these resources into a real youth programme, that is long term for now and the next generations.

I think it would be great to be asking for volunteers to help work with young people instead of sitting and watching and waiting for them to do something wrong.

We are targeting all children here, which is very unfair on the majority of West Craven children who are great kids. Having worked as a volunteer in a sporting role as a coach, I came across all kinds of children from many different backgrounds and in the main they were terrific young people.

Come on people, this is the next generation. We need to do something now to improve the environment for all our young people. To make them feel part of the community again, then they will respect it. Watch this space as I will continue to campaign in support of our young people.

Tony Holian,

Rainhall Crescent,

Barnoldswick

SIR - It was entirely predictable that the pro-hunt lobby should blame lamb losses on the ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs ("Hunting ban sees foxes killing moorland lambs", Craven Herald May 13). Such expansive claims stand in need of correction.

To begin with, although there is no close season for hunting foxes, hunting with hounds traditionally stopped around mid-April, so the Lunesdale Hunt would not have been operating now anyway.

Everywhere one goes in lambing country there are notices informing people that all dogs must be kept under close control, preferably on a lead. Quite right too. Is it possible to keep hunting hounds under close control?

Remember we are referring to the Lunesdale hunt, featured in The Craven Herald in 1996 when their hounds ripped apart a fox in the Langcliffe primary school playground in front of the horrified children.

Was it not also the Lunesdale hunt which, in 2001, invaded the Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve and, as a result of the hunt digging into a badger sett for two hours and considerably disturbing a herd of ponies, was banned from the site by English Nature?

Do local farmers seriously want this hunt on their land in the lambing season?

The headline implied that the killing of lambs by foxes this year has been caused by the hunting ban. There is a lack of logic here.

The Lunesdale hunt last met on February 17, the day before the ban. That meet would usually have taken place at the weekend. Between that weekend and mid-April there were only seven weekends.

Given the vast range covered by the Sedbergh based Lunesdale hunt, on how many of those seven weekends might farmers in Malham or Austwick have expected them to hunt over their land? Once? Twice?

One of the defences of the Countryside Alliance has been that, as often as not, there is no kill and the hunt rides home happily after an enjoyable day's sport. So the Lunesdale, even if they had visited, might not have killed a single fox.

The Burns Inquiry, set up by the Government a few years ago, stated that only five per cent of fox deaths each year are caused by hunts.

It is inconceivable that in the seven weeks between the ban and mid-April the Lunesdale hunt would have made any significant difference in fox numbers on any one farm in their vast area of operation.

In an excellent letter to The Craven Herald last year, a lady farmer told how she employed an experienced keeper, a countryman, whose expertise and experience enabled him to locate earths and who would lay up close by in the evening and, with a single bullet dispatch a fox which he knew had been visiting the stock.

Foxes, especially sick, injured or old ones can turn to lambs when they cannot take swifter prey, such as rabbits, but experienced, caring shepherds are very capable of protecting their flocks.

It would be very interesting to know how many local shepherds, prior to the ban, had not allowed the hunt to trespass on their land. And did they suffer unacceptable loss of lambs as a result?

Malcolm Bland,

Airton.

SIR - I write regarding the application for an extension of hours plus music at the Commercial pub in Skipton. I urge everyone to object on the following grounds:

1 This is an inappropriate location in a residential area (some properties are within 20 metres).

2 Skipton already has many problems with anti-social drinking and the yob culture.

3.Other venues already cater for early morning boozers such as Bliss.

Unless locals strongly object this ridiculous proposal may be successful.

Write now (before the closing date) to the Licensing Officer, at Craven District Council.

M Brown,

Gargrave Road, Skipton.

SIR - Now is the time for farmers who take conservation and improving the environment seriously to consider getting their work recognised more widely - and with a chance to win up to £1,000.

The closing date is fast approaching for this year's farmcare FWAG Silver lapwing awards - the UK's most prestigious awards for farm conservation.

Any farmer applying for Entry Level Stewardship could easily enter the Awards' First Steps category, designed to recognise farmers new to conservation work.

Meanwhile the main Silver Lapwing award recognises the pinnacle of conservation achievement, with winners from England, Scotland and Wales battling it out for the overall UK Silver Lapwing trophy and prize money.

Any readers who are interested in entering can download a simple entry form from www.fwag.org.uk or www.co-opfarmcare.com.

The closing date for entries is June 22 2005. For further details contact Amanda Morris on 02476 698704 or email amanda.morris@fwag.org.uk

Michael Woodhouse,

Director,

Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group,

Stoneleigh Park,

Kenilworth.