THERE can be few more emotive high street issues than that of 'commerce versus charity'.

For most neutrals, an organisation dedicated to helping others will always be regarded more sympathetically than a business simply trying to make a profit. So when a local trader like Otley's Toy Cupboard launches a strong verbal attack on Sue Ryder Care in particular, and charity shops in general, our first reaction may be shock.

But a closer look at the whole question of such stores stocking new, as well as donated, items and how that affects small shopkeepers reveals a genuine problem.

Charity shops rightly enjoy a number of advantages, including low business rates, because of their charitable status. But those concessions seem to lose their validity when the charities in question can use their bulk-buying ability to command knock-down prices to stock their shops with brand new goods.

Under that scenario local shopkeepers, struggling to sell their products against such competition, may be making a fair point by asking - when does a charity become a business? And at that point, shouldn't the concessions stop?

OTLEY has been given a fantastic opportunity - to come up with a new footbridge across the River Wharfe.

Against all odds, and much to the surprise of those who first mooted the idea of getting rid of the nasty concrete mess attached to Otley's historic bridge, English Heritage has thrown its weight behind the idea.

Not only has the Government agency agreed that the 50-year-old footway is 'ghastly', detracting from possibly the oldest bridge in Yorkshire, but that it could help towards the cost of removing and replacing it.

So, what should we be aiming for? Something safe and designed to blend in, yet leaving an uninterrupted view of the road bridge? Or how about something a bit more adventurous?

Otley has a remarkable history, richly populated by people with innovative ideas. So, why not take the opportunity and design a bridge for the 21st Century - something that people could admire and come to visit.

Let's not hark back to our predecessors and borrow a design from them; let's look forward and have a footbridge for our time.