Letters to the Editor

What has the present Chief Executive achieved for the people of the Bradford district? As I stroll around I see a wasteland of litter, charity shops and an aura of utter hopelessnes.

OK so he has "triumphed" by convincing the Government's best value inspectors that Bradford has met an array of meaningless performance indicators but none of this has been translated into benefits for the people. Why is this?

Well - it's because the game within the Council is of launching strategies, policies, reports, working parties etc all doomed to become "shelf-ware." None of these feed through to anything real which people might notice. All of this is accompanied by sickening self-congratulation.

So what is the elected members' response to this failure? Why, to appoint an even better-paid bureaucrat who can restructure, launch more meaningless initiatives, hire more expensive consultants and reward his colleagues for abstract activity while levying ever-higher Council Tax.

Victor Meldrew might say "I don't believe it" but I do believe it because I've seen so much of it already.

K J Trocki, Birchdale, Bingley.

SIR - The BNP win a few seats and immediately the media and politicians start squealing. So much so that some were saying it was the death of democracy. No it is not. It would be the death of democracy if parties like the BNP were not allowed to stand.

I agree it is disastrous that extreme groups are gaining a foothold, but the reasons are perfectly understandable and blame must be laid squarely at the feet of the Government.

As long as it continues to pander to asylum seekers, giving them special treatment and dispensations, the indigenous population will feel more and more alienated and the trickle of seats won could become a deluge.

However, instead of bleating about it why don't the media launch an in-depth probe into the reasons why people are voting BNP.

One bright point - all the Kosovans, Afghans and Iraqis who were claiming asylum will be able to go home now...won't they?

M Wood, Westercroft View, Northowram

SIR - Last Friday's T&A Comment on local elections was a scathing attack on the BNP.

I was led to believe that in a democracy everybody had rights to opinions and whether you chose to agree or not was your choice.

The BNP have their opinions and are going about it in the right manner, at the polling booth - not throwing petrol bombs and other terrorist activities.

J Scott, Wellington Road, Bradford 2.

SIR - I congratulate the anti-BNP stance taken in your Comment of April 30, but I did not expect the suspension of your independent and non-partisan approach to local politics to apply to your analysis of the actual results.

Applying such derogatory terms as "pinching votes" to describe the electoral success of the Liberal Democrats is unworthy.

In case it has passed you by, the Liberal Democrats hold 11 of the 18 seats which make up the Bradford North Constituency. This is not achieved by seeking scraps from the table of the other two main parties as you infer, but it is a direct consequence of the hard work and commitment demonstrated to the people of Bradford by the Liberal Democrats and their councillors.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, City Hall.

SIR - Re your front-page report of April 25 about "luxury apartments" in Bradford. Surely there was some kind of mistake.

I read on to see the apartments were being built somewhere in Manor Row.

It wasn't an April Fool joke was it? No, in fact 40 apartments had already been sold, surely to people who were sick of the hours spent commuting in and out of the city to avoid the numerous road works always about.

When I read on I learned that the new building has been designed in close consultation with the Council.

Enough said. It will either then be filled with councillors or asylum seekers. We await to see which.

Jenny Sampson, Rossmore Drive, Allerton.

SIR - In response to Philomena Hingston's letter (T&A, May 2) with regards to the refuse collection in her area. If her bin had been out from 7.30am as stated on every bin lid, then it would have been emptied, as everybody else's on the street was.

My parents also live on the same street and the refuse wagon emptied all bins that were out on that day at approximately 8am.

Xana Brown, Oaks Lane, Bradford 8.

SIR - After Iraq, when our forces come home I think that Britain should declare itself a neutral country which will only go to war again if attacked.

The Republic of Ireland and Switzerland are both neutral. Switzerland is one of the richest countries of the world.

I think Britain should pull out of Europe which is costing us billions, and I also think we should pull out of NATO.

Why should we have any truck with these countries who only want us for our armed forces, which are the best in the world, to fight their battles for them.

Just for once, I think we should think of ourselves and our protection.

If we keep all our weapons, including nuclear rockets and submarines, any other country even - if one as big as America - will think twice before attacking us.

We have liberated Europe twice in the last century, I say "no more. If they want to fight let them, but we keep out of it".

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

SIR - I am the parent of the three-year-old who was in a road traffic accident when she went to the ice cream van.

I am very angry at the letter from P E Bird in the T&A of Wednesday, April 30.

First, my daughter was not alone, she was with her 15-year-old sister. It was the first time in months that she was out of her house, let alone her garden.

As for saying we need parent courses in bringing up children, I am a mother of five children, I have brought my children up correctly and positively.

I think Mr Bird is out of order. Does he think we would let our children in any way get hurt, let alone get run over with a vehicle?

No parent would let this happen. What is Mr Bird's problem? Does he not have any children?

April Puttock & David Puttock, Grayswood Crescent, Holme Wood.

SIR - I was pleased to read that Idle village had won a three-month trial to have a bus service to Otley.

I hope Mr Khadim Hussain of First Bradford will give the people of Thornton the same time to have a bus to run to Halifax.

We had a good service with the 503 Calderdale service, but First Bus put a stop to this service when they introduced a ten-minute service to Thornton and Holme Wood.

A friend has offered to stand in Thornton and collect signatures from the village people, and I am sure every one will sign. But I do hope this won't be necessary.

The bus was a boon to the whole of Thornton Road and has been very sadly missed.

Please Mr Hussain, will you give us a three-month trial to have a bus to Halifax even if it is one day a week?

Veronica Farnell, Market Street, Thornton.

SIR - I would like to thank the people of Rombalds ward for their support and confidence in electing me as their new councillor. I am looking forward to following Richard Wightman as one of the three councillors for Rombalds ward.

For 20 years Richard Wightman has served the people of Bradford district, and the people of Rombalds ward, as a member of Bradford Council. He was also twice Deputy Leader of the Council, and served this last year as Lord Mayor of Bradford.

The people of Bradford, the Conservative Party, and in particular we in Rombalds ward, owe him our thanks for his dedication, commitment and service over his successful time on the Council, and I would like to wish him the very best for the future.

Councillor Matt Palmer, Station Road, Burley in Wharfedale