Letters to the Editor

He is extremely grateful to his regular customers, passers by and staff from nearby businesses who had expressed their anger and disappointment that such an attack had taken place in broad daylight right in the centre of the town.

Although initially reluctant to return, he said he has received such a positive response from the majority of people in Keighley that he will continue to sell The Big Issue in the town.

MARGARET EVANS

Project Officer

Keighley Town Centre Management

SIR - In your article about the attack on a Big Issue seller last week, you write that the Keighley Town Centre Management is appealing for supermarkets to allow the vendors to sell in the entrances to their stores.

Am I alone in thinking that this is missing the point and that the obvious solution to this problem lies in the hands of the TCM itself?

While it was kind of them to buy warm clothing, surely their generosity of spirit could extend to allowing the sellers to have their pitches within the Airedale Centre, thereby providing them with both warmth and safety.

These people are, often in difficult circumstances, trying to build new lives for themselves and I believe deserve all the encouragement and support the Keighley public and the TCM can give them.

LORAINE GREEN

(Address supplied)

SIR - I was surprised to read in last Friday's Keighley News that the road gullies on The Twines (the stone sett section of Thwaites Brow Road) were last cleaned on 15th October 2002.

Regretfully that just is not true. I cannot be absolutely certain that a token gully was not cleaned on that date, but I am 100 per cent certain that not all were.

I am also puzzled by the council spokesman's claim that following the gritting of priority roads 'gritting is then carried out on those minor roads which need treating during cold spells'.

As one of the steepest (if not the steepest) through roads in Keighley, Thwaites Brow Road should be a prime target for gritting, but it never has been and doubtless never will be.

In recent years there has been some small improvement in that the section from the bus turning circle down to the junction with Low Spring Road has been gritted on a fairly regular basis, but even that was missing in the last cold spell prior to the accident that closed the road. As far as I am aware the section below that junction has only ever been gritted occasionally in the aftermath of an accident.

Incidentally, this is not the first time you have covered this problem. Two years ago you ran a similar story, complete with the Council fiction that The Twines was on the regular gritting schedule but did not have a high priority.

Roger Chapman

Clay Hall Farm

Thwaites Brow Road

SIR - Just wanted to commend Keighley businesses and everyone involved in organising the Christmas lights in Keighley.

The spirals around the lamp posts looked lovely and provided Keighley with a Christmassy glow!

Christmas is a lovely season (my favourite) and Keighley did us proud. I read about the expense of lights and people's criticisms, which angered me. I thought the town centre looked great and wanted to let you know.

SUE GARBUTT

Providence Crescent,

Oakworth.

SIR - May I, through your columns, appeal to BDMC to reverse its decision to close most of Bradford's public toilets.

I am particularly concerned that the facilities in my home village of Cullingworth remain open. I know that these toilets are well used by drivers, reps, walkers etc, as well as local people.

The message which Bradford must understand is that most older people cannot wait another half hour or whatever time it takes to find another convenience. When they have to go they have to go!

Indeed, when planning an outing of any kind, the availability or otherwise of toilet facilities is often the deciding factor as to whether the trip is viable.

I realise that this is a subject which many people prefer not to discuss, but why not? We all have to relieve ourselves.

JOHN L BRIGG

Fairfax Road, Cullingworth

SIR - Thank you for printing my letter in the KN regarding the closure of public toilets.

It seems I've timed it well, as I now read that Bradford Met intend closing more toilets across our region.

I would like your paper to campaign against this move on the grounds of loss of amenities. When you've got to go, you've got to go. There's no two ways about it. We are going to get people urinating in the street or in doorways.

We hear the same old story, it's to save money, yet our council tax bills rise steeply every year. We are now in the 21st century, yet Bradford Met is putting us back into the Dickensian era with its services. Surely there must be an EU ruling by now that states that toilets must be provided in public places.

It's against our human rights for a start.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Do the powers that be expect us to wear nappies?

STEPHEN SIMPSON

High Street, Steeton.

SIR - The annual fireworks purgatory seems to go on and on.

Someone in Utley last Sunday decided to let off a series of very noisy fireworks just as darkness fell around teatime. Don't these people realise the distress that this unnecessary and untimely noise can cause to people who are ill or otherwise vulnerable, not to mention domestic pets, farm livestock and wildlife?

Also, it is an invasion of people's space by interfering with their right to the peaceful enjoyment of their properties. What right have these thoughtless people to intrude their noise on the whole neighbourhood?

I used to enjoy fireworks when they were confined to the period around November 5th and to special organised displays.

But now even the peace of Christmas is shattered by noise from fireworks and it is impossible to exercise choice and see the New Year in quietly, as a barrage of noise is imposed on everyone. Then, of course, there are those who want to prolong the misery by letting off fireworks when most other people have stopped - presumably this adds to their feeling of self-importance.

It is not irresponsible youths who are to blame but well-off people who can afford large, noisy fireworks and who seem to want to create a lot of noise regardless of its effect on others.

The situation is becoming intolerable, and, sadly, I feel that the sale of fireworks to the general public will, sooner or later, have to be banned.

NAME & ADDRESS

SUPPLIED

SIR - I am writing in reply to two letters published in the Keighley News.

Firstly 'Helping Children' by Martin & Rachel Vanderboon. This letter mentioned a leaflet posted through doors about a similar children's home, accusing the leaflet of 'Scaremongering'.

I also received this leaflet so I decided to do some research to see if some of the things mentioned were true.

The leaflet mentions increases in local crime and refers to an incident whereby one of the children actually set fire to the home, following which the home was closed. Not only did I find this was true but this teenager also robbed a boy aged 11, who he had first frog-marched into woodland, stripped and beaten.

A second teenager at the home was sentenced to three and a half years in a young offenders institution after he admitted being involved in the Arson attack on the garage as well as setting fire to his room.

This article 'Arson youth has jail term cut' was published on 6 October 1998.

More recently, at another children's home in West Bowling, nearby residents have spoken out against years of disruption.

"We've had enough of Children's Home" published on 25 June 2001 talks about children starting fires out in the streets at 2.30am, assaulting residents and vandalising properties. What is of greatest concern to me is that this home is actually smaller than the proposed home in Oakworth, housing just six children aged 10 - 14 years old.

In the article a Social Services spokesman actually admitted that part of the problem was the building's close proximity to other homes in the area.

My concern about increasing crime is also backed up by a Social Services performance report (2000 - 2002) which states that children in BradMet homes were more than three times more likely to receive a final warning, be reprimanded or convicted than other children in the same area. Again, not exactly reassuring news for the residents of Oakworth.

Secondly I refer to the letter by Veronica Burningham 'Surreal meeting' where she states that the meeting was 'ill mannered' and mentioned some people swearing to make their point. I only heard one person swear, and as for the meeting itself I thought the community were very professional and raised some extremely valid points.

It is only natural that we are concerned about this proposal. It is also understandable that there is some mistrust of Social Services when they tell us that their 'bad patch' of running children's homes is now over. Unfortunately this reassurance carries little weight, given the evidence highlighted above.

Sam Anslow

Berrington Way, Oakworth

SIR - It's real, not surreal, Ms Burningham.

We are writing in response to Veronica Burningham's letter regarding the meeting to discuss the proposed children's home in Oakworth.

Her comment 'when the question of house values entered the list of objections the whole thing became surreal' was, in itself, 'surreal'.

Whilst we are reluctant to get sidetracked into the issue of any potential impact on house prices, we feel it appropriate to state that our own experience of this was extremely 'real'. Our first home - located opposite Ingrow House children's home - was sold for 20 per cent less than we had paid for it, despite the fact that house prices in the area had risen by 2.64per cent during that very same period.

Like Ms Burningham, we do not live in immediate proximity to the proposed site this time around, but that doesn't stop us from appreciating the very real concerns of those who do. That said, we should not lose sight of the many valid planning concerns, shared by many local residents, not least of which is the over-development of the site.

Those living closest to the proposed building would invariably experience a reduced quality of life; being directly overlooked in some cases, losing natural daylight as well as suffering noise and traffic disturbance in what is a very small cul-de-sac.

The building itself allows little space for amenity land for the children to play in, and the style of construction is totally out of character for the area.

In addition, there are real concerns about the behaviour and supervision of the children - concerns which are overtly justified when considering recent events at other BradMet run homes including West Bowling and Menston.

None of us would argue that there is clearly a need for children's homes in the Bradford District. However, we feel that insufficient consideration has been given to the suitability of this particular site, not least for the elderly residents living nearby.

Surely it is the Council's responsibility to site such a home in an area that can support the needs of the children without compromising on the quality of life of the surrounding community?

Thanks to Cllr Kris Hopkins for arranging the meeting and to Cllr Glenn Miller for speaking up about his objection to the home.

Nick and Ros Clarke

Farley Crescent, Oakworth

SIR - A word of praise to our local police. It is all well and good criticising the police as many of us know the frustration of being a victim of crime.

We must not lose sight of the fact that the government governs what funding is available for police, and not the police themselves.

Following recent reports of the increase of drink driving offences in the area, it is a disturbing state of affairs that people are willing to jeopardise their own lives and the lives of others with such a foolish act.

Police are wasting time arresting individuals for drink driving, they are not able to concentrate on the the real crimes. It is also laughable when the Labour government allow first time burglars to walk free.

As Cllr K Roberts stated in the Keighley News, 'Give the police the resources and then order the courts to protect the victims not the villains'.

Robert J Payne

Conservative Keighley

South spokesman.