Letters to the Editor

SIR, - On a 55-minute flight from Amsterdam to Leeds-Bradford Airport you are, within ten minutes, in the beautiful market town of Otley.

The tourists are told Otley is well worth a visit. The Otley people are very friendly and the town is steeped in history made famous by Thomas Chippendale, for example.

That Otley always has special events, Otley Carnival, Otley Show, Victorian Fayre, etc. something to offer the visitor.

Sadly, there is another side to Otley which lets the town down badly. The public toilet facilities. On visiting the toilets in Orchard Gate, I was confronted with urine on the floor, stainless steel toilets covered in faeces.

There were dirty walls, no toilet paper, no hand towels or soap. What a letdown for Otley this is. I have never been in such a filthy facility.

Even as a child I can remember that Otley provided clean toilet facilities. You paid a lady as you went in. it was always clean and smelling fresh. The 'Good Old Days'.

Please Otley Council, get your act together and make sure that Otley doesn't become the town with the filthiest loos in the North.

From a former Otley girl who moved to Holland 24 years ago.

Anne Elevelt Oddy

Koperslagerstraat, 27,

1825 DD

Alkmaar

Noord Holland

The Netherlands.

Means testing

SIR, - With reference to the very thoughtful letter from Mr Dunn (Wharfedale letters, December 26), I must agree with him that there is nothing basically wrong with means testing providing it is fair and appropriate.

However, one needs to devise a system which will not penalise those who have made an effort to save for the future, while not making those who have not bothered to save just as well off by state handouts. I think this position is an impossible equation, and the state solution so far has been of universal benefit, or in the case of some previous administrations, universal non-benefits.

I would also agree with his views on graduated taxation but he will have to look back to the early 1900s to find any support from the Labour Party provided by Keir Hardie and Philip Snowden. The principle of separate National Insurance as distinct from Income Tax was agreed by Ramsay McDonald in 1912 and has not been seriously challenged since.

Even the Beveridge report of 1942 is based on benefits paid for by contributions, and introduced in 1948 by Labour. Mr Bevan, as Minister of Heath, recognised that no amount of money would ever be enough to meet the perceived aspirations of the recipients in particular reference to the National Health Service.

I would suggest that any 1940s politician forecasting forwards to the year 2000, if he had got it right, would have been dismissed as a futuristic crank. Who would have thought a Tory Government would call itself New Labour and be so incompetent, with so little interest in our country while the highest paid government leader in Europe presides over a world stage where on his doorstep elderly people are afraid to go out at night, and we submit to all things European for reasons I cannot understand.

With friends like we have over the English Channel, why do we need to go to war with anybody else?

Judging by the tone of Mr Dunn's letter, he seems disappointed and let down by the present masters of Downing Street and I share his view. No wonder Mr Best is getting out of the kitchen at the next opportunity.

J M Davison

16 Willow Court

Pool-in-Wharfedale.

No 'improvement'

SIR, - Councillor Ray Dunn should be congratulated for having the courage to express an opinion different from the official Labour party line ( Wharfedale Observer letters, December 26).

At long last we have a Labour Party member talking like a socialist! Seeing the light on the road to socialism does appear to have created some mental aberration and confusion in his mind but the trauma of conversion is only to be expected.

He now supports progressive income tax. Whatever next? Universal benefits perhaps or would this be a step too far?

However, this is a step in the right direction, and as he rightly concludes, New Labour will not introduce either universal benefits nor progressive income tax, but fails to explain why.

Maybe I can help. Firstly New Labour is funded by wealthy individuals and companies whose prime objective is to minimise income tax. Therefore Blair won't bite the hand that feeds him.

Secondly, much to the joy of Gordon Brown and the Treasury, there is £1.9 billion of unclaimed means-tested benefits in New Labour coffers for them to squander on war and prestige projects. Universal benefits and progressive income tax would put a stop all this.

Sincerity in helping the vulnerable is not one of Labour's priorities. New Labour is adept at funding bureaucratic, expensive and complicated ways of extracting taxes from the poorest members of society and packaging these as 'fair'. For example may I remind Councillor Dunn the cost of means testing elderly and disabled people in Leeds alone is estimated at £656,000 per year.

Repeated nationwide this cost will run into billions that could be used on more worthwhile purposes such as giving practical and real help, instead of being wasted on bureaucracy.

Councillor Dunn started his letter by referring to an item on 'improvements' to carers applauded by our MP, Harold Best, its intention being to both demonstrate how caring Labour was, and as a counter to my criticisms.

New Tory Labours 'improvements' consist of extending means tested Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) to pensioners over the age of 65. What he did not explain was, because it is means tested and pension and occupational pensions will be taken into account, very few pensioners will actually receive this.

Nor did he explain that the ICA is the lowest benefit one can received and violates the Government's own minimum wage. When challenged on this, the Government responds by saying this is not wage but forgets that amongst the conditions to qualify, one must work a minimum of 35 hours.

What this 'improvement' has actually done is to effectively abolish the retirement age for pensioner carers. We will never have the luxury of retirement and be exploited for evermore as a cheap source of labour for the NHS.

Councillor Dunn may know that an independent audit of the value of carers is £43 billion per year, the equivalent of another NHS and the way we are rewarded is to insult us. So at a stroke, the Government has done to pensioner carers, what it intends to do with everyone else, i.e., raise the age of retirement.

After six years in power, instead of gloating, Councillor Dunn and Harold Best MP, should recognise these 'improvements' are designed to maximise propaganda and minimise cost, and hang their heads in shame.

Malcolm Naylor

21 Grange View,

Otley.

Bigbang fallout

SIR, - Following my recent criticism of Otley's winter blunderland and subsequent handbagging in the street by a local councillor, can I thank all those New Year's Eve revellers who on the stroke of midnight, swaying from side to side with hiccups and breaking wind (not necessarily in that order) blasted their rockets and bangers into outer space, via Kirkgate and many local streets.

It was a fantastic effort to see the sky lit up with a dazzling array of colour and sound. If any of the councillors took part in 'operation bigbang' can I unreservedly apologise for any distress caused by my earlier comments.

What I meant to say is you are party poppers, not party poopers (geddit?).

Will that do?

Dan Cooney

Riverdale Court,

Otley.

Happy vandalmas

SIR, - Christmas is special in many homes, but not when intruders whip four garden gnomes.

Someone came through our gate with vandalous minds, left two other gnomes and their footprints behind. Gnomes are really lucky when given or bought, but quite the opposite when stolen by their sort.

Resident George K's good doorbell was vandalised and forced off his door then chucked in the grass. Peter C's car aerial was next to be broken. The vandal who did it thought, my what a joke.

These people will have had a good Christmas with their fun and good cheer with their gnomes, bell and aerial. I hope they have a lousy New Year.

(Name and address supplied)

Weston Estate,

Otley.

Tracing family

SIR, - My brother, David, and myself are attempting to trace our cousins Joan and Freda (nee Smithson) who we lost contact with in the 1970s.

They did live in Rombalds View and Ilkley Road areas of Otley and they will now be in their late 50s or early 60s. If any readers know of John and or Freda, would they please contact us or make our cousins aware of this letter.

We can be contacted on either (01274) 578887 or (01274) 684799.

Might I also extend my best wishes to all the guys I was associated with in the 1960s whilst I was secretary of the Burley Trojans AFC. Happy days!

M Braithwaite (Mr)

3 Jer Lane,

Horton Bank Top,

Bradford.

Sell it to me!

SIR, - Further to Mr Kelley's latest rallying call for 'us' to support the 'lads', can I ask him to let us know what Otley RUFC have to offer me?

I pay £10 to get into the ground then what do I get? I'm not interested in some obscure magazine's opinion, Mr Kelley - you sell it to me.

I have neither white stick nor guide dog, by the way.

Paul Hatfield

25 Pool Road,

Otley.