Letters to the Editor

Namely our Mayor, Councillor Walton, and the group of willing helpers he has assembled to organise and put up the town's Christmas lights each and every year.

Despite the lack of funding the team has made the town look great again. I wish to express the fact that this year's display is a credit to the town of Silsden.

Well done to all concerned, you are all a credit to the town of Silsden and its residents.

JOHN S LOHAN

Briggate, Silsden.

SIR - A few weeks ago Ian Dewhirst made an appeal for local history to be preserved, so I was delighted to see in the December 6 Keighley News that part of my past lives on.

I refer to the advert for "Fred's" the local shop in Fell Lane.

Over 20 years ago I travelled from town to Fell Lane and "booked" to Fred's as I had always done in the past.

The driver/conductor had no idea where I wanted to go; neither had the majority of the passengers, so I thought that "Fred's" and all it stood for had gone forever.

I wonder how many of the present residents of Fell Lane know who Fred was. Ian occasionally refers to the days when he made ice cream and threw tubs out to those watching the Gala Day procession.

I think that you will have a photo of the shop, if only that depicted by Stanley Boardman in one of his paintings.

My late father used to tell a story about a woman in labour who was wheeled down to the maternity unit at St John's on one of Fred's ice cream carts. Was it true?

Sadly I fear that all records of the other shop in Fell Lane, Mrs Brown's, will have been lost. It has been a house now for very many years. How many remember that shop?

R W PLACE

Cornfield Avenue,

Oakes, Huddersfield

SIR - Where has the spirit of Christmas gone in Keighley? It has been taken over by that great god - money.

For many, many years, the Salvation Army band, and various helpers, has played in Keighley on the first and third Saturday in December in order to raise money for the provision of toys for deprived families and the supply of Christmas dinners to those who, without the Salvation Army, would have very little to look forward to at this festive time.

The band played outside, exposed to the elements, until the covered town centre was built, and since then has enjoyed the relative warmth and comfort of playing inside. Three years ago we were moved from our usual spot because certain shopkeepers thought we might be affecting their trade. We have since played near giant Rombald.

On Saturday we arrived as usual just before 10 am, having booked our stand and obtained collecting permits way back in January.

We played our first carol and were then approached by management representatives to say that we could not continue playing as they had let our spot to a group who had paid a fee.

We were moved to stand near the Next store and in a direct draught from the doors opening on to the Bus Station.

The Salvation Army has now been told that stands are let on a commercial basis and we are no longer welcome in the centre, and we were certainly made to feel very unwelcome there this morning.

The Salvation Army will not give in. We will probably go back to playing outdoors, despite the fact that one member of our band is ninety and two are in their seventies, but we worry for the town when at a time when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, who came to teach the world about love, the only love that is shown by people in a position to have influence is the love of money.

M SOMERS

A member of the band

SIR - I should like to protest on behalf of the Salvation Army at the treatment they have received from the new owners of the Airedale Shopping Centre.

All the money they collect goes to the poor and needy of Keighley. There are no administration fees etc, and to be prevented from doing this is a poor do.

Mr Dickens can rest easy in his grave as Scrooge is alive and well in Keighley.

E PILCHER

Goose Cote Lane, Oakworth

Editor's note. We have had a number of letters on this subject. For further views and comments see page 3.

SIR -I was only four years of age in 1974, when Bradford took control and our mayoral chains!

Now we have a town council of our own, and yes I am one of the few that have attended council meetings in the council chambers at the Town Hall, and yes I know as we all know that Rome was not built in a day.

Well! It wasn't built by Romans either, they had legions of slaves to do all the hard work.

It seems to me that all the hard work has been done already, by the Aire Worth Reform group and the Keighley Voice people, with their leading lights such as ex Cllr Samuels, Cllr Hudson and Cllr Wright, to name but a few, playing their parts from the off.

As an interested party, ie a voter, I have some questions! Why would these people who were once so committed to Keighley now be doing u-turns and resigning from important and decision shaping committees and positions?

Why should they seek to undermine the new council as suggested in the item last week? It does not make sense to me, nor I'm sure, to the other voters of Keighley,who - Keighley councillors be warned - are watching and taking note, and I'm also sure will act accordingly come May.

I for one want this new council to work, so that my children are not to be controlled from afar, ie Bradford. But something here stinks!

These and other questions need answers, but from a closed meeting? No thanks! It should be out in the open. All of Keighley are asking "So what does this council do?" Well very little to date, in my opinion, only bicker and play right into Bradford's open hands!

Roll on May is all I can say. This town and country needs some new blood and new ideas. Things can only get better.

M THOMPSON

Braithwaite Avenue,

Keighley

SIR - Here's a challenge to all Keighlians and my fellow councillors. I frequently walk along the 'backbone' of the Hainworth and Woodhouse ward, which I am very proud to represent on Keighley Town Council.

My thoughts this week were cast back to the 'Keighley in Bloom' competition where many had helped make the town a brighter place, for which it received commendations. The trigger for my thoughts was the great efforts that many are putting in to make this part of Keighley a brighter place.

I refer of course to the annual Christmas Illuminations erected by residents.

I see that some have spent many hours and taken great pride in getting their displays to perfection.

In fact, I think they are so good that I am throwing the challenge down to my colleagues to find better examples within their own wards. Who knows?

We could even make this the start of an annual festive light competition!

Cllr Tony Wright

Hainworth and

Woodhouse Ward.

SIR - The council has been very secretive about its plans for Haworth 1st School.

Now we know why. At the meeting on Friday, December 6, Haworth Village Trust members were shown the plans and persuaded to accept them on the spot so that the scheme could be initiated at a council meeting on Wednesday, December 11.

To avoid the school being knocked down the HVT has voted to approve on our behalf the top playground having two rows of houses built on it, a modern cyber cafe extension on the front of the community centre and the demolition on either side of Butt Lane of Haworth Park's stone walling and the school wall and railings to make an Italian style piazza/car park, destroying the character of the area for resident and tourist alike.

Despite their misgivings, some members felt they had no choice but to accept it as we were told that alternative plans could be worse.

If we need an outdoor public area, we have one in the park. Why not improve that and its bandstand for communal use, keep the school area enclosed and use it as we always have for occasional fairs and other community centre events and leave Butt Lane alone?

R SHEPHERD

Haworth

SIR - With the rejection of the Ivy Bank Lane site at Haworth for the purpose of a new Medical Centre, care must be taken to avoid further encroachment into greenfield sites.

The new site will have to provide sufficient car parking space for motorists and at the same time be near a bus route to enable pedestrians who are not car owners and come from the surrounding villages to gain access.

With the closing of the Primary School, there is a central area which could be looked at which is near bus routes and has a large walled playground suitable for a car park. If the school itself is not suitable because of the expense of adaptation and future maintenance, it could be demolished and the stonework used to build the new centre - which, being in a conservation area, would have to conform to building regulations.

At the moment there are no weekend services to cater for and so perhaps use could be made of the car park at weekends to alleviate the parking problems which have been highlighted many times in letters.

A new bus stop at the top of Butt Lane would also help those who are unable to walk far. The present Medical Centre with its small car park at the rear poses problems in winter and has led to motorists having to park on double yellow lines, which in turn poses problems for buses and the large container vehicles which visit the nearby factory many times during the day.

Whatever site is chosen, it must be large enough to cater in years to come for the increasing aged population and the advancements that are being made in medical science.

F SLACK

Thornfield, Station Road,

Haworth

SIR - Only a few weeks ago Bradford was happily promoting itself as a Capital of Culture.

At the same time, the Exhibition Galleries at Cliffe Castle were silent and empty; nothing was happening there. Apparently, these same galleries, which, in the last year have made science enjoyable and art inspiring to general public and school children alike, are to remain closed until the end of 2003! It's quite unbelievable. If Bradford is really serious about its culture, this is the place to start, or who is to believe it?

MRS ELLIS GREENWOOD

Canberra Close,

Cross Roads

SIR - Although we have not yet received official confirmation from the RMT, we believe the union intends to instruct our conductors to strike on 21, 23, 24 and 31 December.

We are very disappointed that the union has decided to hit what is undoubtedly one of the most important times of the year for so many people.

The union continues to reject Arriva Trains Northern's offer of a 4 per cent basic pay rise. This offer is a fair one, if not one of the best seen in the rail industry this year, and the RMT has already accepted it for the fleet and administration employees it represents at Arriva Trains Northern.

The RMT last balloted its members a year ago; this was before Arriva Trains Northern had put an offer on the table for its conductors.

Since then the company has put forward three different offers - all of which have been rejected by the RMT without it allowing its members the opportunity to ballot. The union has also refused to have realistic discussions on ways to increase their members' pay through modernisation.

The 10 per cent pay increase that the RMT is demanding is unrealistic, and for the sake of the wider industry and long-term investment in the franchise Arriva Trains Northern cannot agree to it. We remain available for realistic talks with the RMT at any time.

May I reassure your readers that we will be working hard to deliver as many services as possible during the forthcoming action planned by the RMT.

Ray Price

Managing Director

Arriva Trains Northern

SIR - After many months of disagreement I can agree with Martin Leathley when he states that a small group of people is undermining Keighley Town Council.

Unhappily, I don't think it is intentional or with political malice. Incompetence, I believe, and the sin of all, a lack of recognition that others may have a point of view needs examination.

Of all of Keighley Town Council's committees, staffed, it must be said, by hardworking people, only the Finance Committee has been proven to be the most contentious. That is not to say that its members are not conscientious, but the brief of appointing a Town Clerk was always, in my view, a daunting task. Its embarrassment was its refusal to hand over to other committees items not appertaining to its remit.

The negativity of wasted effort created a mood within the Council of frustration. That I felt intimidated by Martin Leathley at his refusal of being able to question the Finance Chairman on matters relevant resulted in my instant resignation. That other Councillors, who with me, fought for many years to have democracy in Keighley, should feel intimidated is sad and demonstrates to me that good leadership, in my view, was not available when needed.

DAVID SAMUELS

Station Road, Oxenhope