Why Labour wins in comparison stakes

It should be pointed out that Labour has been running the town council for all of six months in comparison to the LibDem/Tory council which was in place from May, 1999, to June, 2001.

Of course, we do not enjoy an overall majority and are still subject to the whims of a Lib Dem/Tory coalition in opposition. However, to take some of the points raised by Lawrence:

Maypole - Labour supported the proposals to enhance the maypole area, which he arrogantly claims as a Lib Dem initiative - ignoring the work of Wayzgoose, Buttercross Belles and other local groups, and we are happy to continue to deliver a scheme that was far from complete when the Lib Dem/Tory coalition fell.

Railway - Otley Labour Party and Labour councillors have long campaigned for the return of a railway to Otley - a long time before the Lib Dems. Neither the local Lib Dems or the then Lib Dem-controlled Otley Town Council made any submission regarding a railway to the Unitary Development Plan - unlike our local Labour Party.

One senior Lib Dem councillor at the time told me it was nothing but a pipe dream.

Buses -Improvements have been made and more will be made if Labour councillors have anything to do with it. The W9 service from Otley to Menston station demonstrates what can be achieved - again, this is no thanks to the Lib Dems and Tories who voted against this service.

He will also know that there have been a number of improvements recently - including the introduction of the 757 airport service, and some improvements to the Weston Estate.

Riverdale Road play area -The wonderful deal that the Lib Dem/Tory council negotiated actually resulted in the maintenance costs to the town council doubling; and their delay and inaction almost lost the facility despite the fact that there had been widespread public consultation carried out by Labour town councillors.

Employment - I am not sure of the point Lawrence is attempting to make. I will however suggest that the retention of hospital services in Otley is critical for local employment. Labour town councillors fought hard to retain the hospital in Otley when a leading Lib Dem councillor was pulling in the opposite direction.

I could go on, but I realise that this letter is already at risk from the editor! All that is left for me to say is that a Labour-led town council will work hard to deliver a better deal - and to create a better town.

The Lib Dems may wish to carp on the sidelines, but I can guarantee that a Labour Town Council would never allow a disabled people's chair lift to be out of action for more than 11 months, as happened with our Lib Dem/Tory council.

Coun John Eveleigh

Leader,

Otley Town Council.

95 West Busk Lane

Otley.

Schools boost

SIR, - As further details emerge of the changes affecting Otley's primary schools following reorganisation, it seems Otley has achieved a far better deal under Education Leeds than would have been the case had Leeds City Council still been running the education service.

I welcome the proposed new buildings and alterations for the four schools affected, Westgate, the new All Saints, Ashfield and The Whartons.

Education Leeds has done a good job creating four primary schools for Otley which are essentially equal in terms of resources.

The schools will have an equal intake of around 120 pupils spread evenly over the four schools. One thing I am sure about is that had the provision of education services stayed in the hands of the Labour-controlled Leeds City Council, Otley would have seen little direct benefit from the primary school reorganisation.

Savings would have been shamelessly diverted elsewhere within urban Leeds. The political interference which went on in Leeds until 18 months ago meant there was no alternative to taking the running of education away from the council.

Now at least we can see a clear benefit from Education Leeds running the city's education service. Each school will now finish up with first class ICT and library facilities as well as group rooms or a community room, together with larger staff rooms.

I particularly welcome the fact that the popular Whartons School is to get an additional much needed classroom in addition to other improvements. The indications are that a very high proportion of the expected £2 million or so of the proceeds of the sale of Thomas Chippendale and All Saints Juniors will in fact be ploughed back into Otley schools - something we have been pressing for all along.

Despite calls for bigger classrooms, the reality is that all four schools will finish up not only better buildings, but also with improved facilities overall. In my opinion, this would never have been achieved by building new schools, probably under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to minimum standards with strict budget constraints.

Education Leeds has taken a great deal of trouble to consult with the schools affected and tried to meet their requests as regards layout and improved facilities. I am satisfied that come September, we shall finish up with four excellent primary schools in addition to St Joseph's, which has not been affected by the reorganisation.

One striking achievement is that there will be no loss of playgrounds or playing fields at any of the four schools involved because all new building will be carried out using parts of the existing school grounds currently unused. Contracts for the building work are expected to be let in April with a planned start early May.

Because internal alterations will need to take place during the summer holidays, it is expected it will be the end of August before the work is finally completed in time for the start of the new school year.

Coun Clive Fox

(Con, Otley and Wharfedale).

Breary Lane East,

Bramhope.

Logo no go

SIR, - The recent planning application by Barratt Homes to build a housing development in the small piece of woodland at Ings Lane, Guiseley, would be a farce were it not for the threat it poses to the woodland.

Here we have had a firm by the name of Greenwoods applying for outline planning, and then selling the woodland to a building company whose logo is a Green Tree and who intends building a block of flats in the woodland.

To make the situation even more bizarre, the proposed flats are similar to other new developments in the Guiseley area, where flats recently constructed do not appear to be selling to the public. I thought that the idea of marketing was to find out what the public wanted, and then satisfy the demand, or is this a case of maximising profits first and then trying to sell unpopular products.

The result no doubt will be new units offered where possible with your 'old house' taken in part exchange, rather like a second hand car. If there were a genuine demand across the whole of the property market, these part exchanges would not be required.

The only losers in this sad farce will be other small areas of woodland, which will inevitably become potential million pound building plots. I suggest Barratt get rid of their green tree logo, and replace it with a chainsaw, a golden one of course.

Helen Barker (Mrs)

34 Ings Lane,

Guiseley.

Village spoilt

SIR, - I am writing after reading your article in last week's Wharfedale Observer about the change in character of Pool-in-Wharfedale.

When I came to live in Pool many years ago it was a delightful little village, I believe that now it is spoilt forever.

I think we should ask ourselves whether it is sensible to spend money on traffic calming measures with one hand and grant builders permission to continue filling green fields with houses, causing a consequential increase in traffic, with the other.

Our city council has already removed further fields out of the green belt in readiness for building.

Redrow Homes are boasting that they have given help and financial support to the village.

Many people are rather sceptical about this.

Sylvia Long

18 Manor Crescent,

Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Tracing family

SIR, I am tracing my family tree but I would also like to find out more about my family history. My grandfather, who I never met, was Herman Teale of Syke House, Yeadon (died 1953) and my great -aunt was his sister, Ada Hustler of Rufford Crescent, Yeadon (died 1966). I would very much like to hear from anybody who has any memories of these two people (good or bad).

Denise A Teale

65 Marlcliffe Road,

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S6 4AH.

E-mail d.teale@sheffield.ac.uk

A bad idea

SIR, - Despite the short period, including Christmas, allowed to comment on plans to extend All Saints school in Lisker Drive, I did manage to submit my comments in time.

My concern was, and is, the proposed football pitch in the north-west corner of the site. The pitch will destroy completely the existing and maturing wildlife garden, for which funds were raised some years ago at the carnival. Because of the constrictions of the site, the pitch's area will be only 56 per cent of the minimum recommended size for a junior football pitch.

And one goal will be within about five yards of the garden and side of the house of an adjoining property, i.e. mine. I also pointed out that a full-size football pitch already exists, on the other side of Cambridge Drive, within 100 yards of the school.

The application was deferred on January 8 until February 5. I subsequently spoke to Coun Coyne who is on the planning committee and attended the January meeting. Unfortunately, he had not even seen the plans, was unaware that my letter was read out at the meeting, and believed the plan had been approved.

I still maintain that a barely half-size football pitch, on top of the wildlife garden, causing inevitable inconvenience, if not damage, to adjoining properties is an ill-conceived idea.

It would be encouraging if the council and the education authority would recognise this.

David Mowlam

7 Trinity Rise

Otley.