Dog owners not the only ones to blame

My wife and myself either individually or together walk our dogs on the Chevin, or in Ilkley or in the Washburn Valley, and have done so for many years.

Whenever there's publicity about walks and dog owners it is always the same story about dog dirt, dogs off leads etc, but very rarely any mention of all the waste rubbish left behind by people who just want a day out in the fresh air but who are only capable of carrying packets of food full, and incapable of carrying empty packets on the return journey.

Now we all know the magnitude of foot and mouth but for the same few individuals who have always complained about anything to do with dogs, they seem to be blinkered to the activities of the runners and cyclists who cover far greater distances than dogs on both sides of the Chevin but they are not targeted like dogs or their owners.

If the virus is airborne then what is the difference between dogs off the lead and runners and cyclists. Let's please have some consistency in the rules instead of the minority complaining about the majority.

T Waterhouse

Weston Crescent,

Otley.

Wasted money

SIR, - The tarting-up of the surroundings of the Civic Hall in Leeds centre goes on and on. Not content with spending £12 million pounds of public money on a pointless 'square' resembling a rather grubby wasteland ,which immediately became a skate-boarder's paradise, the folly goes on.

The owls on top of the Civic Hall are breeding; two appeared in front of the main entrance the other day, and now two more are adorning the side entrance of all places.

There has also appeared a 'work of art' in the shape of two arms and hands in a supplicating gesture, lacking only a pair of handcuffs to complete the image of the people of Leeds in bondage, to a controlling Labour group intent on spending money on anything other than the things people need - like better housing, roads, pavements, schools, libraries, local centres, the list is almost endless.

I find it galling to have to sit in my surgeries listening to people asking why they can not have a crossing near their local school, or a road junction made safe, or their council house made dry and warm. Or even get a council house!

The excuse for all this spending on something that by and large only councillors and council employees will see is that it will be an attraction for tourists. Tourists? Leeds is not a tourist attraction and never will be, they fool themselves.

The same argument applies to the next grand scheme, the beautification of City Square, into a place where people will want to sit and eat their sandwiches, where visitors newly arrived at the station will sit and enjoy the noise and fumes of traffic, and one day even, the clang of trams.

Tourists arriving in Leeds head out into our beautiful countryside. Mind you they risk being shaken to pieces by our atrocious roads, their patience sorely tried by the traffic jams, and their safety endangered at the many accident blackspots abounding.

So, instead of regenerating Leeds, lets regenerate our suburban townships, Yeadon and Guiseley, to name but two, where the council tax payers could see value for money.

Coun Graham Latty

Con, Aireborough

Harrogate Road,

Rawdon.

Important debate

SIR, - The debate on the future of primary schools in Otley is an important one for many reasons, but one issue that needs to be more carefully considered is the impact of any decisions on the town as a whole.

The needs of children are, of course, paramount but there is no disagreement that all of the schools are excellent, so other criteria needs to be considered.

We know that the effects of closing All Saints Junior School on the town centre have been raised by many people, but the importance of this cannot be emphasised enough.

There are many Government policies that emphasise the importance of retaining services such as schools in town centres, as these are recognised as vital to the overall health of towns. Closing one of the main facilities still remaining in central Otley would have consequences that go far beyond educational considerations. It seems that the LEA planners have not taken these issues into account sufficiently and we would urge everyone who is concerned with the future of the town to lobby to retain what is a vital part of the town's centre: All Saints Junior School.

M Homayoonpoor

17 St Richards Road,

Otley.

Museum's role

SIR, - As a historian, John Burland (Explore the historical Western side of Otley, Wharfedale Observer, April 26) knows it is vitally important to reference sources when writing about the past - if you want to be able to substantiate your claims.

Otherwise you could be accused of simply making it all up or capitalising on other people's hard work.

Otley Museum remains the main source of primary evidence for the town from the prehistoric period to the present and continues to publish the popular and widely referenced A Walk Around Otley, now in its fourth edition. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am to 12.30pm plus the first Saturday in the month and can be contacted on (01943) 461052 during these times.

Simon Riches

Bradford Road,

Otley.

(Note- Otley Museum is closed temporarily while repair work is carried out by Leeds City Council.)

Checking on MPs

SIR, - Have you noticed how enthusiastic politicians are on performance tables, targets and statistics, except when it comes to themselves.

Sitting MPs are asking for our vote, but how many people know, what, if anything they have achieved over the last four years.

For example, how many constituency problems have they been given and how many have they resolved to the satisfaction of constituents? How many contributions to debates have they made in the House of Commons?

How many votes have they participated in? How much money have they received and how was it spent? What is their attendance record in the House of Commons?

When did you last see a report in your local paper on how your MP voted on a particular issue? Such as foxhunting and cutting benefits to disabled people.

There is a deliberate scarcity of public information on these statistics. The reason there is reluctance to share this information with you is it exposes the impotence and uselessness of MPs, particularly backbench MPs. There is little value for money here.

But, more importantly, such information would reveal our so-called democracy is a sham. Government is keen for such understanding of democracy is kept secret and the real power remains in the hands of the few.

Remember, when you vote for an MP, if he is not in the cabinet, you are voting not for an individual but for an elected dictator like Blair. The name of your candidate is irrelevant. You are voting for a party and a leader, so please remember that.

If you want real democracy, break the cycle and vote for the minor parties not under the thumb of megalomaniac control freaks like Blair and his cronies.

Malcolm Naylor

21 Grange View

Otley.

(Note - Just for the record, the Wharfedale Observer did talk to the local MPs about how they voted in the Hunting With Dogs Bill.)

Lib Dem record

SIR, - I was somewhat surprised to see the prospective Conservative candidate for Leeds North-West attacking the Liberal Democrats over the Leeds Unitary Development Plan.

When it was first drawn up, the Otley Conservative Party did not oppose its plans for Otley.

Perhaps, as it was the Conservative Government at the time which insisted that Leeds City Council must build on the green belt, they did not want to rock the boat.

But let no-one forget that if it wasn't for that Tory insistence, building on Otley's green belt would not even be an issue now. It makes me wonder why Conservatives are now trying to stir up this issue and claim credit for a problem they originally caused.

Any proposal to build houses on the green belt still requires public consultation, and Liberal Democrats have been unstinting in their

opposition to ALL such proposals. In particular, my colleague Councillor Graham Kirkland is well known locally for his opposition to housing development on the green belt. If the Conservative PPC lived locally, he would know this.

As the Liberal Democrats are being attacked over a plan drawn up by a Labour council under the direction of a Conservative Government, one can only assume that the Tories have other motives - for example that their private polling shows the Liberal Democrats to have the greatest share of support among the electors of Leeds North-West.

David Hall-Matthews

Prospective Liberal Democrat

Parliamentary Candidate,

Leeds North-West.

MP's support

SIR, I am pleased to be helping the National Osteoporosis Society in their campaign to inform health professionals and the public that there are new standards for care, announced by the Secretary of State for Health earlier this month, aimed at improving identification, treatment and prevention of this terrible disease.

Many readers will sadly be painfully aware of the cruel suffering inflicted on three million women in men in the UK by the fractures they endure as a result of this bone disease, which makes bones more porous and fragile.

Further information on osteoporosis can be obtained from the National Osteoporosis Society, Camerton, Bath BA2 OPJ. The NOS welcomes the new standards for osteoporosis and is keen to help more people seek the care they need.

Harold Best

MP for North-West Leeds,

Constituency Office,

7 Iveson Approach,

Leeds.