Letters to the Editor

The Bulls are the major success story of Super League both on and off the field. But does this not underline my point that taxpayers' money should not be used to subsidise the operation of Odsal?

Figures I have received from Ian Stewart, Bradford Council's Chief Executive, for the budgeted costs for the operation at Odsal for the current financial year are as follows:

l Staffing costs for management, administration, grounds & bar/catering staff: £161,000;

l Stewarding: £46,100;

l Cleaning, repairs and maintenance: £46,600;

l Electric, gas and water: £37,300;

l Rates: £25,000;

l Equipment, materials, insurance and telephone: £52,500;

l Bar and catering provisions: £97,300.

All that adds up to a total cost of £466,600.

Income from bars & catering comes to £155,400. Other income by way of advertising, room hire and parking fees etc comes to £250,000, leaving a net loss to tax payers of £216,000! And this is only for the current financial year.

I rest my case. Let the tax payers of this city, where Council services are being cut, decide where best their contributions should be used.

Barry Wood, Knights Fold, Bradford 7

SIR - Regarding Mr Wood's letter of October 3. Any criticism of the Odsal situation should be levelled at the Council, whose ineptitude over the years has been well chronicled.

The Bulls' achievements on the field have greatly enhanced the prestige of Bradford, while their efforts off it have earned awards for their work in the community. A truly people's team.

When the stadium is developed, I suggest Mr Wood takes his blinkers off and joins the many thousands of taxpayers who regularly flock to Odsal to be thrilled and entertained.

Once there he can look around and say to himself with pride - "I helped to pay for this!"

G Walker, Pasture Rise, Clayton.

SIR - Thanks to the T&A for highlighting the problems facing disabled people in the area through readers' many letters, culminating in Zahid Iqbal's (Conservative prospective candidate for Bradford North) very pertinent remarks concerning the intended closure of the DIAL Shipley workshop for the disabled. I trust the community will rally round by showing real concern and help, particularly financial, in saving the very worthwhile project.

Action is required, not rhetoric, as Zahid ably got across in his letter. We must not forget that disabilities affect all in our community both ethnic and otherwise, so the appeal for help is to everyone.

Furthermore, it is with dismay that the disabled are being targeted by Bradford Council for non-payment of care charges and are being issued with summonses to appear in court.

What a controversial matter when some of these people have learning disabilities and do not understand what it is all about anyway.

Charges should never have been levied in the first place as prior to 1996 no charges were made and other councils, I believe, still do not make charges.

Don Bradley, Ballantyne Road, Thackley, Bradford.

SIR - I have just had the pleasure (?) of reading the "Common Sense" leaflet produced by Shipley West Conservative councillors. Among the usual political digs and banter is a claim that they had succeeded in bringing an extra £708,800 into Shipley since the May elections.

The fact is that almost every penny of this money was committed before May by a Labour Council. What the Shipley West councillors fail to mention is that they have voted against two motions, moved by the Labour Group at Council, which provided frameworks for the sustainable future regeneration of Shipley.

Far from sulking, the Labour Group has provided a positive and constructive opposition and has been willing to put forward positive ways forward for the district.

The Tories, while being happy to take credit for past decisions of a Labour Council, are unwilling to take responsibility for their own, very few actions, since taking control.

Councillor David Green, Grosvenor Avenue, Bradford 18.

SIR - Mr R J Mawson (Letters, October 3) is not alone in being harassed by the TV licensing authority. We too have had forms to fill in. My wife is blind in one eye, also hard of hearing and has headaches.

On the forms, I wrote that we are both pensioners not millionaires. We get our tripe from the local butchers, not BBC or ITV. Also we have had two inspections.

Our last TV was black and white. Never had a colour set.

H Craven, Bradford Road, Clayton, Bradford.

SIR - Bradford District Tenants and Residents Federation, who represent groups covering tenants in the Bradford District, have employed an independent adviser, Mr Richard Crossley of PEP (Priority Estates Project). He is a senior consultant with many years' experience in housing.

He has been employed to guide us through all the options for housing currently under review.

To this end we are having two initial open evenings, Tuesday October 17 from 7 to 9pm in Keighley Town Hall and Thursday October 19 from 7 to 9pm in the Banqueting Suite, Bradford City Hall. All tenants are warmly invited to attend. A presentation looking at all the options will be given followed by a question and answer session.

On November 30 a major conference will be held to launch two Thematic Compacts, Race and Housing and Crime. Following this we shall be inviting representatives from various groups nationwide to lead workshops on each of the options. These people will have experienced the changes at first hand, and will give the benefit of their experience, good and bad.

Please contact your local Area Federation representatives directly or through your local community group for further details.

Alex Brown, Vice Chairman, Bradford District Tenants and Residents Federation, Central House, Forster Square, Bradford 1.

SIR - I would like to know how Ian Stewart, Chief Executive, can get a 15 per cent pay rise when people on Fagley have poor housing and problems with vandals and yet they say there is no money.

But I cannot understand what John Rawnsley stated. He should be against this as he is there for tenants and he should resign his post now.

J R Smith, Flawith Drive, Fagley.