The fight to make Pool-in-Wharfedale a safer place is continuing, despite plans being dropped by the city council.

Pool parish councillors are furious that a list of road-safety proposals, drawn up following extensive public consultation, was not even considered by a Leeds highways committee despite help and encouragement from officers.

And they have vowed to keep putting pressure on highways chiefs who they believe "led them up the garden path".

Chairman Chris Leggatt read a letter to a meeting of the parish council from Councillor Brian Walker, leader of Leeds City Council, explaining why the 22-point "wish list" had been axed.

In it, Coun Walker acknowledged the work of his officers in the proposals, but said there had never been enough cash to pay for any of the suggestions and that Pool was not considered dangerous enough to warrant major road safety improvements.

Parish Councillor Veronica Jones said: "We have been treated with contempt.

"His own officers must have known there wasn't enough money when we started this, so why didn't they tell us? What he is saying is that we need more accidents."

And Councillor Christine Smith added: "When we met the senior officers, we were told there was money available in the budget for these sort of traffic measures and we discussed them there and then."

Coun Leggatt said around 30 people, including residents and parish councillors, lobbied Otley and Wharfedale councillor Phil Coyne at a recent surgery.

"Coun Coyne was left in no doubt about the depth of concern of people in Pool about the problems of highways and planning in the Unitary Development Plan," he said.

"He told us he would like to have a meeting with the parish council and a public meeting in Pool to discuss how he could help in presenting some of the concerns to the city council."

But Coun Smith said: "We have done that and we have presented the city council with a report, following public consultation, and nothing has happened. This would just take us down the same route again."

Jim McArthur, director of Leeds Council highways, said: "It is correct that a series of proposals was developed but it was always recognised that funding from the road safety budget might not be available, as neither of the major roads in Pool appears on the Council's lists of priority areas.

"However, at the request of Councillor Coyne, work is under way to pursue the possibility of carrying out some of the work under the Council's low-cost traffic-calming budget.''

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.