Readers' Letters

Fourteen new trinket shops aimed at tourists will not help anyone in Haworth. With uneducated councillors spouting "Who the hell reads Charlotte Bront anyway?" what hope was there for anything tasteful coming out of this meeting? It's now about fast food tourism with Chinese products for Jap-anese tourists. I also wonder if naming the centre after Bran-well was in honour of his great entrepreneurial skills and level-headed approach to life. Really? Pass the laudanum, please.

I am not angry or outraged, whingeing or whining. I am simply saddened that it doesn't seem to concern our other residents. And why is this? The reason is simply that they didn't know about the new application and I therefore accuse the council of being negligent in their duties by failing to publicise the development's impact. After the planning meeting is not sufficient.

It's not just about trade though. Residents have now lost their right to complain about traffic problems in the future. We're losing over 100 car parking spaces for heaven's sake, and these cars are now likely to park on Haworth streets. I have a successful shop on Main Street and my customers are all over Haw-orth. Although I am likely to benefit from more visitors, no one can blame me or my friends for the pending explosion of tourism.

So what's next? Demolish the First School and Community Centre? Build on the allotments and common land? They could get hundreds of houses on there, or even a giant theme park. Beware villagers, they can now smell Haworth Blood. I also live in Haworth and care about our community. Let's get our parish council set up and find some people with vision and backbone to stand, not those with petty grudges.

My call for a public meeting was rebuffed with the remark that if you don't like what your councillors do, then get rid of them. The chairman of this planning committee, Councillor John Cope (Labour), will soon be banging on your door for your vote. Maybe the people of Haworth will have their say after all.

DAVID ROBERTSON-

BROWN,

Tabby's Farmhouse

Kitchen Shop, Haworth.

SIR - Once again Bradford planning department has run roughshod over objections by local people whom this development will affect the most, as they seem to do with many applications. Money talks as they say in this case.

It was said it would be too expensive to build in old stones using Yorkshire stone slates, so grey slates and new stone will be used. I say tough. If these developers want to build, as with Skipton Properties, they should adhere to the surrounding area. If it is too expensive, then don't build.

Also the Rawdon Road development will set a precedent for large buildings. So what next ..factories on the allotments? They say it will bring employment but at what cost to other jobs? Look at the new Trafford Park complex. City centre shops in Manchester have been told to expect 25-50 per cent redundancies. Will this happen here? Who knows?

Mike Hutchinson,

Ye Sleeping House, Haworth.

SIR - May I nominate Cllr Dawson as 'Philistine of the Year' for his crass comments regarding the approval of the shopping development in Haw-orth: "Haworth needs this because I think the appeal of the Bronts is inevitably wearing thin."

Shopping as a substitute for literary pilgrimage is certainly an interesting idea! What Haworth does not need is more shops, more tourists and more traffic, especially opposite the proposed site for Haworth Primary school.

What Cllr Dawson needs is some cultural education.

ANNIE WILLIAMS,

South View, Haworth.

SIR - The so-called Bingley relief road has been approved at the behest of business organisations in Keighley and Bing-ley. Their only thought was to push this concrete eyesore a few miles further along the valley floor in the name of economic regeneration. They had little consideration for Shipley and Saltaire, where generated traffic will have destructive effects.

In Bingley, where consistent traffic problems are only apparent in commuter peak hours, there will be two busy roads within yards of each other, 515 properties nearer the new route will suffer an increase in noise and the canal conservation area will be similarly blighted. Bradford Council was keen to support the business sector, but in lobbying for the road it has seriously misjudged local opinion. We were prom-ised a package of alternative transport solutions, instead communities throughout Aire-dale will experience the pressure of development and traffic blight.

MRS PENNY WARD,

Ghyllwood Drive, Bingley.

SIR - My wife recently asked me to buy some paper napkins when I was shopping in Keigh-ley on my Shopmobility scooter. I tried all three or four card and gift shops which adorn the shopping centre without success. I then went into the chain stores which cater to most of our every needs.

Surely, we are not alone in wanting to purchase such a simple item - possibly a popular item - and yet not one out of 10 or 11 shops in a modern shopping centre can provide anything! Is there an ombudsman for shoppers to complain to?

DERRICK H GREEN,

School Street, Steeton.

SIR - I was pleased to read in the report on Keighley Show that the reporter thought there were 'beautiful flower arrangements', but as the Flower Academy secretary disappointed that we were the only section in the show not to have a cup winners report. And as three of them were first time winners at the show I'm sure they must have been disappointed too, so to put the record straight I hope you will print the following:

The Mrs McHall trophy for the clubs class went to Mrs A Kennedy's class from Keighley Technical College. The Harry Keighley trophy was won by Ann Drake for the best exhibit in the open classes. The amateurs Ernest Carter trophy was won by Elizabeth Webb, and Janet Smith was the winner of the Keighley Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society trophy in the novice classes.

E CLEWER,

Golbourne Street, Keighley.

Editor's note: We requested all sections to submit their res-ults. Most did within deadline. We did not at any time receive any flower results.

SIR - I enjoy a good laugh and I am grateful to Cllr Anne Hawkesworth (KN Sept 11) for providing me with that. She writes: "The writer from Sils-den is obviously an old time Labour supporter - through thick and thin..." I have friends in all three political parties and no doubt they will be equally amused! It certainly puts a large question-mark over Cllr Hawkesworth's political judgment.

For the record, I am a fully paid-up member of the Liberal Democrats. I have voted Lib-eral all my life and have always opposed the patronising arrogance one frequently meets in both Tory and Labour parties. Earlier in this correspondence, I mentioned my uneasiness concerning some of the present government's policies.

On local matters I have written letters to your paper condemning Bradford's Labour council's UDP proposals for massive house-building around Silsden. Cllr Hawkesworth will not be offended if I describe her as a 'hard-line Tory'.

She has much in common with some equally fanatical members of the Labour Party. Both groups have a simplistic black-and-white view of politics and avoid any objective discussion on current affairs.

HAMISH HAY,

Craven Avenue, Silsden.

SIR - I sympathise with the residents and children of Spring Bank, especially in these days when our parks are virtually 'no-go areas' for various reasons. Although the council do seem to dole money out in other areas of our town, the latest acquisition being the basket-ball court built in Victoria Park at a cost. It does seem rather silly to allow youths to play football on the lawns of the town show-piece (Cliffe Caste), yet stop youngsters playing on a green space of land which has been played on for the past 30 years.

I can think of many areas where No Ball Games signs could be erected, but surely this space is not one of them.

E REDMAN,

Strawberry Fields,

Keighley.

SIR - Re: Youngsters not having a ball. Your article contains several inaccuracies, the most important being that 'the children's play area', where 'children have always played football' is not the grassed land appearing on your photo, but another piece of land, at least four times bigger, which is the designated recreational area and starts only 30 yards away from the No Ball Games sign.

Until only a few months ago, these very children, with numerous others, played football there quite happily. Even at the time the photo was taken, the designated playing area stood empty, as it has so often recently, so why can't they play football there?

Before the sign went up, and after a ball hit our door, I asked the same question of one of the older boys (conspicuous by their absence from your photograph). His answer was: "Because we don't want to." It is as simple as that.

Where the photo was taken has never been a designated playing area; when we moved here, 18 years ago, there were houses on this land, so children could definitely not have been playing there 'for at least 30 years' as stated in your article. The sign actually does not 'ban' children, like the toddlers in your picture, from normal playing activities. Only football is not allowed, and the disruption it has caused is unacceptable to more than 'just one person' living around the land in question.

The accident of last Thurs-day simply cannot be 'blamed on the sign'; that little girl could have played just as easily on the designated playing area - but the company of young, not always responsible, teenagers is no substitute for parental guidance and supervision (ie actually being there).

Some people featured on your photo will remember a more serious accident in 1995, only a few yards away from where the sign now stands, when a young girl ran out into Hainworth Wood Road from this so-called 'safe green' and was knocked down by a car.

So I say, by all means play football, but in the appropriate place, ie on the large designated playing area, which is safer and where you will not cause disruption to neighbours.

NAME AND ADDRESS

SUPPLIED.

SIR - While congratulating the fine effort by Braemar Games lady fell racing star Jo Prowse, I feel obliged to put the record straight regarding female participation at the event. Brae-mar's first 'fell queen' competing over the same course as the men was Czech-born Anna Fra-ser in 1981, prior to a 'female athletes ban' being narrow-mindedly introduced.

Her achievement at the time was widely publicised, not least because there were far more press and TV personnel around due to the first official public appearance of newly weds Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

The likes of Jo and her rivals have spearheaded a progressive advance in the standard up front in female fell races. By contrast though, the standard among the leading male fell runners appears to be on the slide. Indeed citing for example that 1981 Braemar hill race, the first seven runners, headed by future world champion Kenny Stuart, ran faster than did this year's winner. And, I could give similar examples from often unchanged courses elsewhere.

ROGER INGHAM,

Skipton.

SIR - I am writing on behalf of the UK's 4,600 guide dog owners to raise your readers' awareness of an important issue being communicated throughout this year's Guide Dog Week - 'Don't distract a working guide dog'.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) has been training guide dogs to enhance mobility for blind and partially sighted people since 1931. Since then guide dogs have become a household name and increasingly visible in the High Street as the number of guide dog owners has increased.

One important issue that guide dog owners continue to express concern about is when members of the public interrupt the work of owner and dog. We are therefore actively promoting the 'don't distract a working guide dog' theme throughout Guide Dog Week.

Guide dog owners spend up to four weeks in a training centre learning how to use their dogs effectively. The success and safety of guide dog and owner following training is greatly influenced by the behaviour of the general public. Owner and dog perform best when their progress is not interrupted by distractions whilst the dog is working - in other words when the dog is wearing its guiding harness. The best way to help is to avoid distracting the dog by too much petting, calling it, giving commands, or by offering tit bits.

However in some circumstances a guide dog owner may well require help from the general public - for example with crossing a busy road or with finding a destination that the guide dog is unfamiliar with. If you ever see a guide dog and owner who look as though they need help then don't hesitate to ask.

GERALDINE PEACOCK,

Chief Executive, GDBA.

SIR - With ref letter Cllr Anne Hawkesworth (11.9.98) concerning tax increases over the last 18 months, I would point out Budget April 97 was of course that of previous Government. Subsequent budgeting of incoming Labour Government was based on the election pledge not to increase the personal taxation rates and was largely concerned with implementing tax adjustments already largely predicted, such as the reductions of MIRAS and Married Allowance banding from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. Under the Conservatives the banding of personal allowances had been progressively reduced year-on-year by Allowance Restriction. This Government has mitigated the effects to those over age 65 by compensation in personal allowance. With regard to personal pension provision, the current reduction to tax credits has followed a progressive trend of claw back introduced, over the last few years. The track record of personal pension provision and advice from the de-regulated private sector has been less than satisfactory, hence the present strong clamp down.

Further, the real value of the state pension as a percentage of average earnings has reduced year-on-year. The Conservatives introduced the claw back of personal assets from savers and home owners to fund basic care provision in old age, thus discouraging life long prudence and self provision. Britain is a wealthy country; it is the pensioners of today who have created that wealth.

There is now an urgent need for an all party consensus approach to funding adequate state provision for people in their retirement years. How can a young worker on £3.60 an hour build up a personal pension?

As a footnote may I add a comment on the minimum wage debate. Example, single young person earning £3.60/hour/on a 40 hour week (National Insurance apart), salary £7,488 gross, (approx £6,830 net) per annum. Personal allowance 4195 (L), Taxable income £3,293. Tax £658 per annum or £12.65 per week (ie taxed at approx 32p/hour).

MELVYN HARRISON,

Labour Party member (35 yrs), Kilnsey Fold, Silsden.

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