Silsden has a lot to offer. It is a great place to live, midst town and country. It has a wide variety of facilities, but in common with other areas it does need more.

It also has a great community spirit, and as often seen can band together to take on bureaucracy and fight for what it believes to be right.

It is a crying shame that this image is constantly being undermined by its so-called civic leaders. Time after time after time, actions at the parish council or by members of it put a huge black cloud over the rest of the town.

The latest example - whilst correct under the rules - has done little to enhance its reputation.

The squabbling, back biting, finger pointing, tongue lashing tactics are worthy of a guest appearance on the Jerry Springer show.

Behind the scenes there is no doubt a great deal of good positive work is being done - which is constantly overshadowed by internal rows.

Local parish pump politics are at the very heart of democracy, and the rights of local councils must be defended to the hilt - or even increased. They must not become a monthly pantomime performance.

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