Ilkley MP Ann Cryer has tackled environment minister Michael Meacher about the impact of the Bradford UDP on the rural community.

Mrs Cryer said new housing would be a dormitory for commuters working in Bradford and Leeds resulting in increased road congestion and its environmental consequences.

She expressed concern that the Government should be doing something about green field building sites and told the minister she would not just accept the UDP designations.

Mrs Cryer has also met Helen Hayman, the minister responsible for the government's road review. The Ilkley MP expressed her support for a truly integrated transport system and asked Helen Hayman to look at the shortcomings making life hard for the users of the Wharfedale Line.

Mrs Cryer raised the three issues of the antique stock, which she believes should have been replaced years ago, the number of cancellations and overcrowding since privatisation and the matter of western access to Leeds station.

Mrs Cryer feels overuse leads to many failures in points and signals.

The Social Security Secretary, Harriet Harman, has also met with Mrs Cryer. Mrs Harman met with MPs to talk about the Green Paper on the delivery of benefits and reduction of fraudulent claims.

Mrs Cryer said the Government must look to increase the staffing of the Benefits Agency offices so that people seeking advice can ask which benefit they are entitled to rather than the current situation where staff have to ask them which benefit they want to claim.

"This leads to delays in sorting out the correct benefits that people are entitled to and a consequent loss in benefit for these people as the benefits are only payable from the date of the claim," said Mrs Cryer.

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