Letters to the Editor

what recycling is all about?

SIR, - I know I live in Otley, I moved here 15 years ago. I have a Leeds postcode and my postal address is Otley, West Yorkshire.

My phone number is in the Bradford phone book, but like several hundred other Otley residents I technically live in North Yorkshire.

My children went to Prince Henry's, I have never had any problem using the Otley library, but my binmen come from Harrogate.

My Parliamentary constituency is Skipton and Ripon and I pay Council Tax to Harrogate. But I still live in Otley.

That is until I want to use the waste tip at Ellar Ghyll or any of the bottle and paper banks in town. After a conversation with Leeds City Council, as I am not a Leeds resident, using these facilities is unlawful.

Leeds City Council tell me that it is expensive to dispose of my rubbish and as I don't contribute to their coffers, I can't use them. I tried suggesting that everyone just goes to their nearest waste facilities, so it stands to reason that some Leeds Residents will go to facilities outside Leeds, if they are nearer, so everything should balance. This got me nowhere.

Legally, I must drive to the waste facilities in Wetherby Road, Harrogate, a round trip of 25 miles to dispose of my bottles, newspapers, cardboard and garden waste.

I compost a lot of garden waste, but not all, some goes to the tip. I give to charity shops, but some things are just too old, so go to the tip. I naively thought that I was helping the planet by recycling paper, glass, metal and wood. No longer!

I must now pollute the planet with an hour's driving, using depleting fossil fuel to do so. Is this what recycling is all about?

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Otley.

Greg spotting

SIR, - 'Twas the issue twixt Xmas (can't mention The Christ

As some politically correct ones may think it not nice)

And the first week of Jan that I noticed the dregs making

Puerile, quite spotted reflections on Greg.

"Who's Greg?", you might ask if you've missed the last missives

From 'Reader' who labours and the 'Spotters' who've 'missed him'.

He's new on the block, has charisma and vibes

The Lib Dem MP who's come into our lives.

Not for him petty snipes at who has done what;

He's a doer who cares and does give a jot

For the youth, for the elderly, the homeless and all

Of his constituency - not least in Wharfedale.

So rather than snipe, for that's what some have done.

Let's welcome this family oriented son.

With kindness, support and a heartfelt "Amen"

There's a need for his like behind door number ten.

Ann Whitehead

22 Myers Croft,

Otley.

El Groucho

SIR, - Am I the only Otley resident who is sick of reading of the supposed shortcomings of this district from a person so in touch with the situation that he lives in Spain.

I am referring of course to 'El Groucho' Cooney whose diatribes you regularly feature in your correspondence column.How can this man know anything about the conditions in this town when he lives so far away?

His latest letter began with the question of why no gritters had been in evidence in Otley during the recent cold weather. I must say I was surprised but delighted to see a gritter on my road on the second icy morning, so whoever informed Mr Cooney that no gritting was done was not telling him the truth.

As for rude dustbin men, how many times does Mr Cooney's dustbin in Alicante get emptied by anyone he is grousing about. How does he know they are rude, if in fact they are?

How does he come to the conclusion that you never see a policeman on Otley 's streets, even if there was one he would hardly be able to see him or her from Spain. If the streets are dirty and strewn with litter, which apart from market day is not my experience, surely it is the Otley residents who are mainly at fault for dropping the litter.

Some of the roads are in a poor state but they are being improved and would not be in such a state if the quarry lorries did not rip them up on a daily basis. I believe the council is trying to do something about this.

I suspect that the real writer of these letters is perhaps a politician trying to use your letter page to get his views across whilst hiding under another name.

Please stop this racket and only print the opinions of people who have a right to complain i.e. the ratepayers and residents of the town. Mr Cooney has choosen to live ( and pay taxes?) abroad and as such has no right to complain about anything happening in the Otley district.

K D Webb

131 St Richards Road,

Otley.

Unacceptable

SIR, - In your newspaper last week you asked for views on civil partnerships. Why such an act warrants a full page in our local paper to me is beyond belief and, I am sure a great many more people.

It is bad enough that homosexuality is widespread on television these days, without full pages of these partnerships in our local papers.

From childhood days, we are taught in church and the bible that a partnership was a loving union between a man and a woman, leading to marriage and children to seal that partnership - for example, Adam and Eve, and not Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve.

A E GLAISTER

3 Moor Lane,

Guiseley.

New library

SIR, - The following poem is about the new library in Otley.

Greatness is found in literate writings,

Extolling Works of honoured men.

In words of passing eras timing

To inspire us once again.

Within these works are founded

Of those who light the page;

Of learned men in greatest tribute

To a passing age.

The library is the keeper

Of wisdom's sacred books.

A guide to bless our township

Whichever way one looks.

Great works are set in grandeur;

To uplift our wisdom's need.

To seek the truth of gifted hands;

To guide and to lead.

LILA MITCHELL

5 Hamilton Terrace,

Otley.

Handbag thanks

SIR, - I would like to thank the kind person who handed my brown handbag to staff in the coffee shop at Stephen Smith's on Saturday afternoon, January 7.

Liz Heffer

St David's Road

Otley.

I reply to a couple of letters than have appeared in recent weeks - it has been nice to be talked about and I am as ever happy to reply to people's points!

First of all, in response to John Eveleigh's letter last week (January 5).

I am pleased that, despite the fact that he is a local Labour Party stalwart, he acknowledges the amount of work I have been doing that is covered in this and other papers and also notes that I have strong views that I espouse locally and in Parliament. Thank you John.

However, he thinks I have been quiet on the issue of the Liberal Democrat leadership. Well John, let me assure you this is not the case. In the last couple of weeks I have spoken, often more than once, to ITN, Radio 5 Live, Channel 4, Newsnight, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Calendar, the Press Association, Radio Aire, Radio Leeds, the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Yorkshire Post, the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and of course last but by no means least, the Wharfedale & Airedale Observer. In each case I have given a full and frank answer.

So you be reassured that I have been giving my views on this matter widely. So can I apologise if I forgot to speak with you, John, on the subject. However, like all of my constituents, if you want to get in touch with me and get my views, just call my office on (0113) 226 6519.

The main reason, of course, that you have not seen discussion about this matter in 'the Wharfedale', is because the paper mainly and rightly reports stories of the things I am doing locally - the constituency issues I am raising locally and in Parliament, the community events I attend and the groups and charities I visit and work with.

In a similar vein, I also very much appreciated the letter from Rogan Ashton and Jane Sanderson (December 29) entitled 'Spotting Greg'.

I was most amused to hear of your game, 'Spot the Mulholland', but I have to tell you that that week you were not playing with your usual attention - I actually WAS in the paper on December 15 - twice! Once on the front page talking about Prince Henry's and once on Page 4 discussing the smoking issue!

So you can be assured that normal service from me never stopped and is ongoing (and you will have seen further issues coverage in subsequent editions).

But it is nice that people are paying attention to what I am doing in the area. I set my shop out before the election to be a hard working, local MP and have done my best since the election to live up to that.

To coin a paraphrase, an MP's work is never done and I don't intend to stop doing it.

Greg Mulholland

MP for Leeds North West,

427 Otley Road,

Bramhope.

Quiet on leadership issue? Not me, says MP