SIR – We wanted to write to you, in Local Newspaper Week, and put on record our support for the vital work that the Telegraph & Argus does in the Bradford area.

The role played by local newspapers in the life of an area is vital and cannot be overestimated. From reporting local news and events to campaigning for action, the services provided by publications such as your own are countless.

There are many who would not know what was going on if it was not for the local newspaper. The opportunity for anyone to raise their views and opinions through the letters pages is another benefit of a thriving local publication.

It is also heartening to see that far from being eclipsed by the internet, local papers are embracing the web, which enables them to inform a wider audience on local news and issues as well as generate lively debate.

So, we would like to mark this, Local Newspaper Week, by putting on record our thanks for all you do for the local area and your readers. May you have many more successful years to come.

Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Rebecca Taylor MEP, Liberal Democrat MEPs for Bradford