‘Tell us alternative site for allotments’ Sir - In your article on the Langcliffe allotments (Craven Herald, January 8) you quote Phil Scott-Priestly from the land agents GSC Grays as saying that the allotment tenants were offered an alternative site, but that there was not a positive response to this offer.

Mr Scott-Priestly will be aware that neither the estate nor the agents were ever able to identify an alternative site. There could not be a positive response until we knew the location of the new site. It soon became clear that it did not exist and that this was eviction, not relocation.

It would be interesting for Mr Scott-Priestly to tell us where he believes the alternative site was located and why it was necessary to relocate the allotments. We were told at the time that these questions were “intrusive”.

His response cannot now make any difference to the allotment holders. Nobody would wish to go back to any arrangement with the estate after the way in which we have been treated and the abuse which we have suffered. It would, however, provide some substance to his comments in your article.

If Mr Scott-Priestly cannot identify that alternative site he should withdraw his comments and stop peddling the myth.

David Croll Langcliffe Caring compassion Sir - There have been many articles recently about the crisis in the National Health system. We would like to tell of our experience since the New Year.

Having been wonderfully looked after at Gills Top Care Home in Grassington our mother was admitted by ambulance to Airedale Hospital on New Year’s Eve with a serious chest infection.

She was seen in A & E quickly and efficiently with all the care that an elderly 95-year-old with mild dementia deserves. She was transferred to the acute medical admissions ward and then a few days later to ward 5.

Both our mother and ourselves were treated with the utmost care and compassion by hard- working teams of nursing and medical staff at all times. The support staff also were caring and efficient.

The hours worked are long and staff numbers often not up to full quota, but during two weeks we never heard complaints or grumbling.

A grateful thank-you to all concerned for all your kindness and consideration.

Jill Denham and Judy Shaw Burnsall Care to be proud of Sir - I read with some sadness your article about Cravenside Home for Elderly People in Barnoldswick.

It seems that the media will take every opportunity to emphasise the negatives but not the positives in our public services.

My mother was a resident at Cravenside until her death last year. I can honestly say that the care, compassion and professionalism shown by staff at every level in the organisation was exemplary.

The staff work incredibly hard doing what is a difficult and often thankless job with good humour and genuine love for their residents.

Indeed, in the CQC report the level of care was marked as good. All residents and their families questioned said they thought the place was excellent.

Some of the criticisms, which were the points highlighted in your reporting, were of an administrative nature rather than answering the key question of: “Will my relative be safe, happy and well looked after?”

Cravenside is a wonderful place, staffed by caring and professional people, which the community of Barnoldswick should be proud of. I only hope I can have somewhere like that to go to should I need care in the future.

The CQC, for obvious political and media related reasons, has developed an Ofsted model of inspection, which is a punitive one.

This demoralises and undermines the work of the staff who are already stretched to the limit by funding and staffing cuts.

A supportive and encouraging, yet rigorous inspection system would encourage staff and celebrate success, whilst also highlighting areas which could be improved. The same problem of negativity is happening to our NHS.

It is time we started to get behind our public services rather than taking every opportunity to knock them down, not least because we will turn round one day and find they are not there anymore.

Nothing illustrates this more than what has happened in the care sector, where the pursuit of profit has become more important than the care of the elderly.

Cravenside is a rare gem, a council run home which does the very best for its residents in a professional and caring manner but does not have to make a profit. We, and that includes our local media, should treasure it.

Ian Mulley Brooklands Road Burnley Price of exercise Sir - I would like to complain about your recent article about the cost of using Craven Swimming Pool’s facilities (Craven Herald, January 8). I think with the way this country has issues with obesity that the price of exercise is ridiculous and getting worse.

Craven Swimming Pool offers a lot of different exercise plans, from use of gym to different exercise classes and of cause the use of the pool. As of April your article states that to swim it will cost an adult £4.30, which if you go more than once a week starts to become expensive and will put further people off exercising like wise full membership will go up to £35 per month.

With the pool being a community-funded facility, I think to aid Craven’s public and to keep Craven healthy £3 for a swim is quite adequate and £2 concession, and something between £25 and £28 per month would be reasonable.

I hope the council will look at this proposal, and at the moment I don’t think the people using the pool are getting value for money as the showers are in urgent need of repair.

Neil Weeks Hurrs Road Skipton Rules of the road Sir - In his somewhat verbose letter, Mr Alan Tatham (January 15) is concerned about traffic flows at the mini-roundabout at the Newmarket Street/ Otley Road junction, especially in view of the Elsey Croft construction traffic.

He claims that the ‘give way to traffic from the right’ rule is a mistaken belief. It is not; and does apply unless specific markings on the roundabout indicate otherwise.

This, of course, only refers to traffic actually on the roundabout, and not to traffic approaching it from a road to the right. It follows that traffic from Otley Road is permitted in the latter case to proceed.

The problem is that many don’t, but remain stationary at the junction of the empty roundabout.

One can’t therefore blame traffic for not then proceeding. It is purely a matter of common sense as well as courtesy.

The lack of it is precisely the reason for heavy traffic delays particular on town/city ring-roads such as York and Leeds.

Robert Hall Rock House Thornton-in-Craven Instructor was right Sir - I’ve just read Alan Tatham’s letter in the Craven Herald. At first I thought that I must have misheard my driving instructor when I took my driving test in the early 1970s and that I have been using roundabouts wrongly ever since.

Mr Tatham says in his letter that at roundabouts the “give way to traffic from the right rule does not apply”.

I consulted the Highway Code online at https://www.gov.uk/highway-code/contents Rules 185 & 188 - using the road (159 to 203).

185 - When reaching the roundabout you should: • give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights • check whether road markings allow you to enter the roundabout without giving way. If so, proceed, but still look to the right before joining • watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all • look forward before moving off to make sure traffic in front has moved off.

188 - Mini-roundabouts. Approach these in the same way as normal roundabouts. All vehicles must pass round the central markings except large vehicles which are physically incapable of doing so. Remember, there is less space to manoeuvre and less time to signal. Avoid making U-turns at mini-roundabouts. Beware of others doing this.

Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10(1) & 16(1).

These rules appear to contradict what Mr Tatham says in his letter. I hope readers don’t take notice of Mr Tatham’s “homespun” rules of the road or chaos may well ensue on Newmarket Street. It looks like my driving instructor was right and Mr Tatham is wrong.

David Anderton Silsden Final call for views Sir - A final call to your readers up to 11 years of age right through to those aged 85-plus to submit their opinions, feelings and thoughts on the online North Yorkshire County Council Library Consultation Questionnaire.

The deadline is Sunday, February 8, and if they need help to access the document they can ask our library staff.

William Sieghart and his panel who published the ‘Independent Library Review’ in December, commissioned by the Government, says that: “A library does more than just loan books. It underpins every community. Libraries are amongst the most valuable of civic spaces.”

If you haven’t yet filled in your questionnaire then that’s a good quote to include.

Ginny Wilkinson Chairperson, Friends of Skipton Library Whinfield Court Skipton Library petition Sir - The large numbers of people signing the petition to keep all North Yorkshire County Council libraries staffed have been encouraged by the efforts of inspired helpers from Whitby to Scarborough, Easingwold, Thirsk, Ripon and beyond to the campaigners at Bentham and Skipton.

The county council are also redoubling their efforts to publicise their plans, including in Skipton tonight. These will be among the final chances for the public to speak on the proposals before the consultation ends on Sunday, February 8. We collect in until mid-week, February 4.

The petition volunteers do not have the resources of the county council to put their plans across - but urge the public not only to fill in the NYCC forms and attend their well-resourced briefings but also to sign petitions – whether the ‘Save North Yorkshire Libraries’ petition online or write to the press.

John Dean Manor Farm House Beadlam Nawton York Full buses better?

Sir- I refer to the ongoing campaign by Mr Peter Rigby to attempt to make our bus services viable by charging pensioners.

This idea places too much dependence on extrapolating a council finding that: “Large numbers of respondents say they would be prepared to pay a fare rather than receive a free journey” to mean: “Sufficient pensioners would travel regularly and pay sufficiently high fares to make the services financially secure”...

Sadly this idea is naïve, or we would not have seen a decline in rural bus services over many years. The reality is that many bus services cannot continue without subsidies from either state or local government.

Is it not better for these subsidies be paid in a format which encourages pensioners to ride on the buses than simply run those buses near empty?

Philip Sugden Town Head Grassington Getting out of mess Sir - In answer to John D Clark’s letter in the Craven Herald (January 15) , in which he stated that Labour should never be trusted with the economy, John D Clark has got it wrong.

Please note it was the Labour Party which got this country out of the mess after the Second World War. It was also the Labour Party’s proudest moment when they created the NHS many years ago.

It was not the Labour Party that got this country into a mess, as stated by John D Clark. It was caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers Bank, which affected most countries in the world.

The Tories have privatised water, electricity, gas and council houses. Also it was the Conservatives who caused the deterioration of the NHS, which is in crisis and a state of collapse, so you can see that I believe that the Labour Party are the only party which can get this country out of the mess.

The Labour Party represent the working-class.

Dino Reardon The Grove Skipton Quest for fairness Sir - I decided to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming general election partly because of the myths and misinformation being expressed by people like Mr Clark (Letters, January 15). He blames Labour for the economic mess we’re in but he doesn’t mention the global financial crisis which sent economies worldwide into recession.

He proclaims the work of the Conservative-led government but he doesn’t mention the disastrous effects of their decision to cut public spending too far and too fast, sucking demand from the economy. He praises Julian Smith for “supporting libraries, community centres and bus services” but he doesn’t mention the 34 per cent cut to North Yorkshire County Council’s budget which Smith supported and which is resulting in drastic cuts to these very services.

The truth is that the most vulnerable in society have borne the brunt of the cuts whilst the rich have got richer. Four million UK children now live in poverty. Nearly a million people have sought help from food banks.

Meanwhile, the Tories and Lib Dems have given a tax cut to those on the highest incomes.

I fear that many people, like Mr Clark, have had the wool pulled over their eyes by the Tories. There is currently a rolling back of public spending to levels not seen since the 1930s.

We are seeing a hollowing out of local public service provision, the stealthy privatisation of the NHS and a growing gap between rich and poor. It is all deeply wrong.

I welcome the interventions this week from Archbishops Sentamu and Welby condemning the current situation where “some few have far too much and the many have too little”.

I would like to invite all your readers to join us in our campaign for greater fairness.

Malcolm Birks Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Skipton & Ripon constituency Old Mill Drive Colne Planning problems Sir - The absence of a development plan for the area where I live is creating massive problems for local people.

Any developer can argue that there is no plan which says that what they are proposing is out of place. The result is that seriously inappropriate schemes keep getting approved despite massive local objection.

But the local council isn’t the only villain. It is not entirely fair to place all the blame on them. Much of the fault lies with central government policy which requires them “to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements with an additional buffer of five per cent”.

This means that they can only get a plan approved if that plan allows for massive development. The local council are caught both ways.

If they don’t put in a plan the developers can get some dreadful schemes approved because they can claim there is no plan. Yet if the council does submit a plan it has to allow for excessive development.

The result in my village of Cononley is ludicrously overblown development like Madge Bank and elsewhere places like Embsay are finding themselves facing massive changes to the character of their village.

The Government seems to feel that the Green Belt is a bit of a nuisance and if we could only get rid of planning law we would build our way out of recession. Protection of greenfield sites which has been maintained by all governments for over 60 years is now being swept away as if it was the cause of our failure to build enough houses.

The main reason we aren’t building enough homes is that the banks aren’t lending enough money and neither local nor national government is taking any responsibility for building affordable homes.

Andy Brown Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party for Skipton and Ripon Main Street Cononley