What cycling needs to match continent

For years now, I have taken my cycling holidays on the continent rather than in the UK for the following reasons.

The road surfaces over there are far better than in Britain which have been getting steadily worse over the last 30 years.

The attitude of motorists in this country all too often range from indifference towards the safety of cyclists to amazement that there are some people crazy enough to ride a bike at all.

On the continent cyclists are treated with far more respect. A greater proportion of motorists are cyclists themselves, so they understand the problems that cyclists have to face. Also the law is more severe on motorists who injure or kill cyclists. In France one often sees signs with the slogan “let’s share the road” which show a car overtaking a cyclist indicating a distance of one-and-a-half metres between the two. When cycling in Britain, I am lucky sometimes if I have one-and-a-half centimetres between me and the overtaking vehicle.

Cycling in Britain has improved recently but far more needs to be done and, as usual, the key to all this is money.

To make up for lost time, at least £30 a head of the population a year needs to be spent which comes to a total of £2 billion a year. At the moment expenditure on cycling in Britain is about £10 a person a year, whereas countries like Holland and Germany have been spending over £20 a person a year for years.

Two billion pounds a year might sound like a lot of money but compared to what is spent on new roads, on Trident and possibly on HS2, is peanuts. The benefits of spending this sort of money would be enormous - less traffic, less air pollution and a fitter healthier population with fewer demands on the NHS.

In an election year, we have the power to vote in politicians who are prepared to improve matters rather than the present self-styled Greenest-ever government, which pays little more than lip service to cycling.

Keith Bradshaw Riversdale Giggleswick Arresting argument Sir - As a retired officer I must agree with the comment by the former officer about the gap between the theory and the practice of closing Skipton custody suite.

A while ago I attended a meeting where senior police officers tried to justify what already appeared to be a done deal on the closure. The impression given was that closing the suite would put more officers on the streets and that upon arrest all the arresting officer had to do was drop the prisoner at the Harrogate custody suite and then return straight away to police the streets of Craven.

Any officer who regularly arrests people will know that that is not the case. There are certain things to be done that have to be done straightaway, such as giving evidence of arrest to the custody officer so detention can be authorised and original notes have to be completed. Admittedly a great deal of the latter end of the process can now be done by other officers (officers who then won’t be on the streets). Also, going along with rationale that closing Skipton will put more officers on the streets, there is the possibility that more arrests will take place. So more Craven officers going to Harrogate and presumably more officers from other areas also going to Harrogate, so inevitably, there will be time spent waiting to get a prisoner booked in - more time away from Craven for an arresting officer and probably also a witnessing officer.

If officers are still at Harrogate at the end of their shift overtime will probably be incurred and more importantly a police vehicle which is stuck in Harrogate will be wanted by officers who have come on to the next shift. This will obviously impact on what calls they can attend, leaving the public of Craven more vulnerable.

A large number of arrests following a drink-fuelled fight one night could leave Craven unpoliced with all uniformed officers miles away. Add on travelling time both ways which in bad weather can be considerable it definitely does not seem a strategy thought out to improve the policing received by the good people of Craven but merely a cost-cutting exercise.

I have great sympathy not just for the people of Craven and the rank-and-file officers who will try and make this work, but also for the senior officers who have got to find savings in their budget. But please sirs, don’t put money saving above the safety of the people of Craven and your hardworking officers on the ground.

Probably the best saving would be to get rid of Julia Mulligan, the crime commissioner, who from what I’ve seen so far knows as much about operational policing as I know about brain surgery.

Paul Morley Ribblesdale Estate Long Preston Fishing for the facts Sir - May I raise questions relating to your Skipton Magistrates’ Court report of an angler’s absolute discharge for unlicensed angling at Kilnsey. The pond in question was the children’s pond. Under 12 year olds do not require an Environment Agency fishing licence, and the Kilnsey owner provides a highly useful service by permitting children to fish this ‘children only’ designated pond using the pellets which are the trouts’ customary diet. Thus, to encourage the children, fish there are easy to catch, unlike in the other ponds at Kilnsey which are fly fishing only.

The vast majority of anglers know that a licence is required for over 12 year olds to fish in any freshwater area in England and Wales. Your report states that the angler in question had an expired licence. Relevant information on the Environment Agency’s licensing requirements are customarily provided in written form when a licence is purchased, so it is reasonable to assume that this angler having previously obtained a licence was indeed aware of his need to have a licence. In any event, “ignorance of the law is no defence” is the well known customary usage and practice before the courts.

On the face of it, your report of the court making an absolute discharge order based on this angler’s defence of absent or misleading signage certainly begs questions concerning the prosecution’s presentation of the background and facts of this case, and the possibility either of the absence of the full facts being available to the court, and/or, of the magistrates choosing to ignore them. Either way, I am puzzled at the court’s decision.

Whatever the reasons, I’m sure that bona fide legitimate anglers in the Skipton area, for whom I have a high regard, will not be too impressed with the outcome of this case, and some may indeed wonder if it’s worth their while buying a licence.

Jim O’Rourke Formerly of Cross Hills Now Newcastle Co Down Getting to the truth Sir - As the appointed UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for the Skipton and Ripon Constituency, I am concerned at the constant political barracking in the local press and media about who did what and when, and who is to blame when it wasn’t accomplished.

Sadly it is this type of rhetoric that dissuades the public from voting as there is always a good excuse why something wasn’t done and, if that isn’t good enough, it seems that downright lies are the best way forward. How on earth can you believe anything that politicians say anymore? We seem to have reached a stage where the truth is almost as difficult to find as a simple yes or no answer.

For example, when David Cameron promised to cut immigration, he said “no ifs no buts, the message is clear”. However, the Home Secretary , Theresa May, denied that this was a promise or a commitment - so what was it then? The truth is that with an extra 200,000 to 300,000 people in the UK, our health, education and housing services are at breaking point. UKIP do not wish to ban all immigration. They wish to regulate the flow and whilst we are part of the European Union, this honestly cannot be achieved.

So what can we do about these lies and deception from our politicians? I believe that the voting public should have the ability to “recall” their MPs, without Parliamentary or MP approval, if MPs do not live up to their pledges, promises and expectations. So if like Nick Clegg you say – elect me and I will remove university fees and you then triple them, you are suspended as the MP until voters decide whether to re-elect you, or not. Interestingly enough only one party wishes to make this law and that is UKIP.

The Conservative Government is cutting social services and yet wonders why hospitals are struggling for bed. For the record, UKIP have stated that the NHS should remain free at the point of service and would fund a further £3 billion into the sector.

The best one yet is our local MP’s statements that the Conservatives want to save our libraries. Yet it is the Conservative-run councils who are cutting the budgets for these. How can Julian Smith stand there with a straight face and state he wants to preserve libraries, whilst being part of the administration that is shutting them down?

There has been much concern that Craven District Council has been selling off land below market price, paying off management (under confidentiality agreements) and spending money on unnecessary projects including the relocation of the council headquarters.

There is also much concern about the lack of a coherent housing plan for the area. When you add all these things together you get uncontrolled housing schemes, in the wrong places being approved (when perhaps there are better alternatives) and suddenly, extra pressure on schools and healthcare become the norm.

Craven and our surrounding area is a beautiful place and people clearly like living here. However, without honest answers to some key questions, it may not remain that way.

Alan Henderson PPC Ripon and Skipton and Deputy Chairman UKIP, North Yorkshire Region Bishop Thornton Harrogate.

Hopes for the future Sir - As a 19-year-old young man, May’s General Election will be the first I can vote in, it will also be one of the most important since 1945.

I agree wholeheartedly with the views of Malcolm Birks (Letters,January 8 and 22) and feel utter despair at those of John Clark (Letters, January 15).

Mr Clark talks about Labour’s historic economic record. Let us not forget it was a Clement Attlee (a former Conservative who through his voluntary experience realised that charity was not the answer) Labour government that out of the ashes of World War Two, created this country’s greatest achievement, the NHS and the Welfare State, at the time debt to GDP was 250 per cent. The Conservatives who were in opposition, under the leadership of Churchill, were against the creation of the NHS.

Contrary to common belief, in the 1980s the Thatcher government chose to squander the North Sea Oil reserves, rather than create a Sovereign Wealth Fund, like that in Norway, now estimated to be worth close to $857 billion.

On May 8 this year, when we wake up to the election result, which also happens to be the 70th Anniversary of VE Day, I hope once again the spirit of 1945 will be rekindled with Malcolm Birks and a Labour Government.

Joe Dillon Hammerton Drive Hellifield Elderly care fears Sir - It was reported in The Times that the number of frail, elderly people receiving government-funded care has plummeted in the past three years. As a result, more strain has been placed on NHS hospitals. Age UK found that the number of elderly people who receive funded care has fallen by 56 per cent since 2012. During this time the over 65 population has risen by one million.

This collapse in funded care has contributed to the crisis in the NHS, with more elderly people arriving at A&E and hospitals full of older patients who cannot be discharged because there is nowhere appropriate for them to go.

The British Medical Association chairman, Dr Mark Porter, was quoted as saying: “Problems at the A&E front door are linked to delays at the back door, as a shortage of social care beds creates exit blocks in hospitals.”

According to Age UK, the number of people receiving meals-on-wheels is also down by 63 per cent and spending on daycare centres has been cut by a third.

Councils decide who is eligible for funded social care but following the massive central government cuts, most can only help those with the greatest need.

The Tory/Lib Dem government make out that these cuts are an inevitable part of austerity measures. The truth is that they have made a choice about their priorities. Whilst cutting funding for social care they have given a tax cut to those on the highest incomes and have refused to properly tax the big banks and large corporations.

A Labour government would make different choices and would put money back where it is most needed, making sure that social care for the elderly is properly funded and co-ordinated.

Malcolm Birks Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Skipton & Ripon, Old Mill Drive Colne Concern for market Sir - As regular weekly visitors on different market days, my wife and I are extremely disappointed at the state the market is in, at this present time, with half the sites full of parked cars.

What used to be a vibrant, busy main street with both sides full of stalls, it has now become a disjointed and disappointing sight. On the days we attend it is quite obvious that the number of visitors has decreased enormously.

If this situation continues, it is quite obvious more and more visitors will cease to attend which will have a devastating effect on all the businesses in the town centre.

Surely it is in the capability of Craven District Council to be able to come to some agreement with the High Street businesses who have excluded the stallholders from setting up in front of their premises.

Once the High Street is fully occupied again, down both sides, it will soon return to being the bustling busy town it used to be.

Barry Pearce Hazel Grove Sutton Editor’s note: The management of the High Street market is now done by Skipton Town Council, which is seeking ways to ensure and enhance its vitality.

Final libraries plea Sir - As the library consultation closing date rapidly approaches (February 8) those of us who have talked over the issues with friends, attended public meetings, written to MP Julian Smith and sought to communicate with a wider public through the Herald, can only be left wondering whether we have done enough to preserve the library services in the Craven area, let alone though out the county of North Yorkshire.

We each have our own accounts of the library services worth to us and our indebtedness to it, ranging from the seemingly trivial to the more profound. Take our family for example - we’d rather borrow DVDs from the libraries media lending service than sign up to a (more expensive) multi-national company catalogue.

It is local, involves a walk into town and conversations with those we meet on the way; provides what we consider to be a better browsing experience from a regularly changing selection, and also means that we contribute towards the revenue which, we hope, goes to improve and expand the services for others.

On a more significant note, our daughter is a dedicated reader who has enjoyed lifelong participation of brilliant libraries. Now well into her secondary education at the town’s high school, she reads an average of two novels per week - contributing massively to her growing understanding of history and science, of moral dilemmas and social situations outside of her experience - in a word ‘life’.

These books are well chosen and often recommended by librarians (definition: a search engine with a heart) who know our children, their personalities and their tastes. Putting a conservative estimate on the price of acquiring these books, I can imagine they would cost at least £500 per year - a cost we could not easily afford; especially as we have three children who won’t necessarily want to read the same things!

Economics aside, our children’s experience of reading has been so enriched through participation in this community which is not sales oriented; which is open and accessible to anyone to visit, meet others, get information on health, local and family history, local services, community events and groups...

So many decisions come down to economics rather than ideals these days, perhaps they always did. But in this age of increasing, seemingly irreversible, individualism and hyper-independence; in which people seem to want to be informed, entertained, distracted and occupied in the comfort and isolation of their own homes and on their own devices; a quality library service provides a much healthier and more integrated alternative.

If anything, I think more should be done to enable those who make little or no use of this provision to begin to realise its potential. One final plea to keep these services open and resourced, with qualified and dedicated staff, in or near to every community across this county.

Joel Howard-Birt East Neville Street Skipton Happy customers Sir - I am writing to inform you what a delicious Christmas lunch we had on Christmas Day at the Three Horse Shoes in Ingleton. The meal was like from home from home and the hospitality and service by the landlady Sue, landlord Mark and their son Robert was excellent and very person-centred.

The decorations were magical and my husband and I, friends had a great time. Sue, Mark and Robert deserves a Gold Award for their time and effort.

It was brought to my attention that Sue, Mark and Robert cook a free Christmas Dinner for local pensioners who live in the village just before christmas and arrange for another free meal just before Easter, in which all enjoy and have said they all have a good time and look forward to it. That alone they should be given a Gold Award.

Sue and Mark also hold different events over the year and give all proceeds to the local charity’s in the village. I would like to give a big thank-you to Sue, Mark and Robert on behalf of everyone, for their kindness support and wish them all a Happy New Year.

L Howarth Low Demesne Close Ingleton