Letters to the editor

The disturbance has ended after 12 months of what can only be described as torture and would likely be considered sleep deprivation torture by a human rights court. But I am now able to sleep and get quality sleep. I dream now whereas I haven’t for months at home.

We are left with a dirty patch of ground unkempt with debris strewn about. Houses on Greenfield Street have piles of pallets and plywood in their small front yards and we are still spied upon by the CCTV cameras pointing at the back of our houses. Craven District Council still treat us with the contempt and patronising attitude they have displayed through this whole debacle.

Whenever I ask for explanation why they did not police their imposed conditions in the licence for renting the land and the planning permission, rather than answering my questions their planners are defensive and lay the blame on me for not allowing them to invade my home to install recording equipment.

I no longer want to live in Skipton and shall be selling up and leaving as soon as I can afford to. My treatment and that of my neighbours has been that shockingly degrading at the hands of the mosque and Craven District Council. And yes I have been off work sick again due to this. I cannot afford to allow something like this to have the chance to affect my life again.

Peace resides around the Greenfield green, but I no longer have respect for people and neighbours I once did.

NIC FOXTON, Pendle Street, Skipton.

* A spokesman for Craven District Council replies: “The council responded a number of times to concerns of residents regarding the temporary mosque in Skipton. We offered several times to install noise monitoring equipment in order to be able to prove a noise nuisance case. However, residents refused to accept these measures.

“The mosque was given temporary planning permission to remain in place until the end of August, at which time it was removed in accordance with the terms of the planning permission and licence for use of the land. Only two letters of objection were received from the community on the occasion of the final planning application, with noise nuisance one of the key concerns raised. However, offers to install noise monitoring equipment had been declined as the complainants commented that noise disturbance had been reduced.

“Council officers dedicated a significant amount of time to responding to this issue, liaising with residents and with the elders of the mosque to encourage them to keep the noise levels down, which clearly did have some impact.

“The temporary structure has now been removed and we thank the residents for their patience."

I WAS interested to read MP Julian Smith’s “welcome to the arrival of superfast broadband”.

Residents of Church Street, Long Preston could not join in the general back-slapping because we have only got superslow broadband. We are the only street in the village not to have the new technology, despite having at least four internet businesses working on the street and 20 families.

So much for “ensuring that England’s most rural county keeps up with modern technology and superfast broadband speeds”.

In June 2014, I noticed that what I thought was an anomaly on the Superfast North Yorkshire’s website map, where Church Street seemed to be the only area not moving forward with the upgrade to the rest of the village. I took this up with SFNY, who then procrastinated over a series of emails, and avoided answering the substantive questions for eight months.

By March this year, when fibre-optic was actually being installed in the village, I escalated the question to the chief executive of NYnet (the company managing the roll-out), John Moore, who deigned to reply three weeks later, to inform, as suspected, that our street was pushed back to Phase Two – ie not a hope for two years. Importantly, why we had we not been told of this much earlier, so that a strong campaign could have been brought to bear on the problem?

The real answer, is of course, that BT/OpenReach did not consider it would make enough money to upgrade Cabinet One on Station Road, which is the one which serves our street.

A recent Parliamentary committee has revealed many similar stories of the lack of transparency, poor communications and coverage in other rural areas of England.

Less cheering Mr Smith, and more results on the ground.

JOHN SELLERS, Church Street, Long Preston.

I WOULD like to congratulate Dyneley House Surgery for the success it is having with dementia participation. However, I would also like to stress that dementia is only one part of many illnesses.

It has been my surgery since 1943 and obviously I have seen many changes. There is much information in the surgery dealing with many problems in people’s lives.

Having had a life-changing illness in a young member of my family in 1982 and no husband support due to heart failure, I would have welcomed anything that could have helped us. Now retired, it has become my life to keep abreast of things. My own experiences are sometimes useful to others.

I keep in touch via the Patient Participation Group, Healthwatch, Clinical Commissioning Group and Bradford District Care Trust, my main interest being mental health and all the voluntary groups that have been good to me.

Please take advantage of the many things that are available from the surgery, but also be aware that, due to the increasing demand for services, doctors, reception staff and pharmacies are limited by time and finance.

Advertising material of great choice is available in the waiting areas and will help start your journey to extra support to help all your family.

Finally I would ask for consideration on a close issue to me – the gift of life. The need for blood and organ donation is at an all-time high – technology is amassing but without individuals' gifts, it is useless.

Many thanks to Skipton and the surrounding areas which have been good to me throughout my life.

HAZEL BULCOCK, Devonshire Mews, Skipton.

REGARDING the call for support for Settle Swimming Pool, interestingly Cllr Brockbank responded (Craven Herald, September 10) as CDC’s lead member for communities, what we were hoping for was her support as leader of the community she represents — Bentham and Burton-in-Lonsdale. We need her and her fellow North Craven CDC Councillors (Hull, Ireton, Lis, Moorby, Staveley and Welch) to stand up for the people they represent.

The fact is that CDC are delivering a service at Skipton (Craven Pool) that is not available to the people of North Craven. Settle Pool provides this service to the area, including primary school swimming for Austwick, Bentham, Clapham, Giggleswick, Hellifield, Horton, Long Preston, Rathmell and Settle. School swimming is, of course, in the National Curriculum, so perhaps the councillors mentioned above would explain to the children of their communities where they would swim if Settle Pool did not deliver this service.

There is absolutely no point going on about which pot funding comes from, money can be made available. We gave examples of CDC spending in our previous letter, and only a few days ago their policy committee detailed a capital programme monitoring report (2015-16) which included another £72.5k for Craven Pool and a revenue budget report showing a further £24k to Craven Pool for “under estimation of staff costs”.

Settle Area Swimming Pool merits revenue support from CDC for the services it provides, an annual grant of say £20k would be significant in securing a stable financial future. We do not anticipate continuing to debate this via The Herald, but hope to take the matter direct to CDC.

TREVOR GRAVESON, Chairman, Settle Area Swimming Pool Committee.

THE term “spitting feathers” is well used, but it is spot on to describe my feelings over a recent incident.

I am a regular customer to Merritt and Fryers, Skipton, and at approximately 10.30am on Tuesday, September 15, I parked my recently acquired metallic green Land Rover Discovery in the lower yard by the timber department, in the furthest corner out of the way.

After completing my business, I returned to my vehicle to find it had suffered considerable body damage and a ruined tyre. The cost to put things right is looking close to £400.

Unfortunately there had been no witnesses, there was no note of any kind, and nobody had made an attempt to find me.

The person who caused the damage is probably a local tradesman, even a regular customer to Merritt and Fryers. For him/her to deal with this incident so despicably makes my blood boil.

I have considered asking Merritt and Fryers for a list of people who signed dockets between 10.35am and 10.50am, but I am reluctant to do so, as I don’t want to put them in a difficult position.

I would like to think that the person responsible does have a conscience and that they will, even now, do the decent thing and own up (through Robert at M & F).

DAVID HALL, Airton.

IT would appear that North Yorkshire County Council has arbitrarily decided on a plan to differentiate between private housing and social housing.

Street lights in private residential areas are being turned off at a preset time whilst those near social housing remain fully lit.

No notice has been given, yet our cul-de-sac of primarily older private residents is plunged into darkness from 12.15am to 4.30am thus making us a prime target. I have been told that this due entirely to the council/private decision but surely we pay a significant sum to NYCC coffers annually? Also the lighting posts are situated on public footpaths in all areas so who decides specifically which areas are to be set back to the dark ages?

How does this affect our insurance should our houses/cars be damaged and can we claim against those who make these decisions? Who paid the cost for the crews changing the lights to remote control as the cost of two lights for a year could surely have been less than they charge?

PETER TAYLOR, Skipton.

SUSTAINABILITY is the faux buzzword of the decade isn’t it? The proposed estate by the Bailey being described as “... sustainable urban extension to Skipton”, which means that it should have a self-contained composting sewage system, is self sufficient for all energy, has gardens adequate to grow all the food the inhabitants need and process it where necessary, has its own independent water supply, doesn’t use any materials sourced from any unsustainable methods, recycles 100 per cent of all wastes (and that is just the start) otherwise it isn’t sustainable.

The word is being used in the same way as when a 500g item is described as weighing a kilo – in other words as a deception to fool the gullible.

SAM MOORE, Cornholme Terrace, Todmorden.

A THINK-TANK has warned that the NHS is suffering its “hardest decade ever”. As our lives become more inactive, we are growing unhealthier and continuing to place a strain on our health service. The focus needs to be on prevention.

An easy solution to our sedentary lifestyle is getting more people walking yet last month’s National Travel Survey results revealed that over one in five people hadn’t walked for 20 minutes at all within the last year. Walking is free, accessible to all and can be easily slotted into everyday life. It is good for our mental health and can prevent chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

The Government Spending Review needs to focus on prevention measures as well as the immediate NHS needs.

Most of us say we’d walk more if it was safer, more attractive or more convenient. We need to make sure it is so that more people start walking and feeling the lifelong physical, social, mental and practical benefits it brings.

JENNY WILES, Regional Director North East and Yorkshire, Living Streets, Newcastle upon Tyne.

I AM writing to ask your readers to get their aprons on and their mixing bowls and teapots at the ready to bake a difference for people with epilepsy. National Tea and Cake Break on Friday, October 16. The event raises money for national charity Epilepsy Action. The charity supports the 600,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK.

National Tea and Cake Break brings bakers and brew-lovers together all over the country. There are all sorts of ways to get involved, from a cup of tea and a cupcake in your kitchen to an office tea party or school bake sale. You could even host your own bake-off and judge your friends’ creations.

Everyone who registers to hold a National Tea and Cake Break will receive a free pack bursting with hints, tips and tools to get their event off to a sweet start.

To register for a free tea break fundraising pack, visit epilepsy.org.uk/teabreak or call the fundraising events team on 0113 210 8824.

For more information and support about epilepsy, readers can call our freephone helpline on 0808 800 5050.

MICHAEL WHITE, Fundraising Events Officer, Epilepsy Action.

THOUGH Skipton has always surpassed itself with its floral displays, the team has gone the extra mile this year with its displays of red, orange and yellow begonias.

The bus station and forecourt of the town hall look particularly attractive and the colour combinations are lovely. They definitely deserve an award.

PATRICIA MASON, Roughaw Close, Skipton.

THE National Autistic Society is looking for local autism heroes.

We want local people on the autism spectrum, their friends, families and carers to nominate the individuals and services that have made a difference to their lives for the Autism Professionals Awards 2016. We’d also like to hear from local professionals, such as teachers or psychologists, about good autism practice.

The awards are the one time the autism community gets together each year to recognise their achievements and share best practice.

Perhaps you know a passionate volunteer or a social worker who has gone out of their way to support an autistic adult to improve their social skills? Or maybe there’s a teacher or teaching assistant who has developed innovative ways to give your child the best possible start in life?

Whatever your story, please share it with us.

You can find out more about the awards or nominate an individual or service by visiting autismprofessionalsawards.co.uk The deadline for nominations is October 30.

CAROL POVEY, Director of the National Autistic Society’s Centre for Autism.