Readers' Letters (From Craven Herald)

Why can’t staff park at former council site?

8:30am Friday 30th December 2011 in Letters

Sir – I live in Hall Croft, Brook Street area, and since Craven District Council relocated to Belle Vue Mills the local streets have been gridlocked with Ermysted’s School pupils’, but mostly with council employees’, cars parking nine-to-four.

I was walking on Brewery Lane one morning and recognised some council workers and asked where they were parking. They replied Brook Street, Granville Street area.

I suggested to them why don’t they park in the old Granville Street offices – good idea they said, and I noticed some days later that there were some cars in the car park, but now the gates have been officially locked (by some bright spark council employee no doubt).

Through the columns, I would like a reply.

No doubt they will quote health and safety. If that’s the case, have they not created a health and safety issue by not providing parking facilities for their employees by gridlocking the streets so that the emergency services struggle to get through?

David Scholey, Hall Croft, Skipton

PS: Some years ago, we put a planning application in for an industrial building and one of the questions was: How many parking places will be provided for employees’ use? Need I say more?

I wait in anticipation for a reply.

Pension injustice

Sir – I note with interest your article on the medal award to John Potter.

In 1962 I joined the Royal Navy, aged fifteen-and-a-half years, and served just short of 12 years.

In October 1964 I joined HMS Albion, a commando carrier. We sailed for the Far East in March 1965, returning in September 1966.

Known as “The Old Grey Ghost of the Borneo Coast” we flew troops in and out of the jungle. For this we got a General Service Medal with two bars – Malay Peninsular and Borneo.

I became aware of the Pinjat Jasa medal some three years ago and I subsequently applied for it. I am not holding my breath! I did, however, purchase a miniature, along with four other medals, which I wore on a nautical dinner cruise for a birthday celebration on the Skipton canal in 2008.

Little did I know that HM the Queen only sanctioned the Pinjat Jasa medal this year. Will I be sent to the tower?

For the record, those of us who left the Forces before July 1975, without 22 years’ service, do not get a penny in pension. A campaign for this injustice has been ongoing for several years. Aged 65, I hold little hope for any award now.

M F Neal, Addingham

Damaging cuts

Sir – It may be news to your readers that library services are protected in law by the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act.

7 (1) states for the general duty of library authorities: “It shall be the duty of every library authority to provide a comprehensive and effective library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof and for that purpose to employ such officers, to provide and maintain such buildings and equipment and such books and other materials and to do such other things as may be requisite” etc.

7 (2)(b) “of encouraging both adults and children to make full use of the library service” etc.

The cuts being proposed by North Yorkshire County Council are a 20 per cent cut in library opening hours, disowning category three libraries or closing them if no voluntary group takes over and an almost total loss of mobile libraries.

The latter in the largest area with the lowest population density in England is particularly damaging. The withdrawal of this contravenes 7 (1) in terms of a comprehensive and effective library service. This mobile fleet has 20 to 30 per cent use by under-16s and 50 to 60 per cent use by over-55s, who most benefit by good provision of access.

This mobile service delivers books at a cost of 10p per book, an incredible bargain considering that a single photocopied A4 sheet costs this. What the county council is proposing is breaking the law. The provision before cuts were announced was a comprehensive and effective library service. Anything less is not.

Why should the public suffer illegal reductions in front-line services when they have been bade to by £25 billion plus of bad investments to bail out the destructive greed of banks. Where is your ‘Big Society’ Mr Cameron? It seems to be bail out the rich and steal from the poor.

Roger Bell, Skipton Road, Gargrave

Chernobyl plea

Sir – The Craven Branch of the Chernobyl Children’s Project would like to thank those who have attended our fundraising events this year.

We would especially like to thank the local businessess who have given their support and those individuals who have donated to, or volunteered at, our events.

We have raised around £3,500 which, for a small group, is an amazing amount.

One of our group has just returned from Belarus and reports that the work with the 37 children who have been returned to, or placed with, adoptive families over the past three years continues. This has got to be the best Christmas present for these families and would not be possible without the generosity of Craven people.

However, if projects such as this are to get off the ground then we need to continue to raise money that can go direct to where it is needed.

Therefore, we would like to ask that if anyone is able to offer help in the form of baking and making or volunteering their time at our events, please contact us on (01756) 709286.

Craven Chernobyl Children's Project Moor Crescent, Skipton

Gritting praise

Sir – With reference to the recent negative comments about gritting in our locality and the suggestion that they should be more “proactive” in the community, I would like readers to consider for a moment how the men who go out at 7pm and 4am every day feel reading those comments.

People seem to want their own roads gritting 24/7 rather than the main roads being made safe.

I would like to commend the men on the hard work they do, the hours they put in and for how safe they make the roads – thank you.

Name and address supplied

Protect our landscape

Sir – I would like to alert your readers to the continuing threat to local countryside from the proposed reforms to our planning system, currently being finalised by the Government.

It is astounding that, in such a densely populated country, most people are still within easy reach of glorious and productive countryside. I believe one of the principal causes of that happy fact has been that the planning system has enabled necessary economic growth while protecting and enhancing the countryside – perhaps your greatest national treasure.

But if the new planning rules go unamended they will mark a significant relaxation of protection for the so-called ‘ordinary’ countryside, the countryside next door which may have no special designation, like a National Park, but is so important to so many people.

CPRE wants the countryside to support thriving communities, provide a haven for wildlife and produce healthy local food – with the help of genuinely sustainable planning.

This depends upon the quality of life the countryside gives us all – through its beauty, tranquillity, local distinctiveness and open space – which should be valued as much as material goods and economic growth.

On behalf of CPRE, I would like to urge readers to join us in standing up for the countryside by writing to their MPs to let them know that they want the planning system to protect their local countryside, not just specially designated areas.

Bill Bryson, President, Campaign to Protect Rural England (Formerly of Malham)

An odds-on winner

Sir – Braving the gale force winds and rain, I attended in Settle the brilliant production of The Rocking Horse Winner by D H Lawrence and performed by the North Country Theatre.

The story told, with the inventive use of very few props – including the rocking horse – of a boy’s attempt to provide money and the consequences by picking race horse winners for his feckless mother. Additional sound effects were forthcoming from the iron horses thundering along the Settle to Carlisle railway – once destined to be rank outsider and relegated to the knackers yard.

After the show, it was announced that the Company are to face the now-usual fund-cutting and that the “going” was likely to be tough.

Members of the North Country Theatre should note that once the “Iron Rooster” was given a certain bet of pulling up lame and that, in the final furlong, the gallant G Nuttall riding Ruswarp in the colours of Midland Red burst through to win the race, despite the strong field of a strong Government riders ridden by Close it Down and Cost too Much.

On this performance and others seen, it is “evens-on” that they return to the area in the future. Any bets?

Stewart Lewis, Esp Lane, Barnoldswick

Thanks for support

Sir – As we head towards a new year, may we take this opportunity of thanking all the supporters of the Save Elsey Croft Group who have stuck with us through another year of campaigning and fighting to save this greenfield site.

We have been heartened to see the large turnout of people at the planning meetings, by the letters in this paper and by the comments and messages from people from all walks of life.

As we await the decision of the planning inspector we will raise a glass (or two) to you, our supporters and to localism at its best.

Save Elsey Croft Group Moorview Way, Skipton

Pledge your backing

Sir – I would like to say a personal thank you to all of your readers in Skipton and the Dales who have helped support the NSPCC throughout 2011.

Thanks to the public giving generously, we have made significant strides for children this year.

At the start of the year, we began to roll out the ChildLine Schools Service, particularly focusing on seven to 11-year-olds.

The service visits primary schools and aims to help children understand what abuse is, including bullying, how to protect themselves and how to seek help if they need it.

By 2016, we aim to visit every primary school in the UK at least every two years. On October 30, ChildLine celebrated its 25th birthday and launched a year of fundraising.

Over the past 25 years ChildLine has spoken to over 2.6 million children about concerns ranging from bullying to sexual abuse. New figures show that the number of ChildLine contacts from children troubled by suicide, depression and self-harm has significantly increased since the introduction of the online service, which means, thankfully, we are reaching more children and young people who need us.

In 2010-11 the Yorkshire ChildLine base counselled 1,573 children about depression, self-harm and suicide. Of these 1,020 contacts were online and 553 were over the phone.

In November, we launched our ‘All Babies Count’ campaign to highlight the vulnerability of babies and to call for better and earlier support for new parents.

Babies are more likely to suffer neglect and abuse and are eight times more likely to be killed than any other child. Make it your new year’s resolution to vulnerable babies to help us make All Babies Count. Pledge your support at http://allbabiescount.nspcc.org.uk/ or by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

We are always extremely grateful to everyone in and around Skipton for their continued support and generosity. We wish you all a peaceful new year and let’s make 2012 the year when all babies do count.

Helen Verity, NSPCC Community Fundraising Manager, Craven District

Boost for heroes

Sir – May I, through your columns, thank all those who attended the recent Unsung Heroes’ concert performance by the Bands of the Royal Air Force at The ICC, Harrogate.

The evening was a great success and helped support the valuable work of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust.

The Charitable Trust is the youngest of the three major RAF charities, having been set up in 2005 to support a wide range of projects and initiatives that benefit RAF serving personnel and veterans, and young people, with an emphasis on the Air Cadets and youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds.

Since then, we have donated more than £1.7 million in grants to the worthiest of causes.

Those who attended our concert were invited to record the names of their own personal RAF Unsung Heroes in a special Book of Remembrance and I am pleased to say that many took up that opportunity.

On behalf of all my fellow Trustees, I thank your readers for helping us to help others so much less fortunate than ourselves. We very much hope to see them again at next year’s RAF in Concert on Friday, November 30, when we will be staging a Diamond Jubilee musical celebration in honour of Her Majesty The Queen.

ACM Sir John Cheshire KBE, CB, FRAeS, Chairman, Royal Air Force Charitable Trust