Sir - Just what is going on in the inner sanctum of Craven District Council?

If we are to believe (and why shouldn't we?) all the stories of how the HML planning permission was pushed through without the meanest prior consultation; the land Bentley's want being "sold" for a song (which somebody inadvertently sang) and the strange, on-off threat of a judicial review being considered by Skipton Properties, it would appear that there is much going on behind the scenes which the public, in these days of open government, should have been made aware of long before they hit your headlines.

Now we read in your paper's advertisements (April 11) that the council needs 10 more employees. This can only mean one of two things: either staff are leaving in droves to escape an unsatisfactory employer or someone, somewhere is creating jobs for their own ends.

The worst aspect of this is that our elected representatives again have no notion of what is going on.

Since 10 more staff will mean an increase in the order of £250,000 expenditure each year (and goodness knows what extra in cosy pensions in years to come), I would have thought that those elected to look after our interests would have been made aware of the need for all these people.

I mean, do we really need a principal planning officer alongside the existing head of planning? Do we really need a carbon reduction officer and a waste minimisation officer? And isn't "scrutiny" the main job of senior management?

Historically, council leaders such as David Crawford and my late neighbour Derek Swinglehurst successfully pruned staff numbers with huge cost savings but no noticeable loss of efficiency - the latter, I recall, even doing away with the position of chief executive. Craven presently misses such wisdom!

It would appear that Craven is not being well served by the present chief executive nor the power base among council members. I am, by nature, attracted to the concept of independent councillors in local government, but not if, at every opportunity, they gang together and side with the same political party. That, to me, is gross misrepresentation of being independent.

I hope your readers will think on this, come May 1.

Peter Longbottom, Ivy Cottage, Stirton

Town's ruination

Sir - Skipton has been a pleasant town, an historic country market town with a classic centre.

It is rather quiet and somewhat neglected by various councils in respect of traffic management, street cleaning, the Town Hall, library, bus station and quality of building design.

It has also been bullied into apathy. Consequently, if we are not very careful, residents are going to wake up one morning soon to find they have allowed the ruination of their town. So how do you ruin a town?

Well, you get a small, determined group of councillors and council officers with little real consideration for the fabric of the town and apparently driven by personal ambition, to clear a batch of very intensive developer-led schemes through various committees.

The technique includes the minimum of public consultation with loaded questionnaires; fragmentation of the impact of the schemes; ignoring petitions and files of objections; suggesting that the highways and environmental agencies have a final advisory role; ignoring the recent official Climate Change Report (which Leeds has adopted) and using red-herring words like "employment" and "affordable housing".

Employers will do what they want and housing can be sorted without these intensive schemes.

The batch of proposed developments includes Granville Street; various projects on Gargrave Road; the Town Hall area and looming is Moorview Way and an industrial estate around Waltonwrays. Ongoing are housing, business and retail at Belle View Mills; intensive housing at Burnside allotments and the proposed redevelopment of Tesco.

So what can we do?

Lobby aggressively your local councillors and get rid of those who confuse mass expansion with balanced progress. Join groups and campaign to save the town from endless traffic jams, flooding, overcrowding, sewerage system failure, education and health provision breakdown, mediocre building and landscaping etc.

Keep senior council officers under review. It is essential that the chief executive or, preferably, a body such as the Civic Society urgently commissions and publishes an assessment from an independent consultant of the composite impact of all the proposed schemes on the town.

I know that very many residents are angry at what is happening.

Save our Skipton!

Geoffrey Wood, Calton Terrace, Skipton

Barn confusion

Sir - So Skipton Building Society gets permission from Craven District Council - by one vote - to build (and ruin) the Gargrave entrance to Skipton, in green belt, which is supposed to be immune from such commercial development.

The same planners turned down a barn dwelling near Gargrave because it is outside the village in a protected landscape'.

So, a new headquarters for several hundred people plus their cars is okay, one barn and family is not. Confused?

Maybe the barn applicant can appeal - a similar stand-off at Kettlewell was eventually approved.

Or apply for a colossal wind farm which will be in the same protected' landscape at Gargrave. The test mast approval suggests the five 120 metre turbines will also be shuffled through by the manipulated councillors.

Coming next - eventual approval for Bentley's desired VIP HQ across Gargrave Road from Skipton Building Society's bizarre VIP HQ.

Marion Brooksbank, High Moorber Lodge, Coniston Cold

Quieter roads

Sir - Trying to earn an honest crust, I found myself in the Tropic of Ruislip this week; that splendid' area to the West of London that includes Hillingdon, Ickenham, Kenton, Harrow, and is really just one horrendous mega-housing estate criss-crossed by main roads.

As expected, it was a pretty ghastly experience for all sorts of reasons. Yet, one thing stood out among the hassle of constant traffic: the widespread adoption of low-noise road surfacing materials to mitigate nuisance.

One day, some innovative local politician in our town might prevail upon the apparatchiks in U-can't-do-that Towers to consider the benefits of reducing road noise here. It might even win the appreciation (ie votes) of those who live in areas like, for example, Otley Road, where ribbon housing development is producing an excellent acoustic tunnel that perfectly complements the noise caused by terrible road surface and largely unchecked traffic speeds (next time you draw your Speed Gun, PC Radar, point it the other way: the traffic speeds most when coming out of town!).

However, I'm sure everyone would like to keep the water splash at the junction with Consort Street, as it gives pedestrians such fun playing dodge-the-waves when it rains.

Paul Samways, Queens Street, Skipton

Save the fields

Sir - Green fields in Craven are under threat and need to be saved. Worldwide, food and fuel are increasing in price and we need our local agriculture more than ever.

What is left of our land should not be covered with buildings, Tarmac and concrete. The environment also needs respect. Open country combats pollution and is helpful against climate change.

Also, humans seem to think that insects, birds, animals and plants do not need their habitats and we can do without them. We are part of nature and if we destroy it we destroy ourselves. We also destroy the green corridors which enable nature to re-generate.

We humans need the beauty and inspiration of our landscape. Local people and first-time buyers need affordable housing and this must be addressed - but our village communities are being badly harmed and our green fields are disappearing. Local politicians have a great responsibility to the humans and the nature of Craven.

Hilary Fenten, Craven Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, The Shaws, Selside, Settle

Coffee stance

Sir - At a time when the Herald is reporting on an appeal by Costa Coffee against the planning refusal for the proposed outlet on Sheep Street, I thought it would be useful to clarify the Chamber of Trade's position on this matter. The Chamber did object to the original application by Costa Coffee, but the grounds for our objection to their shop are quite specific.

The Chamber has no objection to Costa Coffee itself, although we did question at the time the tone of the application, which seemed to centre on the company's success in planning appeals elsewhere in the country.

Our main concern is about the overall viability of Skipton town centre and, in particular, the core retail area around the High Street. We know from our members that trading in Skipton at the moment is, at best, difficult.

Our best opportunity to attract visitors to the town and to boost trade for all businesses is to ensure that we maintain a variety of retail outlets. It is for this reason that planning regulations include clauses about food outlets at ground level in the centre of town.

We believe it is likely that Costa Coffee will eventually succeed with the application - and that will, at least, fill what is currently an empty shop in a prime position.

However, the Chamber would much prefer to see a new retail business opening in this location, adding to the variety and choice for shoppers.

We said it some time ago and repeat it now, Skipton cannot survive on coffee shops alone!

Joan Evans, President, Skipton Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Barclays Bank Chambers, 49 High Street, Skipton

Last one out

Sir - I have read with great interest the letters of protest against the closing of Castleberg Hospital. I would like to add my name to this protest as one who has first-hand experience of the care and attention one needs as a senior citizen when indisposed in any way.

Just over a week ago I was discharged from hospital as the last male patient to receive treatment there. When I left the doors of the ward were closed, perhaps never to open again.

I was admitted after sustaining a fall at home - not a very pleasant experience at the age of 87.

On arrival at the hospital by ambulance I was greeted by a warm and efficient staff ready to help in any way. This immediately raised my spirits.

During my stay of two weeks I was very impressed by the tender care and attention which was administered by every member of staff to all the patients.

No task was too much trouble for them and above all there was always a smile and a kind word to help, which put one's mind at ease. The kind of therapy which was administered there is of vital importance for the well-being of senior citizens, particularly if one lives alone, for not only does it raise one's morale but instils confidence, all of which contribute to a rapid recovery.

The members of staff are efficient in every task they are called upon to perform no matter how tedious. This reflects on the special training they have been given to administer to the needs of the elderly. Not only do they contribute to restoring the patients back to good health, but restore confidence and self-esteem.

Many people are unaware of the valuable service this hospital provided for senior citizens, so keep up the good work of the protests and explanations. Make the general public fully aware of the importance of this hospital.

In these days, when governments are being asked to show more consideration to senior citizens, let us show the powers that be that we care about the senior citizens of Craven, their health and well-being. We all get old one day and what a comforting thought it would be to know that the facility at Castleberg Hospital would be there should we need it.

John Stanley Lee, Main Street, Long Preston

Questions unanswered

Sir - The Victoria Hall in Settle was packed to capacity on Monday last week for the meeting with the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust about the future of Castleberg Hospital and, more particularly, the closure of Harden Ward.

We had come expecting to get answers to three questions: 1) WHY Harden Ward has been closed, without consultation, before the remedial work to the building has even been put out to tender 2) HOW LONG the tendering process and repair work will take 3) WHEN Harden Ward will re-open.

After two hours of sustained questioning from local doctors and residents, the PCT has still not answered these questions. No-one would even tell us when the tendering process will start, let alone the building work. Is the fact that the ward has been closed before even thinking about going to tender due to incompetence? Or is there another agenda?

The assumption made by the PCT was that Hospital-at-Home (untried here) would be a resounding success - which left us to conclude that Harden Ward would never be re-opened. The doctors are against the closure, the residents are against the closure, and Harden Ward is being left to rot when it could still be in use. We still need answers.

Jean and Grahame Stevens, Runley Mill, Settle

Costly closure

Sir - It was stated at the Castleberg meeting that money was not an issue in the matter of closing Harden Ward.

That may be the case for the PCT, but it may well be an issue for patients in the future. The PCT is instigating a new type of service, Hospital-at-Home, which would be excellent if it were complementary to hospital beds at Harden Ward.

But this service does not provide meals or a clean environment or possibly personal care, meaning many patients will have to pay social services or private providers for that care. How many people have baths fitted with hoists etc or a walk-in shower with a seat in? Who will wash patients' hair and how?

Furthermore, where will Harden Ward patients go if they find that Hospital-at-Home' and Care in the Community', good as they may be, do not meet their needs, and if Airedale is full and cannot be used as respite care?

They will go to residential care homes or nursing homes, which are already stretched to the limit. These are no doubt very good places to be, but at what cost and, more importantly, who pays? Not the NHS as in hospitals, but the county council in conjunction with the patient and, if the patient has more than £21,000 in savings and/or property, they have to pay full fees after the first few months!

How's that for creative accountancy?

Where does the NYCC money come from? Yes, you and I and all other residents of Craven and North Yorkshire. What will happen if NYCC says it can no longer keep all its homes open, or there are no places? People will have to go to private homes, usually at greater expense to both themselves and the council. And who will benefit from that?

Will all other services run from Castleberg at present, such as Community Mental Health for the over 65s, be moved? Or will Castleberg remain and Harden Ward be used for something else once the roof repairs and other work are done?

I find it unbelievable that the ward has been closed before tenders for the building work have been sought. Without prior consultation, it is hard to believe that the closure will be temporary.

It seems more likely that the PCT is using temporary closure, for which it does not need to consult, as a way in to permanently close Harden Ward. I hope I am wrong!

Loretta Gooch, Midland Terrace, Hellifield

Mammoth fight

Sir - I doubt very much whether any local resident who attended the Castleberg meeting was appeased by the comments of the representatives of the PCT.

A system that allows an unelected body to make life-changing decisions without public consultation and in direct opposition to the recommendations of our local doctors is fundamentally wrong.

The meeting allowed us to let off steam, but I fear it will not make one jot of difference. The PCT now wants to build trust and rapport' and would welcome public participation - but if this was true involvement from the public, the individuals who appeared at Settle (and the chief executive, who didn't) would be out of their lucrative, public-funded jobs.

But the facts are Harden Ward is closed. No dates were given for tenders going out, being received, work starting or completing, but it would be as soon as possible.' Eventually an assessment will be made as to what beds are required and, from the evasive answers I heard, I could not discern a firm commitment that Harden Ward would re-open. We have a huge fight on our hands now, because the action of the PCT has pre-empted a public-led campaign to keep Harden Ward open.

It has closed, the goalposts have moved and, while the PCT says the closure is temporary, it is creating a situation that will make permanent closure far easier.

RT Graveson, Castle Hill, Settle

All about money

Sir - I sincerely hope that the efforts of the people of North Craven who are hoping to keep their facilities at Castleberg intact are successful.

I hope that the chairman of the North Yorkshire and York PCT Mr Wardle's interpretation of the word "temporary" is different from the past chairman of the Airedale Hospital Trust, Mr Bob Allen, when he stated that the closure of Ward Five at Raikeswood Hospital, Skipton, would be closed only temporarily so that upgrading in the form of re-wiring of both Ward Five and the wards above could be carried out.

This work did happen at a considerable cost and, when the work was completed, Ward Five reopened; but after only two weeks it closed again, only temporarily of course. This was in October; the following April the whole hospital was closed (again only temporarily).

The Airedale Trust's excuse to justify the closure was that they were in the red to the tune of £5 million but, of course, the closure would be to the patients' benefit in the long term etc. The patients could be cared for at home, as a community-based service, or at Airedale General Hospital, where in-patient hospital beds are always at a premium.

I know that this situation has never been a fully satisfactory solution to patient care, particularly in the more rural areas of Craven and even more so in the care of the elderly.

When Mr Wardle's Hospital-at-Home scheme fails, and if Harden Ward at Castleberg is lost permanently, what then? Will the whole hospital then go the way of most of the other small hospitals in our area?

Then, no doubt, the patients of North Craven will have to seek private nursing care, which removes the responsibility of providing health care from the trusts and PCT onto the patients and their relatives. This also gives the private sector the licence to print money.

I also note that he says that any proposals for a permanent major service change would require a wide-scale formal consultation process before any decision is made regarding the future of Harden Ward and Castleberg Hospital as a whole.

This isn't about patient care or providing a sound health plan to the community, or maintaining good staff morale. It is purely and simply about money.

Robert C Chapman, Lytham Gardens, Skipton

Outstanding record

Sir - The letters to you and other papers about the temporary closure of Harden Ward (which range from the uninformed through the intemperate to the scurrilous) should not be allowed to retract from the outstanding record of Brigadier Johnny Wardle as chairman of the Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust (CHARD) for several years prior to its demise a year or so ago.

He was always conscious of the need to pay special attention to the sparsely populated parts of his territory and became well-known for his attendance at meetings and functions well beyond the call of duty. There is no doubt that his support of the Craven Older People's Reference Group (consisting of volunteers and professionals covering an area from Bentham to Cross Hills) stimulated a rapport between different departments which might otherwise have succumbed to going their separate ways.

Confrontation was not in his vocabulary, a senior member of staff of the PTC was always present and Castleberg was rarely off the agenda.

How sad, then, that the trust which had been built up should have foundered, first of all by a serious lapse on the part of the new North Yorkshire PCT on failing to carry out the necessary consultation on the steps to be taken affecting Harden Ward. I suspect this was due to the administrative chaos which always occurs when statutory departments are merged and new personnel are appointed.

But this lapse, which was quickly countered by a personal appearance by Brigadier Wardle (now the chairman of the new North Yorkshire PCT), did not excuse the severe attack to which he was subjected at the recent public meeting by people who should know better.

Even more serious than this personal attack is the contempt for authority exemplified by the double standards of those who seek to maintain respect when running schools, hospitals and surgeries and who succumb to football-type hysteria when they themselves are affronted.

It is ill-thought-out criticisms by otherwise well-meaning people which add to a social malaise and ultimately to decadence. Those who incite such a response are, in the end, playing a part in the destruction of the very thing they wish to defend.

Frank Pedley (formerly vice-chairman of Craven Older People's Reference Group), Gisburn Road, Hellifield, Skipton

Bus service threat

Sir - The Ingleton and District Tradespeople's Association (IDTA) is writing to draw attention to the proposed withdrawal of the bus service between Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale from June 1.

The service is part of the Ingleton to Kendal 567 route.

The route begins in North Yorkshire and goes through Lancashire before reaching Kirkby Lonsdale, which is in Cumbria.

While we appreciate that Cumbria County Council feels it should not have to subsidise a route that is principally outside the county, it should not be beyond the bounds of possibility for three local authorities to pool resources for a six-mile journey which runs four times a day in each direction.

For people living in Ingleton, a surprising number of whom do not drive cars, Kirkby Lonsdale provides their nearest supermarket, dentist and optician and they are often sent to Kendal for hospital services. There are also opportunities for further education and employment in Kendal.

For the IDTA, another important consideration is for our visitors. Ingleton is a holiday destination and while people visit us for our waterfalls, caves and peaks, many will want to also visit the Lake District while they are here.

The 567 service links well with buses onward to Windermere and beyond and means they can leave their cars behind and travel in an environmentally-friendly way.

We hope common sense will prevail and the service can saved.

Paul Weaire, Chair, Ingleton and District Tradespeople's Association, Main Street, Ingleton

Turbine opposition

Sir - I am opposed to the construction of the proposed wind turbines at Brightenber Hill.

I am privileged to live in the southern Dales, an area designated by our council as a Special Landscape Area (SLA). I am determined to protect this beautiful countryside so that everyone can enjoy its beauty.

In 2001, government gave greater protection to Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), so it is perverse to allow wind farms in or adjacent to AONB or national parks.

English Heritage and The Council for National Parks emphasise the importance of the "setting" of such landscapes: wind farms greatly degrade the setting of SLA, ANOBs and national parks.

There has been a lot written about the large subsidies paid by governments to wind farm developers.

It's worth noting that Sweden and The Netherlands have scrapped wind subsidies. Norway didn't provide any. Germany realises that wind power is a "bottomless subsidy pit" and so their developers are moving over here.

The German developers claim that the wind turbines will be temporary as they will be removed after 25 years. A very worrying aspect of wind farm applications is that, once granted, they increase the chance of more being built in the same area.

This is already happening in Cumbria, near Barrow and Ulverston.

At Caton Moor the wind turbines were replaced after only nine years with ones twice the size. In Cumbria and Lancashire, authorities have too often been over-persuaded by the flawed but "slick" arguments of the developers, who show photo-montages with light grey turbines against snowy backgrounds and who stress the claimed benefits of wind turbines and understate their defects - many of which have been covered in previous letters to the editor.

Each of the five, 328ft turbines will require an excavation 20 metres by 20 metres and three to six metres deep and each will be the size of a large swimming pool. These will be filled with 5,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete and steel.

At a recent public meeting to scrutinise the policies and strategies of the Regional Development Agencies (RDA), when questioned, the RDA stated that the heavy metal used to make turbines is already running out.

I understand from reading the Craven District Council's Development Plan, Preferred Options Draft, November 2007, that it is looking at other technologies for producing renewable energy and I totally support its efforts.

Let's hope it's in time to save our landscape.

S Emmett, Ivy End, Bank Newton

Pie in the sky

Sir - Re the plans for Threshfield Quarry. As I am personally involved (I live in Threshfield close to the quarry entrance) I have followed the proposed plans and the articles in The Craven Herald with great interest.

I was particularly interested in the two letters you published last week. Mr Bilbrough, of Hebden Hall Park, raises valid objections and, frankly, the whole scheme - with perhaps the exception of an environmentally-friendly crayfish pond and a general interest archaeological centre - is nothing but "pie in the sky".

At the best of times, Threshfield Quarry is a cold, damp, draughty and inhospitable place - who in their right mind would want to go to an open air theatre there? (Comparison with an open air theatre in Cornwall has no value - the Minack, on the south coast, is in a much warmer part of the country, is on a safe, sheltered site and has spectacular views over the sea, with the setting sun as a backdrop to evening performances.) There are also significant health and safety aspects to the Threshfield proposals - the site is unstable, there are many unguarded high sheer drops and one large area is used as a dumping ground for disused machinery and vehicles.

Wharfedale attracts large numbers of visitors who come here for the peace and quiet of our beautiful countryside. Your second correspondent seems to favour turning Grassington and the surrounding area into a giant theme park and even suggests turning Skirethorns Lane into a major bus and traffic route (all traffic going to the quarry has to go along this quiet road, currently used by walkers and caravaners going up to the fells).

Much of the proposed development would only serve to "kill the goose that laid the golden egg" by attracting a huge increase in traffic with its attendant noise, dirt and pollution. Those who come here for peace and quiet may well go elsewhere, local business will be no better off and many local residents will be severely disadvantaged.

Peter Thompson, Rowley Beck Cottage, Skirethorns, Skipton

Doggy bag peril

Sir - If you are one of the crackpots who leave full doggy bags in our beautiful countryside, presumably under the assumption that the fairies will vapourise them, please read on After contacting the bag manufacturers I was informed that under controlled conditions on a council tip, they should fully biodegrade in three to four years.

So, unless you want the dales filled with blue and red plastic bags for years on end, either take your doggy bags back to civilisation and deposit in bins or - providing you are away from villages etc - simply leave the muck where the dog did it and nature will do the rest within a few days.

Ray Potter, Low Lane, Grassington

Important issues

Sir - My thanks to everybody who contacted me following John Sheard's article (Craven Herald, April 18). We were away until Tuesday and so our voice mail was full by then, so if you do want to lend support, please ring 01756 791484 or email david.wilson14@tiscali .co.uk.

Remember too, local elections are looming. Your councillor is there to serve you and council officers to listen and respond to what councillors tell them. So, ask your representatives what they believe is the future for Craven; how they vote on the issues which are important to so many of us.

Jill Wilson, Aireville Grange, Skipton

First class trip

Sir - May I express thanks on behalf of a coach full of people, from Skipton and Craven district, who were taken by Skipton Lions to Ilkley to be entertained by the Yorkshire Building Society Concert Brass Band, who gave a fantastic programme. Also to the organisers and helpers who did a first-class job, especially for the disabled, for this yearly event.

B Sissons, Petyt Court, Skipton