10:00am Saturday 2nd May 2009
Sir - As a regular commuter on train services from Skipton to Leeds, the announcement of the news that, after many years of negotiation and discussion, Skipton was to be included in the Metrocard area came as a surprise to me.
My “joy” at seeing Councillor Chris Knowles-Fitton taking the credit for the initiative, however, was short-lived.
The cost of an Area 7 Metrocard is not only more expensive than a Northern Rail season ticket for the same journey, but, unlike with the Area 1 to 5 card that I possess, I will not be able to travel on West Yorkshire’s bus services when I arrive in Leeds.
I was also shocked to note that Harrogate commuters will have to pay less to travel to Leeds with their Area 6 Metrocard and that I will not be able to travel to Harrogate with my ticket should I need to.
My Area 1 to 5 Metrocard allows me to travel between any stations in West Yorkshire and on any bus services which come under the Metro banner. This means that, when I get to Leeds, I can travel up to the civic quarter by bus, should I want to, at no extra charge.
It does mean that I have the inconvenience of having to purchase a day return from Skipton to Steeton, for which I pay £2 instead of £3 because I hold a senior citizen’s rail card. This is cheaper than buying daily discounted tickets from Skipton to Leeds and a bus fare to my place of work.
The conclusion is that the new Metrocard is only useful for people who will travel from Skipton to places like Wakefield or Huddersfield via Leeds, where it will prove to be cheaper.
I am told that the number of passengers who will benefit is low. It certainly will not tempt the many people who drive from Skipton to Steeton each day to leave their cars at home, which would have made a real contribution to reducing carbon emissions.
It is my belief that the joy with which this initiative is presently received will be short-lived and, unless there is a radical change in thinking over the cost and the inclusion of bus journeys in West Yorkshire, the scheme will be short-lived and will soon be withdrawn through lack of patronage. But, there again, maybe this was the plan all along.
John Manley, Burnside Avenue, Skipton
Sir - I wish to respond to the letters against the SELRAP (Skipton East-Lancashire Rail Action Partnership) campaign (Herald, April 23).
Readers need to know Glusburn and Cross Hills Parish Council is one of very few local and regional councils that do not support the SELRAP campaign, presumably in the mistaken belief that any pro-rail project will deny them their road schemes.
There has never been any attempt by SELRAP to block the road schemes, as they are firm in the merits of their cause. However, because they face a transport funding system heavily weighted towards roads, their battle is so much harder.
If the residents of Glusburn and Cross Hills are so desperate to get their traffic and level crossing relief, why don’t they organise themselves as successfully and determinedly as SELRAP, instead of being negative. It smacks of “if we can’t get our way, we’ll block anything else”.
Any change of use from road to rail will benefit everyone. The Skipton-Colne reopening will bring regional benefits, whereas the road schemes referred to will only benefit a few local locations (justifiable as they may be to those living in the affected areas). But any road improvements would probably encourage more traffic in the longer term. The infamous level crossing at Kildwick, with its long delays, is a totally separate matter and should not be linked with any attempts to increase rail use. The problem is wrongly-sited signals which activate the gates far too early.
The much-needed station at Cross Hills must include a new road bridge or underpass, but this will apply whether the Colne link is reopened or not.
Incredibly, there are those who still think that the Hellifield link from Yorkshire into Lancashire is somehow an alternative to Skipton-Colne.
Changing at Hellifield makes even less sense than the existing, but ludicrous, situation of having to go via Leeds or walk through Bradford between stations.
A Skipton-via-Hellifield (needing a reversal or change of train) and Clitheroe-to-Blackburn route would serve no major centres of population en route and would be a very uneconomic option.
However, a Skipton-Colne-Nelson-Burnley-Accrington-Blackburn route would be hugely more beneficial and without a change of train.
Finally, some seem to believe the Skipton-Colne line will only benefit those living in Skipton or Colne. This is like saying that any extension to a motorway would only benefit the people living at the beginning and end of the new section.
The rail link will be a huge benefit for the whole of the Aire Valley, East Lancashire and beyond. Those who dismiss rail projects would probably have cheered if the Settle-Carlisle line had closed, or considered the Aire Valley rail electrification to be a waste of money, and look how successful these lines have been.
Why is the Metrocard scheme being extended to Skipton? Because it is a hugely successful line, taking many thousands of journeys off our roads. This success needs to be built upon – hence SELRAP.
Paul Haywood, High Croft Way, Farnhill
Sir – As a prospective Conservative county candidate for the Skipton West division, I wish to put to bed once and for all the many myths, accusations and half-truths that are flying around about Craven District Council and no doubt will be used at these forthcoming county council elections.
As most of you know, the Conservatives regained control of Craven District Council in May last year following the six years’ administration under the Independent/Liberal Democratic Alliance.
On assuming control last May, it very soon became apparent to the new Conservative administration that the council had a revenue account deficit of at least £400,000, not a half-million-pounds surplus. Further detailed examination indicated the deficit to be the staggering sum of £2,500,000.
It is vitally important therefore that ratepayers appreciate the difference between revenue and capital payments and how this affects councils. Revenue receipts pay for the everyday running of the council, eg wages, utilities, insurances and any bills from which there is no residual value.
Capital pays for buildings, refuse collection vehicles and anything which has an asset value. Revenue monies can pay for capital projects but, by law, capital sums cannot support revenue payments. This explains why the Conservatives have had to find substantial day-to-day savings to bring the revenue accounts back into balance.
It is for this reason that spending capital sums to buy the 999-year lease for the offices at Belle Vue Mills makes such good sense. The revenue costs of running new offices will be substantially less by virtue of having a modern, carbon-efficient and energy-efficient building.
Fortunately, at county level, the Conservatives control the council. Unfortunately for us, the county’s Craven Area Committee is made up of six out of seven county councillors who were members of Craven District’s previous administration!
Councillor Paul Whitaker, Skipton North CC, Grassington Road, Skipton
Sir - Council leader Chris Knowles-Fitton’s assertion that there is no need to explain to council tax payers why they have been saddled with a seemingly unnecessary £2 million debt – and presumably the equally unnecessary interest charges that go with it – betrays an arrogance that would make even a banker blush.
If he thinks that the public are going to accept some paternalistic assurance that “councillors know best”, he will find it just won’t wash any more.
Has he already forgotten that, at a time when people are taking pay cuts to save their jobs, inflation is expected to go negative and even the Government is reducing VAT to help families, his authority brought in a council tax rise that was well above inflation?
Or that the Audit Commission has rated Craven as “below minimum standard” in three crucial areas, including financial management?
Or that answers are still awaited over the sale of council land at less than market value?
Or that the Audit Commission also raised concerns over the way authority rules were ignored in handing out contracts?
Or that the planning department is running up legal bills of potentially six figures because of “procedural errors” and “unreasonable behaviour”?
Craven is now an authority in freefall, with its affairs staggering from farce to pantomime to scandal, and it is time for councillors to come clean and tells us exactly what has been going on in our name and with our money and how they propose to sort out the mess they have created.
Coun Knowles-Fitton revealed himself to be sadly out of touch when he appeared genuinely shocked that residents of South Craven rebelled against his plans to build 2,500 houses in their villages and he is proving equally out of touch with public outrage this time.
This is a time for humility and contrition, not arrogance, and, rare as it seems among politicians these days, perhaps even resignation too.
Terry Fletcher, The Old Corn Mill, Glusburn
Sir – In 1974 Craven district inherited a wealth of property from the former Skipton Rural, Skipton Urban and Settle Rural Councils in land, public buildings, car parks, housing stock and public toilets.
Over the years Craven District Council has sold land under its market value or given it away. The sale of houses was also under-valued and large amounts of money went on surveys on car parking needs etc.
In Settle Town Hall a lot of money has been spent over the years, yet properties are, or have been, empty: two flats to the top floor; the basement to the front of the building refurbishment; the former Flower Basket; the former Freda’s Ladies Clothing (empty three to four years).
A large increase in rent forced the former Dairy Fresh Foods shopkeeper to close. These premises bring in no revenue, no business rates and bring no jobs.
Putting up car park permit prices and closing public toilets is not the answer. Keep prices at a reasonable level for the residents and the tourists and this will help the shops and the Dales to survive. Another coffee shop in Sheep Street, Skipton, would be better than an empty shop.
Councillors and heads of some departments have lost the plot. We need a public inquiry into the problems that councillors have got us into and to find out who is the weakest link or links and then say goodbye.
John Reid, Scar View, Settle
Sir – Congratulations to Ruth Anderson – the young lady who wrote the article on Auschwitz (Herald, April 16). It was brilliant and especially from someone so young.
Having been and had the experience ourselves, we feel she had put over her visit and her feelings in an excellent way. So true! They mirrored our feelings and lots of others who visited Auschwitz –Birkenau and it is hard to accept just what did happen.
The ones who were there only two days were the lucky ones (out of an horrific experience). The conditions must have been horrendous and some endured it much longer – to meet the same fate.
We have told our family that, if they find the opportunity to visit there, it would be an eye-opening experience that they would never forget. That this really happened so recently – in the living memory of a lot of older citizens – beggars belief.
A visit to the salt mines is a must – a fascinating and lighter experience to offset the Holocaust.
Congratulations also go to the organisers of such trips – which could be echoed by other groups and especially some of our younger generation.
Enid Caton, Husband’s Barn, Stainforth
Sir - As a postscript to your fascinating article about the attack on the Broughton gamekeepers in the 19th century, “The Druid”, in his book “Saddle and Sirloin”, which was published in 1895, contains references to Broughton which may be of interest.
He states that: “There was once some beautiful running [hare coursing] at Broughton, which has no plough, and fine undulating grass fields, of from 50 to 100 acres. The Ox Pasture, which is bounded on one side by the River Air (sic), was the queen of them ... at one meeting they had twenty-one courses out of it ...
“Sir Charles Tempest took great interest in the sport at one time, but an attack which was made upon his keepers by a Lancaster band of poachers disgusted him, and he ordered all the hares to be shot down.
“It was a very great grief to the Skipton people, but since Sir Charles died the meeting has been renewed.”
Jeremy Taylor, Small House, Broughton
Sir – Having taken note of the many comments directed at the new facilities provided in Skipton bus station for travellers and locals alike, I would just like to make my point to the persons responsible via your publication.
It may be common knowledge that the “state of the art”, self-cleaning toilet facilities cost in the region of £90,000 to construct and install, but could someone please explain the justification of the £18,000 per annum maintenance costs?
As we have all seen increases in our council taxes, £50 per day to maintain a self-cleaning toilet facility of limited use, reduced capacity and frequent inoperability seems to me to be quite unnecessary.
I feel confident that there are several local contractors who could provide the services required at a fraction of the costs the taxpayer is standing. I for one would welcome the opportunity to tender for such works!
Chris Booth, Elm Tree Square, Embsay
Sir - I would like to add another grumble about the Skipton bus station. The yellow hatched box junction outside the bus station is impossible to see.
Even from a VW Transporter cab you only see about half the indicated area because of the rise in the road. This may prove distressing to visitors and irritating to bus drivers. Road signs which cannot possibly be obeyed or seen should, in principle, not exist, unless they are really intended to be a source of revenue.
Ken Wilkinson, Aire Valley Drive, Bradley
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