IN response to the online article 'People in Craven told to act now to save lives', (Craven Herald, September 17), as 'cases of coronavirus increase in the area'.

I read with some considerable alarm that the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) has stated the following, "...announcing the reinstatement of its full emergency mode, the forum says it has concerns about rising numbers of cases in Craven and increased community transmission in Cross Hills and in Sutton-in-Craven..."

As chairman of Sutton-In-Craven Parish Council and also Craven District Council ward representative for Sutton, I have been monitoring the cases of Covid-19 using Government figures, maps and data published on a weekly basis, for our local and surrounding areas.

Up until September 8, the positive cases in our area, (Sutton, Cross Hills, Kildwick, Bradley and Snaygill are grouped together on the Government track and trace map), have been between zero up to a maximum of two per week. Between September 9 and September 15, there were between three and nine cases recorded in the area.

A similar rise in cases was also recorded in parts of Skipton, Carleton, Broughton, Gargrave and a significant number of other areas in and around the Dales.

So quite why Sutton-in-Craven and Cross Hills have been singled out and described as having a significant increase in community transmission is a mystery.

I have asked the clerk to Sutton-In-Craven Parish Council to write to the chairman of the NYLRF as a matter of urgency to inquire on what basis he has made such claims, and requested that he share with us any such data as relevant to his claims as this is clearly causing a great deal of stress, worry and anxiety in our village community.

Cllr Steve Morrell

Sutton-in-Craven