YEP Letters: March 19

An opportunity, not a problem

Peter Langtry-Langtons, Addingham.

ON communications to Leeds Bradford Airport, there must be loads of tunnelling equipment going spare, after the London transport bonanza (to which us mugs in Yorkshire have had to contribute).

It should be shifted up here, post haste (before it goes rusty) to dig a tunnel rising from Guiseley Leeds-Bradford junction to underneath the airport, falling gently thereafter, to the west end of the Bramhope tunnel.

All linking Bradford, Leeds, Harrogate and York, by normal rail to the air terminal.

Obviously a station at the airport would be deep underground. More an opportunity than a problem.

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Cycle highway is a ‘misbegotten construction’

D Angood, by email

The bollards and barriers are slowly being removed to reveal a monstrous folly of design that shows a total lack of knowledge where traffic matters are concerned.

I am of course referring to that “piece de resistance” of the Grand Depart, the super silly cycle highway.

There can be no denying that this misbegotten construction is going to cause more hold ups, hang ups, consternation, confusion and trepidation than any other traffic management scheme ever contrived.

I am in no way against any other road users, well maybe against the unthinking idiots who do not know how to drive, and would not have been hostile to a more sensible approach to such a scheme.

The idea of a cycle pathway that segregates cyclists from heavy traffic is a very favourable one and many of today’s opponents may have been more inclined to accept a suitable alternative. An alternative to the chaos and congestion that has been caused and will continue to be caused by the creation of this abomination.

The way this scheme has been contrived and stampeded through the regulations of design, planning, safety and traffic is none other than a contemptuous disregard for the general public.

It appears there were no consultations or debates just a political deal to get things done, if there were, is it possible to see a record of such meetings and the minutes thereof?

It would be good to know where to apportion accountability when even more users become disgruntled by their lack of progress due to the narrowing of the carriageway in so many places.

Let’s not lose another building

John Roberts, Wakefield

FOR some years Clayton Hospital in Wakefield has remained in a very sorry state. After some local pressure, the building was secured and the vandalism halted.

Wakefield Grammar School Foundation have made an offer to buy the site. Part of the hospital includes a potentially very attractive Victorian building. The school proposal seemed the ideal salvation.

However, we now learn that WGSF have proposed two options, one involving complete demolition and the other to retain the most historic part of the old hospital. Reading public statements and the online consultation, it is clear that the school prefers the first option.

The consultation consists of heavily biased statements in favour of the first option. For example there is no real cause why option two is desirable, as it carefully omits reference to a historic building.

The second option presents in imaginative solutions worthy of a school like this. The historic part of Clayton Hospital is only an “eyesore” because of neglect. Also, the public have less than two weeks to put forward their views.

Demolition of the entire site will be something we will live to regret. Goodness knows, Wakefield (and many other towns) have lost enough fine buildings already over the years.

Despicable treatment

Mrs D Best, Halton

Just when you think this government can’t get any worse, Osborne comes up with a plan to take money from the disabled.

We are a rich country yet treat the poorest in the most despicable way. We are constantly being told we need to reduce the deficit, well here’s one way that wouldn’t involve robbing from our neediest citizens, leave the EU and save £20 billion each year.

It’s a no brainer.

Will differences be settled?

D S Boyes, Leeds 13

REGARDING the ongoing difficulties in making any progress towards greater devolution and more control of public spending by the five West Yorkshire local authorities under the Northern Powerhouse initiative, doesn’t anyone realise that its greatest stumbling block is the fact that they are all under Labour control, and the government is Conservative?

With such a conflict of interest, could they ever agree - very unlikely - they vexed question of whether to have an elected mayor or not is a major factor in the present impasse. It has already been proposed unofficially that any such major could be subject to having their executive decisions overturned if 66 per cent of the combined members disagree.

With five Labour council leaders of whom some will fancy their chances as mayor, plus the main opposition party group leaders, it would take a long time just to select candidates.

As for some combined procedures involving Harrogate and North Yorkshire, not only are they geographically separate areas, but light years apart in many other ways, with at least West Yorkshire authorities having something in common.

But even they can disagree, for example over the planned move of Burberry clothing from Castleford to Leeds, with Wakefield Council reported as objecting on the grounds that this would devastate the Castleford local economy.

Will these differences ever be settled? Only time will tell.

EU is a failing organisation

Richard Saberton, Horbury Bridge

As ‘Referendum Day’ approaches isn’t it about time that everybody realised that the EU is a failing organisation; very few of its members like it as a whole, it is inefficient, bureaucratic and expensive.

The whole idea from which the EU grew was that policies should be put in place to prevent the possibility of Germany gaining such a powerful position that they could once again plunging Europe into turmoil. Well that went well didn’t it! Germany’s stance towards refugees has done more to encourage the rise of right wing and far right wing parties than almost anything in the last 50 years and cooperation between member countries and presenting a united front seem to have gone completely out of the window.

Common sense alone should have told us that a union of so many disparate countries as now make up the EU could never last. We have a few ‘relatively well-off countries’ to the north and west with a group of ‘failing countries’ to the south and a whole tranche of ‘aspiring to be failed countries’ to the east waiting to jump on the gravy train.

The EU is a club for countries that no other club wants as members. If everyone is honest we have to accept we have little in common other than self-interest, none of the EU countries really likes each other and they certainly don’t trust each other.

We are one of the few members of the EU who can make it on our own and as for those who feel we need the EU to protect us from our own Government please remember we are a democracy and you can vote governments out as well as in.

Well done for amazing show

Coun Wyn Kidger, Tingley

Last Saturday Phoenix held their annual charity show at Morley Town Hall and raised £1500 for charity, shared between Wheatfields and Leeds Children Charities.

The show was amazing and Tionne Pringle sang.

Well done to everyone.