WHAT has happened to the Skipton we used to know that won High Street of the Year and was voted the best place to live in the country?

Firstly someone decided the town hall was better used for highbrow events than for the four day flea markets that always drew hundreds of tourists and added to the finances.

Then good shops like Poundland, New Look, Burtons and Dorothy Perkins left our streets and became only available on the internet or in other towns.

The banks followed and now no-one can get small change easily or pay directly into our accounts. Nothing is as dreary as an empty bank building .

Rackham's collapsed but there is a chance of new shops there. Now we no longer have Craven District Council and are part of North Yorkshire Council and who cares about Skipton when there is York and Scarborough to concentrate on?

If Skipton is ever to return to the vibrancy it used to be known for there will have to be an awful lot of improvement.

Patricia Mason

Skipton