A child's plea

For instance, I know that our “councillors” are local people who other local people vote for to represent their views on all sorts of matters at meetings which are called council meetings.

I am only a kid, so I don’t think these councillors would listen to me, but I know there are plenty of other kids in Skipton who are also really worried that houses might be built on Elsey Croft.

Elsey Croft is such a magical, peaceful place, especially at dawn or dusk. My dad, me and my little baby brother walk through it often and see so much wildlife. We’ve seen bats, hedgehogs, newts, woodmice, pheasants and even deer. My brother saw his first shooting star the other night and loved it.

It’s such a special place to go to when you are a kid growing up in a town.

The local councillors (remember, they’re the ones the adults voted in) should not allow this [plan for 230 new homes] to go ahead. Why do they want to build more houses when there are so many empty in Skipton? Why call Elsey Croft “green belt” then build houses on it?

This is the side of politics I just don’t understand and it doesn’t make sense to me.

I have signed the petition on saveelseycroft.org and hope other kids might too after reading my letter. Thank you to all the adults who go to the important meetings to protect our future and the wildlife in Elsey Croft.

Mollie Mulheron, aged 11, Moorview Way, Skipton

Rewarding virtue

Sir - Mr Robert Leakey may have been subjected to derision for his idea of “virtue currency” (Letters, May 27).

I have just been listening to the news, in which I have discovered that the heads of housing associations are being awarded £400k annual pay packets (more than the Prime Minister earns) and that a homeless man has been given an ASBO for repeatedly fraudulently gaining access to private hospital beds (and after the winter we have just had, who can blame him?), which has probably cost the taxpayer far more than buying the chap a caravan to live in would have done.

There seems to be no logic in the way currency is distributed at all.

Yesterday, my husband came home from a long shift at work and immediately clambered over the wall next to our house into Sutton Beck where he removed, for no fee, two rubble sacks of fly-tipped rubbish, most of which was recyclable waste such as beer bottles, pop cans and plastic bottles.

This made me think that maybe there could be some kind of “no claims bonus” introduced where people are given a discounted council tax for every five years in which they successfully don’t get arrested, fined, given an ASBO or set fire to their property by human error (ie smoking in bed, drinking before cooking).

Huge amounts of money appear to be invested in punishment, while none is invested in reward.

While I do believe in Karma, it would be nice if, instead of being told “You will get your reward in heaven”, there was some small perk for doing your bit while still on earth.

Unlike Mr Leakey, I would prefer to have cash than brownie points, but I think his idea is intrinsically nice.

Caitlin Stringer, Wighill Street, Sutton-in-Craven

Bankers’ victims

Sir - My wife and I have just learned that our NatWest bank in Settle will, from August, cut down its opening times from five days to three.

The suggestion is that this is due to lack of demand for its services. This we find hard to believe, having been customers there for six years and with this bank at various branches since 1964.

We are glibly advised that we can use internet banking. You must be joking.

Doubtless this emanates as a result of the banking fiasco. Whatever happens, the bosses must be looked after so staff – and those at Settle are excellent – plus customers are to be the losers to the faceless men and women who have gambled and lost with our money.

Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle

Cutting the cake

Sir - The Prime Minister and Chancellor have indicated they wish a public consultation concerning the spending cuts which loom over us.

This sounds open and democratic, but we should be very wary of the question that will be placed before us. Shall the consultation invite comments on any topic we like, or will we be asked to choose between items on a treasury shortlist?

Mr Osborne and Mr Cameron will doubtless invoke the old argument that the National Cake is finite, that we can only afford what we can afford and when the cake is curtailed all the slices must shrink.

I have no argument with that. Our planet is finite. Gone are the days when imperial hubs could send out voyages of resource exploration. What we see is what we have, and any over-extraction now inevitably produces resource collapse.

What I would take issue with is who is to be included in the cake. Will the argument apply to the entire nation or solely to public services?

It is becoming more acceptable to argue that the “polluter must pay”, as BP is discovering. Why should we not similarly argue that those who caused the crisis should, at least principally, pay for it. I am unaware of plans to curtail the monstrous rewards of those who work in financial services which, I understood, we now own.

Why do we not ask Mr Osborne to outlaw all forms of bonus, to place all “our” banking employees on civil service pay scales and let their incentive to work to excellent levels be that same job satisfaction which apparently applies to NHS surgeons and porters, to teachers and support staff in schools.

The problem, though, is that generally speaking we do not think particularly rationally.

When faced with the conundrum of expenditure, we all agree we have to be sensible and that, desirable as first-rate education, health and social services may be, we can only allow ourselves what our purses permit and, after all, those nice people in government have promised frontline services will not be affected.

Utter tosh.

The first option exercised by any health and similar authority when faced with a budget cut is always to freeze recruitment and expect staff to carry the load as, one by one, their over-stressed colleagues leave. It is not the NHS and our education services which will pay for the deficit, it is those who work in them.

However, should any bold Chancellor ever dare suggest non-essential expenditures in which we all indulge should be curtailed, then the populace is up in arms, led by the producers and manufacturers (or, more likely, importers) of any such frippery.

We surround ourselves with useless consumer rubbish. We demand cheap world travel, unlimited energy and water supplies, the latest electronic devices, processed food from all corners of the globe and to squander and waste recklessly just so long as we, individually, can afford it.

This is merely an example, but what would be the response to the suggestion that every individual air journey and each new cell-phone “app” should carry a £100 levy until the deficit is paid for? There would be riots, yet I predict the inevitable curtailment of essential services will be accepted with relative equanimity.

This is a plea for fairness, logic and reasonable, rational thought. We are in a deep financial hole out of which we must climb. Let us not do so on the backs of those least able to afford it and of those least responsible for our predicament.

Bryn Glover, The Corncrake, Cracoe

Important issue

Sir - I, along with many others, was somewhat surprised on reading the Craven Herald of the week commencing May 23 that, although the meeting of Skipton Town Council was featured, no mention was made of the most important issue raised.

Within council, the matter of the sale by Skipton Town Council of the Burnside allotment site was discussed and the huge sums of money lost to the people of Skipton was identified.

As a result of the discussion the matter was referred to the council’s finance and policy committee with the brief of reviewing the transaction to recommend to council the viability of legal action to recover for the people of Skipton monies that should rightfully be theirs.

I cannot understand just why a matter such as this, surely one of the most important issues to face Skipton Town Council for many years, should have failed to appear in our own local paper.

My question to you, sir, is this: why is the Craven Herald silent on this matter and will you now publish the details for all to see?

John Kerwin-Davey, Newmarket Street, Skipton

* Editor’s note: A newspaper report of what was alleged at the meeting was impossible for legal reasons, as Mr Kerwin-Davey is aware. The Craven Herald intends to cover the finance and policy committee at which, it is hoped, the issue will be raised in a reportable manner.

Arthritis campaign

Sir - Readers, particularly arthritis sufferers, will be interested to hear that the medical research charity Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) has changed its name to Arthritis Research UK.

Arthritis Research UK is the charity leading the fight against arthritis. We’re working to take the pain away from sufferers and help people to remain active. We do this by funding high-class research, providing information and campaigning. All we do is underpinned by research.

Our name change is part of a strategy to re-launch the fight against arthritis and one of the many positive changes we are making to play a more proactive role.

We plan to start campaigning on behalf of people with arthritis and to ensure that the condition is taken more seriously by the medical profession – and the Government. We have also re-launched our website arthritisresearchuk.org and are improving our information material.

Here in Skipton we have had a volunteer fundraising group for almost 38 years. We would be pleased to hear from any readers who would like to find out more.

We have a coffee morning on Saturday, June 12, from 10am to 1.30pm in Skipton Town Hall annexe and all are welcome.

Alison E Metcalfe, Treasurer, Skipton Branch of Arthritis Research UK, Hurrs Road, Skipton

Sign vandalised

Sir - May I protest in the strongest possible terms at the wanton act of vandalism inflicted on a venerable and much-loved street sign here in Gargrave – namely the one on the wall of the Masons Arms public house.

I can only assume this is an example of the petulance shown by the Monster Raving Loony Party when they failed to make a breakthrough at the General Election.

Mick Horner, Neville Crescent, Gargrave