I REALISE Bradford Council is facing tough choices about how to meet financial cutbacks but I don’t think it should be looking to make cuts to services, rather looking at ways of continuing to offer them in a more efficient way.

When faced with a decision where a looked-after child might not have a local foster placement or whether to make a reduction in funding to Silsden Town Hall, most would argue that in all conscience the child needs a place of safety.

On the other hand, what if the local community was encouraged to use the town hall building and increase its potential to fund itself?

What if the community decided it is important enough to have a community development worker, who could co-ordinate a programme of events that uses the building? What if the community development worker looked for funding to cover the cost of some of these events?

It is no good signing a petition and thinking you have done your bit. People of Silsden need to come together with actual suggestions of ways to make best use of the building and, above all, need to talk about what it would be like to live in a town with a real community and an ethos of pulling together.

ANGELA MALCOLM Silsden