Shouting about noise and John Lewis list - you views

7:49am Thursday 10th July 2008

By Letters to the editor

The other day we were awoken in the very early hours approx 4am by music and people talking and laughing very loudly. When I looked out of the window I saw some of our neighbours having what seemed a party in their garden.

As they are normally not a nuisance we decided to ignore it. On going to bed the next night we had hardly settled down when they started again, so I decided to contact the police.

The following is the reason for my letter, not that we have had noisy neighbours: on contacting the Keighley police I explained the situation and was told to my amazement that the police have no powers to intervene in this type of situation and was told to ring the council.

I was given two numbers 01274 434366 and 01274 431000 and I am sure you would not be surprised to hear that both were turned over to an answering services - well it was after 10pm. This morning I have contacted both numbers. The one recommended by the police, 01274 431000, told me again by voice mail if I was enquiring about gritting I should visit the council website or hang on for an operator.

I did and was informed I should ring the other number, 01274 434366, as it was nothing to do with them. I was informed the department was Environmental Health and Dog Wardens but all operators were busy a voice mail asked me to leave a message.

I wonder, is this situation well known to the public or have I missed something? What if there is an emergency or if a family have some one who is very ill or even dying? who the hell do they contact out of hours.

PS The neighbours continued to be noisy so we contacted Environmental Health only to be told we have to monitor it for a month and they are going to send us a log book to record the disturbance. What a world we live in.

No one should be in a position where they can't afford to pay for prescriptions they need - yet for one in 10 cancer patients aged 55 and under who have to pay for their prescriptions, this is the case.

They usually need multiple prescriptions to ease distressing side effects of cancer treatment like nausea, fatigue, and severe mouth ulcers, and often spend hundreds of pounds each year paying for prescriptions.

One in ten cancer patients under 55 paying for their prescriptions are struggling to afford them.

Macmillan is calling for free prescriptions across the whole of the UK so no ill person is penalised in this way.

If you are between 18 and 60, a cancer patient paying for prescriptions, living in England or Northern Ireland and would like to help Macmillan's campaign please visit the Macmillan website at http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Get_Involved/Campaigns/Campaigns.aspx. where you can take part in an online survey or contact your local MP.

Your editorial on the success' of the anti-smoking law contained a real sting-in-the-tail that cannot be left unchallenged.

The anti-smoking law can only claim some success because of that aspect of British Culture which results in 99.9 per cent of our citizens respecting the law, even when it is a bad or unfair law. So, quite clearly it is a success' based upon Government bullying, browbeating and finally compulsion.

It is most disappointing that your editorial made no attempt to even consider the mass of evidence now accumulating as to the severe economic consequences of the ban upon businesses and jobs. An argument for another day.

The sting-in-the-tail relates to the last paragraph of your editorial; and it has to be said that it is almost sinister in tone. Sinister because it seems to advocate that now we should have more laws controlling and restricting even further our drinking habits, our eating habits, and to quote you "a raft of other health issues".

Informing, advising, persuading, cajoling are all legitimate tactics but coercion is most definitely not.

It is time for the fanatical Health Holier- Than-Thou brigade to be given a lesson in civil and human rights and for the right to choose to be the guiding principle.

I and the other two Keighley Town Councillors, Cllr Laurence Brocklesby, and Cllr Paul Heseltine from the Spring Gardens and Utley Ward are endeavouring to propose to the Keighley Town Council measures that could be forwarded to Bradford District Council regarding improvements to the road infrastructure within our ward.

However this is not a three man job, but entails all of the residents within our ward to submit ideas and thoughts which we can develop.

It is not only for the safety of all users of the roads within the ward, but also how any ideas could benefit Keighley as a whole.

The British Government has ordered Bradford to make land available to build thousands of houses within the Keighley region.

These houses plus the building of ASDA, schools, industrial and commercial undertakings, will obviously impact on all ratepayers within Keighley and also the Beechcliffe, Spring Gardens and Utley district.

Your help and ideas will of course improve and upgrade our ward but I must emphasise that ratepayers must play a part in the process.

Remember Keighley ratepayers pay high rates to Bradford, plus a large supplement to Keighley Town Council. Have your say and put in your pennyworth, or don't complain if you say nothing and nothing is done! Contact me at 015325 608427

We are all aware of how poorly regarded politicians often are by residents in Keighley and Ilkley.

I was therefore surprised that local Labour MP Ann Cryer decided to vote against much-needed reforms of the expenses system in Parliament.

I believe that at a time when MPs are rightly under fire over this issue, it is essential our local representatives set the right example.

David Cameron and his Conservative Shadow Cabinet voted for the abolition of the John Lewis list which allows MPs to use public money to buy new kitchens, televisions and stereos for their second homes.

Like many of her constituents, I would like to know why Mrs Cryer voted to keep it.

I look forward to reading her public justification for this decision on these pages in the days ahead.

Thank you for publishing my letter in the KN. Having read your letters page many people have congratulated me by saying it puts the Worth' back into Keighley.

But how does one fund such an altruistic and worthwhile idea when at first glance the project appears unprofitable? Lottery grants, CBMDC support - I don't think so. Someone who will put their money where their mouth is! Or simply J Public. The KWVR happened because of the last point and look what an asset that has turned out to be.

But how does an area like this pay its way? Perhaps after paying an initial admission to the time-line etc. the punters eventually finish up in a retail/cafe/toilet area where the original admission ticket is scrutinised to a winning number for that day. The prize on offer might be a voucher to spend in the retail area.

Also next door to the Biodome Area build a state of the art indoor play childrens area linked to the cafe. Once upon a time Keighley's parks were not only the lungs of the town they were places where children and adults alike could learn about the real University of life'. Nowadays one's knowledge of life comes from the media largely. Does it?

Yes, indoor play areas may be contrived, artificial situations but they do require youngsters to develop skills under strict supervision. Parks still have a role to play in modern society but would you as a responsible parent allow your child to go to one to play today with all that we are told that goes on in modern society?

I note that even 100 years ago there happened to be obscene amounts of money about to be donated and some of this money even came to Keighley.

It's a pity that the recent headline you ran in that such money could have been used for the good of the community at large and continue the vision that Carnegie had.