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Mayor's final message; well known cat killed ...readers say what they think
Support not always forthcoming
I speak on behalf of myself and my wife, Maureen, who were civic heads of Keighley. We thank the Keighley News, in particular, for its support of the office and Keighley Town Council. To the public, sincere appreciation for the goodwill offered to us at the many functions to which we were invited.
The generosity of the public who subscribed to the mayor's charity raised more than £2,000, a magnificent amount for Keighley Faith and Light Group.
To the friends, colleagues in the Keighley Town Council who gave advice and stood steadfastly by the office of mayor whenever criticism by those intent on creating trouble was directed at me and my wife in our year in office, we say thank-you.
In my year of office, I hoped for the full support of fellow councillors and will be criticised for telling the truth that such support was not always forthcoming.
I am pleased I and the majority of my fellow councillors' established opinions, democracy and fair play should be recognised as a standard that no single Keighley Town Council committee can overrule, even though I firmly believe the committee structure needs further openness and scrutiny.
Cllr Brian Hudson
Brontë Drive, Oakworth.
Message to car driver
This letter is for the woman who drove up Exley Road, on Monday, at approximately 5pm.
We are writing to let you know that the big ginger and white tom cat you ran into, you actually killed. But as you did not even have the decency to stop you wouldn't know this!
We hope, if you see this letter you are totally ashamed of yourself. This accident was witnessed by neighbours and kids, who were also upset, and the fact you just drove off makes everything worse. We had O'Malley for 17-years. He was a very well loved cat, known by everyone who lived down Exley Road.
We would also like to say thank you to the man in the blue pick-up who did stop to help. Myself and my daughter were upset so did not really get chance to say thank you.
Becky And Kelly Webster
Disgust at collection office threat
I am absolutely disgusted to learn from the latest edition of the Keighley News that the council cash collection office is under threat.
I am very much an old age pensioner and always make my monthly payments for council tax and water rates at this office and usually find it to be quite busy.
Old people in the town do not always have the facilities to make their payments in any other way. If this facility is closed I shall simply stop paying my tax and I hope other people will do the same.
If we have to pay it in Bradford it means sending by post which makes it more expensive to pay.
It's a question of Keighley simply being a suburb of Bradford these days instead of being a town itself, as it was in my young days.
It irks me to even have to pay council tax to Bradford but if I can't actually pay it in Keighley, I'll stop paying on principle and see what happens.
Mrs L Davies
Laycock
Second to none health care
We are constantly bombarded with tales of woe regarding the NHS; MRSA, poor staff morale and failing standards are supposed to abound but, as a recent "customer" of the NHS, I, for one, would like to sing the praises of all the staff I encountered this weekend at Airedale Hospital.
After a very painful fall from my horse, resulting in a couple of broken bones in my hand, I received a standard of healthcare which was second to none from start to finish.
The ambulance crew who attended me were kind, efficient and extremely professional, as were the nurses in A&E to whom they handed me on arrival at the hospital. I worked my way through casualty and was met with cheerful professionalism in every department, from the doctors to the X-ray department, the plaster room to the ladies with the ECG machine and on to admissions. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone and that's a great feeling when you are alone, shaken up and in pain.
On my return to the hospital for surgery the next day, it was the same story, with care, attention, professionalism and cheerfulness all the way from admissions, ward staff, doctors, theatre staff and the lovely dinner lady who took pity on me and peeled my orange - an impossible task when you've only one hand.
Any system will have its faults - it would be impossible for it to be perfect - but let's not forget that it's the individuals who make or break any service and, if my experiences at Airedale are anything to go by, we are in safe hands. Please join me and give a huge thank you to all the NHS staff for their continuing service and dedication.
Elaine Clark
Denholme
Children can't forget thumbs
Is it possible, as a school librarian, following your uncharacteristically tabloid front page article last week on Long Lee's use of Junior Librarian, to inject a small amount of perspective?
Junior Librarian is the best selling primary school library system in the UK. It offers a variety of ways of identifying a borrower - barcode, PIN number, name and, optionally, the thumb scanner - so if parents feel so strongly about the scanner, there are plenty of options.
The thumb scanner, however, is preferred by a lot of schools because children can't forget their thumb - they can (and do!) forget library cards with depressing regularity.
The biometric technology Micro Library Systems, the producers of Junior Librarian, use is one-way (it scans a thumbprint and converts it into a series of numbers, which can't - even by the most complex supercomputer - be converted back into a thumbprint. The next time a borrower comes, their thumb is scanned again, the code generated and the number - not the print - compared. No prints are stored in the system. This is not the FBI, or CSI, it's a good, reliable and secure way of making sure books are linked to borrowers.
Another thing to note is that children actually like using it - borrowing goes up when a thumb scanner is introduced, especially among boys and that - surely - is the point of a school library?
Less concern about a non-existent threat to personal information and more concern by parents, and local media, about how to get children reading would be appreciated by schools everywhere - I await with baited breath your front page story on the National Year of Reading.
Adrian Thompson
LRC Manager, Laisterdyke Business &
Enterprise College, Bradford
Parents should be worried
One Long Lee parent is reported to be against biometrics for his children at school but favours "things like ID cards". It's not clear whether he means little plastic library cards or whether he is referring to the national ID card scheme. If the latter - he had better get used to biometrics pretty quickly. Vast quantities of personal data will be stored on the national cards and also on a gigantic centralised database.
Introducing us bit by bit to cosy applications like library schemes is just one way of softening us up for a coming data circus that will make the Domesday Book look like the back of an envelope. The parents at Long Lee should indeed be worried.
Reassuringly we are told, "no image is stored, just a huge number"; these are weasel words. Any image stored on a computer is effectively a huge number. That the process of encoding is irreversible is irrelevant. Any existing fingerprint - or image of a fingerprint fed into this machine could be resolved to a number which may then be matched to the database. The proper purpose of a library system is to establish who has which book, but note that the school is already using the data to track reading habits.
Innocent? Not in the USA where the PATRIOT act obliges all public libraries to report the reading habits of its users. "The pupils don't need to remember to bring anything", we are told. More calming words. Would this argument be extended to justify implanted chips?
Tattooed numbers? Jolly handy for a government which already has thousands of DNA records of innocent children on its database. A recommendation from a homely sounding government department further fails to reassure.
Even the use of the word "thumbprint" is designed to put us off our guard - how much more quickly would hackles have risen if the word "fingerprint" had been used? The government's own information commissioner, Richard Thomas, has said that Britain is "sleep-walking into a surveillance society". It starts here.
George Speller
Hill Top Road, Keighley
Deeply saddened by story
As a parent of two boys who attend Long Lee Primary I have several issues with how the story was reported and your sources used for the story.
I notice that the parents reported in the story would not name themselves. I find this very cowardly indeed and wondered why they thought it necessary to go directly to the paper instead of contacting the head teacher, Mrs Smith, with their concerns? Surely if you have concerns with school policies this would be your first point of call and would enable Mrs Smith to discuss the problem without it being dragged through the papers.
I personally do not have a problem with my son's thumbprints being taken to enable them to use the library and all it's excellent resources. I also willingly signed the ICT consent forms as the facilities at the school are exceptional and I wish my son's to have full access to them.
With hindsight, it appears that the issue of the thumbprints being taken should have been explained more fully within the document but under no circumstances would the head or teachers at Long Lee do anything without the parent's permission nor store children's sensitive information.
On reading the story, I was very angry with both the gutless parent's quoted and the way the story was reported. Long Lee is an outstanding school, as the recent Ofsted report will verify and I am entirely happy with my relationship with the school, communication with the school and the excellent education it gives my sons. I really feel for the teachers and Mrs Smith as they must be deeply saddened by this article and the impression that it gives. I'm sure the majority of parents with children attending Long Lee will feel exactly as I do.
Fiona Degler
Long Lee Lane, Long Lee
4:40pm Wednesday 14th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: peter, oxenhope on 9:43am Sat 17 May 08
After what appears to have been a successful year for the outgoing mayor of Keighley Brian Hudson, the letter by him to friends and colleagues indicating his thanks for their support is somewhat tainted by the accusation that otherd in the council were "intent on causing trouble" and are " guilty of a lack of support", leaves me to believe that unless the subject of such criticisms are laid before us, and are brought out into the open, we can never go forward as a town, standing on its own two feet, unaided by the crutch that is Bradford.
Who were the councillors guilty of the above?
Why were they intent on causing trouble and not giving support?
I want to know, then I can decide whether or not I should support any of the wannabees who court my vote so eagerly, and then ignore me after they have secured it.
Is there any councillor in the chamber with a backbone, or do we have to endure endless years of infightig and backbiting before the real leaders come forward, it just doesnt have to be like this, so what is going on.
After what appears to have been a successful year for the outgoing mayor of Keighley Brian Hudson, the letter by him to friends and colleagues indicating his thanks for their support is somewhat tainted by the accusation that otherd in the council were "intent on causing trouble" and are " guilty of a lack of support", leaves me to believe that unless the subject of such criticisms are laid before us, and are brought out into the open, we can never go forward as a town, standing on its own two feet, unaided by the crutch that is Bradford.
Who were the councillors guilty of the above?
Why were they intent on causing trouble and not giving support?
I want to know, then I can decide whether or not I should support any of the wannabees who court my vote so eagerly, and then ignore me after they have secured it.
Is there any councillor in the chamber with a backbone, or do we have to endure endless years of infightig and backbiting before the real leaders come forward, it just doesnt have to be like this, so what is going on.
Posted by: David Samuels, keighlwy on 10:17am Sat 17 May 08
The Keighley Town Council draft ‘Revised Code of Conduct’ makes the respect for others an obligation. However I have said that members should be careful; be very careful what extra powers they give to the Management and Staffing Committee, in fact any Council committee that has the power to be judge, jury and executioner! In my misdemeanour, writing on behalf of my ward constituents regarding the closing of the Keighley Tax Office, I was not invited to put forward my views, nor was I able to appeal against the reprimand! The fact that the Freedom of Speech Act was broken by this committee was brushed aside. An illegal act that the Standards Board for England would not investigate!
Yet I still believe that only an outside body should be able to arbitrate between alleged perceived misdemeanours that may or may not have taken place within the confines of Keighley Town Council procedures!
What is said in the chamber, unless it is proved to be a lie or deliberately deceitful, should be accepted as an opinion that one can agree with or not. Normal debate, heated or not, it is vital to obey the Freedom of Speech and Democracy Act. The law states that unless it is racial or hateful such freedoms should not be constrained by those who believe that diktat is power.
It’s too much to hope all 30 councillors who frequent this chamber will agree to like or dislike all other members but one should show respect when members are making opinions that are not to the personal liking of others!
I suggest therefore that respect for any opinion expressed in the chamber or even outside, must be a moral requirement and should not be treated with ridicule and derision, but by intelligent argument.
It could be said members of any committee, ruling on the aspects of a colleague could possibly be expressing a dislike for the accused.
As a recipient of past tittle tattle and a racial insult from a member of Keighley Town Council I sincerely hope comments, that most certainly, do no credit to Keighley Town Council or its members will cease, both in the chamber and most obviously outside in the public domain.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of issues, for instance, it is a fact that many in Keighley Town Council do not approve of some of my actions, however by the same token I don’t approve of the actions of some of my fellow Councillors. I would not wish this personal dislike between colleagues to be enlarged, and it will be if this protocol for dealing with Keighley Town councillors is proceeded with as drafted.
David Samuels
Who will judge the judges? Let’s find another way of dealing with this issue! I suggest that the personal bickering, and the point scoring emanating from certain members of this Council must stop!
I’m sorry, but I have noticed that imbecilic sheep bleat out stories and far fetched tales regarding members of this council and so-called intelligent members of this council who wish to believe the worst of others and who repeat myths and fanciful tales as truths.
Don’t tell me it doesn’t happen because I know to my cost that half lies have been circulated about me and have been fanned into monumental lies!
Each year this constant childish behaviour in and outside this chamber is causing many members of the public to question the lucidity of Keighley Town Council and some of its members!
[bold]bold[/bold]
The Keighley Town Council draft ‘Revised Code of Conduct’ makes the respect for others an obligation. However I have said that members should be careful; be very careful what extra powers they give to the Management and Staffing Committee, in fact any Council committee that has the power to be judge, jury and executioner! In my misdemeanour, writing on behalf of my ward constituents regarding the closing of the Keighley Tax Office, I was not invited to put forward my views, nor was I able to appeal against the reprimand! The fact that the Freedom of Speech Act was broken by this committee was brushed aside. An illegal act that the Standards Board for England would not investigate!
Yet I still believe that only an outside body should be able to arbitrate between alleged perceived misdemeanours that may or may not have taken place within the confines of Keighley Town Council procedures!
What is said in the chamber, unless it is proved to be a lie or deliberately deceitful, should be accepted as an opinion that one can agree with or not. Normal debate, heated or not, it is vital to obey the Freedom of Speech and Democracy Act. The law states that unless it is racial or hateful such freedoms should not be constrained by those who believe that diktat is power.
It’s too much to hope all 30 councillors who frequent this chamber will agree to like or dislike all other members but one should show respect when members are making opinions that are not to the personal liking of others!
I suggest therefore that respect for any opinion expressed in the chamber or even outside, must be a moral requirement and should not be treated with ridicule and derision, but by intelligent argument.
It could be said members of any committee, ruling on the aspects of a colleague could possibly be expressing a dislike for the accused.
As a recipient of past tittle tattle and a racial insult from a member of Keighley Town Council I sincerely hope comments, that most certainly, do no credit to Keighley Town Council or its members will cease, both in the chamber and most obviously outside in the public domain.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of issues, for instance, it is a fact that many in Keighley Town Council do not approve of some of my actions, however by the same token I don’t approve of the actions of some of my fellow Councillors. I would not wish this personal dislike between colleagues to be enlarged, and it will be if this protocol for dealing with Keighley Town councillors is proceeded with as drafted.
David Samuels
Who will judge the judges? Let’s find another way of dealing with this issue! I suggest that the personal bickering, and the point scoring emanating from certain members of this Council must stop!
I’m sorry, but I have noticed that imbecilic sheep bleat out stories and far fetched tales regarding members of this council and so-called intelligent members of this council who wish to believe the worst of others and who repeat myths and fanciful tales as truths.
Don’t tell me it doesn’t happen because I know to my cost that half lies have been circulated about me and have been fanned into monumental lies!
Each year this constant childish behaviour in and outside this chamber is causing many members of the public to question the lucidity of Keighley Town Council and some of its members!
Posted by: peter, oxenhope on 11:06am Sat 17 May 08
Because sadly, there is no way of commenting on the article regarding the death of George Bridge, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the police for their quick response in the arrest of two suspects within two days of his death, well done.
Because sadly, there is no way of commenting on the article regarding the death of George Bridge, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the police for their quick response in the arrest of two suspects within two days of his death, well done.
Posted by: peter, oxenhope on 2:39pm Sun 18 May 08
Welcome back Mr, Samuels, again, and at last, there is a man with backbone in the council chamber, sadly though, your statement does not quite go far enough.
I believe that we, the voting people of Keighley, deserve no less than an explanation as to who, why or what is holding back the future of this town.
Shackled to the starting blocks with no sign of advancement or indeed any sign of a future away from the stagnant city that is Bradford.
We must all ask,
Do we have a capable council.
Do we have capable councillors.
Do we have the infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
Does anyone out there have the will.
Or do we wait another ten years or so.
Welcome back Mr, Samuels, again, and at last, there is a man with backbone in the council chamber, sadly though, your statement does not quite go far enough.
I believe that we, the voting people of Keighley, deserve no less than an explanation as to who, why or what is holding back the future of this town.
Shackled to the starting blocks with no sign of advancement or indeed any sign of a future away from the stagnant city that is Bradford.
We must all ask,
Do we have a capable council.
Do we have capable councillors.
Do we have the infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
Does anyone out there have the will.
Or do we wait another ten years or so.
Posted by: David Samuels, keighlwy on 9:39am Mon 19 May 08
Peter: The majority of the council members are ordinary working class people, all with a particular individual talent that I and a few stalwarts believe could be of value and benefit to Keighley.
Negligible power excites I believe, and some would sell themselves for the gold and the small but embarrassing pageantry that is available as ‘Mayor of Keighley’. The committee structure of a peasant mentality that should have died out a hundred years ago has reared its ugly head. The corrupt formality of the past, ‘them and us’ now prevails.
There is a belief by some councillors, of which I am one, that a minority of members, however academically they present themselves, hold a view that pomp and ceremony is what Keighley Town Council should flaunt. Yes, history, has a place in today’s world, but history is not always an ideal representation of life today. Time has moved on! Bling and the methods used forty years ago are not, I believe, appropriate in this 21st Century. The closing of shops, postal and tax offices, even the Bradford Council Payment Offices should have been fought, we in Keighley should be not fighting each other. We should be debating on the expenditure of over £1,200,000.000 of Keighley ratepayers cash!
The pictures of old ex-mayors from the bygone era of Keighley Borough Council’s that line the Keighley Town Hall walls should be returned to Cliffe Castle where they can be looked at and possibly be admired by many.
The idea that I and a few others canvassed to establish the Keighley Town Council was that the standards of the old Keighley Borough Council, while romantic, is an out of date concept.
Pomposity and arrogance, I and others believe, stole the idea of modernizing the hypothesis that Keighley Town Council should be a leader in local Government.
Discussion by Councillors outside the concept of the ‘committee’ mentality was and is limited.
Dialogue and my offer to ‘break bread’ with an opposing Councillor became impossible, emails and letters in my possession will prove that point. Reconciliation is only available if one is prepared to obey the ‘recommendations’ of this particular Councillor.
Such is the arrogance, in my view, of this Councillor that unfortunately it never occurred to him that he could possibly be wrong, even in the slightest degree!
I could write another 40,000 words about the issues of Keighley Town council, in fact the above particular councillor advised me to ‘Write another block-busting novel, for you cannot be short of material’ he stated. Well from records, emails and letters in my possession, at least he got one thing right in his life!
The future must be to build an infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
There is the will, but one must get rid of comments such as, ‘let’s go to the pub and gloat’ a comment made to a Councillor when I and some of my colleagues were denied seats on preferred committees.
I and a few others will continue to fight for a business infrastructure that is required for today’s world, not that of yesterday’s servitude mentality. Reconciliation between members can only be undertaken when opinions are recognized as an individual prerogative and should not be subjected to racial insults by members who should know better.
[italic]italic[/italic] [bold]bold[/bold]
Peter: The majority of the council members are ordinary working class people, all with a particular individual talent that I and a few stalwarts believe could be of value and benefit to Keighley.
Negligible power excites I believe, and some would sell themselves for the gold and the small but embarrassing pageantry that is available as ‘Mayor of Keighley’. The committee structure of a peasant mentality that should have died out a hundred years ago has reared its ugly head. The corrupt formality of the past, ‘them and us’ now prevails.
There is a belief by some councillors, of which I am one, that a minority of members, however academically they present themselves, hold a view that pomp and ceremony is what Keighley Town Council should flaunt. Yes, history, has a place in today’s world, but history is not always an ideal representation of life today. Time has moved on! Bling and the methods used forty years ago are not, I believe, appropriate in this 21st Century. The closing of shops, postal and tax offices, even the Bradford Council Payment Offices should have been fought, we in Keighley should be not fighting each other. We should be debating on the expenditure of over £1,200,000.000 of Keighley ratepayers cash!
The pictures of old ex-mayors from the bygone era of Keighley Borough Council’s that line the Keighley Town Hall walls should be returned to Cliffe Castle where they can be looked at and possibly be admired by many.
The idea that I and a few others canvassed to establish the Keighley Town Council was that the standards of the old Keighley Borough Council, while romantic, is an out of date concept.
Pomposity and arrogance, I and others believe, stole the idea of modernizing the hypothesis that Keighley Town Council should be a leader in local Government.
Discussion by Councillors outside the concept of the ‘committee’ mentality was and is limited.
Dialogue and my offer to ‘break bread’ with an opposing Councillor became impossible, emails and letters in my possession will prove that point. Reconciliation is only available if one is prepared to obey the ‘recommendations’ of this particular Councillor.
Such is the arrogance, in my view, of this Councillor that unfortunately it never occurred to him that he could possibly be wrong, even in the slightest degree!
I could write another 40,000 words about the issues of Keighley Town council, in fact the above particular councillor advised me to ‘Write another block-busting novel, for you cannot be short of material’ he stated. Well from records, emails and letters in my possession, at least he got one thing right in his life!
The future must be to build an infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
There is the will, but one must get rid of comments such as, ‘let’s go to the pub and gloat’ a comment made to a Councillor when I and some of my colleagues were denied seats on preferred committees.
I and a few others will continue to fight for a business infrastructure that is required for today’s world, not that of yesterday’s servitude mentality. Reconciliation between members can only be undertaken when opinions are recognized as an individual prerogative and should not be subjected to racial insults by members who should know better.
Posted by: David Samuels, keighlwy on 9:42am Mon 19 May 08
Peter: The majority of the council members are ordinary working class people, all with a particular individual talent that I and a few stalwarts believe could be of value and benefit to Keighley.
Negligible power excites I believe, and some would sell themselves for the gold and the small but embarrassing pageantry that is available as ‘Mayor of Keighley’. The committee structure of a peasant mentality that should have died out a hundred years ago has reared its ugly head. The corrupt formality of the past, ‘them and us’ now prevails.
There is a belief by some councillors, of which I am one, that a minority of members, however academically they present themselves, hold a view that pomp and ceremony is what Keighley Town Council should flaunt. Yes, history, has a place in today’s world, but history is not always an ideal representation of life today. Time has moved on! Bling and the methods used forty years ago are not, I believe, appropriate in this 21st Century. The closing of shops, postal and tax offices, even the Bradford Council Payment Offices should have been fought, we in Keighley should be not fighting each other. We should be debating on the expenditure of over £1,200,000.000 of Keighley ratepayers cash!
The pictures of old ex-mayors from the bygone era of Keighley Borough Council’s that line the Keighley Town Hall walls should be returned to Cliffe Castle where they can be looked at and possibly be admired by many.
The idea that I and a few others canvassed to establish the Keighley Town Council was that the standards of the old Keighley Borough Council, while romantic, is an out of date concept.
Pomposity and arrogance, I and others believe, stole the idea of modernizing the hypothesis that Keighley Town Council should be a leader in local Government.
Discussion by Councillors outside the concept of the ‘committee’ mentality was and is limited.
Dialogue and my offer to ‘break bread’ with an opposing Councillor became impossible, emails and letters in my possession will prove that point. Reconciliation is only available if one is prepared to obey the ‘recommendations’ of this particular Councillor.
Such is the arrogance, in my view, of this Councillor that unfortunately it never occurred to him that he could possibly be wrong, even in the slightest degree!
I could write another 40,000 words about the issues of Keighley Town council, in fact the above particular councillor advised me to ‘Write another block-busting novel, for you cannot be short of material’ he stated. Well from records, emails and letters in my possession, at least he got one thing right in his life!
The future must be to build an infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
There is the will, but one must get rid of comments such as, ‘let’s go to the pub and gloat’ a comment made to a Councillor when I and some of my colleagues were denied seats on preferred committees.
I and a few others will continue to fight for a business infrastructure that is required for today’s world, not that of yesterday’s servitude mentality. Reconciliation between members can only be undertaken when opinions are recognized as an individual prerogative and should not be subjected to racial insults by members who should know better.
Peter: The majority of the council members are ordinary working class people, all with a particular individual talent that I and a few stalwarts believe could be of value and benefit to Keighley.
Negligible power excites I believe, and some would sell themselves for the gold and the small but embarrassing pageantry that is available as ‘Mayor of Keighley’. The committee structure of a peasant mentality that should have died out a hundred years ago has reared its ugly head. The corrupt formality of the past, ‘them and us’ now prevails.
There is a belief by some councillors, of which I am one, that a minority of members, however academically they present themselves, hold a view that pomp and ceremony is what Keighley Town Council should flaunt. Yes, history, has a place in today’s world, but history is not always an ideal representation of life today. Time has moved on! Bling and the methods used forty years ago are not, I believe, appropriate in this 21st Century. The closing of shops, postal and tax offices, even the Bradford Council Payment Offices should have been fought, we in Keighley should be not fighting each other. We should be debating on the expenditure of over £1,200,000.000 of Keighley ratepayers cash!
The pictures of old ex-mayors from the bygone era of Keighley Borough Council’s that line the Keighley Town Hall walls should be returned to Cliffe Castle where they can be looked at and possibly be admired by many.
The idea that I and a few others canvassed to establish the Keighley Town Council was that the standards of the old Keighley Borough Council, while romantic, is an out of date concept.
Pomposity and arrogance, I and others believe, stole the idea of modernizing the hypothesis that Keighley Town Council should be a leader in local Government.
Discussion by Councillors outside the concept of the ‘committee’ mentality was and is limited.
Dialogue and my offer to ‘break bread’ with an opposing Councillor became impossible, emails and letters in my possession will prove that point. Reconciliation is only available if one is prepared to obey the ‘recommendations’ of this particular Councillor.
Such is the arrogance, in my view, of this Councillor that unfortunately it never occurred to him that he could possibly be wrong, even in the slightest degree!
I could write another 40,000 words about the issues of Keighley Town council, in fact the above particular councillor advised me to ‘Write another block-busting novel, for you cannot be short of material’ he stated. Well from records, emails and letters in my possession, at least he got one thing right in his life!
The future must be to build an infrastructure needed to run our own affairs.
There is the will, but one must get rid of comments such as, ‘let’s go to the pub and gloat’ a comment made to a Councillor when I and some of my colleagues were denied seats on preferred committees.
I and a few others will continue to fight for a business infrastructure that is required for today’s world, not that of yesterday’s servitude mentality. Reconciliation between members can only be undertaken when opinions are recognized as an individual prerogative and should not be subjected to racial insults by members who should know better.
Posted by: David Samuels, keighlwy on 11:02pm Wed 21 May 08
If only Keighley Town Council had a little of the quintessential magic that Manchester United showed in Moscow![bold]bold[/bold]
If only Keighley Town Council had a little of the quintessential magic that Manchester United showed in Moscow!
Posted by: Chris, Keighley on 11:37pm Wed 21 May 08
There may be a few spare places in the Labour party for a couple of Town Councillors who don't have such magic David, they would be at home in ghost towers.
There may be a few spare places in the Labour party for a couple of Town Councillors who don't have such magic David, they would be at home in ghost towers.
Posted by: Little Green Man, Mars on 6:48am Thu 22 May 08
Were you watching the same game as me? As an impartial observer of the game I thought Chelsea deserved the win having outplayed United for most of the match - I certainly didn't see any 'magic' from United
Were you watching the same game as me? As an impartial observer of the game I thought Chelsea deserved the win having outplayed United for most of the match - I certainly didn't see any 'magic' from United
Posted by: David Samuels, keighlwy on 3:18pm Thu 22 May 08
I read with interest the letter from the Keighley Town Clerk regarding the ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” who expressed ‘sorrow’ for Cllr Mallison, a Bradford City Councillor.
I am not aware of these ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” Mrs Bailey alludes to in her praise, justifiably or not of Cllr Mallison.
Whilst no doubt what the lady said of the departed Councillor has merit, I respectfully suggest that Mrs Bailey, as the Clerk to Keighley Town Council should not engage in anything that could be misconstrued as politics as her supposed independence and impartiality within the Bradford/Keighley area may be put at risk. A function of a town hall clerk must be that they do not, under any circumstance break any confidentiality nor engage in any perceived political engagement, whatever those ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council’ may demand. To do so may dent the understanding of totally impartiality of the office of the Parish/Town/City which they serve and while Mrs Bailey may still have the confidence of the ‘Many members of the Council’ she talks about. I suggest it should be those people themselves who praise Cllr Mallison, not a politically independent employee of Keighley Town Council.
Cllr David Samuels
I read with interest the letter from the Keighley Town Clerk regarding the ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” who expressed ‘sorrow’ for Cllr Mallison, a Bradford City Councillor.
I am not aware of these ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” Mrs Bailey alludes to in her praise, justifiably or not of Cllr Mallison.
Whilst no doubt what the lady said of the departed Councillor has merit, I respectfully suggest that Mrs Bailey, as the Clerk to Keighley Town Council should not engage in anything that could be misconstrued as politics as her supposed independence and impartiality within the Bradford/Keighley area may be put at risk. A function of a town hall clerk must be that they do not, under any circumstance break any confidentiality nor engage in any perceived political engagement, whatever those ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council’ may demand. To do so may dent the understanding of totally impartiality of the office of the Parish/Town/City which they serve and while Mrs Bailey may still have the confidence of the ‘Many members of the Council’ she talks about. I suggest it should be those people themselves who praise Cllr Mallison, not a politically independent employee of Keighley Town Council.
Cllr David Samuels
Posted by: Chris, Keighley on 11:32pm Thu 22 May 08
[quote][bold]David Samuels[/bold] wrote:
I read with interest the letter from the Keighley Town Clerk regarding the ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” who expressed ‘sorrow’ for Cllr Mallison, a Bradford City Councillor. I am not aware of these ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” Mrs Bailey alludes to in her praise, justifiably or not of Cllr Mallison. Whilst no doubt what the lady said of the departed Councillor has merit, I respectfully suggest that Mrs Bailey, as the Clerk to Keighley Town Council should not engage in anything that could be misconstrued as politics as her supposed independence and impartiality within the Bradford/Keighley area may be put at risk. A function of a town hall clerk must be that they do not, under any circumstance break any confidentiality nor engage in any perceived political engagement, whatever those ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council’ may demand. To do so may dent the understanding of totally impartiality of the office of the Parish/Town/City which they serve and while Mrs Bailey may still have the confidence of the ‘Many members of the Council’ she talks about. I suggest it should be those people themselves who praise Cllr Mallison, not a politically independent employee of Keighley Town Council. Cllr David Samuels [/quote] Could not agree more with you Councillor Samuels, It is obvious the clerk is speaking on the behalf of only a couple of old school individuals rather then her statement that made it look like a carte blanche support from all members. It's things like this that give the Town Council the cheap image it continues to promote, that is apart from a few decent strong minded ones who speak the truth regardless of the threats from others on the Council.
David Samuels wrote:
I read with interest the letter from the Keighley Town Clerk regarding the ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” who expressed ‘sorrow’ for Cllr Mallison, a Bradford City Councillor. I am not aware of these ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council” Mrs Bailey alludes to in her praise, justifiably or not of Cllr Mallison. Whilst no doubt what the lady said of the departed Councillor has merit, I respectfully suggest that Mrs Bailey, as the Clerk to Keighley Town Council should not engage in anything that could be misconstrued as politics as her supposed independence and impartiality within the Bradford/Keighley area may be put at risk. A function of a town hall clerk must be that they do not, under any circumstance break any confidentiality nor engage in any perceived political engagement, whatever those ‘Many members of Keighley Town Council’ may demand. To do so may dent the understanding of totally impartiality of the office of the Parish/Town/City which they serve and while Mrs Bailey may still have the confidence of the ‘Many members of the Council’ she talks about. I suggest it should be those people themselves who praise Cllr Mallison, not a politically independent employee of Keighley Town Council. Cllr David Samuels
Could not agree more with you Councillor Samuels, It is obvious the clerk is speaking on the behalf of only a couple of old school individuals rather then her statement that made it look like a carte blanche support from all members. It's things like this that give the Town Council the cheap image it continues to promote, that is apart from a few decent strong minded ones who speak the truth regardless of the threats from others on the Council.
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