MORE of your views on the closure of the Sugden End household waste recycling centre at Cross Roads...

THE closure of the Sugden End site has to be one of the most irresponsible decisions reached by Bradford Council.

The knock-on effect is obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense – fly-tipping will be the recourse of many otherwise law-abiding residents anxious to recycle their household waste, when they would much prefer to continue to do the responsible thing and use the facilities that our council tax pays for.

The effect on the environment will be massive, and will incur on the council great expense and inconvenience in locating and clearing away such illegally-dumped waste – and will arguably cost more than it would to keep Sugden End open.

To suggest that the facility was one of the least used was a complete nonsense. When I visited one morning cars were backed up to the entrance and onto the main road, such was the demand.

I do not intend to take a political stance with regard to this and other financing issues. That is an individual matter for each and every one of us, but surely it must have been possible to have Sugden End and other sites kept open one, or possibly two, nominated days a week rather than going for a full closure?

If Bradford Council is serious about protecting the environment then genuine consideration must be given to retaining recycling facilities.

I hardly need to point out that next month we will have the opportunity to elect councillors to represent us. Candidates with a commitment to a responsible approach to waste disposal and environmental protection will be high on my list for election.

Allan Humphrey, Ingrow

 

IN line with thousands of other local residents, I am appalled at the decision to close yet another facility that benefits our localities – namely the Ilkley and Worth Valley public tips.

The sole intention of the ‘Bradford Mafia’ seems to be to spend millions of pounds on cycleways and feasibility studies along with extra staffing for children’s services (to combat the said service being ranked by Government as ‘poor’) plus the regeneration of many Bradford city areas. And that’s not to mention the millions to be spent promoting the City of Culture.

The tip closures are a result of Government cuts, according to the lady Hinchcliffe.

I do appreciate that the Government is as bad as Bradford Council in the manner in which it tries (or not) to govern.

Perhaps our local MP and possibly the next incumbent could refrain from posing in front of ‘non-developing’ sites such as the proposed incinerator plot and other long-forgotten locations such as that planned for a footbridge.

And perhaps if our MP has some clout in Parliament he could whisper in the ears of his buddies down there to look at the responsibilities of local government and do something about the fly-tipping health risk.

Perhaps the City of Culture could become the City of the Vulture.

Brian Hinchliffe, Marsh, Oxenhope