I READ with great interest and much concern about the £40m Asda superstore.

It may create 400 new jobs, but at what expense to the rest of the shopkeeping community in Huddersfield town centre. How many jobs will be lost there?

You only have to walk around Huddersfield town centre and seen the number of empty shop premises then walk round the market hall and see the number of empty stalls to realise that another superstore on the ring road would virtually close the town centre.

This might be the intention of Kirklees Council to change the town centre into a car park for all the superstores on the ring road, but, of course, the superstores would not want their customers to pay the exorbitant parking charges Kirklees Council charge.

There are many reasons why companies are not investing in Huddersfield such as lack of sensibly priced parking for customers, high rents for shop tenants, high business rates and Kirklees Council’s policy to allow superstores on or within the ring road.

All these superstores provide free parking for their customers. One can only assume that if Asda goes ahead with its proposal it will provide free parking for its customers too.

I’m sure Kirklees Council will not insist that a charge of 90p per vehicle per hour be imposed on Asda customers, payable to Kirklees Council.

But this charge applies to every vehicle owner shopping at every other shop in Huddersfield and going to town by bus is not a cheaper alternative plus all the problems carrying heavy bags and bulky items on buses.

None of the above will present problems to an international company such as Asda. It will overawe the minions of Kirklees Council and offer them the earth.

Asda will not be worried about the little traders and Kirklees Council will bury their heads in the sand and convince themselves that a company like Asda will have little or no effect on the rest of the shopkeepers in Huddersfield.

When Kirklees has allowed the Asda project to proceed and the proposed Tesco project with all the smaller traders pulling out of Huddersfield because they cannot compete, how will Kirklees Council replace the lost rents and rates?

How will they replace the lost revenue from parking when they won’t even be able to pay people to park? Answer, increase the Council Tax under any pretext they can think of and they will say it is nothing to do with the Asda or Tesco projects.

I’m not a shopkeeper and have no connections to any. I am just a concerned Huddersfield resident who has lived here 64 years.

David Townend

Linthwaite

No more superstores

YET more supermarkets? This is ridiculous with 350 jobs at a proposed Tesco plus 400 at a projected Asda.

Who are these 750 supermarket staff going to be selling to and how many existing small traders are going to go out of business? How many more empty shops are we to see in Huddersfield town centre?

Supermarkets have come to stay, but a council which allows them to expand and proliferate is in dereliction of its duty to both its taxpayers and its local business people.

Philip Charlesworth

Waterloo

Anger over filthy taxis

HAVING received an invitation to visit a friend in north Yorkshire, I decided to ‘let the train take the strain’ and as there is a rather infrequent bus service locally I booked a taxi to transport me to the station.

It was late arriving and I was about to phone to see what the delay was when it came along the road.

The driver said he had got lost. “In these days of sat nav?’’ I enquired. “Oh I haven’t got it with me today,’’ was the reply.

I opened the rear passenger door to reveal the filthiest car interior I have ever seen.

The seat covers were all stained, the floor dirty, gritty, one rubber mat all awry in the footwell revealed wires coming from under the driver’s seat and leading to goodness only knows.

I really didn’t want to sit on those seats, but as we were running late I had no choice.

The seatbelt felt sticky and greasy and very off-putting.

I made a mental note never to use that taxi firm again.

On my return in the evening I boarded one of the waiting taxis outside the station and though it was too dark to see the state of the covers, the odour and the feel of the seatbelts convinced me that this, too, was in a similar state to the earlier car.

Should it turn out that the taxi drivers have to pay the increased licence fees, presently under discussion, I suggest they all take time out to present their vehicles in a way that will tempt more potential customers.

We deserve better.

Excuse me while I take the clothes I was wearing to the cleaners – they were certainly not returned to my wardrobe.

Very Angry Traveller

Kirkburton

Wonderful schoolday

ON Friday, May 1, I was invited to Scholes Junior and Infants School to celebrate 100 years of learning. It was a wonderful day!

My invitation was as I had been, 34 years ago, responsible as job architect at Abbey and Hanson, Rowe and Partners for the first alterations to Scholes 1909 local school.

This involved taking down the outside boys and girls toilets and moving them inside along with converting a lofty ‘marching hall’ into a library and working area, a new hall, two additional classrooms and a new kitchen.

Scholes at that time and ever since has been going through a number of new housing developments. Hence, the fact that the school has had two further alterations and additions.

I was prompted to write this letter by two items on the BBC news. The first was our MP, Barry Sheerman, talking about the strike against examinations by the teachers at secondary school level and the other about Gordon Brown talking about giving parents more power in taking on unsuccessful schools.

At Scholes school they don’t appear to have these problems, just supportive parents, happy staff and happy children.

A great day for me and also a happy one for this was a wonderful conservation of a 100-year-old school.

Albert Booth

Dalton

Councillors have power

CLR Mohan Sokhal is one of my councillors and I have the utmost respect for him and the work he does for the community. However, I am disappointed with his attack on Clr Ken Sims.

Clr Sokhal ought to know that council officers can only suggest what the budget should be and can only suggest what the budget will be spent on.

The final decision is for the cabinet of the council with the ultimate rubberstamp from the full council.

The same process has been ongoing over the schools for North Kirklees fiasco. Council officers can suggest where new schools should be built and old schools closed, but, in the end, it is a political decision.

Clr Sokhal has not answered my question about how money can be found for Kirkheaton but not for New Mill and also how money can be found in subsequent budgets (see the three-year plan published in February) for libraries and information centres – £100,000 to be precise.

Bernard Mcginn

Marsh

Old wives tale

WHY should the imaginative ‘scrap your old car’ scheme be limited to aid for the motor industry? Why not extend it to the housing market? Scrap your old house and claim a generous discount towards the purchase of a new one.

That would generate a huge amount of construction activity. In fact, the scheme could be extended to all manner of things. In the final analysis – and here I confess I’m less certain of my ground – it might even include wives.

Don Robinson

Mirfield

A thousand thanks

ON March 15 a very successful Songs of Praise was held at Huddersfield Town Hall to raise funds for St John’s Church in Birkby following the disastrous happenings of last July.Š

We are now able to give you the final amount, including donations of money raisedŠat this event which is £3,812. 43p.

Again many, many thanks to everyone who supported this event in any way.

Mrs Molly Clarke, PCC Secretary

Golcar

Nurses are great

A FEW days ago I had to visit Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for treatment in the Endoscopy Department.

From the nurse who called my name who was lovely to me, then to the doctor and nurses who saw to my treatment they were all were brilliant.

Then there were the nurses who saw to me afterwards and gave me tea and biscuits until I could go home.

I cannot thank you enough.

You are a great team who all work well together.

L Robinson

Huddersfield