BEING the grandmother of a beautiful  15-year-old  granddaughter suffering anorexia for the last three  years, I would like to let anyone who has a family  member suffering this dreadful illness know that a  new support group, fedskirklees.org has been set up  by Cherie Hinchliffe and Quadia Lewis, to try and  help anyone who is affected.
 Both are mothers of anorexia sufferers.
 The next meeting will be held on March 14 at  6.30pm at the Voluntary Action Kirklees HQ at 15  Lord Street in Huddersfield.
All are welcome: parents, siblings, grandparents –  anyone whose life is being turned upside down by  this  life-destroying illness.
 Please  believe me it does help to talk to people who  know what you are going through. I know from  heartbreaking experience.
If you want to know more about the group you can  contact Cherie on cherie@fedskirklees.org and she  will be glad to be of help.
 Gill Holroyd
Lowerhouses

Noise in the shallow end

LAST week’s budget debate at the Town Hall was  interesting in that it demonstrated the lack of depth  in current Tory thought.
Recently, Examiner letters from Tories have demonstrated that a) they hate the Local Development  Framework process, b) they wish to split Kirklees,  and c) that they will take control of Kirklees in  May.
In their amendment to the proposed budget, there  was no provision for restarting the LDF process,  despite this being specifically promised by the  current Tory leader, so we can now presume that  they are happy to accept the validity of the consultation process.
 Further, there was no provision for the splitting of  Kirklees, again despite the statements made by the  current Tory leader, so we can also presume that  they are actually happy to maintain the current  make-up of Kirklees.
To take control in May, they will have to gain 15  more seats – and even that pipe dream will be  dashed if the electorate maintains its voting record  as demonstrated over the past three or four elections.
So, what is really going on?  Well, their arguments  over ‘Saving the Green Belt’ show a dogmatic  refusal to embrace the potential benefits of inward  development capital for Dewsbury estimated at  £650m, contrary to national policy.
Second, that they will include all currently empty  properties in their ‘target’ for new homes over the  next 15 years.
  But at the budget meeting they spoke eloquently in  opposition to the LibDem proposal to tax owners of  long-term empty properties, rather than supporting  this proposal, which would at least have made some  sense of their LDF utterances.
Their basic argument over splitting Kirklees is to  create efficiencies.  But no mention is made of the  removal of further services from Huddersfield to  Calderdale, as with the NHS, or their proposal that  there should be three chief executives instead of  one.
It was pointed out that Todmorden is more distant  from Holmfirth than is Chickenley.  Do we really  want all decisions affecting Huddersfield to be made  in Halifax?
None of their arguments stack up and they know  it.  
David Ridgway
Lib Dem Candidate, Colne Valley

Taking back control

OVER the last three years I have seen  ‘people-power’ in Kirklees go from strength to  strength.
It appears that the people have had enough of the  council not listening to their views and railroading  what they want to happen. The recent climb down  by the Labour/Lib-Dem controlled council in  respect of the Sure Start scheme is another  people-power motivation that has forced the council  to rethink.
In this respect I was pleased to speak to Sure Start  campaign mum Gemma Wilson, who obtained  more than 5,000 signatures to keep Sure Start in its  present form.
Clr Donna Bellamy, Clr Jim Dodds, myself and  others in the Conservative Party have behind the  scenes been helping the mums to keep Sure Start  going in its present high-quality form.
This fight is just part of a larger movement in which  the people of Kirklees are demonstrating they have   had enough and are starting to come out on the  streets to campaign. There seems to be no other  alternative with a non-listening Labour/Lib-Dem  led council.
Contentious issues include the unspecified sum  that the tax payers of Kirklees will have to pay out  for the building of the new sports centre, now  clearly not 100% Tesco-funded, random council  job losses with no back-up justification in many  areas and of course the Local Development  Framework (LDF), which the Labour/Lib-Dem  controlled council have bulldozed  through, despite thousands of complaints and objections   raised by the people of Kirklees.
This last is totally indifferent to the people’s  common sense thinking. There simply is no economic justification for destroying Green Belt land.  No business will travel six miles off the motorway  to Clayton West when there are literally thousands  of empty industrial units off the M62 and M1  corridor in Leeds, Wakefield, Castleford etc, etc.
On March 3 there is another rally of the people of  Dewsbury and Huddersfield who are not happy  with the council’s forced through LDF decision.  They will converge on St George’s Square at 11am  to walk to Huddersfield Town Hall to show again  their strong feelings and the people’s solidarity.
Everybody who believes in Kirklees democracy  is  invited on March 3 to show their feelings. It is  your council and you have to take back control.
David Hill
Conservative Candidate, Colne Valley

Supermarket blues

I WISH that our local MP Barry Sheerman  had  been as vehemently opposed to the closure of  the maternity unit at the Huddersfield Royal  Infirmary as he is to Tesco building a new store  in town. We would still have the maternity  unit.
It’s obvious Mrs Sheerman does not shop at  Tesco or she would tell him what a run-down  store we have to shop in.
Mr George Senior
 Holmfirth

A village divided

MR ALLEN (Mailbag, February 27) is disturbed  about Holme Valley Voices’ ‘sponsorship’ by Tesco.
He should be more disturbed about who gives   Keep Holmfirth Special  a mandate to speak on  behalf of the Valley residents.
They clearly do not speak for me nor the  majority of Valley dwellers, who strongly support the Tesco plan.
Home Valley Voices made it clear in their letter  that Tesco had been approached by us to pick  up the cost of the mailing, a mailing that at least  gives residents the possibility to voice their  opinions either for, or against, unlike the letter  circulated by Keep Holmfirth Special.
There the financial involvement of Tesco in  funding our support begins and ends.
 Mr Allen would soon discover that Nick Willock is the planning officer responsible for  looking into Tesco’s application if he read the  letter.
The sealed reply paid cards are being returned  to the Freepost address which was already  established as it takes time and further expense  to set up the necessary license to operate a  Freepost address.
As regards independent scrutiny: the sealed  cards will be collected by myself or another  supporter of HVV and delivered in person to  Mr Willock. I trust him implicitly to be impartial and independent.
Tim Radcliffe
Holmfirth

Going vegetarian

MARCH is designated National Veggie Month  – the perfect motivation for anyone who has  been thinking about going vegetarian.
The average meat-eater consumes as many as  11,000 animals in his or her lifetime so by  choosing to go meat-free you  can save animals’  lives and end the needless suffering of these  sentient creatures.
In addition, going veggie can lower your risk of  suffering from diet-related diseases such as  heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. A  meat-free diet is also better for the planet as the  farming and slaughter of animals is now recognised as a significant contributor to today’s  greatest environmental problems.
Animal Aid has produced a free Guide to  Going Veggie – full of shopping tips, recipes and  nutritional information.
There is every reason in the world to try this  healthy and ethical lifestyle.  For more information  visit www.veggiemonth.com or call 01732  364546.
Kelly Slade
Veggie Month coordinator