I AM incredulous at yet another story of siblings being split up and not allowed to attend the same school.
My daughter took our granddaughter to view her school in the village where she was born. They asked ‘who are you?’
All the places had been filled up. They had overlooked the fact my daughter had put her name down a year before – and there it was at the back of a drawer.
They apologised and offered a school five miles away on the opposite valley. Luckily she managed to get to a nearer one (three miles away) that is absolutely super.
However there were many tears and of course the travel may cause problems in our Yorkshire winters.
How happy were times in the past when my brothers and sisters all skipped to school together and mum met all of us at the same school gate.
Yes, I can hear the voice of Clr Khan extolling the virtues of living in Kirklees in the houses he wants built on greenfield land, letting all know what wonderful schools are nearby.
Yes – but it doesn’t mean your children will be able to go to them.
Schools are already over-subscribed and to split up families when probably mum has to work now and go haring over Kirklees to drop children off at different schools is ridiculous and cruel.
Kirklees wake up, stop building houses until your infrastructure can support what comes with it!
ANNA BROWNE
Birkby
Places at school
I HAVE to admire the optimism of the Etherington family who are keen to get their third child, Chloe, admitted to a school in the area where they live, Edgerton.
They have appealed to Kirklees Council’s Labour leader, Clr Khan, and to the Labour MP, Barry Sheerman.
Labour have pursued further development in Lindley for many years. Clr Khan, in particular, has led the pro-development propaganda campaign recently.
Clr Khan, therefore, needs to answer the education provision problems that are a direct result of Labour policy in the area.
To suggest to the Etheringtons that they have to take one of their children to Rawthorpe or Newsome in the morning rush hour from Edgerton is ridiculous, just adding to traffic congestion in the town, whilst at the same time delivering their other children to Lindley.
The fact that KMC have continued to fail in their duties to the area is apparent from their inability to provide a place for Chloe in Lindley, Reinwood or Moorlands.
The conclusion drawn by the senior representative of the builders’ agents at the last consultation meeting in Lindley was that children from outside the local area would have to be excluded from Lindley schools.
So, Clr Khan, when does this begin to happen? Give the people of North Huddersfield some answers, not just more problems.
Lindley resident
Bagging it up
THE problem of dogs fouling playing fields, or indeed any public open space or footpath, lies with a minority of dog owners.
The majority do clear up after their dogs. Sadly there is a small minority of these who, once they have cleared up the dog mess, think it is acceptable to throw the plastic bag into nearby bushes or hedgerows.
This causes further problems as the neither the dog dirt nor the bag rot down, thus causing rubbish and hygiene problems for years.
The council could help by providing disposal bins in parks, playing fields and known dog walking paths as many other authorities do.
Until this happens the message should be, bag it and take it home, with tough penalties for those who don’t or won’t.
BM
Longwood
It’s good news
JUST a line to thank the Examiner for doing a super job on my 75th birthday event.
I want to compliment contents editor Andrew Hirst, photographer Paul Welch and the very helpful David Himelfield who rang me.
Sometimes one complains about accuracy ... so thanks for doing a good job.
Canon Michael Storey
Brighouse
The old station
I AM trying to find photos of Marsden Railway Station from the 1950s and 1960s, with the old ticket office and wooden walkways and stairs.
We have tried the Library and various other places without luck.
L Carter
Marsden
(If you are able to help, please contact letters@examiner.co.uk in the first instance - Ed)
Start again time?
IN Barry Gibson’s piece on the European Union, (Examiner, October 20), MP Barry Sheerman’s quoted statement that referenda are linked to tyrannical regimes and have nothing to do with democracy, just shows how far Parliamentary democracy has broken its ties with the fundamental concept of ‘the will of the people’.
Political parties in this country get elected on false promises and lies, and are so used to using the system to further themselves that ‘the will of the people’ has become an anathema to them.
Democracy is an idea that grew out of ancient Greece, where all major decisions were taken as a result of referenda. Plato would probably think that the idea had been corrupted beyond all recognition by our current system of Parliamentary democracy. Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate the whole thing and start again, as they have in Libya.
David Morrell
Dalton
False economy
KIRKLEES Metropolitan Council is only one example of many local authorities throughout the country without any forward-thinking planning.
The only successful small and medium sized townships have small and medium diverse businesses and are not in hock to corporate business interests.
They cannot be any worse than Kirklees when it comes to control of finance. It really is penny wise, pound foolish policy to charge people for example at Springwood or other targeted areas just to obtain a parking permit and with no guarantee to be able to park in a space.
Anthony Smith
Springwood
Big questions
I COULD do with a secretary to help me fill in the current Kirklees questionnaire. How much will it have cost, and what will it achieve?
It must have taken many hours to compile, and when the answers have been received and analysed, will any action be taken?
It would be much better if the weeds were cleared from the gutters and wall bottoms and the drains cleaned out more often.
Jack Lockwood
Honley
World class future
I WELCOME Councillor Khan’s interest in the Safe and Sustainable review of children’s congenital heart services campaign for children’s heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary continues (Examiner, October 6).
During consultation people were offered a wide range of ways to respond, for example they could make their views known by letter or email, through the online form, by texting their support for a particular centre or through a petition.
The fact that more than 50,000 people responded using the response forms and more than 75,000 people responded overall – making it one of the largest ever NHS public consultations – demonstrates the success of the process.
There were also a number of opportunities for local people to have their say face-to-face – through two formal consultation events in Leeds (attended by 400 people) and focus groups in Leeds, Bradford and Dewsbury.
Councillor Khan has raised the important issue of travel times for patients. The proposed options are designed to ensure minimal impact on journey times for most families travelling for surgery.
Many children currently have to travel long distances for routine follow-up from a specialist surgical unit. The proposed new model would ensure that all children have local access to expert paediatric cardiology services for routine treatment and care.
Patient groups, clinicians and others agree that services cannot continue in their current form. We have an opportunity for a safe and sustainable world-class future for children’s congenital heart services and we must take it.
Teresa Moss
Director, National Specialised Commissioning Team
Fitting punishment
I WAS rather puzzled by Jennifer Hedges’ letter (Mailbag, October 18) in which she criticised me for comparing the sentences imposed on a man convicted of the murder of his partner and another of causing grievous bodily harm and sexually assaulting a woman stranger in a local bar.
I was not comparing them, merely stating that both sentences were inadequate.
I have to confess I did not appreciate that rugby player Greg Johnson had been charged with a Section 20 offence – grievous bodily harm but without intent as opposed to a Section 18 offence which is GBH with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
One is more serious than the other and of course invites tougher punishment .
But even so, a two-year sentence of which Mr Johnson will serve only half at the most is still far too lenient bearing in mind the sexual assault.
What surprised me is that Jennifer Hedges made light of the sexual assault suggesting he should not have been charged with that offence because it was only being touched inappropriately, something, she says, happens often in bars and pubs up and down the country.
I don’t know what Mr Johnson did, but if Jennifer Hedges is suggesting it doesn’t really matter if women in bars are fondled by strangers, then all I can say is that it is no wonder that standards of behaviour in society have sunk deplorably low.
Stanley Solomons
Cowcliffe
