IN THE housing debate, ask yourself …is anyone homeless on our Kirklees streets who truly wants a roof over his/her head?

And, are the public aware the council by law must provide this basic accommodation?

Indeed, for whom have the new homes within Kirklees been built over the past five years, the residents themselves? And where are the promised local jobs to facilitate such massive housing growth?

Indeed, there are currently 4,500 council homes available for renovation, with Government grants that would immediately cut the waiting lists by half!

Moreover, there are dozens of planning schemes already approved with many ‘brown belt’ sites waiting to be developed.

So let us finish those first shall we Kirklees Council and regenerate former industrial properties – now becoming derelict, then see if ‘the villages’ infrastructure can cope!

Let’s concentrate on giving Kirklees youngsters work before attracting even more inter-county migrations and future EU social integrations that will make these mystical local housing problems even worse!

And, if “we” build even more houses than forecast – say 28,000 under the Local Development Framework (many social affordable houses) who do you think by EU right (without Government intervention) will be at the top of the housing lists?

But perhaps it is time for true democracy and the “Big Society” to emerge; with “the Valley people” consulted in an envisaged Localism Bill – Ward by Ward Referendum? Notwithstanding the failed process of the previous LDF MK II consultation exercise that seems yet again to have been a £250,000 council flop!

But perhaps a change of Local Government boundaries by way of the re-emergence of “the West Riding of Yorkshire” may now be the only final planning solution, especially when the wishes of “the people” are constantly ignored.