Letters: Public opinion is ignored by our council

Nov 14 2009 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

PHILIP Charlesworth of Waterloo claims that councillors have a thankless job and people like myself and countless others who have criticised the St George’s Square debacle ought to shut up and thank our councillors (Mailbag, November 5, A thankless job).

Mr Charlesworth, without any evidence, states we probably never visit St George’s Square and that we peddle a pseudo-Victorian myth.

Prior to the Huddersfield Borough Council take over, our councillors spent £20,000 on an Italian granite fountain – in those day that was a lot of money.

The fountain was duly imported and erected. It worked for a while then went kaput.

The granite turned out to be concrete and the fountain started crumbling. It finished up as a flower bed.

It was re-vamped a few years ago, but was not good enough for the egos of some.

The council had to spend another £4 million on an update.

Meanwhile, roads are crumbling, elderly people’s care homes have closed and many other services have stopped.

Look at the quality of preservation within Halifax town centre and do not lecture us on our councillors who are well paid for what they do.

Let us see how long the fountains keep running after our town drunks start running through them.

After the last food festival in the square the new flags we left covered in grease – evidence of which can still be seen.

I do happen to care about the appearance of our town.

Unfortunately, public opinion is always ignored by our council.

HARD UP AND FED UP

Huddersfield

Memories of the Hill

I RECOGNISED many similarities with the article regarding the lady who was an evacuee during the Second World War.

I also was evacuated and billeted in Huddersfield from Hull when I was three-years-old.

I attended Style Common School until leaving at 15-years-old. The difference was at aged three I mentally obliterated many memories of the war in Hull and of my original family – these memories have since returned but over a some years.

In Hull we were very poor and I had to share with three sisters and a brother.

We were constantly hungry and I searched gardens for things thrown out to eat – my wife does not believe me.

Whereas in Huddersfield I was fostered by a wonderful couple Mr and Mrs Jessop of Cross Lane, Newsome.

I had my own bedroom and good food to eat, nice clothes and I was clean – more importantly I felt safe.

Oh, and I also had a new bike – very important that.

There were a number of stories created at school about how I had come among them, such as I had run away, jumped a train, etc but nothing as exciting as that.

Castle Hill featured much in my early years as a group of pals and I would often go up there for a picnic, some times into Mollicar Woods.

I recall we were caught in a very violent thunder storm and the then Castle Hill pub landlady fixed us all up with coats belonging to their children.

The following day all families went up to say thank you and return the coats.

I sadly lament the destruction of the old pub at Castle Hill as I have spent some happy hours there as an adult and a child, it is not what I would call progress but desecration.

Les Nelson

Honley

I fear for the future

THE Thandi brothers forfeited any right which they might have had to develop any building on Castle Hill when they callously disregarded the strictures placed upon them by the planning committee.

Without doubt, given their cavalier attitude, their current application should be rejected. If this matter were to be placed before Huddersfield councillors I have no doubt that it would be rejected.

However, given the track record of Kirklees councillors and their record of inept planning decisions, for example St George’s Square, I fear for the future of our historical monument.

Iain McFalls

Shelley

Pride in our day

HAVING just returned from London and marching at the Cenotaph as an evacuee, I felt I must write to let you know what a wonderful day it was.

Seventy years ago as a six-year-old I was evacuated from the East End of London to a village in not too far away Hertfordshire.

Little did I know then that 70 years later I would join 49 other evacuees and march with pride past the Cenotaph.

This was my fourth time of marching and I’m hoping to do many more.

It makes one feel so proud to be part of this day, along with young and older service men and women.

The support of the crowds who turn out early to get a good view and line both sides of Whitehall is something wonderful and not to be missed.

They cheer and clap every group who march past them.

The comradeship as we form up and wait for two hours to begin to march is wonderful.

Everyone is supporting everyone, telling their own stories about where they were during the war.

We the evacuees feel so humble when we hear what was done to protect us and our beloved country.

A day not to be missed, everyone should visit on this wonderful day.

Mary Schofield

Shepley

A moving service

WELL done to all who organised the Remembrance Day service a Greenhead Park.

It was a beautiful, moving service and it was lovely to see many young children there talking to the veterans too.

Joan Butler

Lindley

An emotional day

SUNDAY, November 8 and New Mill Church was packed.

At 11am the bugler played the Last Post and everyone bowed their heads and remembered all those in conflict – past and present.

People shared with the congregation their stories and memories and young people relayed excerpts of memoirs taken from soldiers and other members of the armed forces who served and gave their lives in what can only be described as horrendous and terrifying conditions.

A slide show had various photographs of men in the trenches and as the choir sang and the brass band played, tears were shed – myself included – and the air was heavy with an atmosphere I have not experienced.

The closeness of people who would normally be strangers, a certain look from someone who has many memories of those times gone by, I saw it in the eyes of the older people.

One could not help but be moved by this very special Remembrance Sunday and I am very proud to have been part of it all.

From the very young to the very old, everyone in our village came together for the same reason and my friend Gordon Bedford was moved by the amount of people who attended.

After the service people followed the parade into the square – undeterred by the rain – where the Last Post was played again and that same atmosphere hung in the air in a kind of silent eeriness as people again remembered, a lot with personal experience, and some of us paying respect to all those who fought and are fighting for a better future.

A deep unspoken respect could be felt as it touched each and everyone of us, a respect that moves you to your very core.

How proud those wearing the uniforms of the armed forces were, their heads held high for such an important occasion.

And so we went into New Mill Working Men’s Club where the three wreaths were laid in the memorial room.

We shared our thoughts of the morning and there was a real sense of camaraderie as everyone wiped away their tears and spoke about moving on and the future – the hopes we have for the younger generations and most of all for peace and the safe return of our soldiers in conflict and members of the other armed forces who serve and protect our country.

The seriousness lifted, the mood was quite jolly and I, for one, will be making a date for next year.

Our village certainly marked the day and I was left feeling quite nostalgic, emotional and very, very proud.

Well done to all who played a part and the Vicar Sean Robertshaw for heading the service – it was lovely.

Anne Browne

New Mill

I’ve had enough

YOU needn’t think we’ve been finally done over by our mainstream political elitist peers – who have collectively connived and denied us a promised referendum – to sell us down the river into a ‘Federal EU Superstate’ without a democratic vote.

All we have to do is repeal our very own European Communities Act 1972 and they can’t stop us.

It’s just another blatant lie to say we cannot now get out because it is EU Law, and we wouldn’t suffer by being castrated in a trade war because we buy more from them than we sell to them.

Also it wouldn’t cost us the current £45m per day – far in excess of one and a half trillions pounds per annum, which would go a very long way to covering our current national debt.

All that’s required is to give notice to Brussels and commence our exit negotiations and start to rebuild this once great nation into a leading force again.

From a personal point of view I’ve had enough of them and will vote for the UK Independence party in order to reinstate all our future prosperity and put a stop to all the bullying.

Ian Corcoran

Lockwood

Thanks to you all

I WOULD like to sincerely thank the two gentleman and women who came to me help on Thursday, November 5 when I had an accident with my wheelchair at a local garden centre.

Also to the staff of the Golcar care home where I reside. Many thanks to all of you.

K Earnshaw

Golcar

What a waste

TODAY I had my first look at St George’s Square since it was completed.

What a waste of £4m, It reminded me of a tidied up bomb site, no colour, no character. It looked like it was an idea from the back of a packet of cigarettes.

A partial remedy could be that the people responsible for this unholy mess should dig up the red stone, replace with good Yorkshire stone, then load the red rubbish onto a very slow boat to China taking the people responsible along for the ride. This square is a disgrace to the town.

Veteran

Huddersfield