FOLLOWING on from the letter from Phil Ramsden in Denby Dale regarding the library situation (Examiner Tuesday, April 3), I am very relieved to see justice done at last in one area of the country regarding council proposals to hand over libraries to volunteers.

Campaigners in Surrey libraries have challenged the ‘unlawful decision’ taken by Surrey County Council to remove paid staff from 10 libraries in High Court proceedings and have been successful in reinstating paid staff into the 10 community libraries which were to be run entirely by volunteers.

This action will set a precedent in the campaign to save our seven branch libraries in Kirklees from the proposals by Kirklees Council.

The success of this action is based on the fact that Surrey Council failed to discharge its public sector equality duties under the Equality Act 2010 and how the Act required the council to give rigorous regard to how removing paid staff would affect the accessibility of libraries to protected groups including children, the elderly and disabled persons and how crucial the paid staff were in providing assistance to vulnerable users.

Our council should take heed!

This situation highlights how much the paid, experienced and knowledgeable staff are the heart and lungs of the library service.

Councillors, please do not insult the present library staff and system by suggesting volunteers could provide a better service.

It must be crystal clear that Tom, Dick or Harry do not have either the commitment or the tools for the job. I am a member of Honley Library Book Group and am very concerned for Honley Library but am also concerned for and support the other six branch libraries involved.

It is a crucial time for all our branch libraries. The consultation process is misleading and ambiguous – I have seen it for myself.

It relies heavily on an ultimatum – volunteer or lose your library. Please do not be bullied into thinking you will help the situation by volunteering.

Anne Broadbent

Honley

Long lamp-post job

VERY interesting that the Examiner reader in Wooldale has had six different visits to swap a lamp-post.

Ours must be more complicated or perhaps the reader has missed the supervisor’s inspections inbetween.

We’ve had six visits so far to swap the lamp-post outside our house and the new one hasn’t been connected properly.

So it will have to be re-excavated, repaired, refilled and new tarmac laid. That’s at least 10 visits.

What I can’t understand though is why workmen came and laid the new tarmac around the posts this morning when they haven’t repaired the fault and the old lamp post is still in the ground.

I told them they were wasting their time but they said “we only do tarmac.”

Sort all that lot out and it will be 13 visits at least. Now I don’t care who is paying for all this but I do know there are only eight letters in ‘crackers’.

Can anyone beat 13?

Puzzled

Huddersfield

A special town?

I KEEP reading reports in your paper that Holmfirth is a special place but will someone please let me know what’s so special about it.

In my days with Kirklees Council Holmfirth was known as ‘swine town.’ Now the Holme Valley, that is special, but Holmfirth, nah.

Also if they want to put a statue up in Holmfirth can I suggest the late Wright Sanderson – rag and bone man and gentleman – or the late Joe Collins from Upperbridge who ran a cycle shop. Joe was the daddy of bikes.

Also there was the late Mr Kaye who used to drive the fire engine. As soon as the alarm went off Mr Kaye would pedal on his bicycle, still wearing his smock up Victoria street. Now they were Holmfirthers worthy of recognition.

Billy Richardson

Honley

Misleading leaflet

THERE is a leaflet from the Conservative Party circulating in the Kirkburton ward that states that ‘Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent councillors want 435 acres of green belt land developed.’

As is well known by now the Green Party councillors voted against building on green belt land .

The leaflet also says ‘save our green belt and open land in Kirkburton.’

In no party’s proposals at no time has there ever been any proposals to build on green belt land in the Kirkburton ward.

Clr Derek Hardcastle

Kirkburton Ward

An anonymous survey?

I CAN quite understand the logic and long-term objective of the Kirklees health survey but its fundamental flaw is that anybody completing it can be identified.

Just look at the foot of the back page.

Martin Noble

Brockholes

A waste of money

READING the article from James Taylor about surveys I was sent two last year. A complete waste of time.

Very intrusive and a complete waste of our money. We need the money spent on our roads not on useless surveys.

Councillors, please take note.

Ann Petty

Birkby

Clearing the drains

REGARDING a letter from Mr Watson from Holmfirth about blocked up drains.

Two years ago I contacted our local councillor Christine Stanfield about the number of blocked drains on Plover Road in Lindley and the problems caused following the thaw after heavy snowfalls.

About a week later the council had cleared them so I suggest you pester your councillor again and again until something is done.

The only downside is they need to be cleared about every six months and the ones on Plover Road are again blocked from one end to the other.

W Blackburn

Lindley

Lot of Ps in petrol

POLITICAL problems persisted prompting poor publicity. Partisans perplexed. Premier puzzled.

Party pondered position, percolating problem particulars.

Presently, party pillar proposed promoting petrol panic. Process pondered. Pronouncement passed. Panic prevailed. Public preoccupied. Party pleased.

Richard Hoyle

Salendine Nook

One way to slow traffic

CONGRATULATIONS to Clr Jim Dodds and his Area Committee for buying speed indicator devices (Examiner, April 3).

It has been known for some time that these devices are more effective at slowing traffic than speed cameras. More recently evidence has emerged that their cost/benefit ratio is up to 50 times that of cameras.

The reason that SIDs have never been widely used by organisations such as West Yorkshire ‘Safety’ Camera Partnership is that they don’t raise any revenue. Likewise, road safety charities such as BRAKE don’t like them because nobody is punished with penalty points or fines.

One disappointing aspect of Clr Dodds’ comment regards Birdsedge where he claims that 80% of motorists are ‘speeding.’

By any rational standards and according to national Government guidelines this indicates one simple thing – the speed limit is too low and should be raised.

So it’s two steps forward and one back as usual.

Richard Huddleston

West Slaithwaite

Sufficient resources?

THE full-page NHS advert by Locala lists many local services to be managed by that team.

But will there be sufficient resources supporting this venture in the next few years or will customers experience awkward delays in making their first or subsequent appointments?

Are six-monthly performance figures also to be given full-page publicity?

TC

Huddersfield

I’m against Tesco

I WRITE in response to the article in Tuesday’s edition regarding Holmfirth Parish Church Tennis Club backing Tesco for the Midlothian site next to the tennis club.

I was a little concerned some people might think that this is also the view of Holmfirth Parish church as a whole and not just the tennis club alone.

I am a member of Holmfirth Parish Church and do not support Tesco in their bid.

I agree that it would be lovely to see the old Midlothian site used and put to good use but not by Tesco or any other supermarket.

Holmfirth Parish Church Member

Holmfirth

Thanks for honesty

I LOST my purse in Marks & Spencer at Waterloo on Sunday, April 1.

On Tuesday morning I received a phone call from Marks & Spencer to say they had found my purse so my son went on to pick it up.

So I’d just like to say thank you to the person who handed my purse back in at the shop with everything inside and the staff for being friendly and helpful.

S Riva

Dalton