I REMEMBER the good days when we had the Honley Urban District Council. Councillors were local business men, unpaid, working for the good of the village.

The streets, pavements and gutters were cleaned every week, by linesmen with their wheelbarrows, brushes and shovels, and the drains were cleared.

I pass the New Mill bus stop practically every day, and adjacent are two drains, full to the top with rubbish and grass is growing on top.

The old council offices have been vacant for many years and, of course, are getting dilapidated. Kirklees MC is much too big, bureaucratic, having many high paid chiefs and few Indians. It’s high time we reverted to the good old days.

j b lockwood

Honley

An uncaring society

A COURT has just decided that a local authority is quite reasonable in taking away night care from a grown woman and saying she must instead wear nappies, and soil herself overnight.

This is a total obscenity, and I do not particularly wish to live in a country in which it is believed that that is in any way an OK manner in which to treat people. Think of yourself in this situation. (And do not dare for a moment say to yourself “Well, it’s different for them because they’re old/disabled”. It isn’t).

Imagine a mother saying publicly that she thinks it is perfectly reasonable to allow the baby to be left to scream all night in a fouled nappy.

The child would be whisked off by social services before one could say ‘scandalous’!

I await in no great hopes for the public outcry that says ‘this is something up with which we will no put’.

SUE PAPWORTH

Kirkburton

Charity shop view

HOW far can our giving be stretched?

Kirkwood Hospice proposes yet another charity shop – this one in Meltham, which already valiantly supports two shops for charities.

Kirkwood Hospice has shops in Slaithwaite and Holmfirth, not many miles away – donations will only be less for these shops, so who will win?

mrs jeanette widdop

Meltham

A dithering PM

THE public and MPs outraged, fury and revulsion at the phone hacking scandal.

So what are those in charge going to do about it to restore public confidence?

The News Of The World is to hold an inquiry, headed by the woman at the centre of the scandal.

The Met is to investigate itself, again, having already failed once to act.

The Government is to set up an inquiry, maybe, at some unspecified time in the future, when the heat has gone out of the situation.

What is David Cameron afraid of? The photo shoot opportunities of him and Rebekah Brooks will still be around.

By dithering he only makes the public more suspicious, about himself and all MPs.

Better order another aircraft carrier, Dave. That should divert attention for a while. John Langford

Lepton

Bring back Compo

A GROUP of us travelled to Holmfirth and we visited Sid’s Cafe on July 4 and were disappointed to find the figure of Compo missing from outside the cafe.

When I enquired inside they told me he was looking worse for wear but gave no indication as to whether he was being replaced or refurbished.

Our visit with friends was just not the same without the little fella.

Please bring him back out of respect for the many tourists who still make the pilgrimage to the town.

George Leggett

Tyne and Wear

Rundown Holmfirth

I COULD not agree more with a recent letter in the Examiner about a local museum for the Holme Valley area and hope that it does indeed come to fruition.

I also hope that the people of Holmfirth can press for improvements to the centre.

With family and friends I have visited Holmfirth during the recent festivals – folk, films and arts – and the town centre really lets itself down.

The abandoned shop in the main street has been painted but their window remains filthy and inside it is full of old leaflets and shop paraphernalia.

Why not let a local artist display some work or large posters advertising all the festivals? It would at least not look as run down.

I love the Picturedrome as a venue but, in my view, it has gone from quirky to downright tatty, its advertising posters covering every inch of what could be beautiful entrance doors and balcony.

The main road leading into Holmfirth looks equally poor with businesses with insensitive shop fronts and banner advertising.

There appear to be no planning issues but surely a little common sense or taste would have seen these simply look wrong!

Holmfirth could be as good as, if not better, than the likes of Hebden Bridge or Castleton in Derbyshire, similar types of towns.

Both these have active festivals and outdoor programmes encouraging walkers and cyclists to make the most of the surrounding countryside and, just as importantly, their town centres are kept in good order.

Could the creative talent that exists in the Holme Valley be harnessed to improve the areas of the town that are so desperately in need?

Mrs Johan Peters

Scholes

Too few hospitals

DURING 1997 Mill Hill hospital went under the hammer to make way for a big housing estate. Now we have St Luke’s gone for a Burton.

You have to ask who are the masterminds behind all the decisions to close good hospitals we are in need of?

The population of Huddersfield is five times bigger than it was a few years ago. Yet we are left with only one hospital.

Also let us see the matrons back. My wife broke her hip on Easter Sunday and she is still in hospital after 10 weeks, suffering from MRSA.

These are places to make people better. So what is wrong? I repeat: bring back the matrons.

H BARROWCLOUGH

Waterloo

Community spirit

WITH regard to the community festivals, carnivals and galas which took place over the weekend of June 25/6, I would like to say a massive thank you to all the volunteers, organisers and everyone who turned out to help make these events happen.

These events are key to Kirklees communities and a lot of volunteers put a lot of time and effort into them.

A special mention to the Deighton Carnival which celebrated its 10th anniversary.

It was a brilliant day and very well attended. Long it may continue.

KIRKLEES RESIDENT

Chaos on the road

I TOTALLY agree with H Taylor of Birkby (Mailbag, July 2). Norwood Road has every type of vehicle, works vans (large), BT vans, electricians, plumbers, not working there, just parking, all day, nights and weekends, besides their cars.

Most are parked fully on the pavement and you can’t get through. My granddaughter had to go in the road with her baby in the pram. These motorists are so selfish.

They are threatening to withdraw the small bus which comes only four times a day.

I wish the police would do something or we will all be going down to Grimescar Avenue in the middle of the road.

JC

Birkby

Profit on the cards

MANY thanks to everyone who bought my hand-crafted cards. I’m very grateful to Crumbals at Marsden and Sue and Tony at T and S Stores for selling so many.

The total raised was £70 and a cheque has been sent to Help For Heroes charity.

M Brier

Linthwaite

From wind to sun

AS a former inmate of the Civic Centre I note with interest that the two turbines are to be removed and that replacements are to be installed on a suitable site elsewhere.

This is good news. The moral of this story is that turbines are not appropriate in town centres except perhaps on the very tallest buildings.

I hope that the Civic Centre experience does not become grist to the mill for the carbon addicts and anti renewable energy brigade.

Wind turbines of an appropriate scale and design, in the right location, should have a significant role in future electricity generation.

Let’s not get too worked up about the two turbines in question – I am sure the experience has been a valuable learning curve.

The installation of more solar panels on the freed-up roof space might now be possible – the panels already there are an invisible source of renewable energy, and far more effective than the turbines have been.

Bill Hunter

Honley