THERE are many in our society who need a helping hand to solve their problems.

Those with drink or drug habits may not attract the same generous response from the general public as people with debilitating or life-threatening illnesses.

The view is often that they have brought the problems on themselves.

But they can all benefit from help from time to time and it is right that services are provided to offer that support.

Lifeline, based in Huddersfield, performs a vital role in offering help to those with addiction problems.

Yet the very nature of its role means that its clients and their problems are living cheek by jowl with people going about their ordinary lives and businesses, and the two often do not get on.

Complaints about the service have been made and Kirklees Council is rightly looking at the situation to see how things can be improved.

Their planned solution could be to move the centre away from the heart of Huddersfield to premises on the fringes of the town centre, close to both the bus station and the railway station.

That would seem to be eminently sensible, and would surely be a workable solution.