I HAVE just returned from Sands Recreation grounds in Holmfirth and it looks as if a bomb has fallen.
Litter is strewn all around the grassed area by the car park including glass, beer and spirit bottles on and around the soccer pitch.Š
Not only is this a safety hazard, but visitors to our lovely area must think we all live in a pig sty.
Young people congregate around the metal ‘shed’ by the skateboard area and I am sure it is only a small number of individuals who are causing the problem.Š
In Europe and the US, areas like Sands would be alcohol-free areas.
This may be the case here, but the authorities are doing nothing to stamp on the problem.
The hardworking Kirklees parks staff I know will come along – as they have done on the numerous times we have had this mess before – and make an excellent job of cleaning it up.Š
It should not happen in the first place.
Come on parents, wake up to your offspring’s dirty habits and control their disgraceful behaviour.
Disgusted
Holmfirth
Poor parks consultation
I WOULD like to add my comments to theHolmfirth residents’ letter about Parks Past.
In my opinion Kirklees has made an excellent job of restoring Victoria Park in Holmfirth with the exception of the amphitheatre.
Whoever was responsible for making the decision to destroy the terracing made a huge error of judgment.
I do realise that it was prone to graffiti, but that was no reason for its destruction.
I would also reiterate the comments made about the lack of consultation over the renovation plans.
I knew nothing of the proposed alterations until I saw the work being carried out.With regards to the shelter, it had passed its sell-by date and needed removing. Its relocation to the playground at Holme was quite a good decision.
Referring back to the article by the university professor, he stated that the then Holmfirth Council bought the land offered by the benefactor.
Contrary to that opinion, I was always under the impression that the benefactor gave the land in perpetuity to the people of Holmfirth.
Your readers may like to know that I, along with others, are organising a united sing in the park at the end of this month as the culmination of Holmfirth Arts Festival.
Because of the destruction of the amphitheatre I would suggest people who intend attending bring their own chairs.
Carlton Mellor
Holmfirth
Let’s not be part of Leeds
WITH regard to the Local Development Framework for homes and jobs in Kirklees, I returned the consultation form giving a fifth option, thereby voting for ‘none of the above’ four options.
This is a reasonable and respectable choice, hoping the powers-that-be think again.
Also, I am not keen on becoming part of a Leeds City Region. What is this body? Where and when does it meet? Is it elected?
Perhaps the four areas keen on the Leeds City Region and its plans could join this body – Spen Valley, Batley, Dewsbury, Mirfield and, sadly, Huddersfield.
The other two areas, The Valleys along with Denby Dale and Kirkburton, I suggest should leave Kirklees.
We could join South Yorkshire or the Peak Park area but we need to move quickly before we are subsumed within Leeds City Region.
J E England
Holmfirth
Have local elections now
FOLLOWING recent events exposed in the Huddersfield Examiner and Mr Woolley’s letter dated June 2 (relating to the total unsatisfactory
political state of affairs), the Lingards Association demands an early council election on the Local Development Framework proposals which thousands of Kirklees residents feel are not in the public interest.
We are thoroughly disgusted that both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have not responded to these far-reaching proposals that will, if passed, decimate our local villages’ way of life!
We demand that the people of Kirklees and the Colne/Holme Valleys have their say.
This clearly shows what utter contempt these politicians in power have for the people they are supposed to serve and we must rid ourselves of such representation, voting for those who will uphold our environment and our communities’ well-being.
Alan Knight
Secretary Lingards Community Association
No more bitterness
THE Examiner makes an apology to Ken Davy, Dean Hoyle seems happy with the takeover and admits Mr Davy will still be putting money into the football club.
Any chance of a thank you or an apology from all the usual moaning letter writers about Mr Davy?
Huddersfield and the Galpharm Stadium need two good clubs to help promote the town so put your bitterness behind you and get on with life.
I follow rugby, but wish Huddersfield Town all the best for next year.
Ian Staples
Marsden
Criminals must clean up
COUNCILLORS, residents and the Valleys Neighbourhood Policing Team have been collecting litter in the centre of Meltham.
Would we be more impressed if this task had been done as a form of punishment for those people convicted of less serious offences?
Perhaps they’re protected against such hardship by the courts.
Garfi
Huddersfield
No cheers for Blears
I HAVE absolutely no time for Gordon Brown and consider him as big a disaster to the UK as George W Bush was to the USA.
However, I find it rich when parasites like Hazel Blears try to provoke a leadership revolt.
This woman must be without any moral fibre whatsoever if she thinks she can simply write a cheque to repay us taxpayers for the money she ‘forgot’ that she wasn’t entitled to.
She stated yesterday that she was returning ‘to the people who matter the most to me: the people of Salford.’
Get real, the majority of them don’t want you.
Try standing at a General Election and find out for yourself Hazel.
It’s time we the electorate had a say in this scandalous situation. It’s time we had a General Election.
Tim Radcliffe
Holmfirth
Different Euro views
AN interesting and informative piece on the European elections by your feature writer John Avison (May 25th).
But it is not true that 70% of the laws of member countries are set by the European Parliament. That is a figure plucked out of thin air by anti-EU campaigners such as UKIP.
You see a number of variations of this figure bandied about, but the politically neutral House of Commons library estimates that 9% is the proportion of national laws that originate from directives that we have agreed at EU level.
John’s comment that the European Parliament’s powers ‘are just too huge’ deserves more sophisticated analysis.
Surely, if a decision is being taken at all at EU level, the elected representatives in the European Parliament should be able to debate it and, if necessary, block it.
That is why we elect them.
In this sense, the European Parliament’s powers are not too huge, but too small as there are some areas of EU responsibilities that escape full Parliamentary scrutiny.
Quite another question is whether an issue should be dealt with at EU level or national level, but that is determined by national parliaments when they ratify changes to the EU treaties. The EU can only deal with subjects laid down in those treaties.
Most of what the European Parliament adopts are the common rules for our common market.
We have a choice in the European elections between those parties who want the common market to be left to unregulated market forces (notably the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) and those who believe that a common market needs common rules to protect consumers, to protect the weak and vulnerable and to set high environmental standards (Labour and the Greens).
There are also those who wish to leave entirely, leaving Britain isolated from its main export market (BNP and UKIP).
Ben Fox
York
Investigation takes time
I DO deplore your report (Examiner, June 3) quoting a ‘Huddersfield University aviation expert’ commenting upon the recent mid-Atlantic Air France disaster.
Some time ago I spent two solid years with the Air Accident Investigation Branch researching one of the first-ever TV documentaries and learned that nobody should ever jump to conclusions. It takes much time to thoroughly investigate a disaster.
Indeed, in older age, I have been some years on the international panel of judges for the Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards and we would never credit even an expert aviation for rushing into print without very, very careful research.
Martin Noble
Brockholes
