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Governors back village parents
SIR, - I am writing to express the full support of the governing body of Addingham Primary School for the appeals of the nine Addingham families whose children attend our school but have not been offered a place at Ilkley Grammar School.
Addingham Primary School is a member of the Wharfe Valley cluster of schools and parents were therefore entirely justified in assuming that their children would go to the local school at the centre of the cluster - Ilkley Grammar School - as happens every year.
Generations of children from Addingham have followed this course. It is entirely unacceptable to split a community in this manner.
The families involved now face a prolonged wait until they hear the outcome of their appeal. The decision should be reversed immediately so that uncertainty is removed and the children can participate with their friends as usual in activities with the Grammar School ahead of their move to Ilkley.
The communities of Addingham and of Addingham Primary School also need to know that this situation will not happen again next year or the year after.
Children in Addingham and elsewhere benefit from stability, in this case a smooth passage from their local primary school to their local secondary school - the only one in the Wharfe valley.
Swings in the school population should be addressed through planning local school capacities rather than drawing arbitrary lines through a village. We join the community of Addingham in demanding an urgent rethink by Education Bradford.
Mark Robinson - Chairman of the Governors, Addingham Primary School.
The right place for protests
SIR, - I must thank Mrs Furbank for acknowledging my position' but must point out that I write as a member of the Church and indeed of the community in Ilkley.
Mrs Furbank asks if I have had any results' from seeking redress through normal channels of complaint. Answer Yes.
On several occasions when I have written courteous letters I have received acknowledgement from the responsible authority with a promise of action to follow.
However I am aware that too frequently these days those who take up issues are met with evasive answers or frustrating delays in receiving any response. This is inexcusable.
In part this is the consequence of the growth of the so-called blame/compensation culture' which leads professionals and other administrators to close ranks against those whom they may feel to be tiresome busybodies. I deplore this trend but have no simple remedy for it.
In the special case of abuse of the elderly, whether in care homes or elsewhere, if no satisfaction can be obtained through the usual channels, it may be necessary to enlist the support of external advocates - for example Age Concern and Help The Aged.
Personally I would have no objection were Mrs Furbank to picket premises waving a placard protesting about alleged abuse (provided this was not libellous). But I am opposed to supporters of a campaign gatecrashing meetings expressly arranged to address another issue.
Should Mrs Furbank mount a meeting in Ilkley Town Hall to demand the closure of care homes I would not go along to heckle participants in order to publicise my particular cause
In 1951 the United Nations declared that asylum seekers should be accorded protection if they were being persecuted for their race or religion. The Titouche family face torture and possible death for being minority Berbers and Christians.
The atrocities in Algeria have been well documented by Amnesty International and other agencies, and have been widely reported in the media. Mrs Furbank offers a quote by Dante and alludes to Shakespeare (not the Bible !) from his play Much Ado About Nothing.
I respond with a verse from the Bible, namely the injunction of St Paul that Christians are to work for the good of everyone but especially those who belong to the household of the Faith' (Galatians chapter 6 verse 10).
This obligation motivated the action on behalf of the Titouches who are members of the family of the Church which transcends all national boundaries. Hence we cannot accept Mrs Furbank's narrow view that we must clear up our own dirt before going further afield' (letter March 6).There are fundamentally different principles of action at stake in this debate.
Rev Patrick Dearnley - 14 Beanlands Parade, Ilkley.
Appeal is a must
SIR, -There are many things that could be written regarding the decision by the Bradford Admissions Authority to deny places at Ilkley Grammar School to some children in Addingham.
My main concern is, however, with the plight of the parents and their children who are suffering the consequences of the decision. It is unlikely that the authority will change its mind.
From its collective perspective, the worst of the fuss is now over and it will expect to get away with poor planning and confused thinking.
Parents and children must, therefore, do two things. They must actively investigate all the alternatives and they must lodge an appeal against the decision. I am an experienced Chairman of Admissions Appeals Panels in another authority and, if properly constituted, the Appeals Panel for Bradford will be independent of the Admissions Authority.
It will be constrained only by a statutory framework established by central government and will listen to evidence objectively. There is, of course, no guarantee that an appeal will be successful, but genuinely independent minds may be able to right some of the wrongs.
Dr David M Rogerson - Sent by e-mail.
Virtual library
SIR, - Since when has Ilkley Library been a virtual library? In 2004 the silly season hit Ilkley early and folk hereabouts saw desecration of their countryside near Ben Rhydding stepping stones.
Four years on and the silly season strikes Ilkley Parish once again - £15,000 for plug sockets on The Grove!
That sort of money would go a long way to making our library, Ilkley Library, look presentable. The lampposts on The Grove are virtually new, give or take a couple of years, Ilkley Library by comparison over a century.
A good few others and I find it very strange only two-thirds of our original municipal buildings are celebrating their centenary. Why does Ilkley Library always take the Cinderella seat, the back seat, when vast amounts by comparison are and have been spent on the rest of the Town Hall complex.
Now were it a museum or art gallery, something which grabbed media attention, brass would be flowing in. One wonders were the Reverend Doctor Robert Collyer and Andrew Carnegie alive today what they would make of it.
Given it was Mr Carnegie's brass, which galvanised Ilkley Local Board of Health into building the Town Hall complex, of which Ilkley Library is a part.
Which reminds me where is the bronze bust of Andrew Carnegie? I understand it was stolen from Ilkley Library a few years ago and naught has been seen or heard of it since. Likewise the bronze of the Rev. Dr. Robert Collyer which languishes somewhere in a Bradford Council cellar?
Frazer Irwin - Queens Road, Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire.
No more groups
SIR, - If Addingham is to have another group of volunteers co-ordinated by four parish councillors to get the jobs done that Bradford Council have not got round to, or forgotten, or even ignored, that I respectfully suggest that their time would be much better spent chasing Bradford Council demanding that the residents of Addingham pay in advance for their services and rightfully expect them to be delivered.
As for the warning given by Councillor Danny Palmer, with reference to a stand-off between voluntary organisations, I fully support his sentiments. Addingham Garden Friends keep the gardens, hanging baskets, troughs etc full of seasonal colour all the year round.
This total dedication has over the years produced many awards from Yorkshire in Bloom and yes, they could do with some younger members. We also have a very robust Civic Society, with a membership of 450, whose contribution over the years has been significant in saving the Manor Garth from developers, repaving of George Street, followed by the repaving of the Old School Yard.
The re-paving of Malt Kiln Ginnel is imminent, this is to make it safe for children and their Mums and also for the older people to walk down to the shops - and yes please, we would also like some younger members.
Yes, all this work and much more, requires volunteers, which are in abundance in Addingham, the Drama Group, Pantomime Group, the Churches Together Day Centre, Garden Friends, First Responders and Addingham Civic Society to name but a few.
All have to raise capital to carry out their work - these groups don't look for banner headlines, they quietly go about their chosen task, I believe Addingham volunteers are working very well and don't need interference from outside forces.
Pete Severs - Chairman, Addingham Civic Society.
European lies
SIR, - You recently published a letter from Andrew Dundas claiming that the European Treaty was so different from the Constitution that there was no need for a referendum.
When Edward Heath was negotiating entry in 1970 it was stated that the EEC was just a free trade area and there was no intention to build a European super state.
Foreign Office documents of this time have now been released and they reveal that not only has the objective always been a super state but that this objective was to be concealed from the electorate.
The latest lie is that the European Treaty is so different to the Constitution that members of Parliament are not bound by their promises of a referendum.
My memories go back tot he Baldwin Government of 1937. I have never known a time when politicians are held in such contempt as today.
The lies told by the pro-Europeans, Labour, Conservative and Liberals alike, are a major reason for this disgust.
Colin Carpenter - 63 Grove Road, Ilkley.
Litter disgrace
SIR, - How lovely to see the flourishing flower beds in the centre of Ilkley burgeoning with expectation of bulb blossoms to come. No doubt the Bradford seed beds are filled with further promise of floral delights in the summer, though I hope they avoid the dreadful cornflowers of last year, which won us Gold Medals at the time of judging but spent most of the summer in grey seed head misery.
Otherwise all power to the seedsmen's elbows and green fingers. All seems well then for the centre of town but what about the approaches?
Skipton Road - lovely, with serried ranks of daffodils coming on nicely - and tidily. But have you seen Coutances Way? There the hedges are filled with rubbish, much of it plastic waiting to rot away in 500 years.
What an insult to Coutances! But do we have to wait 500 years to see all this detritus disappear? There are rivals, however, in reaching the higher ranks of litter lousiness - the road between Otley and Burley and the Otley bypass -, which seem to be magnets for plastic baggery.
I think on balance Coutances Way wins the litter cup but what a bitter cup for Ilkley to swallow. Otley hasn't much to boast about in coming a litterally (sic) and sickeningly miserable second. I'm not placing bets on who cleans up first.
Ian Wilson - 27 Old Lane, Addingham.
1:55pm Thursday 13th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: sarah adams, addingham on 2:31pm Mon 24 Mar 08
The decision by Education Bradford to deny 3 children their rightful place at Ilkley Grammar School is disgraceful and should be over turned immediately. The worry and distress caused to the children concerned is cruel and thoughtless, perhaps if the education chiefs saw close up the dismay they cause they might act differently.
The decision by Education Bradford to deny 3 children their rightful place at Ilkley Grammar School is disgraceful and should be over turned immediately. The worry and distress caused to the children concerned is cruel and thoughtless, perhaps if the education chiefs saw close up the dismay they cause they might act differently.
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