Here’s what happening about achieving equal votes in Ilkley. Because 1,346 people have signed petitions for fair and equal voting arrangements in our parish, a proposal has been called for and has been tabled for review. That plan provides for six equal-sized wards, with each having equal numbers of councillors. In place of current ward sizes varying between 2,000 and 3,600 electors, the new wards would each have between 1,800 and 2,000 electors. Those proposals were compiled by me to reflect the observations made as I spoke with people living all over Ilkley. Ben Rhydding could continue to be represented by four councillors, and in two wards north and south of the railway line. A new inner ward incorporating the stone terraced properties of old Ilkley would be created – leaving others much as before.

I’m grateful for the kind help and support that has been given to the petition and for the useful observations that inform the proposals.

Some surprise has been expressed that so many petitioners could be collected in just a few weeks of last summer. Those many petitioners confirm the truth that equal voting is preferred by almost everyone in Ilkley. No other plan was proposed to the review meeting held last Thursday evening. Nor was it indicated that any other plan to achieve equal votes was being compiled. Unless a further proposal is put to the electoral services unit in Bradford by April 24, Ilkley’s choice is between our current unequal voting system (already rejected by 1,346 people) and the revised plan for equal-sized wards. There have been no petitioners in favour of the current unequal-sized wards. Ilkley and Bradford Councils received copies of the ‘equal wards’ proposals in January and neither has commented to me upon either the petition or the plan. There has been newspaper coverage of this isue for four years and my name and number are in the phone book.

It’s worth adding that our electoral rolls are revised and recorded several times a year and computing six registers instead of five is not a significant cost. Comparable-sized towns have between seven and ten registers and polling stations. Councillor Glen Miller kindly chaired Thursday’s review meeting and called for support for one or other choice so that a district council decision could be made. Ilkley people should mail their choices to FREEPOST BD150, Elections Unit, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1BR. No stamp is required.

Andrew Dundas

Parish Ghyll Drive, Ilkley

Let’s not waste precept on electoral change

I came away from a badly attended meeting on Thursday last, held to consider the proposals embraced by a petition Mr Dundas had presented calling for a review of electoral arrangements for Ilkley Parish Council. I am genuinely perplexed as to why this issue has arisen. As an elector in one of the wards with a low electorate, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that we should have access to only three councillors while wards which are well over half as big again should have four. The only persons present were Mr and Mrs Dundas, one or two close colleagues of the same, three parish councillors, 1 district councillor, three members of the public. No one else was present from either the petitioners or the nearly 90 per cent of the electorate who did not sign the petition. The cost to the ratepayers of the hire of the room, the presence of two officers and two district councillors presumably on expenses, can all be added to the cost already incurred in presenting the situation to two area panels in November and March and subsequent meetings which will be required. As with all ‘selling’ issues, the petition was garnered on one proposition – to have at least four new wards. Unsurprisingly, Mr Dundas is now proposing six new wards with a consequent 50 per cent rise in costs in the future. More polling stations, more registers (updated at least once a year if not more), more staff on duty. No one seems to have been aware of this except one colleague of his. There was a parish review as recently as 2006 when no change was deemed necessary. Why did Mr Dundas not submit his ideas at that time which would not have duplicated time and costs for officers and district councillors. Another concern is that Mr Dundas’ propositions ignore all natural boundaries, eg Backstone Beck, the moor, the A65 and the river. Those who supported the petition may be interested to know that the housing demands currently being laid upon Ilkley will mean that every plot of land built upon, every sub-division of a big house, will distort all the figures Mr Dundas has produced and will result in perpetual expense to change things. Of course, thanks in no small part to Mr Dundas and his colleagues, we were pushed into raising a local precept despite warning among other things that we would then have to pay for our own elections. There is a saying ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’. There is a bottomless pit of things that would benefit the community; Electoral change is certainly valueless compared with other demands upon the precept.

B J Cussons

Curly Hill, Ilkley

Tracking down Ilkley’s former residents

Over the holidays I had an interesting email from a couple in America, enquiring amongst other things, about former citizens of Ilkley Township in the West Riding of Yorkshire. With all this talk of boundary changes, one wonders how many know where those of the West Riding of Yorkshire actually are. Apparently they are researching their family trees and looking for information regarding a Silvester and/or Dawson Hemsley, though it could be Emsley. Also Lizzy (Elizabeth) of the same name. They don’t say whether they are man and wife or siblings. Lizzy was thought to be in service of some sort. Also that their abode was near a goods yard in the town. From that Ilkley folk will be able to date those requested. It is my suspicion this could be Springs Lane, or the terrace of houses near Carnegie Court, or roads leading off. If anyone has any recollection of these, the Gazette has an email address I may be contacted on. Thank you.

Frazer Irwin

Ilkley

Has Ilkley been conned into wanting a new hospital?

Having attended the ‘engagement’ (not consultation) re the proposed new Coronation Hospital for Ilkley, I left the Town Hall wondering has Ilkley been ‘conned’ into thinking a new building and its attendant services will greatly benefit the town? While all the corporate jargon in the Your Views Count brochure, sounds really fantastic; when one picks out the reality, the scheme is rather more basic. There are shortcomings at the current Coronation Hospital, but to knock it down and rebuild on the site suggests we have money to throw away. We have many of the services at the current hospital, but this ‘vertical ward team’ do not require a hospital to work out of. They, according to the script, move to the most appropriate place to see patients, ie, the nursing home, outpatients clinic or the patient’s home. Adjacent to Coronation is the Springs Lane Medical Centre, with a plethora of GPs and attendant services. A new medical centre is due for completion in Addingham, Wharfedale Hospital is not working to anything like its maximum, and yet we need to spend millions of pounds to replace a hospital where parking and access will be severely restricted. Despite all the promises of the ‘new services’ no provision for A&E and nothing after hours – still the trek to Airedale! Is this the best use of tax-payers’ money?

Ilkley Resident

In support of teachers’ call for an end to SATs tests

SATs have been with us long enough. SATs results provide an unreliable and often misleading guide to whether a school is best for an individual child. Teachers consistently say that SATs interfere with their professionalism and with children’s right to be individual learners. SATs distort teaching by encouraging a narrow focus so that children pass the tests. They are a distraction from real learning which is about understanding through doing. I witness the pressure caused by the testing culture when visiting schools in the East Riding and elsewhere in my role with Voice International, which promotes education for sustainability. Teachers and children should be listened to and the government has not listened now for too long. So I support the teachers’ unions’ decision to boycott SATs.

Shan Oakes

Green Party MEP Candidate for Yorks & the Humber 2009 Norwood

Beverley, East Yorkshire

Heartened by honesty

May I, through your columns, thank the very kind and honest person who handed in money left in the Halifax ATM on Thursday, April 2. Regrettably, I had what could have been a very expensive senior moment – removing one’s card and leaving the cash behind is not a very good idea. It is very heartening that there are good and honest people in our town.

PA Thornton

Manor Rise, Ben Rhydding

Bird’s eye view for the heron that lingered

Most people think of Burley-in-Wharfedale as a village they pass by on their way to Ilkley and the Dales. On reading Nature Notes in the Ilkley Gazette last week, we learned that even Nethy, the female osprey from Loch Garten, passed over Burley at 1,300 feet last August.

The heron in the picture, however, decided to have a bird’s eye view of Burley or, as our neighbour who took the photo said, it was casting a beady on his goldfish pond.

John Kirkbright

Wrexham Road, Burley-in-Wharfedale