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Otley & Aireborough News

• School gets £4.7million to upgrade buildings

  A £4.7 MILLION aid package will help Prince Henry's Grammar School usher in a new era of academic excellence. read more

• Leeds Council agrees to put Yeadon Airport on the market

  Bradford Council holds the key to selling-off Leeds Bradford Airport as it becomes the last shareholder to make a decision. Bradford is one of five councils in West Yorkshire which jointly own the airport. And by selling its 40 per cent share the Council could raise at least £14 million. Leeds, the other major shareholder agreed yesterday to follow the advice of financial experts and put the airport on the market. Wakefield has also made a decision but has so far refused to make it public. Calderdale will decide next week and Kirklees at the beginning of next month. Together these three councils control a 20 per cent share. But Bradford will not make its mind up until October 5 at the earliest as a special executive meeting is to be arranged. Its decision could mean the difference between an outright or partial sale. If all the authorities agree to go ahead the airport at Yeadon could be in the hands of private investors by April. Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the executive member for environment, said: "Our position is that all the other four authorities will go for an outright sale. We have no indication that anything other would happen. But Bradford does not want to be in a position of being a minority shareholder." A report from consultants Ernst and Young says there is 'significant appetite' in the market at the moment and advises selling outright. If not all the five shareholders agree then at least 60 per cent should be sold. It adds that it would be 'timely' to bring forward any sale as the situation could change. read more

• Town's Mayor calls for a review of policing

  OTLEY'S Mayor is calling for an urgent review of policing in the town. Councillor Norman Harrison said that although levels of crime in Otley did not compare with inner city Leeds,it had problems that needed to be addressed. He believed that Otley needed fully qualified officers instead of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). "It is time we had an explanation of why there are no real police officers in Otley. We're not interested in PCSOs. They are very welcome but nothing beats a real officer on foot patrol," he said. "This town is paying thousands of pounds in council tax, and a large proportion of that is for policing, but we are not getting the cover we are paying for." Coun Harrison's criticisms cam after a meeting of the council's Community Development Committee on Monday, when the town's new police chief,Insp Simon Hepworth failed to keep an appointment to discuss policing issues after a mix-up of dates. Coun Gerald McGowan, committee chairman, said there were several issues that the council had wanted to discuss with Insp Hepwroth. "Otley isn't a bad town crimewise.There are parts of Leeds that are like a war zone and we get crime statistics for Otley and there are virtually no crimes in Otley. "But there is a lot of low level crime. Damage to cars, graffiti and drunken behaviour at pub chucking out time. These are the sort of things we want to see dealt with because it is what worries Otley people." He added that the council was reconsidering the need for a dispersal order on Otley Bus Station, which would give the police extra powers to move people on. The bus station has often been the scene of anti-social behaviour. read more

• Guiseley loses another part of its industrial heritage

  ANOTHER part of Guiseley's industrial heritage has disappeared with the completion of demolition work at the former Brook Crompton and Crompton Parkinson works site. read more

• School has to close for day after freak flooding

  A FREAK rainstorm which struck while mini-tornadoes were spreading chaos in other parts of Leeds forced Guiseley School to close last week. read more

• Folk stars hit the right note at festival

  When the music we hear from a car in the traffic is not drum and bass but bodhran and fiddle, the third weekend in September is here, bringing us the annual Otley Black Sheep Folk Festival. read more

On this day: Aire-Wharfe League | Guiseley Football | Otley | Business News | Sport News | Nostalgia | Reader Views | Victoria Crebbin | Paul Denbow | Sharewatch | Thought for the Week | India Fearnley | Rachel Wilkinson | Otley & Aireborough News | News | Behind the News | Ilkley Gazette Theatre | Reviews