Search for families in history of the Manor House

Amongst them is the maintenance of Ilkley’s Manor House. It will come as no surprise that this deeply concerns the Friends of the Manor House, a voluntary group supportive of the building and its environs.

This newspaper has already drawn the attention of readers to the possible threat of closure and we hope that it will continue to do so.

There is much about the Manor House that may be unknown to many readers: its history; its disreputable reputation at one time; its being a gift to the town of an eminent resident, Percy Dalton; its being partitioned into small dwellings a century ago. It is about the last use of the Manor House I am writing to this newspaper.

We know that there are people in Ilkley who remember or have been told about the time when the building was home to a small number of families and we should like to contact them.

We should be very grateful if readers would help us in our search.

June Oldham on behalf of Friends of the Manor House

There never were ‘secret talks’ about police station

The last couple of weeks have seen a new low in local politics for Otley. Most readers of this paper will be aware of the headline-grabbing accusations from Mr Mulholland about Labour’s supposedly ‘secret talks’ to close down Otley Police Station.

I hope the truth is now finally starting to emerge. Even Lib Dem town councillors have now been forced to withdraw a motion supporting Mr Mulholland’s claims. But just in case the facts aren’t entirely clear, let me fill you in.

Over the past 12 months, Otley’s Labour Town Council has been working extremely hard on writing a business case for the Civic Centre. The group working on this plan includes two Labour councillors, a Lib Dem councillor and several committed volunteers from the Otley community. As part of this work we have spoken to dozens of organisations and visited similar buildings across the country. The aim has been to explore all possible options for the Civic Centre. We intend to submit the draft business case to Leeds City Council in January. If accepted this will lead to the capital investment required for the renovation of the Civic Centre.

In March we had one exploratory meeting with West Yorkshire Police at the invitation of the City Council. Let me repeat that – we met with the police once.

It was clear to the working group that this was no more than an exercise by the police to explore a range of options. We discounted them from our plans early on and have since looked at a whole range of possibilities for the building. So it is now absolutely disgraceful that Mr Mulholland is twisting this exploratory discussion by the police into some kind of cover-up to close the Police Station.

Mr Mulholland himself knew about the police proposal as early as January. In fact, on March 7 in this very paper, Mr Mulholland stated that he had met with Leeds City Council and discussed the proposal put forward by a ‘prospective tenant’ (he knew this was the police but he kept their identity confidential). In order to undermine the Civic Centre in March he was arguing that the police proposals were not serious. Yet now, nine months later, he is saying that the police and Town Council have been colluding to close down the Police Station.

I think everyone will agree that this looks like nothing more than political opportunism – Otley deserves much better than this. That is why, at our Full Council meeting on Monday, I praised the work done by several Lib Dem councillors to support the Civic Centre. I also asked these same councillors if they would be willing to distance themselves from Mr Mulholland’s tactics. Perhaps this is why Councillor Lay withdrew his motion supporting Mr Mulholland’s accusations? Because increasingly Mr Mulholland looks like a lone voice, desperately doing anything and everything he can to avoid losing his seat in the next general election.

Councillor Carl Morris, Labour, Otley Town Council 

We’re in for more of this ugly scaremongering

I appreciated your article about the ‘secret’ talks in Thursday’s Observer. It seemed reasonable to me that ‘very speculative discussions’ and a ‘scoping exercise’ were not considered concrete enough yet for public consultation.

So I was disgusted, two days later, to receive the Liberal Democrat Focus, with its sensationalist, tabloid treatment of the topic. I am saddened that, with the general election approaching, there is going to be more of this ugly, malicious scaremongering. How can this approach make anyone want to vote for a party?

This attitude strikes me as one that tries to find any excuse to malign the Labour council, before the facts are straight, and to deliberately mislead people. This irresponsible and blatant desire to cause alarm is just manipulative and wrong.

Thank you to the Wharfedale Observer for your sensible reporting.

Ivola Dombay, Weston Ridge, Otley

We must prioritise areas of greatest disadvantage

Further to your editorial on the reduction Bradford is being forced to make in services as a result of being required to take £100 million from our budget in the next few years. I do agree that it is vital we have meaningful discussions about any ways we can create local ideas and partnerships with schools and community groups to develop ways of retaining maximum level of local service.

We must deliver services to all areas but we do prioritise the areas of greatest disadvantage; that is a Government requirement, we need to find different ways of running these services.

I would positively welcome any local ideas on how to minimise the impact of the loss of this national funding, and am aware of some ideas already being discussed .

There are some excellent community groups and strong schools for a start.

So yes, let’s work together on this please.

Councillor Ralph Berry Labour, Wibsey Ward

Grateful thanks to all who gave to typhoon appeal

The Rotary Club of Otley recently held collections at Sainsbury’s supermarket in Otley on behalf of an appeal for victims of the Philippines Haiyan typhoon.

I am delighted to say that along with other contributions made to the club a sum of £2,895 was raised. I would like to thank all contributors and in particular the management of Sainsbury’s for allowing our collections and those customers who contributed for their generosity in raising this magnificent sum.

The moneys collected along with funds from the club’s reserves will be used in the purchase of Shelter Boxes [shelterboxes.org/haiyan] and Lifestraws [lifestraws.org.uk] which will be shipped to those areas of the Philippines where they are most needed.

Keith Thompson, President, Rotary Club of Otley

Vouchers can be spent anywhere in the village

Each year the elderly residents of Addingham are fortunate to receive vouchers from the Clarke Foley Trust to spend in the shops and businesses of their choice in the village.

However, in these days when small independent businesses are struggling to survive I was surprised and angry that a person giving out the vouchers on behalf of the trust stated that: “I could now spend them at the Co-op.”

No mention was made that the vouchers could be spent at any business/shop in the village, which is the case. Anyone collecting the vouchers for the first time would have thought they had to spend them at the Co-op.

To rub salt into the wound, the said person stated he was a life-long member of the Co-op.

I thought the above may have been an isolated case but I now know this is not so as several villagers have informed me they received similar comments. I trust the organiser of the distribution of the vouchers will ensure that in future no preference will be expressed as to where the vouchers may be spent.

Bill Preston (former shop owner in Addingham), Addingham

Our Good Neighbours are always so happy to help

The much-publicised Silver Line Befriending service for older people has highlighted a very real need.

Here at Ilkley Good Neighbours, our very own team of well trained and dedicated volunteers is on hand to help anyone who feels lonely or isolated.

If anyone would like help with regular or occasional shopping, or for someone to pop in for a chat from time to time our ShopAssist and Befriending schemes will be able to help. Please call (01943) 603348 for more information.

Mrs Judy Hutton Trustee, Ilkley and District Good Neighbours

Cricketing Colonel could have been county captain

On last week’s Letters page Ronnie Duncan reminisced about his father Hugh Duncan, who was a well-known figure in cricket many years ago.

We knew him as Colonel Duncan, who after his war career ended took up cricket. A story told to me in the 1950s by a colleague of Hugh’s was that he could have been captain of Yorkshire Cricket Club but he had his textile company at Otley Mills to run and declined the offer.

I was too young at the time, and did not see him play – but the story that stays with me about his cricketing days is that many pundits described his ability as one of the finest cover point fielders in the game.

Joe McHugh Fairfax Street, Otley