The article in last week’s Airedale & Wharfedale Observerabout noise at LBIA means a lot more than it says.

What it means is that there will be a substantial increase in the number of flights with a substantial increase in noise both day and night and they cannot, and do not, intend to do anything about it. For the residents of Horsforth, Yeadon and Menston and, to a lesser degree, Ilkley and north-west Leeds, it’s going to be tough luck.

How they calculate the benefits to the economy is beyond me.

With no flights to Heathrow it is a Mickey Mouse airport. The drop-off and pick-up facilities are a rip-off. Not having a proper taxi rank but depending on having to phone and wait for a hire car with no competitor is ridiculous. LBA also has the worst weather record of any airport in the UK.

Scotland Lane, Horsforth, is now so overcrowded with traffic it is very dangerous. The place should be closed down as quickly as possible and the business, with the staff, transferred to Robin Hood, which has longer runway, affects fewer local residents and is easily reachable only an hour away with good road connections and could easily be linked into the railway system.

C D Round

Lee Lane East, Horsforth

Conservatives accused of political point-scoring

The recent case surrounding the travesty of the Doncaster child torture case was horrific, sickening and repugnant. The case showed the very worst that humanity can become without intervention and what is often incorrectly coined the “nanny-state”. I think we can all agree that Doncaster social services should have intervened sooner and more forcefully.

I also find it very, very wrong for David Cameron to use this case of child torture for political point-scoring; playing with people’s fears and feelings of repulsion. Social services is a local council responsibility and Doncaster Council has a directly elected mayor system whereby one directly elected person is elected to run the council and he or she chooses those who enter the cabinet, each acquiring different portfolios. The English Democrat mayor is the father of Conservative MP, Philip Davies and he selected three Conservatives to sit in his cabinet, making up over 40 per cent of it.

The rest of the members are independents. Independent councillor Andrea Milner is in charge of children’s services and she is accountable to the people for the action or inaction of her department. Furthermore the cabinet which includes Conservatives has collective responsibility.

David Cameron should be talking to his party colleagues in Doncaster and asking them about their responsibility as cabinet members over this issue. Instead his colleagues are busy trying to prop up the mayor who is facing a no-confidence vote over trying to sack his new chief executive after two days. Where are their priorities?

Councillor James Alexander

Prospective Labour MP for York Outer

Opportunity to correct some parish council assumptions

On behalf of Burley Parish Council I would like to correct a few of Mr Harrison’s assumptions (Letters, January 21).

During the icy weather, Burley Parish Council was in regular contact with Bradford Council to request attention on particular routes or pavements in Burley and to draw the council’s attention to roads that should have been gritted and had not been. On the whole, Bradford Council was responsive to our requests for action.

Last winter the Parish Council made enquiries with Bradford Council about provision of additional grit bins and offered to pay for them if Bradford Council would maintain them. We were told last year that this was not possible due to the financial implications of maintaining an increased number of grit bins across the district. In December we were in discussion with Bradford Council about gritting routes around the village and possible improvements to the route. Earlier this month I made enquiries to see if Bradford Council’s position on grit bins had changed and if additional bins could be purchased. The Parish Council received a very full response from the principal engineer at Bradford Council, a copy of which has been posted on the village website for the last two weeks.

Burley Parish Councillors are not paid for their work. Many of them give up a great deal of time to carry out work on behalf of Burley residents and very few reclaim any expenses at all for doing so. Mr Harrison accuses the parish council of blowing its own trumpet by publishing a newsletter four times a year. As a pro-active parish council we seek to engage with our community and via the newsletter hope to provide a mix of information about what the parish council is doing on behalf of residents, forthcoming events or activities and to ask for residents’ input and opinions on decisions that will affect them. When possible we also make space available for local voluntary groups to promote their activities to a wider audience.

Councillor Keith Dale

Chair, Burley Parish Council

Let’s make sure the Government hears us

May I appeal to your readers to support the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) in making sure the Government exempts all anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) from its proposals to implement cheaper generic versions of prescription drugs.

Cutting costs by swapping a branded AED to a cheaper generic version of the same drug could provoke seizures or side effects and actually end up costing the Government more money than it saves.

Just one breakthrough seizure, which is when someone whose seizures are usually controlled by epilepsy drugs has an unexpected seizure, is devastating for the individual and may cause serious injury and harm, rob someone of their driving licence and affect their job.

The Government has unveiled its final three options for generic substitution in a consultation and acknowledges that in some cases, such as epilepsy, there are clinical reasons why drugs should not be substituted.

AEDs are not included in the initial list of drugs for proposed substitution in the Government’s preferred option, and there are hints at a more fundamental exclusion.

Now is the time to ask the Government to exempt AEDs from generic substitution once and for all. Our message is clear: make anti-epileptic drugs permanently exempt from generic substitution. We need your help. We have until March 30th to voice our views.

As epilepsy is the UK’s most common serious neurological condition and I’m sure many of your readers will have a connection.

NSE has produced a campaign postcard for people to send to the Department of Health. These are available from the NSE on 01494 601300 or email pressoffice@epilepsysociety.org.uk. Alternatively there is a letter template available on the NSE website. Log on to epilepsysociety.org.uk/campaign to see full details of the government’s proposals, the campaign, NSE’s report and the letter template.

The Government is listening – together let’s make sure they hear.

Graham Faulkner

Chief Executive, National Society for Epilepsy

Bruce Forsyth urges readers to nominate stroke heroes

I was delighted to present one of The Stroke Association's Life After Stroke Awards last year. The awards not only recognise the courage and determination people have in the face of such a devastating condition but that of carers and volunteers too.

An estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year and they change people's lives in an instant – affecting them physically, mentally and emotionally forever.

The chances are you already know somebody who has had a stroke and demonstrated outstanding bravery and determination in rebuilding their life.

If you do, why not nominate them, a carer or volunteer for a 2010 Life After Stroke Award?

The closing date for this year's award nominations is February 26. For more information on the awards or to download nomination forms visit stroke.org.uk/lasa or email lasa@stroke.org.uk or telephone 01604 687720.

Bruce Forsyth, CBE

Deadline looms for Adult Learner Award nominations

The deadline to nominate people for Adult Learners’ Week Awards is tomorrow. These awards are a great way to celebrate the inspirational, outstanding and remarkable achievements of all adult learners. You can nominate individuals, groups, families and even projects who deserve recognition for their efforts and who will inspire others to transform their lives through learning. Visit alw.org.uk/nominate to fill out an online application, or email alw@niace.org.uk or phone 0116 204 4200 for more information. Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, January 29. Everyone nominated receives a certificate.

The awards are the highlight of Adult Learners’ Week, co – ordinated by NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education,) which is the UK’s largest and longest running festival of learning. This year it runs from (May 15 to 21).

Richard Crabb

Team Leader Campaigns, NIACE

A disgrace for disabled people in our area

As a supporter of the Changing Places campaign, I think it is a disgrace that people with profound and multiple learning disabilities should have the same opportunities as everyone else. And carers have enough to contend with – let’s not make their lives harder by denying them the right to basic public facilities. I encourage readers to take action – sign the online petition about this important issue at mencap.org.uk/changelives.

Rosemary Midgley

Cliffe Terrace, Keighley

Thank you, Northern Rail

May I, through your letters column, express my congratulations and sincere thanks to the management and employees of Northern Rail who, in some of the most difficult conditions in recent memory, managed to keep the trains running. Our school relies very heavily on the local rail network with over 300 pupils travelling to and from Frizinghall Station every day on the Wharfedale line. That we were open for business for nine out of the ten difficult days was largely due to the expertise and commitment of the Northern Rail organisation.

S R Davidson

Headmaster, Bradford Grammar School