Letters round-up

Then there are the voices in the middle who seek informed opinion and ask for reasoned debate and are, in the main, ignored.

Leaving aside the vested interests and the political lobbying, here are questions which I have yet to see addressed.

Wherever on the planet that fracking takes place and may be used in argument in respect of the UK, do those places have the same geological structure as we here, specifically in Ryedale?

Do those of you who heat your homes and cook your food using gas care where it comes from, as long as you get it? Do you care how much it costs your personal budget?

Does it concern you that a considerable, and increasing, part of our gas supplies are controlled by foreign governments which might not now or at some time in the future be well-disposed toward the UK?

A Killelay (September 30) shows an abject lack of knowledge regarding nuclear energy for generating electricity. Over my 50 years of experience, most of it in the electricity generating industry with experience in three of our nuclear plants, I have found nothing which could give rise to such paranoid opinion.

With the prospect of losing the generation from Ferrybridge and Eggborough next year, we really do need 4,000MW of base load generating capacity, and quickly.

Just in case we do start to get some extreme winter conditions.

David Loxley, Hartoft

Countryside worry

NEW MP Kevin Hollinrake was trusted by many of the electorate to protect our beautiful countryside when they cast their vote in May.

I attended more than one hustings before the General Election where Mr Hollinrake solemnly promised to stand up for the rights of his constituents on the issue of hydraulic fracturing proposed by Third Energy – about which 80 per cent of people in Ryedale are concerned about.

The protest against the proposals are a fantastic example of Ryedale’s community coming together, and was one of the largest Ryedale’s ever seen.

It seems Mr Hollinrake has the same disregard for our beautiful countryside as he does for the opinion of local people. As I read he stated “I won’t try to block fracking plans”. This leaves me bewildered by his stance.

I’m afraid, although Mr Hollinrake has the means to fly to Pennsylvania, no wealth can buy the truth. In this case, the facts speak for themselves. We are left with an MP who fails to take his constituents’ concerns into account, leaving him unaccountable.

All of us now face paying a heavy price for the blind faith of the majority of the electorate in voting Tory as we see all too clearly the consequences for our countryside, water quality and well-being of local people.

Emily Keal, Norton

Get rich quick

I OBJECT in the most strongest terms to the development of the fracking proposed not only in North Yorkshire, but where ever else it may be proposed in the UK.

The science that has been determined by those who stand to profit from this activity is very flawed, and unsubstantiated.

I am a member of the Energy Institute, and have access to a vast library of technical data available in the library of our institute. I am also a geomorphologist with a keen interest in the understanding of the social impacts of the development of settlements in our area.

It is quite typical of our government to be beguiled by the get rich quick commercial hyenas that seek to profit by the despoiling of the quality of life. There is simply no merit in their plans except for rapid commercial gain.

Jim Bell, Pickering

Cake sale success

ON Saturday, September 26, a cake stall fundraising event for the Marie Curie charity was held in Pickering Market Place. A big thank you to all the people who produced the items sold and to those who helped sell them, just over £300 was raised.

J Baker, Westgate, Pickering

Little support during the winter

I WRITE on behalf of Mill House residents, some over 80 and 90 years old, others have walking difficulties and two are wheelchair bound.

We very much appreciate North Yorkshire County Council’s (NYCC) statement in the Gazette & Herald recently stating your concerns regarding public safety as the reason you put parking restrictions on the Mill House car parking area.

We are confused, however, regarding what happens to NYCC and highways' concerns during the winter months, when the footpaths and turning areas are covered with snow and ice. Public safety concerns are forgotten.

Absolutely nothing is done by NYCC or highways to clear show or ice, not even a salt grit bin is provided. We have to buy salt grit and we pay the gardener to clear snow, or we do it ourselves.

We feel NYCC and highways should give a public explanation regarding this disparity. and clearly different concerns regarding public safety during the winter months.

Mill House residents are more concerned regarding safety during winter months, yet we get no help from anyone.

Colin Pickering, Pickering.

Why can't we all work together?

A BEAUTIFUL autumn day bathed in sunshine was the backdrop for two much-loved events in Malton: the annual Ryedale Book Festival (RBF), and Food Lovers Market (not festival, just the regular monthly market). Malton was buzzing.

The Old Town Hall, so beautifully refurbished by the Fitzwilliam Estate and donated to RBF for the weekend, was the hub for two days of book lovers’ delights, organised by an inspired team of volunteers led by Sarah Tyson.

The Milton Rooms was the focus for the Food Lovers Market, hosting this time a more diverse mix of stallholders, including equipment for cooks, gadgets and leaves for tea lovers, alongside chefs’ demos and all the old favourites. Organised by Malton CIC it was another triumph.

The Fitzwilliam Estate has recently opened a new car park behind The Shambles; good timing. Not only is it an additional asset right in the centre of the town for regular shoppers, it also brings a lot of new trade past the shops in The Shambles, and today offered additional nearby parking for the events.

We tried to park the Morris Minor. Slim pickings – Market Place: full, new Shambles parking: full. So we resort to the more distant Wentworth Street Car Park – not quite full but close to it, and at only 10.30am.

Who can fathom Ryedale District Council’s (RDC) logic in continuing with their costly battle to sell the Wentworth Street car park? Special day, they will say. Sure but one of a growing number across the year. But critically, add that to all the new housing that RDC has approved and the growing volume of local residents shopping – who will need to park to shop in town. Who does the maths at RDC? Does anyone there engage brain or frankly give a damn about what Malton residents want?

Clearly not. Nor does it seem that they care much about what goes on in Malton, as we scarcely see a RDC face at events, and hear little about innovative new initiatives for the town – they leave this to the Estate and highly motivated and determined local entrepreneurs.

How great a world it would be if the antagonists at the council would down weapons and collaborate with the Estate.

It would make these gorgeous sunny mornings so much more of a delight for Malton and its residents.

Fiona Croft, Malton

MP's work is exemplary

I HAVE read the report that MP Kevin Hollinrake has produced after his trip to see the impact of fracking at first hand in Pennsylvania. This is a superb and diligent piece of work.

Whatever happens from here, Mr Hollinrake is to be congratulated on the thorough and impartial way he has collected, analysed and presented his experiences. His taking on this challenge at his own expense and in his own time, and reporting with such clarity shows why the local party were right to select him and the electorate to elect him. I recommend all your readers to read it and circulate it widely.

It seems clear to me that, with the right controls and independent regulatory oversights, fracking can be a good thing overall. The initial disruption is unavoidable and not trivial, but it’s for a finite period and can also be subject to control and regulation.

There’s a parallel with the upheaval of building a bypass, or indeed sorting out the A64, in that the short-term pain is easily justified by the long-term benefits for the entire community, and in this case, the whole country.

Ongoing issues, it seems, can be avoided, managed and regulated into extreme unlikelihood.

Ryedale is at a crossroads - do we move forward into a new prosperous and diverse economy, with energy security for ourselves and future generations, or do we gain a reputation as head-in-the-sand, nimbyist luddites?

David Hoggard, Malton

Huge thanks to festival team

THIS weekend I attended Ryedale Book Festival, which had a wide variety of events taking place all around Malton.

It was lovely to see so many people in the town, with families touring the streets taking part in the Penguin Classics Hide and Seek challenge and attending the many literary events with interesting and engaging speakers.

The weekend weather was very kind to us and, with Saturday also being the monthly food market, the town had a real buzz.

One of the highlights of the Sunday activities took place in the beautiful setting of Castle Gardens where children, along with parents and grandparents, enjoyed a few hours of fun and activities with storytellers, poetry, music and art followed by a wonderful Charlie and Lola tea party. Both Saturday and Sunday evenings saw a full house at the Milton Rooms, with audiences enjoying an evening’s entertainment.

The weekend’s events along with the wonderful school outreach work is a whole year in the planning and relies on the hard work and dedication of a small committee of volunteers led by Sarah Tyson, along with family and friends pulled in to help over the weekend. Everyone gives up their time for free to create this wonderful weekend and I’m sure many others have enjoyed it as much as I did. I would like to publicly thank Sarah Tyson and the team at Ryedale Book Festival for their hard work. Well done team.

Sue Gilbank, Norton