Dementia fight still to be won

Yet his sad plight – the gentle giant from Barnsley now requires full-time care in a nursing home after a savage and rapidly-advancing form of the illness took hold three years ago without warning – is emblematic of the 58,000 people across Yorkshire who have the misfortune to be struck down with a form of dementia.

This is why the Alzheimer’s Society is to be the beneficiary of the Yorkshire Post’s annual Christmas Appeal which is being launched today, and which will again revolve around a charity auction that will feature on these pages in the coming weeks.

There will be very few families across Yorkshire who have not witnessed the decline of a loved one, or family acquaintance, from memory loss and their sadness when they can no longer remember the name of a relative.

Harrowing for the victim, whether it be a young man like Mr Wilmot or a person of more mature years, this is also deeply distressing for their families.

This is self-evident when reading of the distress felt by Mr Wilmot’s parents when they could no longer look after their son – and the heartbreak when he did not even recognise them when they embraced after a recent visit.

Yet this ordeal would be even more painful without the tireless work of the Alzheimer’s Society which does so much to complement the care offered by hospitals, local authorities and others.

As well as helping families in their hour of need, it is also at the forefront of pioneering new research – as evidenced by the University of York’s groundbreaking study – and the Yorkshire Post knows that it can count on its readers, and the region’s businesses, to give as generously as possible so the charity can expand its invaluable work.

Miliband taps into the public mood

TO his credit, Ed Miliband has been setting the agenda on the reform and regulation of Britain’s privatised utilities after promising a cap on household fuel bills during his party conference speech.

It remains to be seen whether the Labour leader’s plan is remotely viable – many contend that his threat fuelled the latest round of above-inflation price increases by the “Big Six” suppliers – but the Doncaster North MP is dominating Westminster politics with this issue.

This is self-evident by the personalised nature of David Cameron’s responses to the Opposition leader at Prime Minister’s Questions – his repeated use of the “conman” slur is unbecoming of a statesman – and it is significant that Downing Street is now promising action on water bills.

This hint came hours after Mr Miliband said that the water suppliers – who enjoy near monopoly status in contrast to the energy giants – should not be exempt from re from as North Yorkshire MP Julian Smith prepares to probe Yorkshire Water’s tax affairs in a Commons debate.

It is absurd that this foreign-owned utility can avoid paying a single penny of corporation tax when it is expecting its customers to pay for an above-inflation 6.6 per cent increase in charges, presumably to help offset the cost of a £250m payment to shareholders.

This is the type of anomaly that is proving so exasperating to taxpayers – and Mr Miliband is tapping into the public mood with political astuteness. But he still needs to explain why Labour did not close these loopholes, and others, during its 13-year reign – and how a future government would keep bills in check without compromising the need to invest in new infrastructure or a need to further improve the quality of this region’s drinking water and beaches.

Bishop’s power of communication

AT a time when some, rightly or wrongly, perceive the Church of England to be too introspective for its own good, how refreshing that it is choosing to be so outward-looking over the appointment of the first bishop for the newly-created diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales by advertising the vacancy’s job brief.

If the CoE is to recruit the very best person to heal the differences that emerged when the decision was taken to merge the existing dioceses of Bradford, Wakefield and also Ripon and Leeds, and provide inspiring leadership to Christians scattered across more than 2,425 square miles of God’s own county, then it needs to open up this process for all.

This is not about to result in an X Factor-style pray-off to appoint the next bishop – that would be too much for traditionalists – or the advent of open primaries in the style of those used by local political parties to select would-be MPs in which candidates speechify from their soapboxes.

Yet it is this power of communication that the new bishop will require if they are to fulfil their mission and reach out to all sections of society. As such, this is already a positive step for change that deserves every blessing.