YP Letters: Dispute is no reflection on Settle to Carlisle line's success

THE Trust and its trading subsidiary, Settle & Carlisle Railway Properties Limited, are disappointed by the unlawful occupation of the Station Master’s House at Ribblehead Station, which ended on Saturday.

The Station Master’s House was let to David Anderson as a self-catering holiday rental for one week starting on January 20 and expiring on January 27, 2017. At the start of his rental period he barricaded himself in the property without authority.

Mr Anderson is a building contractor from Widnes who worked on the restoration of the house. We understand he has disputes with Network Rail but not with us. He has been informed that he has opportunities for pursuing these disputes directly.

The Station Master’s House is owned by the Property Company as part of the property portfolio of the Trust. This also includes 125-year leases from Network Rail of the stations at Ribblehead, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Kirkby Stephen. The Trust and the Property Company have restored these properties to a high standard and have received numerous awards.

In addition to Station Master’s House, the Trust has two other high quality holiday cottages at Kirkby Stephen.

Plans for a new exhibition and display centre at Ribblehead Station are well advanced. The historic buildings on the line are financed, in part, through the income raised by holiday rentals.

For over 30 years, the Trust has been committed to maintaining the heritage of this historic line.

We are delighted that Northern, the rail franchise holder, will operate public service trains hauled by the steam locomotive Tornado on February 14-16. We are also delighted by the commitment shown by Network Rail to repair the land slip at Eden Brows and restore services to Carlisle by the end of March 2017

We acknowledge the contribution of the rail authorities and the many volunteers who ensure that the Settle & Carlisle Line thrives.

Defending the NHS to the last

From: Sue Powell, Bakersfield Drive, Kellington, Goole.

MY husband, Dr Glyn Powell, sadly passed away on January 27 after a long battle with cancer. As you will know Glyn was a prolific writer to your columns. In fact his last letter, written from his hospital bed, typically drawing from his experiences in hospital and defending the NHS, was only a few short weeks before he passed away (The Yorkshire Post, January 16).

He kept and treasured the article you printed on September 19, 1995, when as a local Dewsbury councillor he fulfilled his education pledge by finally earning his PhD in Philosophy.

He came home to spend his last days with his family and we appreciate the many messages of sympathy and support, not only from family and friends but from those whom he helped over the years from far and wide.

This is the last letter that 
Dr Glyn Powell wrote:

HAVING spent over four weeks in various West Yorkshire hospitals, I feel I must comment on the state of the NHS.

The frontline staff from registrars/consultant all the way down to ancilliary staff do excellent work and are totally committed and dedicated to looking after their patients, despite major problems thrown at them by misguided government policies.

To improve the situation the Government should:

1. Set up incentivised training schemes for British youngsters in all the aforementioned professions to reduce the need to employ foreign/EU workers.

2. Trigger Article 50 to withdraw immediately from the EU to stop NHS meagre resources being totally overwhelmed by uncontrolled immigration from eastern EU states.

These, not an ageing population, are the real causes of NHS difficulties.

After waiting in Pinderfields A&E in a critical condition for 
15 hours or a bed on a surgical ward and seeing dedicated staff pushed to the limit, working 
long hours, I would say this to Jeremy Hunt: Tell the truth to 
the nation and start to fix the 
NHS, instead of waiting until it falls apart so it can be easier to privatise it.

Exhausting proposition

From: Neil Richardson, Kirkheaton

THE Northern Powerhouse Partnership (The Yorkshire Post, February 4) needs much livelier and relevant presentations; your photograph indicates even Lord O’Neill was struggling to keep awake during the meeting in Leeds. Too many vision statements? An excess of major goals? Exhausted trying to sell the idea of a ‘broader collective societal buy-in’?

But let’s consider that hazy proposition. How much would he like each member of NPP Ltd to contribute? Should we expect a seven per cent return? I suppose, if investors are fortunate, this scheme will not only enjoy the generous subsidies awarded to the wind turbine sector but also deliver on cold, windless days.

Regarding transport, I can’t see why three journeys from Leeds to Manchester are unusual: the train cannot visit every suburb. A more important issue might be the geographical expansion of northern towns and cities. And whether matching the sprawl of London will make citizens any richer.

Ugly outlook

From: Lorna Young, Sheffield.

SUCCESSIVE city councils have made the centre of Sheffield one of the ugliest in the country by demolishing so many interesting buildings, and replacing them with concrete and jets of water.

In view of the Government’s latest proposal to build houses on our precious green belt areas, why don’t they instead bulldoze the whole of Sheffield city centre, build houses on it, and let everyone shop on Amazon?