YP Letters: No excuse for West Yorkshire Combined Authority's lack of accountability to electorate '“ councillor

YOUR lead story (The Yorkshire Post, December 16) concerning the, to say the least, unfortunate state of affairs at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority adds weight to the calls which I and others have consistently made for this unelected quango to be urgently replaced by a truly directly-elected body.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has 10 members, nine of whom are appointed by direct political patronage and one other appointed member.

Despite the spin (“an authority of elected members”) the body is no more directly elected than the government of the late Tsar of Russia in 1914.

The authority has developed like Topsy from Metro which was a pan-West Yorkshire body set up to deal specifically with public transport.

There is no reason why it should not be replaced by a directly-elected body, which would cost no more, and would not add another level of bureaucracy.

Elections could take place at the same time as district elections, allowances currently paid to members could be used to pay allowances to elected members and to judge by your article there is already a more than adequate well-paid bureaucracy in place.

I can never understand why central and local government these days prefer a cosy appointed system to one where the members must account directly to electors.

From: Neil Richardson, Kirkheaton.

YOUR editorial (‘A right to know’, The Yorkshire Post, December 16) over WYCA’s lack of rigour and transparency might have delved deeper into the mysterious culture of ‘executive coaching’.

Are the itinerant experts providing WYCA with value for money, or pretty Powerpoint slides which have scant impact on the organisation yet attract no criticism because executives are keen to climb the promotional ladder?

From: Roger Harvey OBE, Vice Chair, The Piece Hall Trust, Halifax.

I NOTE with disappointment your article commenting on the pay of Roger Marsh OBE as non-executive chair of the Leeds City Region LEP.

I would like to put on record that since Roger Marsh was appointed as an unpaid chair of the Piece Hall Trust in Halifax, he has worked tirelessly.

I believe he should be supported and celebrated for those endeavours.