I do agree to an extent with some of the views on the shops in Halifax. In my opinion the council does not attract enough of the high-street chain stores to the town purely by scrimping, saving and putting as little money in to the town as possible.
When did the council last pay for something new that has been completed? Yes, the council has put some money in to regenerating old buildings, which might be nice to look at, but what does this do to inspire people to visit and shop in the town?
But then, you can't put down the businesses that do choose to set up shop and favour those who won't touch Halifax with a bargepole.
I am slightly bemused as to why Mr Turner ("Our town is way behind", Your say, June 26) wants to get rid of charity shops though. I guess he'd prefer to see an empty shell of a shop in place of one that is there for a worthy cause.
My biggest laughter fit was reserved for Miss Tingle's "I say good riddance", relating to the closure of Home Bargains. I nearly wet my pair of "three for £10" pants (from Burton's; very cheap for a high-street shop) when I read her comments.
I wonder which is worse to the Tingle-Turners, buying a new bottle of suncream from Home Bargains for £3, which would cost £11 in Boots, or buying a second-hand pair of worn snakeskin-effect shoes off ebay for £6 which would have cost £30 new from Shoe Express. I expect Mr Turner will stay silent on that one.
If Mr Turner finds it so hard to stomach the class of people in Halifax, why not move to where the "better people", as he calls them in his letter, are, in Leeds or Manchester? Or would the cost of living in those cities turn him in to one of those kinds of people that he doesn't like in those respective areas?
I know that Mr Turner has written to the Courier about this subject before, yet he hasn't left Calderdale. Something must keep him happy; maybe it's the memories of it's "legendary" nightlife.
Steve Crabtree