Sir, – I read the report about John Blackie being accused of bringing the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority into disrepute by the way he conducted himself at an authority meeting in March (D&S November 26).

I attended and recorded that meeting and when I transcribed those recordings I was even more convinced of Mr Blackie’s innocence. I am very well aware of how passionate Mr Blackie can be when championing local communities but I and others felt that at that meeting he was quite restrained.

Even so he made it very clear during the debate on introducing an Article 4 Direction that, when it came to converting barns to commercial use, those in the national park should have the same opportunities for employment and prosperity as those living elsewhere. He said that maybe then more young families and young people would stay in the Dales and more young entrepreneurs would be attracted to live there.

Even though one member of the authority stated that those who spoke against the Article 4 Direction had vested interests Mr Blackie and three others were determined to tell the meeting what many local people felt about it.

When I attended the complaint hearing last week, I couldn’t help feeling that the YDNPA was in danger of shooting the messenger. Thankfully the chairman of the authority, Peter Charlesworth, worked hard to bring about conciliation and so encourage the sort of partnerships envisaged at the Rural Summit in Leyburn that are needed to protect our rural and deeply rural communities.

PIP LAND

ARC News Service, Aysgarth.