I HAVE a simple task to perform which is to examine the register of electors for my locality of Cross Hills.

My experience with other local councils is that you arrive unannounced at the City Hall and you are directed to the elections office and someone delivers the appropriate register for perusal. Simple, and the task accomplished on the same day.

But oh no not in Craven which manages to perform once again at its obstructive best. You cannot speak to anyone in elections on the phone, even just to ask what the protocol is.

You have to provide the reception desk with contact details and some days later elections should get in touch with an appointment. This is not very convenient when someone happens to be in town and should, in my opinion, be able to pop in and look at this legally public document, as I have experienced in at least three other local councils.

Local libraries are supposed to have copies. In this case Skipton main library has the copies for 2020 – ridiculously useless. Cross Hill library has no copies.

Isn’t it about time Craven Council (or whatever it calls itself now) gets into the 21st century and wakes up to the fact they are in existence to serve the public who, let’s not forget, pay their wages, and realise that their set up is not user friendly and serves to put people off accessing a very simple service, rather than efficiently facilitating it.

John Stolarczyk, Cross Hills

* North Yorkshire Council, which replaced Craven District Council in April, 2023, was asked for a comment, but hadn’t responded at the time of going to press