I would like to counter some of the claims in the letter by a Labour party member Luke Maunsell.

He pointed out issues around unemployment, poverty, and so forth for a small but growing minority of Keighley residents.

At the end of the letter he demanded action for these people now.

I want to reassure readers that an awful lot is being done to help people in poverty. And there is also help for some of the social problems associated with poverty too, some of which is done by charities such as Project 6 that deals with drink and drug abuse, and also by InnChurches that helps find beds for homeless people during the winter. And food banks that help families finding it hard to find money to get by each week.

I have no doubt that he is aware of this vital work, but I include it here to urge people to get involved and help in any way they can.

As for the help that government is giving to help people out of poverty, there are now 1,400,000 new private sector jobs on the market since 2010; 25 million people have been relieved of income tax, and council tax has been frozen.

Keighley has got tremendous potential in an undeveloped tourist industry, and Keighley is already bucking the trend across Yorkshire as the bulk of redundancies hit elsewhere more, where so many government offices are based.

Can the government do more? Sure it can, and while the economy returns to strength, I demand that they look at boosting the minimum wage.

Nevertheless I am proud that my party has protected the prosperity of workers and claimants alike in the aftermath of that abnormal recession of 2007.

LEO ROBINSON Skipton Road Keighley