An open letter to Humphrey Smith

Dear Mr Smith,

We have no doubt that you are fully aware of the strength of feeling in and around Tadcaster over your blocking of plans for a temporary footbridge to link the two halves of the town using land owned by your company.

Hopefully, those considerations informed your decision last night to relax your position to allow the footbridge to go ahead – with conditions.

But those conditions – that you must have prior approval over the budget and design of the repaired and improved main bridge – are both unrealistic and destined to create serious delays in the process.

First and foremost, it is for elected representatives of the people of Tadcaster to make those decisions on their behalf and not the operators of a private business, even one that employs many local people.

Secondly, attempting to hold a Government department to ransom by refusing to co-operate unless you get your own way is unreasonable and doomed to failure.

The response over the past fortnight to the devastating floods has been remarkable.

Across York and Tadcaster, communities have rallied, local people have dug deep, and residents and businesses have helped each other out, showing an indefatigable never-day-die resilience to be proud of.

So why, when local people are finding such strength in unity, are you standing in their way?

The destruction of the main bridge through Tadcaster has cut the town in two, and now residents and business on both sides need a helping hand.

You have questioned the value of the proposed footbridge, as is your right - but nobody is asking you to fund it.

You have accused the county council of failing to maintain the bridge, which may or may not be correct.

You have now said you may allow a bridge - but only if it is on your terms.

This is not enough. Right now, we need action - not finger-pointing or nit-picking.

The people of Tadcaster, its traders, its elected representatives and even Prime Minister David Cameron are helping the town to get back on its feet. It's time for you to get on board.

By all means seek an assurance that townspeople will be fully consulted over plans for the restored bridge. That’s easy to give and will become a matter of record.

For now, it’s all that’s needed to get the show on the road.

Samuel Smith's Brewery has helped make Tadcaster famous around the world, but it is Tadcaster's people who make the town what it is. Many of them work in your brewery and frequent your pubs. They are your employees and customers.

More importantly, they are your neighbours. To turn them away in this time of crisis would be shameful, and would leave a bitter taste indeed.

There is still time to rescue what threatens to be a PR disaster for Sam Smith’s, with some people already calling for a boycott of your beers.

It’s time to build bridges, both with local people and in terms of the temporary bridge they so desperately want and need.