AS A skateboarder I can't believe the decision not to allow Harrogate to have a skatepark. According to the article in the Advertiser, Coun Pat Jones said: “The council is not closing the door on a skatepark, but we must ensure council tax payers' money is not wasted.”

So how about the bowling green in Valley Gardens? How much did it cost? Who paid for it? Who uses it? Ninety-five per cent of the people reading this probably haven't even thought of watching a game there, let alone joining in. This is just one example of taxpayers’ money being put into something that most people will never use, so according to Coun Jones, their money is wasted.

For all the other leisure areas in Harrogate, did the potential users have meetings, hand out flyers, create questionnaires, and try to generate as much support as possible for it?

Has anyone ever created a short documentary to present at a public meeting in Harrogate, purely to demonstrate how much they want and need what they are asking for? No, and if they did go that far, I'm pretty sure they would get it. But I guess young people, particularly skateboarders, are all vandals and hoodlums, and they probably all carry knives because that's what the papers say, so it must have been someone else who put all the hard work into their skatepark campaign.

People who opposed the skatepark never saw any support for it because it’s mostly youngsters who want it and are going to use it. Why should they have to go to adult meetings and discuss things that are way over their heads?

In a town that claims to be modern, diverse and an attraction to all residents and visitors, I really am let down.

To have a look at the short video we created in winter while campaigning for the original idea of the skate park in the Stonefall area, please enter this link into your internet browser and feel free to put forward your comment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQheX57urS4.