Council Work
Meetings I have attended
- Full Council Meetings - 10
- Fortnightly meetings of Cabinet
- Local Issues (Sub-committee Cabinet) - 4
- Personnel Committee (Sub-committee Cabinet) - 3
- Policy Committee - 5
- Huddersfield District Committee - 4
- Weekly Cabinet Briefing
- Weekly individual portfolio briefing
Representing Council on outside bodies
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee – 7
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee – 7
- West Yorkshire Transport Fund Advisory Fund – 7
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority Leaders Meeting – 2
- Leeds City Region Joint Planning Meeting – 5
- Meetings regarding HS2 – 2
- Kirklees Stadium Company every 6-8 weeks
Work in Ward
- For 9 months every Saturday, I knock on 100 doors within the ward to check on potential constituent problems.
- Meetings of Dalton Area Housing Forum
- Rawthorpe Community Association and tenants group
- Dalton Ward Meeting – I chair every 6 weeks
- Meetings with local industry – Syngenta, the Stadium, various businesses on Leeds Road
- Meetings with Yetton Group in Kirkheaton
- Weekly meetings with fellow councillors in the ward to discuss ward and constituent problems
I have worked with Rawthorpe Community Group resulting in their taking over the premises and continuing a range of sustainable activities e.g. Luncheon Club, bingo, youth centre activities.
I worked with the DRAM Centre to enable it to continue. The building is now more used by the rugby and football clubs, and as a major venue for events, dance classes, major lettings for birthday parties, funerals, weddings. The field is now being used by the Giants Academy.
I also worked with the Yetton Group who will soon take over the lease for the Community Centre and thus keep open the Library and continue with the nursery provision. The building is now used for a range of events and classes for the community in Kirkheaton.
I chair the Children’s Centre Advisory Group in Dalton/Rawthorpe. Lea and her team have worked wonders resulting in a highly complementary Ofsted Report, families in the area being the main beneficiaries.
Children’s performance in school has significantly improved. The Library and its IT facilities are well used. However, the building and its services are still under threat from the cuts to services and buildings which is currently taking place.
The 3 ward councillors are doing their best with some limited financial support and are heavily lobbying to retain what we can of buildings and services.
Money available for road and pavement improvements has been limited this year but we welcome the pavement improvements on Long Lane, St John’s Road Kirkheaton, Kirkstone Avenue and some improvements in Standiforth Road and Stead Lane, Kirkheaton. However we are acutely aware of the backlog and the limited resources we have to respond.
Cabinet
I am Cabinet member for Regeneration, Transportation and Regional Matters.
The road improvements in Huddersfield centre are taking place in Kirkgate, Railway Street and Station Street.
We have continued with the Living Over the Shop policy in Huddersfield and Dewsbury.
160 new units of accommodation have been provided in the last year, which helps the footfall for trade and shops in towns and helps by usage to keep our wonderful buildings in a reasonable state of repair.
3 of our major industries have received significant Regeneration Growth Fund grants.
The first major transport schemes have been completed as part of our £1 billion investment in West Yorkshire Strategic Transport.
The City Region planning portfolios have secured agreement regarding the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ which has been the last great impediment to bringing in a Local Plan.
The Local Plan will go out for consultation September which will enable Kirklees to control indiscriminate development in the green belt.
Finally, I have dealt with more than 160 individual enquiries from constituents regarding the following: School placements, road and pavement repairs, care for the elderly, care for young people, various crimes, parking offences, permit parking, accidents, school matters, housing issues and bus services.
