“Knock knock? Who’s there?
Armageddon. Armageddon who? Armageddon out of here! And that’s how I’ve been
feeling for many weeks now……..If I had sat down to put pen to paper – or in
this day and technical age – fingers to keyboard, to do my Annual Report before
June 16th my mood would’ve been so much more positive. But due to
the sad tragic loss of our inspirational M.P. Jo Cox I’m struggling to feel
positive. There are times when the world doesn’t make sense; this is one of
those times. Not a day seems to go by without another tragedy somewhere in the
world. Why are people doing these horrible things to each and to our world? K With these changing
national and international events – however difficult they are – we have to
hope that somewhere, somehow there are opportunities for positive change if we
look for them…
ü Anti-Social Behaviour/Community Safety
ü Poor state of roads, especially potholes, blocked drains, grit bins
ü Fly tipping and litter, overgrown trees and vegetation
ü Problems with parks and play areas
ü Housing issues – repairs and rehousing
ü Planning issues – lobbied by both supporters and objectors
ü Protect services at Dewsbury District Hospital
Batley Central Methodist Church Annual Daffodil Rally
Please can I finish with several big THANK YOUs - to my wonderful husband Ken and family, Labour Group Support Staff especially Jane (to whom I still owe an egg custard.) Last year at this point I was wishing Mike Wood MP all the best for his retirement and looking forward to many years working with our new MP, Jo Cox. But sadly that’s not to be. I’d like to share with you a piece from The Guardian shortly after Jo’s death……
“Visitors alighting from trains pulling in at Batley gain a vivid impression of the Yorkshire town even before they leave its station.
A sprawling, colourful mural in its underpass depicts the area’s most celebrated buildings and locations: the headquarters of Fox’s Biscuits and Johnstone’s Paints vie for wall space with the Batley Bulldogs rugby league team; a union jack flutters from the town hall next to the war memorial. At one end of the mural is a church, at the other a mosque.
The painting tells of a once thriving mill town that has borne witness to great social change, but still retains a Victorian sense of civic pride in its local institutions and local heroes.
Jo Cox was always destined to become one of those heroes.”
The Guardian June 18th 2016
The time is nigh though once
again for my Annual Report. Being first elected in 2006, re-elected 2010, then
re-elected again 2014, this is my 10th one! Hopefully this will give
you a flavour of what I’ve been doing over what has been an unbelievably very
busy but, as always, rewarding last 12 months. The highlight of being a
Councillor is that you get to work with such wonderful folk, both residents and
council officers alike. The role of being a Councillor/Counsellor often
mergers.
99% of my diary seems to be
taken over by meetings! Throughout the year I attended Full Council, Labour Group
(continuing as Chair) and our Batley West Branch and Constituency
Meetings.
I continued on the Appeals
Panel and with the Combined Authority as a Council
representative on the Kirklees District Consultation
Sub-Committee. Other Committees I have had the pleasure of working with
this year have been Kirklees Church Partnership Trust, Batley Old People's Welfare Committee, Batley
Girls(Rae, Taylor, Hirst and Talbot) School Leavers Scholarship Fund and Batley Cricket, Athletic and Football Club (which includes Batley
Bulldogs who I’ve supported since being a teenager)
Chair of Batley Neighbourhood Management
Group – Having been
the Chair since its origin this remains my favourite role. I sadly had to say
goodbye and thank you to Zak Lunat, Community Safety Officer for his dedicated
professional support over the years. Through excellent partnership working with
the council services (e.g. StreetScene, Young Peoples Services), KHN, police
and fire authority, Lifeline, we tackle varying degrees of anti-social
behaviour and environmental issues. Over the last year we have achieved so much
to make our communities safer, cleaner and greener.
“The public rightly expects to live in neighbourhoods free from the
corrosive effects of intimidation and harassment. I want to see both police and
local authorities using the powers they have been given in a way that is
effective and responds to peoples’ needs at the right time.” Rt. Hon Alan Johnson MP
Chair of Batley & Spen District Committee
– having been the Chair of the
Batley & Birstall Area Committee for many years I was very honoured to be
given the Chair of this committee (having had one year off for good behaviour!)
which is very different and a lot more hard work. Here we want to work with
communities to identify and build on the skills and resources that that exist
and to collaborate to help strengthen our communities, maximise resources and
get the best outcomes for all. The highlight was our March meeting where many
of the groups that had received funding gave us a presentation of their
wonderful projects, a truly wonderful inspiring evening.
I’ve again continued to work
extremely hard as I thoroughly enjoy my Ward Work
which is naturally
plentiful, varied and rewarding, to serve the wonderful people of
Batley
West. I still do it “my way” which is by
having “focused on site meetings”
because it works so well. But sadly due to
the continued harsh and unforgiving cuts by
this Tory Government we are sadly
losing amazing Officers so the Officers we now
have are overstretched and
underpaid. Most of you know that instead
of attending the
(too) many meetings which as a councillor we must, I’d much
rather be out there with
you with my sleeves rolled up getting my hands
dirty……which includes…..
ü Anti-Social Behaviour/Community Safety
ü Poor state of roads, especially potholes, blocked drains, grit bins
ü Fly tipping and litter, overgrown trees and vegetation
ü Problems with parks and play areas
ü Housing issues – repairs and rehousing
ü Planning issues – lobbied by both supporters and objectors
ü Protect services at Dewsbury District Hospital
I could go on and on and
on….you’d be amazed by some of the issues you are asked to
deal with as a
councillor! It’s rewarding to get feedback from local residents letting
me know
that there has been an improvement.
It’s rewarding to work
closely with Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing accompanying
officers on
walkabouts/estate inspections, helping and supporting residents to make
their
area safer and cleaner. It’d be nice if more residents joined us……
In 2007 I founded The
Friends of Staincliffe Park, the park I played in as a little girl, I’m
still very involved as a committee member and along with the bowlers, we keep
the park safe, clean and a place to be enjoyed and respected. In December 2015 we again arranged for our
park to have a real Christmas tree and we were honoured when the Batley
Bulldogs Girls Team did their first official Christmas lights switch on!
Despite the rain we were astounded when again over 200 local people turned up.
It’s great to see Community events like this organised by local folk.
I continue to be inspired by
those involved with the Plant It Grow It Eat It project in
Manor Way and continue to support them to secure funding for this amazing
community project.
The opening of Food Banks is
a sad sign of the times. I work with and support Batley Food Bank as I’m
very proud of the work they do to help families in crisis. Sadly their footfall
increases weekly……
MY main achievement over the
last 12 months continues from strength to strength to be F.O.B.S. –
The Friends of Batley Railway Station, which I formed 18 months ago
now. The station had been neglected by Northern Rail and Network Rail for many
years and when a V.I.P. I was greeting there said it was a depressing station,
it was time for someone to take action and that someone was ME! Our F.O.B.S. mission is to “To
promote practical environmental enhancement works to our station for the
benefit of our community and train passengers.” The improvements we have
made are incredible please so go take a look. It’s amazing what a bit of my nagging can do! Plus
we were successful in a bid to PPG who did some fantastic painting for us including
an amazing mural – but as this just falls into 2016-2017 I’ll share more with you
in that annual report.
I really enjoy meeting and
working with you wonderful people and again have many
happy memories of times
spent with Local Community Groups and Organisation, and
also with individuals,
just to name a few……
Andrew Marsden
& Batley Business Association
P.K.W.A.
I.M.W.S.
Staincliffe
Church & Staincliffe Junior School
Batley Bulldogs
RLFCBatley Central Methodist Church Annual Daffodil Rally
Denham Court
(supporting complete refurbishment)
Local
schools/children’s centres
Mr & Mrs S.
Mr G
Working with
Niall and the Millpond Support Group, a fine example of where I got
everything
dirty!
As
a member of The Council Commissioning Group we discuss a new look to how
Councillors and Officers can improve their working relationship; how we can better
support local people, and manage growing demand for services by focussing on
early intervention and prevention. As Councillors we are already holding important
workshops including ways
in which digital approaches can support Councillors in their community
leadership role – as someone who is a bit of a dinosaur who doesn’t use
Facebook, tweet or twitter this I may struggle with. I prefer face to face chat
and blame modern technology for those who find it difficult to talk with
others. But as we enter a new era of uncertainty of
the “New Council” we will all have to adapt to a new way of thinking and
working to get us through what will be the hardest period of my councillor
life………but there must be a pot of gold at the end of this insipid rainbow? What will be the challenges be for me and the
communities I represent over the next twelve months? My family and I too will
be affected by difficult changes. I also continue to take advantage of the
Training and Development Programme and attend any refresher sessions available.
And
if you thinking about applying to be a councillor here’s a tip – Inform your
family and friends about your new role, ask for their support and
sympathy…..then cancel the rest of your life!!
Please can I finish with several big THANK YOUs - to my wonderful husband Ken and family, Labour Group Support Staff especially Jane (to whom I still owe an egg custard.) Last year at this point I was wishing Mike Wood MP all the best for his retirement and looking forward to many years working with our new MP, Jo Cox. But sadly that’s not to be. I’d like to share with you a piece from The Guardian shortly after Jo’s death……
“Visitors alighting from trains pulling in at Batley gain a vivid impression of the Yorkshire town even before they leave its station.
A sprawling, colourful mural in its underpass depicts the area’s most celebrated buildings and locations: the headquarters of Fox’s Biscuits and Johnstone’s Paints vie for wall space with the Batley Bulldogs rugby league team; a union jack flutters from the town hall next to the war memorial. At one end of the mural is a church, at the other a mosque.
The painting tells of a once thriving mill town that has borne witness to great social change, but still retains a Victorian sense of civic pride in its local institutions and local heroes.
Jo Cox was always destined to become one of those heroes.”
The Guardian June 18th 2016
Thanks
for taking time to read my Annual Report 2015-2016
Gwen
J
