I’m afraid I’m a bit of a dinosaur and don’t Facebook or Tweet.
One of our main commitments as a Councillor is to attend Branch Meetings and give
a report on Council activities undertaken. So I thought it would be useful to
start sharing this with you and here’s what I wrote……
The start of 2017 has been a busy one which included ……
Saturday February 21st I attended our Labour
Group Seminar, the first of two group development sessions, facilitated by Mark
Edgell of the LGA (second session will be Saturday 1st April.)
Despite a low turnout it was well worth being part of the discussions and
debates on Labour Group and Individual Member Development.
As Chair of Batley NMG, which is the multi-agency
approach to help tackle ASB and environmental issues, the main 2 issues we are
addressing most with are neighbourly disputes and fly tipping.
It’s been a very busy year as Chair of the Batley &
Spen District Committee. In November everyone who attended the meeting held in
Public received the Dementia Training so can call themselves a Dementia Friend!
We’ve been able with our sadly diminishing pot of funding to fund many worthy
groups. Thursday March 16th 2017 will be our last meeting held in
public of the municipal year and we will be celebrating Community Activity
where all groups who’ve received funding through DC and You & Your
Community events will share with us the positive difference the money made.
February 20th-23rd in Batley
Library is where our “ You & Your Community funding” event is being held,
which is an initiative supported by ward Councillors through the DC and a great
opportunity for local groups (both formal and informal) to apply for funding of
up to £250 to make their project a reality. 24 projects have put in a bid!
(some Y&YC events in other wards only had about 8) Applications include
More in Common Knit & Natter Group, Mount Cricket Club Girls’ Activities,
Purwell Infant & Nursery School “Fathers Read Every Day” abbreviated to
FRED! Go into the Library where details of the projects are displayed, you’ll
be given one sticky dot to vote for your favourite project. Main session is
Thursday February 23rd 10.30-12.30am, closes then.
Got invited to a More
In Common meeting where they’re very busy organising many events in
memory of Jo Cox, which includes a Fun Run at Oakwell, Family Fun Day and Walk
with Schoolchildren.
Friday January 27th was a very full day when I
attend the Batley Bulldogs Business
Breakfast where they have a
local guest speaker and it was Tracy Brabin MP’s turn where she talked about
her first 100 Days (which she shared later that evening at our CLP.) Main part
of her talk was on young people, wanting to bring apprenticeship opportunities in
all aspects of TV & drama to our area.
This was followed by a lovely event organised by the RVS for the pre-launch of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness where Labour MP Rachel Reeves and Conservative MP Seema Kennedy spoke about how they will continue Jo’s legacy. There is a strong need to bring all partners together e.g. RVS, Age Concern, Cancer Research to tackle loneliness – which we must understand is not age related. Immediately then off to my lovely old school Staincliffe Junior School to meet the School Council where I was asked about my role as a Councillor and in return I heard about how they help shape a happier school! Sadly no time to taste the school dinner as I went to a meeting organised by Tracy Brabin MP at Batley Railway Station where she and members of the public raised concerns to Paul Barnfield, Northern Rail East Regional Director, about the poor train services we get at Batley Railway Station, which includes overcrowding, delays and the sorry state of the pacer trains.
Attended a meeting with Tracy Brabin
& Paula Sheriff MPs & Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth MP following
their visit to DDH A&E. Safety concerns are obviously still being raised
over plans to downgrade DDH A&E which will become an Urgent Care Centre.
Pinderfields A&E still continue to divert ambulances to Dewsbury as they
can’t cope! Some A&E staff working
that day were very disappointed that they were not allowed to speak up
directly.
At our last Batley West Branch
Meeting on January 17th I was asked if I had any update on
Children’s Services but unfortunately I didn’t have this information. The
following day I spoke with Councillor Erin Hill, Cabinet Portfolio Holder,
asking if she could kindly give me an update that I could share. Better still
Erin told me that she would be willing to come to one of our Branch Meetings to
give a verbal update and answer any questions. I think this is an excellent
idea as not only would we be getting information “hot off the press”, it is a
great opportunity for our members to meet a Cabinet Member and build an
important bridge between the Cabinet and our Branch. I shared this with Craig
Looker our Branch Secretary, suggesting that we could send invites out to
Cabinet Members on a regular basis. Craig agreed that this was an excellent
suggestion and since then David Sheard has also endorsed this. Following on
from Erin’s offer Craig accordingly sent her an invite in his official role as
our Branch Secretary and Erin tells us that her diary says ‘yes’ to our Batley
West Branch meeting on Tuesday April 18th. Craig then asked me to
suggest which other Cabinet Member would be good to invite so as Adult Social Care
is a high priority on the Council’s Agenda I suggested the Portfolio Holder
Councillor Viv Kendrick, and Viv has very kindly offered to attend our Branch
Meeting on Tuesday March 21st.
Ward work where I love to be is as busy as always –
Millbrook
Pond Support Group which I set up, we are working closely
with St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, PPG have come on board and looks like
I’ve helped us secure £2,000 for an environmental project.
Friends
of Staincliffe Park , which I set up many many years ago–
Chair Craig are working hard to bring more users to the park and pavilion. We
have met with Sparks/KNH who want to deliver activities for kids; we met with lovely
folk from Howlands Centre, Dewsbury who do wonderful work with adults with
disabilities so they can meet up, do activities and socialize, (thank
you Craig’s mum!) who need temporary accommodation and just loved our
facilities, so we’re meeting next week with Robert Whitaker from Parks to come
to a mutual agreement. Lifeline is also running weekly sessions from here.
CONGRATULATIONS to Craig too for his piece on The Labour Party in Local Government, on what a Ward
Councillor should be doing to help and support local people in making things
happen in their communities, in particular trimming red tape as well as getting
their hands dirty (or even a collapsed
marquee on their head!) – Craig knows and hopefully most of you know –
is where my heart is.
My amazing Friends
of Batley Station, set up by myself and the wonderful and very much
missed late Jo Cox M.P., won £8,000 from Tesco Groundworks for a massive
gardening project which includes a memorial garden for Jo.
I met with The
Friends of Wilton Park and Parks Officers to discuss how to tackle ASB
problems, a very successful meeting.
Following on from our NMG I met with the Mount Cricket Club along with
Council Officers to listen to their concerns about ASB and support them with
future funding through the DC and PCC. Plus sharing an idea for an easy
fundraiser – picnic blanket, Friends on the Field!
I’ve found £15,000 Section 106 money for Healey Play Area and Rec in the
Council coffers so I’m meeting with Parks Dept next week to discuss the
improvements needed here as raised by local residents.
Helping several residents in other areas who want a KNH
home in Batley West! We must be good here in our ward!
Lady’s neighbour’s cat causing problems in her garden – apparently
lion poo acts as a good deterrent!
David Sheard
shared a quote from LGA chairman Lord Porter, “If councils stopped filling in
potholes, maintaining parks and open spaces, closed all children’s centres,
libraries, museums, leisure centres, turned off every street light and shut all
discretionary bus routes they would not have saved enough money to plug this
gap by the end of the decade.” – I’m going to add this quote to my signature!
Many thanks for
reading this! Gwen J