Annual Report 2018-19 Cllr Fazila Loonat, Batley East Ward

This has been my third year representing Batley East ward and I would like thank Batley East residents and my fellow ward colleagues Cllr Mahmood Akhtar and Cllr Habiban Zaman for their continued support.

As a  council we are facing some tough financial challenges, this has meant we have had to reshape services due to the cut back, which has impacted a lot on residents in my ward. Casework has also increased because of the challenges faced by the council. The type of casework I receive has varied from fly tipping, potholes, antisocial behaviour, bin collections, street scene, to housing, highways, school matters and much more in-between. I continue to hold static and mobile surgeries. I also hold regular skype surgeries and receive a considerable amount of case work from various digital platforms.

Along with my ward colleagues, we have held public meetings and various other engagement sessions with volunteering groups and individuals in the community on changes to services or public concerns. I am visible and easily contactable in the ward and it has been a privileged to be involved in many of local groups, as they grow from strength to strength.

Meetings:-

Full Council,

Health and Adult Social Care scrutiny,

Cooperate parenting

National association of British Market Authority,

West Yorkshire Pensions Board,

Heavy Woollen Planning Committee.

Training

I have undertaken safeguarding training, planning and licencing training and kept on top of any changes that was required to fulfil my role as a Cllr.

Annual Report 2018-19, Cllr Mahmood Akhtar, Batley East Ward

Introduction

It’s been another active and busy year for me as Labour Councillor for the Batley East Award.

Besides taking on a hectic caseload of individual residents cases, I have been working alongside my other two ward colleagues Fazila Fadia and Habiban Zaman, along with our Batley & Spen MP Tracey Brabin, in order to achieve our goal of making things better for the residents of Batley East.

            My passion to help improve people’s quality of life in Batley-East continues to grow.

            A cherished partnership over these past twelve months has been my work (alongside that of my two ward colleagues) with the Chief Executive Jacqui Gedman. Together, the three of us have successfully put our ward of Batley-East on the Kirklees strategic map by organising regular community walks within local neighbourhoods.

The aim behind this idea is to give the Chief Executive an opportunity to see for herself some of the issues in Batley-East.

            I also felt privileged to help out in my ward colleague Habiban Zaman’s campaign during this year May local elections.

Participation at Council Meeting Committees

I have attended all full Council meetings and most Labour Group meetings. I am also a member on the following committees. These are;

•       Licensing & Safety Panel

•       Planning Sub - Committee (Heavy Woollen Area)

•       Corporate Scrutiny Panel

•       The Labour Group Substitutes Panel

Participation on Outside Bodies

This year I continue membership of the following outside bodies:

•       Soothill Community Forum

•       Pakistan Muslim Welfare Society (Batley)

·       West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority

Ward Work

Work within my ward’s neighbourhoods and its surrounding local area takes up most of my time as Councillor for Batley East. This task continues to be the most important part of my role (text continued on next sheet). 

I tend to listen to residents’ concerns and try my best, alongside my ward colleagues, to help with their problems.  

This year has seen growing concerns in the Soothill area on new housing development. As ward councillor, I have been actively involved in listening to residents views, and taking their opinions into account, in order to represent the opinions of the local community.  

As usual, a significant amount of my casework this year has been around dealing with immigration matters. I have been writing letters in support of immigration applications as well as counter signing documents for residents. 

Equally high on my workload has been the need to provide support/advice to residents on re-housing issues.  

I continue to help resolve traffic issues and street parking problems, which have caused concerns for residents.  

Street lighting, overgrown trees/shrubs, and refuse collection, have continued to be other ward issues affecting local people, which I have been involved in resolving.  

In terms of working with my other two ward colleagues, we continue to have a good working relationship with officers from Street Scene and Batley Neighbourhood Policing team, in order to ensure road safety is a priority in our local ward.  We are also working very hard on a multi-agency level to ensure anti-social behaviour (ASB) is tackled (our efforts are still ongoing in dealing with this problem), while crime is also kept at a low level.  

Strengthening Community Cohesion is another of our key priorities – and we are working closely with the Cohesion Team. 

Complaints about pot holes, as well as the condition of road surfaces affected by adverse weather conditions, were also looked into as part of this year’s work.  

We have also continued to show our support for local support groups. My ward colleagues and I try our best to attend local community meetings. I attend ward meetings and also conduct regular home visits in order to address residents’ concerns.  

I feel very grateful that I have had the opportunity to help my constituents over the past twelve months to the best of my ability and hope to continue to serve my local communities.

Training and Development

I have tried to keep up to date with developments and training organised this year for ward councillors.

Annual Report 2018-19 Cllr Habiban Zaman, Batley East

Who have I worked with and what have I achieved this year, on behalf of the Ward and communities I represent?

I am very grateful to the residents of Batley East who have supported me to return to this role with an increased majority.

The last 12 months have been extremely busy meeting groups in the area, understanding their needs and undertaking case work as well as campaigning to get re-elected. The workload is increasing as more residents are needing help with different issues such as housing, benefit sanctions, universal credits as well as planning and licensing issues.

I have been campaigning vigorously for better facilities for the ward's youth who make up half of the population of all the residents who live here. We can help them get away from thinking that the only path available to them is a life of crime and anti-social behaviour.

On a personal level, I have developed many new skills , networks and relationships at a local, regional and national level. I was recently featured in 100 women stories. This book featured women from the North of England who have inspired other women   and are seen as positive role models contributing to the lives of others.

Surgeries and case work

I have received a considerable amount of casework by telephone, post and email, requesting help and advice. Case work has included a range of problems from endorsing passport and driving licence forms, groups threatened with closure, anti-social behaviour, benefit advice, dog fouling, planning concerns, road safety  and signage, school admission appeals, funding issues, bin collections, noise, fly tipping, overgrown trees, pavement and pothole related issues, taxi badge issues, plus a range of council service related issues, families in crisis, such as issues around domestic violence, families suddenly losing income through illness/disability, endorsing, unemployment, bereavement etc.

I have written letters of support   and represented constituents  at Planning Committees. I have also supported and campaigned for traffic calming measures across the ward. I have endeavoured to address all concerns put to me. Many of them have been addressed with a successful outcome.

Along with other colleagues, we have regularly kept in touch with the electorate through locality meetings, street surgeries, door knocking as well as the usual telephone/email communication. We have also held public ward meetings.

Challenges

As a council we are dealing with the challenges in huge reductions in funding and government cuts. The council is unable to provide the services that it has done traditionally. Much community participation is needed in supporting people and communities to do more for themselves, ensuring that we intervene early enabling healthier communities. As your councillor, I have worked towards promoting social justice , equality and improving community cohesion.

Training and Development

LGA highlighting political leadership

Safeguarding

Local Community Groups and Organisations

I am an ambassador for the Moonlight Trust charity and have actively been supporting Batley Food Bank. I have liaised with a number of schools to encourage them to look at fundraising for local initiatives.

I am also an ambassador for Royal Voluntary Service supporting the Dementia Campaign  in Batley to help to reduce loneliness  and isolation in our local communities for older people.

I have supported local school parents groups  and supported positive role models coming into the area.

Constituency Work

Batley Eats ward has benefitted from its councillors working in partnership alongside the community  and the Council has managed to carry out extensive positive work including road repairs and resurfacing. we also supported local individuals and groups through 'it's up to you' funding which secured the existence of many groups with small amounts of money in the ward.

I am always available to my constituents by phone, email or street surgeries including dropping into community events, coffee mornings  and other community gatherings. I travel around my Batley East ward. I log and problems on our systems   which I become aware of before they are reported to me in many cases. Keeping the area clean of the fly tipping is a major struggle but the Batley East councillors and Council officials have worked hard to arrange regular clean ups, enforcement actions and education of the environment issues.

Example of clearing fly tipping

Council Meetings  and Committees

I have attended all full council meetings over the year. I have made speeches on a number of motions and key discussion items, representing the interests of my ward  and the wider population of Kirklees.
I have participated in the following committees over the year
Labour Group
Health and Adult Social Care - Scrutiny Committee
Kirklees Foster Panel
Home Education Schooling Committee

Outside Bodies
Batley Cricket, Athletic  and Football Club (formerly Batley Bulldogs)
West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee
West Yorkshire Joint Services Audit Committee
QED Board Member
Locala Board Member
One Adoption Panel Member

Training or Learning I have undertaken

LGA - Development for Women Councillors

Safeguarding online

Annual Report 2017-2018: Cllr Mahmood Akhtar

It is an immense pleasure for me to submit this latest annual report, since being successfully re-elected as ward councillor for Batley-East in May 2018.

As usual, I have felt honoured to take on different types of front-line casework related enquiries for local ward residents. The casework has been wide ranging – and covered dealing with resident’s problems around housing, traffic congestion issues, pavement repairs, litter problems – including fly-tipping, overgrown hedges, planning applications, as well as much more.

I have relished visiting my local ward residents, or dealing with their enquiries by email as well as by telephone. For me, it is all to do with trying my best to help improve people’s quality of life during what are some difficult and challenging economic times for many neighbourhoods.

My work also continues on a strategic level (working closely alongside my two ward colleagues) by communicating with other agencies to help reduce crime, and to promote Community Safety on our streets.

I always set aside time from my busy diary to attend any local events which can help strengthen Community Cohesion in our local area.

Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who again put their trust in me during this year’s local elections, and decided that I should continue to serve them for another term.

Surgeries …and contact initiatives

I hold a regular councillor’s surgery every second week of the month at the Jo Cox House in Batley town centre.

I also take part in street walkabouts throughout Batley-East to see what are the problems faced by residents.

Our Challenges

Kirklees Council (like many local authorities) has been affected by the severe cutbacks in central government funding. This situation has forced Kirklees Council to try and look at making savings whilst keeping services intact. The reality is that it is not an easy situation – and local people like those in Batley-East are the ones who are suffering when they – for example – see a lack of visible uniform police presence in their neighbourhoods. The suffering is even great when homes get broken into – and Kirklees Council is left aware there are not even funds for local councillors to use in order to support Community Safety projects.

Training & Development

·         Planning Training (update)

·         Licensing Training

Community Meetings

I attend all the Council Meetings in my role as ward councillor for Batley-East. In addition, I am also a member of the Heavy Woollen Planning Sub-Committee, and the Licensing & Safety Committee. I also take part in the Kirklees Labour Group meetings.

Annual Report 2016-2017: Cllr Fazila Loonat

It has been a privilege to have been elected in May 2016 to represent the Batley East Ward in Kirklees taking the position from my predecessor Hanif Mayet.

I have sat on the following Council committees and outside bodies:

• Health and social care scrutiny
• Children’s scrutiny
• Cooperate Parenting
• CSE & Safeguarding
• National association of British market authority
• West Yorkshire Pension Fund Joint advisory board

Training attended:

• Licensing and Safety
• LGA on Leadership / new demands
• Planning Committee Early intervention and Prevention
• Suicide awareness
• CSE
• Dementia Friends
• Member development
• Various new council trainings

I was also on the Labour Group sub panel and did the training so I able to substitute on various panels.

As a Councillor I contribute in the Council to the development of policies, strategies, as well as the budget however I do think my work in the community and understanding its needs is what makes my job role a lot effective.

I have attended several community events through the year and regularly attend local community meetings and tenants and residents association meetings. I also hold very busy advice surgeries.

My casework load has come through via face to face communications, emails, telephone calls and social media engagements are mainly issues are for but not limited to:

• Concerns over new housing development
• Rehousing and housing waiting list  
• Pot holes
• Street lighting
• Benefit queries especially PIP
• Anti-Social behaviour / crime
• Fly tipping and overgrowth
• Financial difficulties and referral to food banks

The council has been faced with drastic cuts from the Central Government which has definitely had an impact on my ward but I will continue to work hard for my constituents in order to get a better place to live and work.

You can also find me on Facebook : Fazila Loonat

Or Twitter: FazilaLoonat_

Annual Report 2016-2017: Cllr Mahmood Akhtar

It is a pleasure for me to present my annual report marking the end of another very busy year as ward councillor for the Batley-East ward.

Firstly I would like to start off on a positive note by congratulating Cllr Fazila Fadia who has now joined our team in the Batley East Ward. We have something in common that is our passion for local issues. I look forward to working with Cllr Fadia to help resolve any problems affecting local residents.

Participation at Council Meeting Committees

I have attended all full Council meetings and most Labour Group meetings. This year, I am a member of the following Council Committees and Panels:

• Licensing and Safety
• District Committee (former)
• Planning Sub - Committee (Heavy Woollen Area)
• The Labour Group Substitutes Panel

Participation on Outside Bodies
I continue membership of the following outside bodies:

• Pakistan Muslim Welfare Society (Batley)

Ward Work
Most of my time as Ward Councillor involves doing casework for local individuals or families living in Batley-East. This includes taking a number of different actions such as doing home visits or site visits, continuously monitoring my emails, sign-posting queries onto other agencies – and then asking them to respond back to me on behalf of local residents. I listen to residents’ concerns and try my best, alongside my ward colleague, to help deal with their problems.

One of the main reasons why I became a Councillor was because of a desire which I had to play a part in making my contribution to help improve the quality of life for my ward residents, and alongside this work, helping to improve the quality of life in my ward’s many different neighbourhoods.

Taking on casework plays a very important in helping improve people’s quality of life – and it is exactly what I have spent a significant amount of my time doing over these past twelve months.

I have adopted a personal ethos which is to make every effort to respond back to incoming emails within half-an-hour if I am working from home.

Council Surgery
Alongside monitoring my emails, I also hold a regular Councillor’s Surgery at the Jo Cox House where residents also have an opportunity to meet me face to face in order to discuss any problems.

The following issues have been my priority for this year:

• Ongoing concerns over New Housing Development and re-housing problems
• Fly Tipping
• Domestic/Neighbour Disputes
• Pot holes and road repairs (under the Streetscene service)
• Helping out and dealing with Immigration related issues
• Dealing with queries relating to benefits
• Helping local parents with school appeals

I continue to help and listen to residents who have complained about traffic issues and street parking problems.

Street lighting, overgrown trees/shrubbery and refuse collection, have also continued to be ward issues affecting local people, which I have reported and helped to resolve.

Once again, I feel very appreciative that I have had the opportunity to help my constituents to the best of my ability and hope to continue to serve my local communities for as long as I can as Ward Councillor for Batley East.

Training & Development
I have tried to keep up to date with developments and training that has taken place this year for ward councillors, in order to help me do more for the community and carry out my duties.

Community Cohesion

Despite my busy role as Ward Councillor, the last twelve months did see a very dark cloud come over area following the horrific murder of Jo Cox – MP for Batley & Spen. This tragedy clearly showed community cohesion is another area which needs to stay in the forefront of our local and national agenda.

I am sure Jo’s successor Tracy Brabin MP will continue her work and build upon the legacy that there is more which unites us than divides us. I wish Tracy all the best in her work, and look forward to supporting her over the forthcoming future.

The Next Twelve months

It is clear the next year will be another challenging twelve months for Kirklees.

The challenges are being hurled by the national Tory government’s huge cuts and reductions in funding to councils like Kirklees. As a result of these severe cuts, Kirklees is being strangled and is not providing a lot of services which it did before this Tory government came to power. The tragedy is most of our important frontline services have been reduced – having a direct negative impact on people’s lives – and obviously affecting their quality of life.

As someone who deals with a lot of email related casework, I have clearly seen how these Tory cuts have affected people’s quality of life.

I shall therefore continue to work with even more drive in order to encourage, to ensure, and to help local people to empower themselves and to work together as groups in order to make their voice heard. I will also do my best to liaise on their behalf with service providers, as well as with other different agencies.

Cllr Mahmood Akhtar: Annual Report 2015-2016

Once again this has been a busy year. Firstly I would like to thank Cllr Hanif Mayet, who stepped down this year, for all his hard work in helping the local community. It was an honour to work with him and I wish him all the best. Cllr Fazila Fadia has now joined our team in the Batley East Ward; she is also very passionate about local issues.  I look forward to working with Cllr Fadia and Cllr Stubley to carry help resolve matters affecting local residents.

Participation at Council Meeting Committees

I have attended all full Council meetings and most Labour Group meetings. This year, I am a member of the following Council Committees and Panels:

• Licensing and Safety
• District Committee
• Planning Sub - Committee (Heavy Woollen Area)
• The Labour Group Substitutes Panel

Participation on Outside Bodies
I continue membership of the following outside bodies:

• Pakistan Muslim Welfare Society (Batley)

Ward Work
Work within the ward and local area takes up most of my time as Councillor and also continues to be the most important part of my role. I listen to residents’ concerns and try my best, alongside my ward colleagues to help with their problems.

The following issues have been priority this year:

• Ongoing concerns over New Housing Development and re-housing problems
• Fly Tipping
• Domestic/Neighbour Disputes
• Pot holes and road repairs / Streetscene
• Immigration applications
• Queries relating to benefits
• School appeals

I continue to help and listen to residents who have complained about traffic issues and street parking problems. Street lighting, overgrown trees/shrubbery and refuse collection have also continued to be ward issues affecting local people, which I have reported and helped to resolve.

Once again, I feel very appreciative that I have had the opportunity to help my constituents to the best of my ability and hope to continue to serve my local communities for as long as I can.

Training and Development

I have tried to keep up to date with developments and training that has taken place this year for ward councillors, in order to help me do more for the community and carry out my duties.

Annual Report 2014-2015: Cllr Hanif Mayet

I would like to present my annual report for the year 2014-2015. This has been my eleventh year as a Councillor for this ward. I wish to thank the residents of Batley East Ward for their continuous support in keeping the ward a Labour only ward by returning my colleague Cllr Amanda Stubley to serve another four years as your representative. We will all continue with our main objective of working with you and on your behalf for the betterment of our community.

Along with my two Labour colleagues Cllr Stubley and Cllr Akhtar, Batley East ward work has been very busy and at times extremely challenging over the past 12 months. This has mainly due to impact of the enforced cutbacks in Government funding to Kirklees Council (Current estimates of the annual reduction on Kirklees budget from central government are now around well over the £150million mark) which will undoubtedly have a major impact on the services provided and the provision of facilities that people are accustomed to and are in genuine need thus making the role of councillors more difficult. The three of us really do try our best in dealing with many issues that arose during the year. Whilst we may not always been successful in getting the results we want, we always do our level best in representing the community’s concerns and strive to obtain the best possible outcomes.

Over the next twelve months there are going to be many challenges and extremely difficult decisions that we as councillors will have to make to balance the council’s book resulting in inevitable cutbacks of many services. It is therefore imperative that we ‘Protect and Prioritise’ services to those who are most vulnerable in our community, the elderly, the disabled, the children and those living in abject poverty.

One of the major issues of concern in our ward have been the overdevelopment in our ward whereby even more of the green space has been taken over by the bulldozers for another housing site. The picturesque Soothill Cricket Club where I have spent many happy years playing cricket is now housing development land and yet there are more housing developments in the pipeline in the same Soothill area for over 400 more houses, which is going to have a massive impact on the infrastructure and other amenities. It will also affect the green landscape of Soothill.

Due to my other two ward colleagues being on the Heavy Woollen Planning Committee panel I have kept extremely active with planning issues not only regards major developments, but also many individual planning applications where there have been issues of concern in representing the ward members.

Pot holes has been other major problem in the Batley East Ward and as per every spring time we all three councillors visit every road in the ward to identify remedial work needed. This helps us ensure our roads are well maintained. Luckily through our ward budget we have been able to maintain our roads but I fear this will become more difficult to do as the severe Government cut backs kick in and available money becomes even more tighter.

Participation in Meetings

I have attended the Full Council Meetings, as I have endeavoured to attend the Labour Group meetings on fortnightly intervals. And as a member of Town and Valleys District Committee (Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw), I have continued to maintain good working relationship with various local organisations to ensure they receive support in order for them to provide valuable community input. I also attend countless meetings that are held within the community.

One of the key changes this year has been the development of devolution proposals from Kirklees Council. This has divided Kirklees into four districts and our own area will consist of Batley East and West, Birstall and Birkinshaw, Cleckheaton, SpenValley and Heckmondwike and Gomersall. The devolution proposals are still at an early stage but I remain optimistic that having such district committees will be of benefit to our area and hopefully will have meaningful local decision making powers. I truly hope that we councillors of the district committee will work in harmony and in partnership to formulate and execute policies that are fair and equal to our own local communities.

Ward Work

Sadly, the return to power nationally of the cuts led Conservative central government will make for another more challenging year. The biggest issue and challenges this year and the forthcoming year will be around the issues of planning and large scale development. I feel very strongly that my ward has been left open to over development from housing on green space land and oversize planning applications.

For me, my ward work is the most important thing that I do as a Councillor, and it is something I enjoy doing. I continue to be kept busy in dealing with the many problems which residents pass on to me and my ward colleagues. As the cuts starts to bite, I have seen my ward work increase over the year and expect the trend to continue as many services will cease to exist or function at a minimal level. A large part of my ward work is performed via telephone calls and emails, however, there have been many occasions where residents came knocking on my door.

We continue to have an excellent working relationship with the Officers from Streetscene (Highways) to ensure that our roads are safer and in good condition from the budgets allocated for this purpose. Similarly, we continue to work closely with our policing team in Batley to tackle crime in the hot spot areas. We have continued to provide improved play facilities for the young children and supported local sport clubs by allocating grants through the area committee. All three Councillors work closely with the Council staff to carry out regular inspections to identify action needed to tackle litter, fly tipping, overgrown trees and shrubbery etc.

In Batley East Ward we three councillors work as a team and have very good understanding and mutual respect for each other and in what each of us do, as the saying goes “ we work/sing from the same hymn sheet”. So Together and in association with my ward colleagues we have attended a wide range of local meetings, liaised with several local community and action groups and partner agencies providing advice and assistance where necessary.

Other related Ward issues are:

• Education
• Refuse collection
• Fly tipping/Vandalism
• Immigration matters
• Welfare Benefits/ Aids and Adaptations
• Roads (potholes) - Pavements - Streetlights
• Overgrown trees/shrubbery/vegetation
• Ward members concerns regarding potential closure of such important services like libraries/museum/grass cutting/street cleaning etc

Development:

As a Ward councillor, training and development is an on-going process. Whenever a new situation arises, it has to be dealt with and this can often result in some form of training requirement to assist me in dealing with the task. I will continue to seek out training courses and seminars which I feel are relevant and appropriate and which will enable me to carry out my Ward duties, as well as Council duties, more effectively and efficiently. My main source of developmental need continues to be work related and in-house training.

Annual Report 2014-2015: Cllr Mahmood Akhtar

Participation at Council Meeting Committees

I have attended all full Council meetings and most Labour Group meetings and this year, I am member of the following Council Committees and Panels:

• Licensing Panel

• District Committee

• Planning Sub - Committee (Heavy Woollen Area)

• YPO Panel

• The Labour Group Substitutes Panel

 

Participation on Outside Bodies

This year I continue membership of the following outside bodies:

• Soothill Community Forum

• Pakistan Muslim Welfare Society (Batley)

 

Ward Work

Work within the ward and local area takes up most of my time as Councillor for Batley East and continues to be the most important part of my role. I listen to residents’ concerns and try my best, alongside my ward colleagues to help with their problems.

This year there have been growing concerns in the Soothill area relating to new housing development. I have been actively involved in taking residents views into account in order to represent the opinions of the local community. This year has once again been focused on dealing with immigration matters and providing support/advice to residents on re-housing issues. I have been writing letters in support of immigration applications as well as counter signing documents for residents.

We continue to have a good working relationship with officers from Street Scene and the Batley Policing team to ensure road safety is a priority in our local ward and crime is also kept a low level. Complaints about pot holes/patch up to roads, due to adverse weather, were also addressed.

I continue to help resolve traffic issues and street parking problems, which have caused concerns for residents. Street lighting, overgrown trees/shrubbery and refuse collection have continued to be ward issues affecting local people, which I have been involved in resolving.

We have also continued to show our support for local support groups. My ward colleagues and I try our best to attend local community meetings. I attend ward meetings and also conduct regular home visits in order to address residents’ concerns.

I feel very grateful that I have had the opportunity to help my constituents to the best of my ability and hope to continue to serve my local communities.

 

Training and Development

I have tried to keep up to date with developments and training that has taken place this year for ward councillors, in order to help me do more for the community and carry out my duties.

Jo Cox Parliamentery Question Sure Start

Jo Cox ;  Labour, Batley and Spen

Cuts to council funding—the abolition of a series of grants and credits by the coalition—mean that Sure Start centres in my constituency are providing more basic services than ever before. I am hearing now of children in Kirklees coming to centres on a Monday morning having not had a hot meal since the previous Friday, yet Sure Start budgets in the north of England have been cut by 39%. Does the Minister share my assessment, and that of the London School of Economics and the Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusion, that even the most dedicated of Sure Start children’s centres will not be able to withstand further cuts?

You can view the answer (for what its worth) here

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-06-15a.14.8&s=speaker%3A25394#g15.5

Join Jo Cox for a cake and coffee morning: all women invited

Birstall and Batley markets

Birstall and Batley Markets Continue

Kirklees Council confirmed today that an agreement has been reached with a private operator which will secure the future of markets in Birstall and Batley.

Speaking about the deal which will grant private market operator Peter McNulty a license to hold markets in both towns after the council’s operation ends on 31^st March, Cllr Peter McBride, Lead Member for Investment and Housing said:

“I’m pleased to say that we’ve found a solution which means that Batley and Birstall will continue to have a weekly market.  As our residents are aware, the council has had to make tough decisions about where we continue to provide essential provide services.  But as this shows, with a bit of creative thinking, where a council service has come to an end, this has in fact created a commercial opportunity for a local business, as well as securing the future for existing market traders who are keen to continue.”

The new deal will see Mr McNulty operate markets in both towns for the next 12 months in much the same way as previous markets.  Market days will remain the same, and existing stall holders who wish to continue will be able to do so with a minimal adjustment of less than 20p to weekly stall prices.  The initial agreement is for a period of 12 months, but is likely to be extended if the markets are a success.

Cllr McBride added:

“We’re delighted that Mr McNulty has stepped forward and seized the opportunity to put these markets onto a more commercial footing - as I’m sure are the local residents who enjoy shopping there, and the traders who make their living there.  Finding new ways of delivering services will be a continuing challenge for us in the months and years to come; but this goes to show that the end of council funding certainly doesn’t mean the end of valued services and activities.”

Kirklees Council has written to all affected traders to confirm details of future operations, and invites new traders interested in the new market to contact Mr McNulty direct.

Council Leader, David Sheard added "Despite dire predictions from Conservative Councillors who see no other way than spending council money a solution has been found that means the Markets continue without Council subsidy. This is a much more secure future for the Markets as the Conservative solution would see them under threat year on year as the Pickles attack on the North of England continues.

Libraries Markets Typo

A small mistake in the Reporter Group Newspapers, but a big difference, whilst there is a Labour proposal to close loss making markets in Batley and Birstal, there is no proposal to close Batley or Birstal Libraries.

List of Planning Applications Decided, by Planning Sub-Committee (Heavy Woolen Area) Compiled on 18 December

List of Planning Applications Decided, by Planning Sub-Committee (Heavy Woolen Area) Compiled on 18 December 2014

Land off, Meadowbank, Dewsbury Moor,Dewsbury, WF13 3SJ

Erection of 20 dwellings, formation of

access and private pumping station

CONDITIONAL FULL APPROVAL 

on 18 December

 

19, Heather Court, Birstall, Batley, WF17 9BD

Erection of 2 detached dwellings and 1

detached double garage

DEFERRED on 18 December 2014

Heaton Avenue First And Nursery School,Westcliffe Road, Cleckheaton, BD19 3EP

Outline application for demolition of existing

school building and erection of residential

development

 GRANTED 18 December 2014

Dewsbury Arts Centre Site, Upper Road,Batley, WF17 7LT
 

Outline application for demolition of existing

derelict arts centre building and erection of

residential development and car parking

GRANTED18 December 201

 

2, Thornton Road, Thornhill Lees,Dewsbury, WF12 9HR

Alterations to convert first floor to nonresidential

institution mosque and

madrassa (D1) and external alterations

DEFERRED on 18 December 2014
 

 

1, Carr Street, Liversedge, WF15 6EE

 

Change of use from tile and bathroom shop to hairdresses and beauty salon

CONDITIONAL FULL PERMISSION on 18 December 14

 

Annual Report 2013-2014: Cllr Hanif Mayet

It gives me great pleasure in presenting this annual report for the last 12 month, a period that has seen a continuity of service to the constituency that was rewarded with the re-election of Cllr Mahmood Akhtar for the Batley East Ward. I am also pleased to report that I and my two colleagues, Cllr Mahmood Akhtar and Cllr Amanda Stubley, have formed an excellent working relationship and team spirit that will produce the best outcomes for both the constituency and the Labour Party.

Maintaining and improving relationship with the constituency will be of paramount importance as the Central Government Cuts begins to unfold and have its full impact on services year on year. Therefore, it is of great credit to everyone, mainly the officers, in combating the impact of these cuts to date. However, the struggle is not over; as for the period 2014/2015 the Council is facing further cuts of around £60m and then  following year even further cuts  which  will present severe challenges and pressures on services and public relations, therefore it is imperative that we ‘Protect and Prioritise’ services to those who are most vulnerable in our community, the elderly, the disabled, the children and those in abject poverty. 

Participation in Meetings

I have attended the Full Council Meetings, as I have endeavoured to attend the Labour Group meetings on fortnightly intervals. I have engaged effectively as a panel member of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel for Children and Young People, and my social work background aided in this process. And as a member of Town and Valleys Committee (Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw), I have continued to maintain good working relationship with various local organisations to ensure they receive support in order for them to provide valuable community work.  I also attend many meetings that are held within the community.

Ward Work

For me, my ward work is the most important thing that I do as a Councillor, and it is something I enjoy doing. I continue to be kept busy in dealing with the many problems which residents pass on to me and my ward colleagues.  As the cuts starts to bite, I have seen my ‘ward’ work increase over the year and expect the trend to continue as many services will cease to exist or function at a minimal level.  Large part of my ward work is performed via telephone calls and emails, however, there have been many occasions where residents came knocking on my doorstep.

We continue to have an excellent working relationship with the Officers from Streetscene (Highways) to ensure that our roads are safer and in good condition from the budgets allocated for this purpose. Similarly, we continue to work closely with our policing team in Batley to tackle crime in the hot spot areas. We have continued to provide improved play facilities for the young children and supported local sport clubs by allocating grants through the area committee. All three Councillors work closely with the Council staff to carry out regular inspections to identify action needed to tackle litter, fly tipping, overgrown trees and shrubbery etc.

I get involved with a wide range of Ward issues on a daily basis throughout the year. However, the two biggest issues I am often asked to address is around lack of Housing, especially for the young people and Housing Benefits. The other major issue being Anti-Social Behaviour (mainly substance abuse/dealing)

Other related Ward issues are:

• Education          • Refuse collection        • fly tipping/Vandalism          • Immigration matters

• Roads (potholes) and Pavements             • Street-lighting                   • Aids and Adaptations

Development:

As a Ward councillor, training and development is an on-going process. Whenever a new situation arises, it has to be dealt with and this can often result in some form of training requirement to assist me in dealing with the task. I will continue to seek out training courses and seminars which I feel are relevant and appropriate and which will enable me to carry out my Ward duties, as well as Council duties, more effectively and efficiently. My main source of developmental need continues to be work related and in-house training.

Over the past twelve months, I have attended number of Labour Group Seminar days (often on Saturday Mornings) which has been very informative and beneficial as it give an in-depth insight on issues affecting the administration of the Council ad helping me to understand the decision making process of the Labour Party  cabinet.

Acknowledgements

In submitting this report, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude for the support I have received in these past twelve months, as well as in previous years. I have already mentioned the fantastic working relationship developed with my fellow Ward Councillor colleagues Mahmood Akhtar and Amanda Stubley. I wish to extend my thanks and appreciation to my Party Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Group and its Admin Staff, Branch Officers and Mike Wood MP for Batley and Spen  and many others for all their continuous support and encouragement.