Annual Report 2018-19 Cllr James Homewood, Ashbrow

2018/19 has been my third year representing the Ashbrow Ward as Councillor. I have continued to advocate for my Ward and been working closely with community groups, the police and other local organisations.

My main areas of focus have been;

Tackling violent crime – In recent years we have seen a number of incidents relating to violent crime which have generally been linked to gangs and organised crime. Whilst these incidents have been targeted it understandably causes a lot of confirm amongst residents. Along with my colleagues I have ensured that we have reacted to these events by providing as much information as we can to the community and undertaking regular door knocking session to provide assurance and support to the community. Additionally I have continued to work closely with the Police and the Council to ensure that all possible activity is being undertaken to tackle this issue. In response to these issues my ward Colleagues set up a Community Concerns Group at the end of 2018, the idea being to bring together all the key organisations in the area including, Schools, youth groups, social housing providers, council officers and other local organisations. These have proved a successful way of bringing people together to collaborate on community actions that can be taken. Over the next 12 months we plan to continue with this approach.

Case Work – A significant proportion of my time is spent on dealing with individual pieces of casework raised to me by residents. The areas these have covered over the last 12 months include; Fly-tipping, bin collection, road safety, parking, pot-holes, housing, planning applications and overgrown vegetation. I have completed case work activity as quickly as possible and strive to get solutions to resident issues wherever possible.

Community Development – I have supported local groups and organisations in order to develop the services and opportunities in the ward. Our Councillor Ward budget has been used to support community initiatives, such as the opening of a new community building in Bradley. I’ve continued to work closely with organisations such as Local Services to You and Ashbrow Partnering Together to support the provision of new and continuation of existing services that have been placed at risk by government cuts. All activity is supporting with our attempts to create a local wealth building model in the Ashbrow Ward.

 My other work in this area has included the following;

·         Along with colleagues I have supported a range local groups and initiatives with use of our Ward budget.

·         Along with colleagues I have organised community clean ups with local residents. This has included on the greenway and at Station Road church in Bradley.

·         I have supported and attend local events such as Deighton Carnival and Christmas parties.

Council meetings / Committees

Full Council – 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.

Planning Committee – I have spent a third year as a member of the Huddersfield Planning Committee, I have participated in making planning decisions using the knowledge gained during planning training to make decisions.

Licencing Committee – I have sat on the licensing committee, the main business relating to taxi licensing. I have also taken part in licencing panels to support the determination of premise licences.

Corporate Scrutiny Panel – I been a member of this panel scrutinising decisions made by the corporate divisions of the Council. This has included items in relating to; financial planning, My Kirklees Accounts, Procurement and transformation projects.

Standards Committee – I have been a member of the standards committee and looked at items including the Councils members’ complaints procedure and behaviour policy.

Local Groups

Bradley Forum – I have attended the Bradley Forum on a monthly basis, sharing the responsibility to chair the forum with my fellow councillors. We have had a wide ranging discussion on local issues including; new road development schemes in the area, housing applications, fly tipping, anti-social behaviour (especially nuisance bikes) and Crime. Any issues raised I have taken away as casework to complete and engaged with partner organisations where required.

Ashbrow Ward Forum - I have attended Ashbrow Forum on a bi-monthly basis, sharing the responsibility to chair the forum with my fellow councillors. We have had a wide ranging discussion on local issues including; new road development schemes in the area, housing applications, fly tipping, anti-social behaviour (especially nuisance bikes) and Crime. Any issues raised I have taken away as casework to complete and engaged with partner organisations where required.

Training Completed

·         Planning

·         Licencing

·         Safeguarding

·         Seminar on CSE with Dr Mark Peel

                                        

Annual Report 2017-2018: Cllr James Homewood

2017/18 has been my second year representing the Ashbrow Ward as Councillor. I have continued to advocate for my Ward and been working closely with community groups, the police and other local organisations.

My main areas of focus have been;

Tackling violent crime – This year has seen an increase in violent crime across Huddersfield and there has been a significant impact on Ashbrow with a number of incidents taking place. Along with my fellow Councillors I have been working closely with the police and other partners to reduce crime levels and to bring perpetrators to justice.  Due to Government cuts there has been a significant reduction in resources available to both the police and Council, it has been crucial to work with voluntary organisations who provide vital services and I’ve enjoyed working with some of the fantastic groups we have in Ashbrow. I’ve met regularly with senior Police Officers to discuss issues and find local solutions to crime, including meeting with the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner to ask him for greater focus on the issues in Kirklees. 

 

Case Work – I have completed case work on behalf of residents with varied queries including; planning matters, taxi licensing, fly tipping, and anti-social behaviour (amongst others). I have dealt with these matters by making site visits, escalating within the Council and working with other stakeholder (such as the police).

Local Events – I’ve attended and participated in a number of local events over the year including the Deighton Carnival and a number of cohesion events organised by local groups. The Ashbrow Awards was once again a great success and I was delighted to support this event and provide financial grants to support our excellent local voluntary groups.

Community Development - A key area of focus has been to support development of the community by working with local organisation and volunteer groups such as Local Services to You and Ashbrow Partnering Together, focusing on key community priorities. This has largely related to the continuing provision of vital services for such as youth services, projects reducing isolation and loneliness and the ongoing management of community buildings.

My other work in this area has included the following;

• ·        Along with colleagues I have supported local groups with use of our Ward budget.
• ·        Along with colleagues I have organised community clean ups with local residents.
• ·        I have supported the Friends of Bradley Park group in order to complete and asset transfer and open a new community building.

Council meetings / Committees

Full Council – 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.

Planning Committee – I have spent another year as a member of the Huddersfield Planning Committee, I have participated in making planning decisions using the knowledge gained during planning training to make decisions.

Licencing Committee – I have sat on the licensing committee, the main business relating to taxi licensing. I have also taken part in licencing panels to support the determination of premise licences.

Local Groups

Bradley Forum – I have attended the Bradley Forum on a monthly basis, sharing the responsibility to chair the forum with my fellow councillors. We have had a wide ranging discussion on local issues including; the local plan, fly tipping, anti-social behaviour, crime and fly tipping. Issues raised have been addressed by councillors working with the council, police and local organisations.

Ashbrow Ward Forum - I have attended Ashbrow Forum on a bi-monthly basis, sharing the responsibility to chair the forum with my fellow councillors. We have had a wide ranging discussion on local issues including; the local plan, fly tipping, anti-social behaviour, crime and fly tipping. Issues raised have been addressed by councillors working with the council, police and local organisations.

Training Completed

• ·        Planning
• ·        Licencing
• ·        Safeguarding

Annual Report 2016-2017: Cllr James Homewood

This has been my first year as a Councillor having been elected in May 2016 and it has been a privilege to represent the area in which I grew up. This year has been a learning curve getting to grips with both the responsibilities that come with being a Councillor and the different Committee’s and functions of the Council. I have really enjoyed seeing the fantastic work that local volunteers, community groups and Schools do in challenging circumstances.

My main areas of focus in the ward have been;

• Crime and Anti-social Behaviour – Unfortunately crime in some parts of the ward has been an issue over the last 12 months. I have worked with the Police on a regular basis speaking to local officers and PCSOs as well as having meetings with the Huddersfield Inspector and Chief Superintendent. I have also looked to highlight issues of anti-social behaviour which in some cases can really affect the lives of residents and have looked for ways the work with the police and the Council to find solutions.
• Case Work – I have kept up to date with requests and concerns from residents and ensured action was taken to resolve problems. This has included fly tipping, nuisance motorbikes, tree cutting and school applications. Where necessary I have escalated issues within the Council to make progress with significant local issues.
• Funding local projects – I have supported local groups and initiatives within Ashbrow ward to gain funding from the Huddersfield District Committee.
• Local Events – I have supported local events which promote community engagement such as the Ashbrow Awards and have enjoyed attending cultural events such as the Deighton Carnival. The Ashbrow Awards particularly made me proud of my Ward showing the diverse community we have and the great number of inspirational volunteers we have who invest so much of their time and energy into our community.

For the next 12 months I expect many of the same challenges to remain and I will be continuing to work on these issues. As the Council’s budget continues to tighten, I will be working with local groups and volunteers to support them with the delivery of crucial services in the community.

Council Meetings/Committees

Full Council Meetings – I have attended all Full Council Meetings contributing and voting on key proposals such as the Council Budget. I have contributed by making speeches on the Draft Local Plan, NHS/Social Care Funding and the Democracy Commission Report.

Huddersfield Planning Committee – Being a member of the Planning Committee has been extremely interesting, learning about planning law and making decisions on planning applications.

Licensing and Safety Committee & Licencing Panel – I’ve enjoyed sitting on the Committee mainly looking at Council policies related to taxi’s and private hire vehicles. Sitting on licencing panel has given me experience of dealing with applications which are not universally supported and I have made sensible decisions balancing the overall needs of both applicants and the whole community.

Policy Committee – I have been actively involved in the committee contributing to discussion and reports on the Council’s future waste strategy and social value on the Council procurement procedure.

Huddersfield District Committee – I have attended both the Councillor planning meetings and the subsequent public meetings. I found that the public meetings were a great way to engage with residents on key issues such has town centre development and the main issues affecting the borough. I have supported funding applications from groups on Ashbrow ward as well as others across the Huddersfield District.

Local Groups

Neighbourhood Management Group – Working with Community Safety Officers, Housing Officers and the Police to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and housing issues. As stated above crime has been an issue over the last 12 months and the main focus of this group has been to develop ways to tackle this issue. We have also worked with KNH and Housing Associations to deal with Anti-Social behaviour caused by residents to make our communities a better and safer place to live.

Bradley Forum – This is a monthly meeting where local issues are discussed; I often pick up casework and bring back updates to subsequent meetings. It is always an informative meeting and is ideal for understanding the real issues felt by local people in the area.

Ashbrow Ward Forum – This forum is used to discuss the key issues across the ward and like Bradley forum case work is picked up. I have reported back to this forum on district committee funds spent in the ward. In the year ahead I would like to build up this forum and encourage more residents to attend to get a wider discussion of local issues.

Fartown Neighbourhood Watch – attending this meeting is a crucial way of understanding impacts of crime in the area. Sadly these meetings have currently been suspended as the Fartown Village Hall is currently closed. I will be working hard to get both the Hall and the neighbourhood watch meetings back up and running.

Training Completed

• New Councillor induction programme
• Planning
• Licencing
• Safeguarding
• Dementia Friend

James Homewood: My speech to Council on the Local Plan

I want to speak today about the proposed development in the Bradley area of Ashbrow ward, specifically the site which encompasses Bradley Park Golf Club.

As part of the draft local plan a number of sites were allocated for development in Ashbrow Ward. As Councillors for the area we have made clear to residents the need for housing and have argued the case for development in the ward. In the case of Bradley, despite many understandable concerns about further development, in what is an already densely populated area, we have sought to work with all parties to understand what reasonable housing development could take place here.

Part of the site had previously been earmarked for a new secondary school building, we are happy that this can be developed as housing. Additionally, part of the site is land a farmer has expressed interest in developing. Again we would be content with that.

This area borders the conurbations of Brighouse and Huddersfield. It is an extremely small buffer between these towns. It is the classic Green Belt, the very reason the concept of Green Belt was first introduced to our planning system. We should also remember Calderdale Council is also developing its Plan and it is likely to include development at the other side of the M62 reducing this separation further. The only justification for the removal of this small buffer has to be that there is no non Green Belt land left. This is not the case.

Bradley Park is a fantastic facility which provides excellent golfing provision at an affordable cost for the whole area. It is the only municipal course in Huddersfield and currently makes a profit for the Council. The loss of the course would be of great detriment to the local area and Kirklees as a whole. There seems to be a misconception that the only people who make use of the course are golfers, this may be true at other courses but certainly isn’t the case at Bradley. I have spoken to many residents who use the course for walking, footgolf and enjoying the local wildlife.

I think it is important to remember what we are being asked to consider, whilst a lot of emphasis is being put on the vote today the function of this is to decide whether to publish the plan in order to begin the “soundness” consultation and to send to the Secretary of State for independent examination. We also need to consider the implications of the plan not progressing further and the potential impact this has on green belt sites including Bradley Park.

From my perspective the key issues with the inclusion of the Bradley site come down to how the technical assessment was completed which found Bradley to be more appropriate than other potential sites and how the judgement has been made that the course is surplus to requirements, in line with Paragraph 74 of the NPPF. During the public consultation period there were over 800 objections to the site many of which focussed on these issues. It is clear from the position that we are in today that those who have created the plan have had ample opportunity to consider these points and feel confident in their assessment. My feeling is that there is still a strong argument to be made on these points and members of the public have made this clear in the representations they have made to the council today.

 
The current situation leaves Ashbrow ward councillors in a difficult position. My view is that it is not in the best interest of Kirklees for the progression of the plan to be stopped at this stage. I believe that the best course of action is to allow further relevant arguments to be made to the Council and independent inspector where consideration can be given to these outstanding concerns.