Cllr Naheed Mather details the work of the Greenspace Action Team February 2020

The Greenspace Action Team has had a good month for PROW clearance and ward work and they have also achieved a successful prosecution at Kirklees Magistrate Court.

Defendant Luke Kenny was found guilty of 2 offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for Section 33 for fly tipping offences and section 34 Losing Control of Waste. He was sentenced as follows:-

• 300 hours unpaid work
• £300 legal costs
• £1300 investigation costs
• £425 clearance costs
• £85 surcharge

A total fine of £2110 was made and the defendant agreed to pay £40 per week. 

Other offences include

• 14 - Fixed penalty notices issued
• 10 – littering from a motor vehicle
• 1 – litter face to face
• 1 – fly tipping
• 1 – Breach of community protection notice

 Ward walkabouts have been completed by officers for areas requested in the areas Dewsbury West, East and South, Almondbury and Mirfield and by the ward reaction team in Batley East and West and the officers received brilliant feedback from Councillors and the general public.

Clearance of waste on Bridge Street, Ravensthorpe.

 Path/ginnel at back of St Paulinus Close Dewsbury.

Councillor Naheed Mather outlines the recent work of the Greenspace Action Team January 2020

                                            

Successful prosecution at Kirklees Magistrate Court 

Defendant Cutis Nelson pleaded guilty to 2 offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990   for Section 33 – Fly tipping and Section 34 losing control of waste

Costs £700.00

Fine £1125.00

Victim Surcharge £112.00

Total £1937.00 to be paid at £10.00 per week

The team progressed more Court Work/Files from the Enforcement Team – expanding the regular slot to now Wednesdays as well as Thursdays at Huddersfield Magistrates Court

       ·        The Enforcement team successfully sent 2 vehicles to be crushed after seizure for                  fly tipping  

•    The team completed Winter Ward Walkabout requests for Golcar, Lindley,         Greenhead, Ashbrow and Dalton by the Ward Reaction Team (WRT).             Received Brilliant feedback and thanks from the councillors and general public.

·        Fantastic team work on PROW Maintenance all over Kirklees.

      ·        Proceedings on a fly tipping prosecution case which is now due to go to Court.

     ·       The team cleared up the Greenway in Birkby

·       Residents were appreciative of the Ward Work completed in the Dalton Area.

      ·       The team progressed several fly tipping cases from the Batley area.

·        Staff worked with Our Cleansing Team to get fly tipping cleared from the side of an old lady’s property which was causing her distress.

      ·      The Team removed Graffiti from the Mirfield area which was much appreciated by
           the public and KNH.

      ·       Working with businesses in the Town Centre to tidy up planter areas  etc.

      ·     Team work by the enforcement team and PROW at Birds Edge, Shepley.

      ·        We targeted waste issue around Dorset Street/Blacker Road and business waste
            on Philbert Street with much thanks by the residents. 

·        Thank you from the Mosque on Old Halifax Road to the Team for clearing waste on Back Beacon Street and lettering residents to raise awareness of the waste issues.

 

In the December/January period we have issued 16 fixed penalties:-

Littering from motor vehicle – 12 FPN’s issued

Litter face to face – 2 FPN’s issued

Fly tip – 2 FPN’s issued

12 FPN’s paid

Appealed – 3

Withdrawn/on Hold – 1

We appreciate our hard working staff and it's apparent to see and hear what brilliant teamwork look like.

Cllr Naheed Mather highlights the work of the Greenspace Action Team and recent actions for Fly Tipping

A brilliant prosecution from Stephen Walker and Greg Harwick at Kirklees Magistrate Court for Fly tipping. 

The defendants Jayden Hopkins and Ben Reilly pleaded guilty to the section 34 offence. The section 33 offences were dismissed.

The court sentence was as follows:

1.       £640.00 fine

2.       £500.00 costs

3.       £180.00 Compensation to landowner

Each defendant to pay £1320.00. 

Another superb prosecution from Stephen Walker at Kirklees Magistrate Court for Section 43.

Defendant Martin Baines pleaded guilty to Non-Compliance with Community Protection Notice under section 43 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014

Costs £1941.00

Fine £500.00

Surcharge £50.00

Total £2491.00 to be paid at £200 per month.

We have issued 20 fixed penalties.

 Littering from motor vehicle – 9 FPN’s issued

Litter face to face – 9 FPN’s issued 

Fly tip – 2 FPN’s issued 

12 FPN’s paid 

Appealed – 2 

Withdrawn – 1

Gone to Prosecution - 1

Greenspace Action Team Ward work:-

Colne Valley

Manchester Road Linthwaite                                                                        A62 Underpass Slaithwaite

                                              New Hey Road opposite Waggon and Horses pub

Denby Dale Ward

                                          Litherop Lane Clayton West

                                                 

                                          Wakefield Road from Woodhouse Lane - Kiln Lane

Holme Valley North

                                         Side and Rear of 'The Cuttings' Brockholes

                                             

                                          St Mary's Road Honley

                             

                                          Badger Gate to footbridge Meltham

Holme Valley South Ward

Off Deanbrook Road 

Sparth Lane Footpath                    

Cllr Naheed Mather outlines the recent prosecutions for Fly tipping etc and Greenspace Action Team work in Ward Areas

Another great month in September for the Greenspace Action Team.

A prosecution at Kirklees Magistrate Court for fly tipping.
The defendant Danut Mustafa pleaded guilty to the section 34 offence and this was acceptable to the prosecution. The section 33 and 34(5) offences were withdrawn.

The defendant was not legally represented and had the assistance of a Romanian interpreter.

The court sentence was as follows:

1.     £200 fine

2.     £1550 costs

3.     £30 surcharge

The payment is £50pw and first payment within 14days.

Another prosecution at Kirklees Magistrate Court for Fly tipping.

Defendant Daniel Paxman pleaded guilty to one count of fly tipping – sec 33 EPA 1990

Costs £640

Fine £ 720 – 200 – 200 – 240 clearance

Victim Surcharge £72

The team successfully completed Ward Walkabout requests for Dewsbury West, Dewsbury South, Dewsbury East, Batley East and Batley West by the Ward Reaction Team (WRT). Brilliant feedback received from the councillors and general public.

Dewsbury West Cllrs asked for the huge fly tipping on Beacon Street and Bradbury Street to be cleared. The team did a fantastic job by clearing both sites. 

Dewsbury West Ward                                                                   Dewsbury South Ward

                

Public right of ways on High Road, Dewsbury were inaccessible due to overgrown vegetation. Ward team did an excellent job by re-opening the paths for the public.

The cycle track from Savile Road to Asda Foot Bridge in Dewsbury was overgrown, the team did a great job by clearing the track. We received a thank you email from the Septuagenarian Cyclist. 

The Canary Island area on Wilson Wood Street, Batley was completely overgrown, the team did an amazing job by clearing the whole area. The volunteer coordinators will now contact the local school/mosque to get the children involved in a planting bulb project at Canary Island.

The fountain area on junction of Headfield Road and Savile Road, Dewsbury (as above) was cleaned by the team. A local resident called to thank the team for doing a great job promptly. 

Traffic islands around Kirklees have been grubbed by the team

Issued 15 fixed penalties.

Littering from motor vehicle – 6 FPN’s issued

Litter face to face – 6 FPN’s issued

Fly tip – 2 FPN’s issued

Breach of CPN – 1 FPN issued

4 FPN’s paid

Appealed – 1

Withdrawn – 3

Annual Report 2018-19 Councillor Naheed Mather Dalton Ward

Once again thank you for your support and I continue to work throughout the Dalton ward. I try to attend as many local community groups as possible so that I know what is happening in our ward/communities. 

Once again I’m privileged to be in the cabinet as the portfolio holder for Greener Kirklees: 

·      Climate Change and Air Quality

·      Waste Strategy

·      District heat network

·      Enviro-crime

·      Inward investment

·      Sustainable transport strategy

•         Skills and Post 16+

•         Town Centres

Outside Interests

Sub on Parking & Traffic Regulations Outside London Adjudication Joint Committee

SUEZ (Kirklees) Ltd, Board Director

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing Ltd, Chair

Huddersfield Partnership

Business Investment Group at the Combined Authority 

Air Quality-specific updates

• The public consultation for the draft Air Quality Action Plan for the district and our 10  Air Quality Management Areas finished 10 July 2019. Officers are currently reviewing the information that was received and will be updating the plan accordingly, before submitting to national government for approval
• In  March 2019 the Licensing  & Safety Committee agreed to a revised standard of testing to an emission based testing for vehicles to encourage the take up of low emission and electric vehicles ( rather than based on age) 

Waste Strategy

A Draft Kirklees Recycling and Waste Strategy will be published later this year. 

• It will contain ambitious proposals allowing our residents more opportunities for recycling.  The more recycling we do, the less reliant we become on non-renewable natural resources.  
• The document will include a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to support new proposals having a reduced impact on our environment when compared to current Commissioned Enforcement Partnership with Kingdom for a 12 month trial to issue Fixed Penalty Notices. Bodycams are worn and offences include: littering, dog fouling, dropping cigarettes, urinating/defecating in public, drinking alcohol in prohibited areas, not having a dog on a lead where required, selling or repairing multiple vehicles on the highway, and displaying and distributing flyers and posters without permission.

Huddersfield District Heating Network

Following a successful feasibility study, we are continuing to develop the business case for the Huddersfield Heat Network

•         We have received further funding from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to help us complete this work.

•         If implemented, the heat network will deliver resilient low-carbon and lower-cost heat and power to the Council, businesses and partners in Huddersfield Town Centre.

Inward Investment

The Council has commissioned a new Inward Investment Strategy and Action Plan to better direct this work in the future and this commission is due to report shortly.  In the meantime:

·       Take up of employment sites is proving to be strong with the Enterprise Zone at Lindley West complete and Moor Park expecting its first occupant in November. 

·       Construction of Phase 3 of Bradley Business Park is well underway with completion by the end of 2019. Aflex Hose will be taking occupation of this new 17,000 sq. m manufacturing facility which they anticipate will be fully operational by 2020. Their relocation will assist their growth aspiration and with it retain their existing workforce as well as provide further opportunities for new jobs and apprenticeships in the District.

In addition to attending all the Full Council meetings I attend:

•         Cabinet meetings

•         Cabinet Local Issues

•         Housing Delivery Board

•         KNH Meetings

•         Labour Group Meetings. 

I have outlined below some of the other meetings below to give you an insight of what I do. 

Dalton Ward Forum

All three ward councillors are involved in this multi-agency approach to working in the ward. It involves the Police, Young People's Services, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, Highways and Environmental Services.  We focus on tackling crime, anti-social behaviour, the environment and building community capacity and securing funding.   

Ward Work

I enjoy the challenge working with ward members, resolving their issues and supporting them in further securing services in their area. I attend Tenants and Residents meetings throughout the ward. The work has been varied as always, from housing needs to potholes. 

Member Surgeries

My colleagues and I don’t hold surgeries but continue to door knock all year round on Saturday mornings. This we believe is the most effective way to be seen and known by your residents. It offers them the opportunity to get to know us in person and raise their concerns. And it allows us to gauge the feelings of the community we serve towards the Council and their elected representatives.  

Training and Development

In addition to receiving regular policy updates at Labour Group meetings, I have undertaken the following training and development  

•                 Child Protection including CSE & Safeguarding of Adults

•                 Planning Update

•                 Cabinet Development Sessions

•                 Air Quality Conference

•                 Inclusion & Diversity Conference

•                 Women In Local Government

Kirklees Council has successfully upheld its decision to revoke the licenses of two taxi drivers

The council successfully defended its decision on two separate licenses at appeals at Huddersfield Magistrates on Friday 3 November 2017.

The first case involved a driver who had failed to inform the council of a serious offence for which he had previously been convicted.

In one case the driver was a new applicant who failed to inform the council of serious offence he had committed. The offence committed cast doubt into the honesty of the driver and as someone who could be trusted to deal fairly with paying customers as such the council refused his application.  The driver appealed the decision by the Council not to grant a license but the Magistrates agreed with the council’s decision.

In the other case an existing driver appealed the removal of his badge. The council took the decision to revoke the licence of one of its taxi drivers following a collision that resulted in the fatality of a pedestrian.

The collision took place in 2015 and the driver was found not guilty of death by careless driving however the Licensing authority had concerns over the conduct of the driver immediately after the accident. The driver had fare paying passengers in his vehicle at the time the collision occurred, he failed to stop and continued with the journey, he then went on to pick up another passenger, all whilst  there was substantial damage to the vehicle.

The driver in question appealed the council‘s decision to revoke his licence however this was dismissed, with the chair of the Magistrates commenting that ‘The council made entirely the right decision’ and awarded the council our costs.

Cllr Mather Cabinet member  with responsibility for enforcement said: “The council takes its enforcement role very seriously, and will always look to take action where it is necessary to ensure that the people of Kirklees can live and travel safely.”

Cllr Carol Pattison, Chair of Licensing Committee said: “The council is committed to the safety of the travelling public and takes all possible measures to ensure this safety.  The successful outcome of this appeal demonstrates the importance of our continuous partnership with the West Yorkshire Police.”

Annual Report 2016-2017: Cllr Naheed Mather

Once again thank you for re-electing me and I continue to work throughout the Dalton ward. The role of councillors is becoming even more challenging as we see the impact of the Tory Austerity cuts via the council budget on our communities. I try to attend as many local community groups as possible so that I know what is happening in our ward/communities.

In 2016 I was privileged to acquire a position in the cabinet as a portfolio holder for Housing & Enforcement Management:

• Environmental Health
• Refuse collection/Waste Disposal
• Housing Delivery
• Housing Client and KNH/Building Services
• Enforcement Management

The Council’s new Waste Strategy includes:

Modernisation of the Council waste policy framework, including the management of household waste sites and the introduction of some new charges for services. In the first 6 months this has seen a:

• 15% reduction in tonnages into our HWRC sites
• 30% reduction in bulky waste
• Adding up to a 2.5% reduction in the council’s overall waste tonnages over the same period.
• A complete reversal of the 2% waste growth we had been seeing year on year.

Commissioned Enforcement Partnership with Kingdom for a 12 month trial to issue Fixed Penalty Notices. Bodycams are worn and offences include: littering, dog fouling, dropping cigarettes, urinating/defecating in public, drinking alcohol in prohibited areas, not having a dog on a lead where required, selling or repairing multiple vehicles on the highway, and displaying and distributing flyers and posters without permission.

Housing Delivery

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing is continuing to deal with the impact of a reduction in grants, welfare reform, 1% rent reduction over the next 3 years and Brexit etc.

KNH has successfully merged with building services. Other examples of work has included: buying back former right to buy properties; Council owned land for New Homes; empty cluster homes within the town centre in Dewsbury & Huddersfield; including, council owned small sites offered to smaller businesses to build houses. The highlight for me was the opening of an affordable housing scheme in Upperthong, a successful partnership which delivered 15, 2/3 bedroom homes to rent to buy. The scheme targeted people with a joint household income of £30,000 and enables ownership within 5 years.

Overall, our aim is to maintain confidence in the service and manage resident expectations. Recognising budgetary constraints will continue for the foreseeable future and will Impact on investment levels, business and growth and hence on our communities, families and individuals – especially the welfare reform.

In addition to attending all the Full Council meetings I attend

• Cabinet meetings
• Cabinet Local Issues
• Housing Delivery Board
• KNH Meetings
• Labour Group Meetings.

I have outlined below some of the other meetings below to give you an insight of what I do.

Huddersfield District Committee
The committee has supported various groups and projects from the Huddersfield area to obtain funding for various projects and used the funds to buy equipment for sports, raise dementia awareness, environmental projects and community events.

Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO)

YPO is owned by 13 local authorities including, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire (except Leeds and Sheffield), North Yorkshire and York, and Bolton, Wigan, Knowsley, St Helens.

I have found my role extremely interesting and networking useful. The role enables me to be exercise strategic decision making regarding existing business and exploring new markets and products. 

Dalton Ward Management Group

All three ward councillors are involved in this multi-agency approach to working in the ward. It involves the Police, Young People's Services, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, Highways and Environmental Services.  We focus on tackling crime, anti-social behaviour, the environment and building community capacity and securing funding. 

Ward Work

I enjoy the challenge working with ward members, resolving their issues and supporting them in further securing services in their area. I attend Tenants and Residents meetings throughout the ward. The work has been varied as always, from housing needs to potholes.

Member Surgeries

My colleagues and I don’t hold surgeries but continue to door knock all year round on Saturday mornings. This we believe is the most effective way to be seen and known by your residents. It offers them the opportunity to get to know us in person and raise their concerns. And it allows us to gauge the feelings of the community we serve towards the Council and their elected representatives.

Training and Development

In addition to receiving regular policy updates at Labour Group meetings, I have undertaken the following training and development

• Child Protection including CSE & Safeguarding of Adults
• Housing Delivery& Impact
• Housing Seminar/Conferences on: Welfare Reform, Housing Services Conference and Homelessness 
• Planning Update
• Cabinet Development Sessions