Annual Report 2017-2018: Cllr Rob Walker

I have continued to support Hands of HRI and health professionals who are campaigning to protect our NHS services. This has led to involvement in working with campaign groups focusing on threats to HRI, local surgeries and the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service.  I have also spent a good deal of time working with Colne valley group practice who are looking to relocate their Slaithwaite surgery to the Globe mill complex.

A lot of time has been spent working with residents planning who are concerned by the two major building projects in Linthwaite.  Both have involved a massive amount of earthworks which has caused a great deal of disruption and worry to people in the area. Typical concerns have been traffic/access issues, dust and noise, drainage issues and problems with completed houses on the Blackrock site.  I even had a meeting in a resident’s garden attended by over 40 people.  On the Crosland park site I have ended up trying to mediate between our planning officers and the developers to try and resolve issues related to the 1974 plans.

The community work has developed into more detailed engagement with the Pride in Linthwaite community group to consider the option of either a neighbourhood plan or alternative approach to influencing local development.  This is vital  with 800 + houses due to be built and a further 1,300 right on the ward boundary in Crosland Moor. 

I have continued to work with Marsden Community Trust and Slaithwaite Civic Trust to support community asset transfer.  In Marsden this has involved branching out into a wider range of activities in the community such as supporting Social Prescription.  I have  engaged through practical work with Friends of Marsden Park, Friends of Slaithwaite Spa, Slaithwaite Christmas lights, Positively Marsden, Linthwaite Christmas Lights and  Linthwaite Leadboilers Festival.

I have continued my work as Chair of the new Upper Colne and Holme Valley Natural Flood Management Operations Group. This project has secured over £1 Million from WYCA and The Woodland Trust for work in the Wesenden Valley.  This project has brought together Kirklees with a number of major partners such as Yorkshire Water, National Trust, Environment agency, Moors for the Future, English Nature, Woodland Trust, White rose forest and local environmental groups.  One practical outcome has been much closer working between Kirklees and the National Trust

I have long been concerned by disability access issues.  I led the initiative to to secure £8,472 funding for significant pavement improvements in Marsden.  A similar project is now underway in Slaithwaite. In addition improved disabled access has been provided at 3 bust stops. I have continued to work on supporting disabled housing and countryside access initiatives.

I have met all school heads and become part of the Colne Valley Schools HUB group.  I was invited to speak to the Kirklees HUB on the potential for working with councillors

I have continued to work as Chair of the local rail users group, SMART.  I have organised and chaired several public meetings with up to 120 people in attendance involving WYCA, TPE, Northern and NR. I have had two 800 word articles published in the Yorkshire Post.

I have chaired the Colne Valley Greenway project group that has now secured the funding to carry out a detailed feasibility study.

I have spent a lot of time trying to tackle the problem of very poor digital connectivity for parts of the ward.  This has involved working closely with community groups and officers.  I hpe the city fibre project will solve some of the worst problems.

Challenges for the year ahead:

The continuing challenges presented by the massive negative impact of austerity on all public services.

Continuing to support NHS related campaigns as further cuts and lack of investment starts to destroy services.  Supporting moves to establish a social care co-op.

Building closer campaigning links with community groups and trade unions.

Helping to re-launch the Colne Valley Business Network. Help to show labour is strongly pro-business when this benefits the wider community

Securing the funding and agreement at regional level for a further extension of the NFM project which will potentially bring in a massive investment in the future of our local environment and help protect communities over a wide area in Yorkshire. Helping to develop the White rose forest at the heart of the Northern Forest.

Helping to build sustainable community groups.

Continue to support campaigns for better public transport.

Continue to support council policies and local groups concerned with climate change and air pollution issues.  This is closely linked to transport issues.

Help protect and improve education in my ward and beyond at a time of cuts and ill thought through national policy changes.

Continue to do a good job as Chair of Economy and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel. I am particularly keen that the economic strategy is based on deeper collaboration with the community.

Meetings attendance:

Local Community Groups and Organisations -

• Slaithwaite SOS Camapign
• Slaithwaite Civic Trust
• Marsden Community Trust and Community Association
• Friends of Marsden and Slaithwaite Spa Parks.
• Pride in Linthwaite
• Friends of Marsden library
• Ale Trail Group
• SMART –Rail Users Group
• Marsden and Slaithwaite Christmas Lights Groups
• Environment Kirklees
• Positively Marsden

Council Meetings and Committees -

• Full Council
• Ward meetings
• OSMC Committee
• Chair Economy and neighbourhoods committe
• Huddersfield Planning Committee
• Tackling Poverty Group
• Asset Management Transfer Group
• Kirklees and West Yorkshire level NFM meetings.
• Colne Valley Schools’  Community HUBS Group

Membership of Outside Bodies:

• Special Schools PFI board
• C&K Careers
• Kirklees Historic Buildings
• Royds Hall School Governor

Training and learning I have undertaken:

• Planning Training
• Labour Group training
• Various LGA sessions
• Labour national and regional conferences
• Supported Labour Shadow Treasury Team at Community Wealth building events in other constituencies
• Various school governor courses/conferences
• Various transport and economic development conferences
• Young People’s mental health
• Corporate parenting

Annual Report 2016-2017: Cllr Rob Walker

What have I achieved this year, on behalf of the Ward and communities I represent?
My first year as a councillor has been a great privileged in being able to represent my local community. This is something I have wanted to do for many years.

I have spent a good deal of time in listening to local people and professionals who are campaigning to protect our NHS services. This has led to involvement in working with campaign groups focusing on threats to HRI, local surgeries and the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

I have been involved in a lot of work planning related work regarding residents who are concerned by two major building projects in Linthwaite where I live.  Both have involved a massive amount of earthworks which has caused a great deal of concern to people in the area.  Living right next to one of these sites has been instructive!

I have worked with Marsden Community Trust and Slaithwaite Civic Trust to support community asset transfer.  I am very interested in their future roles as community assets.

I have supported Friends of Marsden Park and Friends of Slaithwaite Spa. Currently I am working to set up a Friends Of group for a large Linthwaite recreation space.  I am also involved in getting local groups such as Colne valley Tree Society and the Scouts involved in tree planting projects linked to landscaping around the new housing projects.  On a larger scale I have become Chair of the new Upper Colne and Holme valley Natural Flood Management Group.  This will hopefully manage a major project in the area starting later this year.

I have long been concerned by disability access issues.  I have been pleased to be able to support local disabled people in setting up a new group that managed to secure funding for significant pavement improvements in Marsden.  I have also started work on supporting disabled housing and countryside access initiatives.

I have met all school heads and become part of the Colne Valley Schools HUB group. 

I have become Chair of the local rail users group, SMART, and helped them link with WYCA.

What will be the challenges be for me and the communities I represent this year?

Protecting and protesting on behalf of the many people whose living standards have been hit by the £12 Billion in cuts to the benefits of the less affluent members of our society.  Working for decent jobs and worker’s rights at a time when money wages not just real wages have fallen in the constituency.  Growing inequality is ever more apparent and damaging.

Continuing to support NHS related campaigns as further cuts and lack of investment starts to destroy services.  I am heartened by the local campaigns in which I feel residents in my ward have played a leading role.  Linked to this is the equally important crisis in social care.

 

Building closer campaigning links with community groups and trade unions.

Helping to re-launch the Colne Valley Business Network. Help to show labour is strongly pro-business when this benefits the wider community

Securing the funding and agreement at regional level for the NFM project which will potentially bring in a massive investment in the future of our local environment and help protect communities over a wide area in Yorkshire.

Helping to build sustainable groups in the community where I can become less critical.

Continue to support campaigns for better public transport.

Continue to support council policies and local groups concerned with climate change and air pollution issues.  This is closely linked to transport issues.

Help protect and improve education in my ward and beyond at a time of cuts and ill thought through national policy changes.

Do a good job as Chair of Economy and Neighbourhoods scrutiny panel.

 

Working with local community groups and organisations

• Slaithwaite SOS Campaign
• Slaithwaite Civic Trust
• Marsden Community Trust and Community Association
• Friends on Marsden and Slaithwaite Spa Parks.
• Ale Trail Group
• SMART –Rail Users Group
• Marsden and Slaithwaite Christmas Lights Groups
• Environment Kirklees Council
• Radical Valleys – radical local history group

Attendance at Council Meetings and Committees

• Full Council and Kirklees Rural District Committee
• Chair Policy Committee
• Huddersfield Planning Committee
• Tackling Poverty Group
• Asset Management Transfer Group
• Kirklees and West Yorkshire level NFM meetings.
• Colne Valley Schools’ HUBS Group

Attendance on outside bodies

• YPO
• C&K Careers
• Kirklees Historic Buildings
• Royds Hall School Governor

Training or learning I have undertaken

• Induction training
• Planning Training
• Labour Group training
• Coaching Course
• Various LGA sessions
• Labour national and regional conferences
• Various school governor courses/conferences
• Various transport and economic development conferences
• Visits to most mosques in the constituency
• Meeting community leaders

 

 

 

 

 

Verity for Mayor - Says Jason McCartney

Jason McCartney, Tory MP for Colne Valley wants all West Yorkshire funding to be handed to Garry Verity as the Mayor for Yorkshire. Who is Garry Verity?  you may ask. Garry works for a board promoting Yorkshire and was a member of the team that won the bid to secure the Tour De France Grande Departe. Note he did not organise the Tour, that was done by the Tour itself and a dedicated team of Council Officers.

Jason also backed Kris Hopkins (another daft Tory MP) at meeting stating that the most important issue to regenerate the economy of West Yorkshire is the modernisation of the road from York to Scarborough. It seems the the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have got it wrong, we shouldn't be calling for support for manufacturing, or for more apprenticeships, we should forget about linking West Yorkshire Towns to Manchester and London, or even promoting our Local Airport, perhaps we are misguided in thinking the M62 is overloaded or that we need to make brownfield land fit for development.

Perhaps Jason and Kris share a caravan at Reighton Gap, so see priorities we don't.

Nasty Conservative Budget Amendment

A particularly mean cut proposed by the Tories is to cut the funding to voluntary groups putting on events this year. These groups have already committed themselves to the events for which funding has been agreed. 

The events effected are;

·         Holmfirth Festival of Folk

·         Holmfirth Arts Festival

·         Shepley Spring Festival

·         Cleckheaton Folk Festival

·         Crown of Lights Music Festival, Heckmondwike

·         HOST – Huddersfield Open Studios Trail – across Kirklees

·         Marsden Jazz Festival

·         Moonraking Festival, Slaithwaite

Cllr Hilary Richards' passion for Colne Valley Museum

Image from Wikipedia

Over 40 years ago Golcar Branch of the Colne Valley Constituency Labour Party moved out of its old club on Cliff Ash at Golcar and gave their old building to the newly formed Colne Valley Museum (CVM).  This was the start of a slow expansion from one weaver’s cottage to three and finally, into the old fish ‘ole.  All this has been done with volunteer labour only supplemented by paid tradesmen when members did not have the specialist skills needed.

Today, Colne Valley Museum has around 300 members which include individuals, couples and families.  Over 100 members are  active volunteers.  

The museum opens each Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday to give a glimpse of life in the 1850s.  On the top floor members demonstrate how wool processes from the preparation the fleece for spinning to weaving the resultant yarn into cloth on period looms  There is a kitchen that demonstrates how people lived in this era as well as a working kitchen where bread, Christmas puddings and other delicious traditional items are prepared and baked for sale some weekends. 

Exhibitions that usually change every 4-6 weeks have included the work of members of art societies, photographic collections and have been on bee keeping.  There is a wide variety of new things to see each time you visit the museum. 

During a visit you will see many volunteers, dressed in period costume, demonstrating and helping visitors as well as providing coffee and cakes in the new café which opens in January in what was the old fish and chip shop.

There are speciality weekends, most recently a Victorian Christmas Fair with traditional games and the chance to meet Father Christmas. 

Many of you reading this may have visited CVM while at school as a Victoria experience is provided for several schools most weeks of the school term and can be tailored for older audiences when requested.  Children from other authorities as well as Kirklees come for the day.  They arrive in costume ready to step back into 1850 to meeting the lady of the house when they enter her kitchen before helping to prepare their own lunch, polish the brasses, do hand washing and crafts.  After eating their lunch the children are allowed into the small shop where they can buy traditional sweets before returning to the 21^st centuary.  We have many adult visitors who tell us how they remember their day with us many years before.

CVM is in the process of bidding for a substantial award from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  They have already awarded the museum money to enable a full feasibility study to be undertaken prior to the submission of the final lottery bid in February 2014.  Once the bid is in, we will all be holding our breath …….. 

The museum has come a long way in the last 40 or so years and may be making a vast leap forward in the future if their bid is successful …. and all this has been done without a single paid employee in sight. 

I believe the reason why CVM has survived and thrived with only volunteer support has been the long term commitment people, often from the local community, make to the museum; and the marvellous friendships and support members give to each other as they work together.

Dates and times of all elements of the museum can be found at www.colnevalleymuseum.org.uk

 

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