Walsh also has a hobby

For those with a good broadband connection and a decent size screen.

Shuttleworth 2008 Clip 1 from Steve Connor on Vimeo.


Here is the Shuttleworth collection in flight on Vimeo.

And if you were impressed by that have a look at some more of Steve Connor's clips.

So what do Councillors do then?

People sometimes ask "What its like to be a Councillor, is there much to do?" This list of meetings is from a busy time in 2007 / 2008. Looking back an eventful time for, since I opened the blog last year. For those of you who are regulars, thanks for sticking with me.

2008
* 28/5 7pm Pontefract Town Hall - Town Council for Pontefract?
* 23/5 WYFS Awards Evening - Leeds
* 19/5 Supporting Edward Timpson - Crewe & Nantwich
* 18/5 4pm Post Office Action Group Meeting
* 17/5 Save our Local Post Offices
* 15/5 11.30am WMDC Annual Meeting - County Hall Wakefield
* 12/5 7pm Carleton Park Tenants & Residents Association
* 12/5 1 pm Pontefract Town Centre Partnership
* 10/5 11am - 1pm Save our Local Post Offices, Market Place.
* 7/5 AGM 7pm Wakefield
* 3/5 Pontefract Conservative Club
* 2nd May 2008 - The Count, Thornes Park
* 1st May 2008 7am-10pm Local Elections Polling Day
* 29/4 Supporting Phil Thomas, Orchard Head
* 28/4 pm Save our Local Post Offices, Market Place.
* 26/4 pm Save our Local Post Offices, Market Place.
* 26/4 am PWAG Market Place, Pontefract
* 25 & 26/4 Diva Pontefract - Central Methodist Church
* 23/4 With Mark Crowther in Darrington
* 23/4 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 22/4 Supporting Richard Wakefield in Normanton
* 21/4 Supporting Phil Thomas in Pontefract North
* 21/4 10am Crime & Public Safety Wakefield Town Hall
* 20/4 Supporting Richard Wakefield in Normanton
* 19/4 Pontefract Music Festival Final evening
* 19/4 Supporting Mark Crowther and Phil Thomas
* 19/4 Collecting signatures SOLP Pontefact
* 18/4 William Hague Pontefract Conservative Club
* 18/4 Save our Local Post Offices
* 17/4 Local Election launch with David Cameron Dewsbury
* 16/4 2pm Full Council Wakefield
* 15/4 7pm Pontefract Civic Society AGM
* 14/4 7pm Carleton Park Residents Association
* 14/4 Supporting Mark Crowther in Baghill
* 13/4 Supporting Phil Thomas - Pontefract North
* 12/4 2pm Pontefract Music Festival
* 12/4 St Giles Art Exhibition
* 12/4 11.45am PWAG Pontefract Market Place
* 12/4 am Darrington with Mark Crowther
* 9/4 7.30pm Kings School - Pontefract
* 9/4 9.45am Danger Rangers - Pontefract Fire Station
* 31/3 - 1/5 A doorstep near you - Local Elections
* 29/3 Keep our Post Offices Open - Pontefract
* 28/3 4pm Transport Summit? Pontefract
* 28/3 1.30pm Live at Home Scheme Tea Dance - Pontefract
* 26/3 2 pm Citizenship Ceremony - Wakefield
* 21/3 Supporting Gordon Tennant
* 19/3 7pm Pontefract Community Partnership
* 19/3 6pm Pontefract Live at Home - Micklegate
* 19/3 2pm Full Council Wakefield
* 19/3 10am Neighbourhood Policing Seminar Wakefield Town Hall
* 18/3 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 17/3 10am Crime & Public Safety Wakefield Town Hall
* 13/3 Planning & Highways - County Hall
* 10/3 7pm Carleton Park Residents Association
* 10/3 1.30pm Town Centre Partnership - Pontefract Museum
* 9/3 Pontefract North supporting Phil Thomas
* 8/3 Churchbalk supporting Mark Crowther
* 8/3 ENERGY advice - Pontefract Market Place
* 6/3 Climate Control Seminar - Wakefield
* 4/3 Communities do it for themselves - Halifax
* 3/3 2 pm Council Meeting - Budget
* 28/2 Pre-Budget Meeting - Wakefield Town Hall
* 20/2 2 pm Citizenship Ceremony - Wakefield
* 20/2 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 18/2 10am Crime & Public Safety Wakefield Town Hall
* 17/2 Carleton Glen supporting Phil Thomas
* 13/2 2pm Full Council Wakefield
* 12/2 7pm Darrington Parish Council
* 9/2 Darrington supporting Mark Crowther
* 8/2 4 pm Results of Traffic Survey - Pontefract Town Hall
* 4/2 1.30pm Town Centre Partnership - Pontefract Museum
* 25/1 10 - 4pm WMDC Traffic Survey, Pontefract Town Hall
* 24/1 8pm Carleton Neighbourhood Watch
* 23/1 7pm Pontefract Community Partnership
* 23/1 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 16/1 2pm Full Council Wakefield
* 8/1 7pm Darrington Parish Council
* 7/1 Pontefract Town Centre Partnership
2007
* 19/12 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 17/12 Carol Concert Normanton
* 17/12 10am Crime & Public Safety Wakefield Town Hall
* 12/12 New Frontiers for Transformation, Manchester
* 4/12 Future Homes 07 - Balancing Supply and Demand
* 22/11 10am Local Economy Wakefield Town Hall
* 19/11 10am Crime & Public Safety Wakefield Town Hall
* 14/11 2pm Full Council Wakefield - Honour the Covenant
* 15/10 6.30pm Wakefield Speaks Normanton
* 13/10 8pm Pontefract Conservatives National Club of the Year Award

Fly the flag on Friday!

Having completed a three year term as Vice-Chairman of the Yorkshire Society I was delighted to hear about this, just in time for Yorkshire Day on Friday.

I will be celebrating all things Yorkshire at the gathering of civic heads which the Society has convened at Redcar. Some may scratch their heads when they look at a modern map, but the south bank of the tees denotes the northern most boundary of the Lord Lieutenancy of North Yorkshire so for tradition and ceremony the people of Redcar can own to be proud Yorkshire folk.

There are a variety of celebrations taking place on Friday. Enjoy!

Working to save your Local Post Office?

The Campaign Against Post Office Closures web site gave us a number of ideas based on other campaigns that helped when we worked with the Action Group for Hardwick Road in overturning the Royal Mail decision, one of only two in West Yorkshire to be reprieved.

Their website is down at the moment but if you search under post office closures you will find a variety of ideas. Or look at the background to our local campaign to keep open Hardwick Road Post office..

People of Upper Altofts meet their MP

Whilst I was delighted that Royal Mail acknowledged that their selection of the Hardwick Road Post Office in Pontefract was flawed and removed that branch from the closure programme 63 Post Offices in West Yorkshire were still targeted for closure.

The local Post Office at Upper Altofts is one such that has been serving the community for years but is now due to close.

The action group invited their local MP to the Lea Brigg Working Mens Club this evening to talk about options and I went along with Richard Wakefield and Richard Molloy to listen. In the event the MP was challenged about his part in the closure process and his voting record when he blocked the vote to suspend the closures and review the consultation process on the 19th March. This has been brought to the public's attention and many of the more than 100 people in attendance picked up on that theme and expressed their feelings and concerns.

In fairness to the MP this was always going to be difficult. It was made especially more so when he basically did a Post Offices cost a lot of money, people don't use them and people do not want to pay the taxes that it takes to keep them open.

He kept quoting the £1.75 billion subsidy that his government has promised to pay to keep the 10,000 survivors open after the the 2500 targetted do close.

I had decided to sit quietly as a guest but felt that he was using the sums to paint a difficult picture when in fact per capita contribution is about £3.75 per man, women and child each year to keep the existing network open. Or in my case one of the gallons of petrol that I buy each year pays my tax contribution to support local post offices for that year.

I made the point and was then announced/denounced by a fellow local but Labour councillor as the Deputy Leader of Conservatives on the Council and not a local to Altofts. This did not have the impact that he hoped for, I suspect he was hoping that people would see me as an enemy in some way intruding. Nope they did not see it that way at all. Their MP was the red faced one that was there to account for his actions or lack of them.

I made the point that regardless of location and politics I had been fighting to keep Post Offices open as a public service and sat down, I made my point and others picked it up. Subsequently a number of people present thanked me for coming along and putting my point of view.

Those there also knew that I was one of three leaders of local political groups who had signed the WMDC document contesting the closure and also thanked me for that action.

Ed Balls constituents will not have the opportunity to use their vote to show how they feel that he has treated them, he is bound for a safe Labour seat at Rothwell, however his wife is hoping to replace him as MP for Normanton,Pontefract and Castleford.

I think some of the folk there this evening have long memories. We shall see.

25th Safest Labour seat safe no more..

In a surge of voting, Glasgow East which on Wednesday was 25th safest Labour seat in the UK changed hands on Thursday. I reckon this will have sent a shiver through sitting Labour MPs around the UK.

I wonder how Ms Coopers day went,the new constituency of Normanton Pontefract and Castleford is reckoned to be the 40th safest Labour seat. But on the performance in Glasgow, anything goes.

Police on the Streets or Police Bureacracy?

The Home Secretary talks of reducing police paperwork.

Gadget has posted on this theme on a number of occasions. Problem is that somebody associates measurement with management and the Home Office see a paper and print opportunity.

Have a look at this to get a sense of the sort of workload that we are talking about.

Does Hardwick Road still have a Post Office? YES IT DOES!..Sadly 63 others are to close in West Yorkshire

Still open!

It was one of only two of the 63 proposed closures for West Yorkshire that are to remain open. Royal Mail have picked another two to close so that they meet the Governments target This link will take you to the Post Office decision.

But here is an extract:
"Post Office Ltd has decided not to proceed with the closure of the following branches:

Post Office ® Hardwick Road branch

The main concerns expressed by respondents in relation to our proposal to close Post Office® Hardwick Road branch related to public transport to and parking at the alternative branches.

Respondents also raised concerns in relation to the routes to the alterative branches, which were said to be hilly and potentially hazardous for people to walk. Respondents commented that Post Office® Hardwick Road branch was popular, had a good range of services, and had friendly, helpful staff.

A petition was submitted during the local public consultation, opposing the proposed closure and some responses were received as part of a number of campaigns opposing the closure.

Post Office Limited has considered all responses received during the local public consultation and a review of this proposal has been undertaken.

The nearest alternative branch, Post Office® Pontefract branch is 1.3 miles away. While a bus service does run into Pontefract the nearest alighting point for customers is a significant distance from the main Post Office® and would be likely to cause difficulties for relatively high numbers of elderly customers or disabled people.

Parking around Post Office® Pontefract branch is frequently problematic and customers from Post Office® Hardwick Road branch may find difficulties in accessing alternative Post Office® services. Also, given the outlying nature of Post Office® Ladybalk branch, and in light of the responses to the local public consultation, Post Office
Limited considered that very few customers from the Hardwick Road area would use this alternative branch.

Taking these and all the other relevant factors into account, including the needs of more vulnerable customers, Post Office Limited has decided not to proceed with the proposed closure of Post Office® Hardwick Road branch, which therefore will remain in the Post Office® network.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Great news for the people of Pontefract, but a blow to the 63 other West Yorkshire communities that depend upon their local Post Office Branch and to the other Branches that will be threatened in future closures.

Our MP is already being praised and quoted in the media as helping to win the fight to keep the Hardwick Road Post Office open but as she was one of the local NULabour MPs who voted that the closure programme should continue this is rich.

More about double standards in Parliament in future posts. I am tracking her voting record on a number of issues, MPs expenses just for one example and her record and that of her husband Ed Balls makes for interesting reading.

Does Hardwick Road still have a Post Office?

Royal Mail will issue their verdict about the future of Hardwick Road Post Office and the other 62 targeted for closure in West Yorkshire, tomorrow.

Hopefully the letters, petitions, arguments, comments, solid resistance from our community will have made an impact.

As Conservative Councillors, we have been criticised by our MP, the Minister for "politicking" in our fight for Hardwick Road Post Office, when we pointed out the flaws in the Governments closure programme and criticised her voting record on these and other Post Office closures (she voted for the closures to continue). We had over 2,500 people who signed our petition who did not agree with her government's actions on this closure programme and many who have since questioned her comments.

Anyhow I will report back when I know more on the outcome.

Wish us luck!

UPDATED: Have a look at the outcome here

Youth Knife Crime

Tom Reynold has brought his perspective to Jacqui Smiths plan to march offenders into hospitals so that they can see the end result of possession of knives.

His views make interesting reading as a paramedic out on the streets of London, he is more likely to come face to face with offenders and victims than our Home Secretary.

Please look HERE

Local Development Framework

In setting out how the council wishes to see the district grow Wakefield is going through the public part of its Local Development Framework consultation.

To quote "We are preparing the Site Specific Proposals Development Plan Document (DPD). The purpose of this document will be to provide a set of site allocations and proposals to meet the vision, objectives and development strategy of the Core Strategy. It will be inaccordance with the Regional Spatial Strategy which is called The Yorkshire & Humber Plan. The DPD will include land allocations to meet anticipated development needs relating to housing, employment and mixed use development. These proposals will replace equivalent allocations and designations in the saved Wakefield Metropolitan District Unitary Development Plan First Alteration."

This will create the space for future developments and the potential areas of challenge if the infrastructure of the area is not improved.

People who wish to know more can find the overview with specific examples and maps available HERE

If you find that your community is likely to be impacted or you have concerns that flow from this please get in touch and tell me about it.

In any case use the link to make representations to the WMDC planners by the 14th of August.

Welcome to Pontefract Liquorice Festival!

Well its that time of year again and today and tomorrow, Pontefract celebrates the national Liquorice Festival. Today at the Castle and tomorrow in the Market Place.

Well worth a look, I have just come back from watching a display by the Holderness Vikings who give a cracking recreation of our local Viking History, there will be a falconry display, knights and ladies and the craft market is great fun.

I also had chance to see the replanted Culpepper Herb Garden in the Castle Grounds visit the stall full of first rate local produce put on by local Swanhill based business Vegetable Patch and of course the opportunity to sample some of Tomlinsons Liquorice Stout.

Tomorrows event should be great fun. See you there?

Incidentally the Knottingley Carnival today is well worth a visit.

Brown's Green Car Tax will hit the poorest hardest

9 million people will find that they are paying more to tax their vehicles as a result of Gordon Browns last budget before becoming PM. It is the 10p tax band all over again and shows this government's contempt for real people and the challenges that they are facing in getting by.

There is an article here.

Another example of how this government is taking a quick tax grab from the pockets of many who can least afford it. For the poorest law abiding tax payers it will take money that would be used to service and keep safe their vehicles and will put people in danger as a result.

When you also factor in the state of the public transport system and lack of services this will loose some people their jobs.

Nice one Gordon? No I don't think so.

17,113 vote for David Davis and freedom.

To quote the Grauniad. "For all the mocking of his unusual gambit in calling the byelection, Davis managed to get out 17,113 supporters, in a poll of 34.5%, which was well above most predictions."

Again in the Guardian Iain Dale writes "Davis's detractors point to the fact that he only got 27% of the entire electorate to vote for him. They conveniently forget that at the last general election only 24% of the entire UK electorate voted Labour into power." Article here.

David Davis for Freedom

Spent part of yesterday at North Ferriby delivering leaflets for David Davis and spoke with Andrew Allison a member of the local campaign team. His blog makes interesting reading and he is also working on the Davis for Freedom Blog which is well worth a visit. Hoping to go over and help again later in the week. Thursday the 10th is looming.

Enjoy! I did

Phil Thomas rightly enthuses about the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. I wonder if we could get them to come to next years Pontefract Music Festival?

Here is their rendition of the Ennio Morricone classic

David Davis and David Cameron

When David resigned on the 13th of June, he triggered a by-election so that he could put his concerns about this governments agenda of restrictive legislation that has been gradually changing the face of this country to that of another distant and unrecognised one.

His website is here and he is putting his views on record. Please visit and see what you think about a politician's principled stand.

In supporting David Davis, David Cameron has been in the area talking with people. Today 1st July he is at Selby with an audience of about 300 members of the public, a webcast can be found here.