In picking the Snow Queen as pantomime for the 2010 performance The St Giles Pantomime Society showed an unerring gift for predicting one of the most extreme and extended periods of severe weather that the district has experienced in years.
We saw snow and we saw ice and we had ice and snow. The 2008 and 2009 decisions to reduce the overall coverage of roads in the gritting plan by 120 kms and six gritting vehicles from nineteen to thirteen meant that a number of people could not get to work, schools closed and small business people who deliver had huge problems. Central government stepped in to dictate where the supplies of grit should go linked to concerns that supplies needed to be regulated as the salt mines struggled to keep up.
You will have read my earler post about the sad death of Cllr Graham Phelps on the 17th of November. One of the outcomes is to be a By-Election for the ward that Graham represented. The Councils CEO has announced that there will be an election called for for a date later in January 2010.
I assume the main driver for this has been the change in balance of power at Wakefield from 32 Labour Councillors / 31 Opposition to 31 / 31 or a position of no overall control.
Clearly the political classes and the media will be paying more attention to Airedale & Ferry Fryston than is normally the case, I hope that the electorate will benefit.
Minding my own business listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning, I was startled to hear a confession from John Humphrys. In an interview which I believe was talking about climate change, he broke in to state what he described as the first law of journalism. "First of all simplify, then exaggerate" about 11mins 20secs in.
All of a sudden that explains a lot about some of our local papers, our local golden MPs the Cooper and Balls duo. Any of my savvier media readers like to comment?
A colleague from the controlling Labour Group on Wakefield MDC died suddenly on the 17th of November after a short illness. Graham was a long served hard working local Councillor for Airedale and Ferry Fryston. His passing drew tributes from across the community and hearing different peoples views it became clear how many peoples lives he touched for the better.
About two years ago at a school governors meeting we were told that a school bus service had been cancelled as the company were having difficulties. On the way back from the meeting I called Graham for advice as a WMDC representative on Metro the passenger transport executive. He quickly realised the urgency of the situation and asked me to leave it with him. I later discovered that he was in the Chief Executives office the following morning chasing a solution and we had a replacement bus company providing the service later that day. I thanked him for a first class result then and that memory sticks with me now.
Last Friday I joined many others from across the community at the local church to pay him tribute.
My grandfather served in the first world war was called up on the first day as a former regular and six weeks later was shot on a "quiet day" in the first battle of the Aisne. He survived, which says something for his determination, friends that reached out to help him and some sort of luck.
He came back from war an invalid and lived an impaired life through till his death. He died before I was born so anything that I know has been passed to me. Lest we forget then has a special significance to me.
Today at the war memorial in Pontefract I stood with two or three hundred others to hold that two minutes of thought... Lest we forget.
The challenge is now greater than ever before as this is the first year where we no longer have people with us from the pals generation that fought in the Great War to end all wars.
In another way there is a new generation who are learning about the act of Remembrance. There are new families faced with grief, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters who are faced with the loss of a loved one.
In the council chamber this afternoon we talked about the sacrifice of Rifleman James Backhouse and Bombardier Craig Hopson, local lads whose families and communities grieve for them. We intend to see that there are lasting memorials to this latest generation who put themselves in harms way and collect a wage from the nation.
With the death's of Henry Allingham and Harry Patch their generation is left behind, James Backhouse and Craig Hopson gave their tomorrow for our today and we need to ensure we will remember them.
Regardless of peoples views on the rights or wrongs of the situation in Afghanistan. Our young people are out there and a growing number are paying the ultimate price. Many more return broken shadows of their former selves.
We need to acknowledge their sacrifice and commitment.
And for those who remember on Sunday or next Wednesday you may hear part of this, some may question the sentiment,but for many it still rings true.
For the Fallen
They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain, As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain.
Laurence Binyon September 1914
With many of my colleagues I will be attending the Royal British Legion's service of remembrance at Wakefield Cathedral on Friday evening and at the Cenotaph in Pontefract on Sunday morning and Wednesday the 11th at 11pm.
In May 2008 I was appointed as Chairman of one of the Licensing Authorities Sub Committees that administer the contested reviews and licensing applications under the Licensing Act 2003. The more time that I spend on Licensing issues, the more examples that I see of how the Act has made many peoples life much worse. Extended opening, drinks promotions, increasing noise nuisance issues linked to the smoking legislation all serve to impact the quality of peoples lives.
This week I am spending time with members of the Neighbourhood Policing team, looking at issues that they face and trying to get a sense of additional options to try to resolve some of the difficulties. If you wonder what I am on about the Home Office have a nice bit of night time reading here, with some surprisingly workable solutions.
The problem is that we need to build a real common purpose to get things sorted. I feel another new years resolution coming on.
For the last two weeks a Government Inspector has been conducting an inquiry linked to Bank's Renewables appeal at the unanimous rejection of their application for 6 Industrial Wind Turbines on Went Edge one of our few remaining bits of Green Lung on the very edge of West Yorkshire.
Those who have been travelling with me over the last couple of years will have seen the process from a "consultation" in 2007 through to ultimate rejection by the Wakefield MDC Planning Committee earlier this year.
The appeal inquiry is taking place in Wakefield Town Hall and is getting to the point where the Inspector is to go out and walk the turf so to speak.
There have been cases made by Bank's legal team, three council representatives and our Barrister and the two action groups who have been working on this from more or less day one. Over the last week members of the public have been making their representations and on Friday I submitted a representation on line to the planning inspectorate, which Inspector's schedule allowing I hope to be able to speak to on Monday.
The Inspector will be visiting ground zero and various view points on Tuesday and will be hearing summaries on Wednesday. By the end of the week he should be retiring to write his report.
On balance I believe that the majority of real and well founded argument has come from the "Interested Parties" WMDC, PWAG and the West Park Action Group.
Banks have had some fumbles with one of their experts admitting that he had not visited the location until he had completed preparing his evidence. Then under question from the PWAG Barrister it became apparent that his evidences description of site location was wrong "to the east of Westfield lane" turns out he got his east and west mixed up and I think he may have had the map upside down.
I hope that the Inspector will have more than enough well founded objections to be able to recommend rejection. However on Friday all sides had to discuss conditions. This is plain wrong this is about what may be done to ameliorate the situation if the Minister decides to approve Bank's varied proposal for 5 x 125 metre turbines. I suggested that it might be a good idea if they could fit some sort of star wars cloaking device, but the flaw would be that the turbines will not generate enough reliable electricity to "switch on the cloaking device".
My representation on behalf of the community is here
I believe that the Inspectors report is due to be presented to the Minister in the Spring and three years on I hope we will be able to get on with our lives. Hopefully our MP will be able to get the point across to her colleagues that this is neither practical,viable or wanted.
In the 1970s at the point when the Yorkshire Ridings Councils were being wound up and in West Yorkshire the Metropolitan Districts came into being a number of ancient Borough Councils ceased to exist and were subsumed by the newly created Metropolitan District Council.
Smaller Townships remained but broadly on a Parish Council/Town Council basis. In the case of WMDC it continued to work from what had been the seat of regional government in Wakefield. The district was split up into 21 wards more or less equal in population and three councillors were elected for each ward. Pontefract as one of the larger historic towns because of its size and as a former Borough Council had six District Councillors and I became one of those in May 2006.
Over the last couple of years a local group of people have been striving to build up a head of steam to enable a review to see if the public wish to see the creation of a new Parish/Town council under the 2007 Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act, the potential outcome would be the creation of a new layer of administration with tax raising powers. This has now reached the point where a review is taking place to see if the Parish should be created which could then be called a Town Council.
So imagine my surprise to see a new item from Bill O'Brien, the secretary of the self styled Pontefract Forward group in the 13th August edition of the Pontefract & Castleford Express, especially so when I read what appears to be a complete about face on his part, let me first say that I agree completely with him that a Parish Council for a Town of the size and history of Pontefract is not appropriate and I welcome his desire for people to "object to it so that it does not happen" and that people should vote no when the voting slips arrive on your doormats over coming weeks.
On stepping aside as MP of Normanton so that Ed Balls could become an MP, he threw himself back into local politics and this big project of well over 18 months has raised peoples hopes, expectations and now because he triggered the public process outlined in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, has generated a bill of several thousand pounds for Council Tax payers to meet. If he had really understood where he was taking people he would have realized that the outcome if successful could only initially result in Parish status.
Yes, he can get the name changed to Pontefract Town Council, yes the Chairman could be called a Mayor, yes there can be ceremonial activities and Mayoral regalia but what is created is not really a Mayoralty and whilst some people have signed up for it there are many who do not want the extra burden he has proposed. To set up an additional layer of administration and with tax raising powers but with the narrower powers of a Parish Council even if it is then called a Town Council with 20 Councillors does not make sense and I am glad he finally admits that he was wrong.
If Bill really does want to see the 1970's status quo returning to a time before he was a elected a Wakefield Councillor and future MP, the better path for him would be to use his contacts in government, perhaps to persuade Ed Balls or our MP to sponsor an Act of Parliament or lobby government for a charter for a council with broader powers, closer to that of a Borough Council.
Meanwhile people do want value for money, a sense that taxes are spent wisely and that Pontefract draws down its share of resources. The six existing Pontefract Councillors elected by the community need to get on and address problems and concerns, building positive change that takes account of local peoples needs and priorities so that they feel better about Pontefract and its future.
Two young men from Castleford have been killed in Afghanistan in recent days. Both leave loved ones in mourning with a sense of sadness and loss across the community. On Monday hundreds of people attended the service for Rifleman James Backhouse at Holy Cross Church in Airedale and thousands lined the streets of Castleford to show their respect. While the funeral for Rifleman Backhouse was taking place the news broke that Bombardier Craig Hopson, also from Castleford, was killed on Saturday in Helmand as he was out on patrol scouting out a suitable location for a polling station.
Update: Here is a link to article following the funeral for Craig Hopson. People displayed a whole range of emotions, with a strong degree of commitment to our armed forces personnel.
For those visitors who want to learn more about the British Legions work please go here.
After two years of checks and reviews that planning committee met today to decide the application by Banks Developments for 6 industrial wind turbines each 125 metre high. There had been huge concern expressed across the community with over 2000 objections received from the villages and communities around Went Edge.
Officers recommended refusal and a number of people made representations on behalf of their communities and I spoke for people across the district and asked that it be rejected due to impact on the green belt, loss of visual amenity and overbearing impact on local communities.
The decision is in and it was a unanimous vote to refuse. Banks say they will appeal, I hope local democracy wins.
UPDATED......... Banks have appealed and a Government Inspector has been appointed to prepare a report for submission to a Government Minister who will then decide. There is to be a public enquiry which the Inspector will hold in October. For more information please follow this link to PWAG.
Monday afternoon at 2pm the Full Council sat to review and hopefully approve a budget. The ruling Labour Group were proposing a 3.8% increase. We did not agree, they won the day with the backing of Lib/Dems and Independents and the people of the district will pick up the bill.
We tabled an alternative where funds were taken from reserves to underwrite the budget proposal which would have reduced the bill to a 1.8% increase, our view is that reserves are for a difficult times and we knew of initiatives under way that would recover the monies used.
David Cameron announced a specific approach today that will help those who depend upon their savings. Once upon a time if he put forward a useful idea the then Chancellor would pinch it. For savers sake I hope the current Chancellor will pinch this one.
Our local Woolies closed its doors for the last time twelve days ago. Pontefract has another space to fill on the Market Place. Nationally we are hearing of more and more organsiations in financial peril and this morning the parent of Waterford and Wedgewood are looking at options. Whatever else we will face in 2009 we will see some of our best known names slip away, either as a result of financial failure,takeover or mergers. Hopefully we will see things get better before to long.
Pontefract Hospital Minor Injuries Clinic not a full Emergency A&E open 24 hours a day at night from from September 2012 reduced capability GP Nurse led service.
PGI\A&E at Pontefract Hospital, no acute or trauma facilities, people being sent to A&E in Wakefield or Dewsbury
PGI\Pontefract Hospital - Not 90% of existing services more like 40% of what we had will still be delivered in Pontefract
MYHTrust losing £100,000 per day as at July 2012 where are they now?
A new Pontefract Hospital but most of the beds are in Wakefield or Dewsbury, Parking prices set to rise again? A&E future still uncertain.
PGI\Pontefract Hospital - Dispensary, St Richards Priory and Hermitage future still unresolved as at March 2014
New scheme for Enforcement against Littering in the Town Centre. Needs support and I will support it!
Carleton High School rebuilding began 23rd May 2011, despite MP and local Labour candidates threat to funding in local election leaflet Completed Summer 2012
Major works at long last to improve condition of Pontefract Castle underway
School Drop off and Collection - Road safety and dangerous / difficult parking issues
Went Edge Industrial Wind Farm - Minister's decision Went Edge wins NO to Bank's application June 2010
Rural Watch - Theft and other crimes that the Farming Community experience around the district
Neighbourhood policing to stay in Pontefract -.Purpose built Blue Light Hub at StumpCross with Police Ambulance and Fire.A WY First Plus a Police Desk at Pontefract Town Hall.
Strengthening local businesses and economy
UPDATED Prince of Wales development ~ Planners relax conditions on access of 540 households to Park Road so further traffic problems ahead.
Links Local, National, Public, Political and Informational...
