UPDATED Opening shots ring out for the 2015 General Election in Pontefract?

UPDATED this was carried in the Pontefract and Castleford Express on March 6th under Council ducked the vote on Council Tax

In a letter to the local paper a Labour activist has put forward the platform that our MP will use to fight for her seat in the General Election in 2015.

In his letter in the space above our MP's Politically Speaking column, he talks about his impressions of austerity and a sense of dismay at the reductions that Wakefield Council has faced in the supply of taxpayers money for the council to use up on its activities.

Labour controlled Wakefield Council has been one of the long standing Labour Projects and, with a budget still in excess of half a billion pounds a year, has played its part in the Labour tax and spend approach that partly created the grief that we as a nation have been facing. He talks of cuts but completely ignores the simple fact that most Councils including a number of local Labour ones have frozen their Council Tax. Wakefield's tax hike sits just below the threshold for a referendum, which would have allowed the public to decide if it should go ahead but cynically they ducked that.

How are other Councils managing? Well for one thing they have been looking at how they provide services, working to do things in new ways, taking opportunities to work smarter wherever they can. The Leader of Wakefield Council acknowledged years ago that things would have to change, they set up a catalyst council scheme to help the process but, instead, used it as a platform to criticise the government's lack of understanding that the "Wakefield way", the grand 40 year experiment should continue on its path. Insufficient action by WMDC then and the hope of a future Labour government turning the taps back on to drain the money supply again seems to be their preferred way forward.

Interestingly, they have repeated their  40 year old habit of dipping into taxpayers pockets to take  more money when the numbers do not add up. Mr Ayre talks about the concerns that he has heard of from people over recent times. He does not seem to have met the people that I have spoken with who have found it so difficult to live through his party's costly experiments in this part of the world. For many, the local election this May is about what the Labour controlled Council in Wakefield does or does not do for the people of Pontefract when they make their big decisions about our lives and our town.

So who was it that failed Remploy Pontefract?

So who did fail Remploy - Pontefract?

Well it certainly was not Lord Lofthouse, who fought, and kept open the Pontefract site which was recommended for closure by the Labour Government in 2008. Interestingly, our MP was very silent, perhaps little surprise there, considering she was a Minister in that Government at that time.

No, it would appear that the local Labour Party have decided that it was me and they are using the taunt at every video opportunity they get in the Council Chamber and the Mayor will not grant me right of reply or correction.

Interestingly the House of Commons Library published a comprehensive report three days ago 24/2/14

The Sayce report which triggered the initial Labour Government Remploy closures concluded that the closed factory model that was used to give disabled people employment was a poor way to help. That it was more of an investment in bricks and mortar than helping people. In the financial year 2011/12 Remploy employed more than 2,150 disabled people in its factories, but made an operating loss of £49.5 million.

At the same time Remploy Employment Services still offer face-to-face advice and support to disabled jobseekers through its 64 branches in city and town centres around the UK, as well as working with employers.  In 2012/13, Remploy found 17,835 jobs in mainstream employment for “disabled and disadvantaged people”, including 14,700 for disabled people.

Pontefract was selected for closure in 2008 and again in 2012 because it was judged that it could only function with a subsidy that meant a reduction in money available to support other disabled jobseekers.

The local Labour Party and GMB Union in 2011 set out resist the closure. In a debate in the Council Chamber, Cllr Travis the Union's representative on the Council said that the Pontefract plant had work that made it viable. We asked to see the figures and business plan that backed that up and undertook to make representations of the business case to Government Ministers with a view to see if we could make the case to keep the factory open. No figures or plan were forthcoming. At a further meeting where an item was put forward to discuss Remploy I repeated the offer.

To this day there have been no figures or plan put forward and I am starting to wonder if there was ever the case they spoke of.  Now it seems that the controlling group on the council see this as their electoral strategy to deliver six Labour Councillors for Pontefract.

Local people in Pontefract know me better than the Labour Group do.

So back to the question who did fail Remploy Pontefract? If there really was a business case we could have helped if given the chance. So by politicking in the Council Chamber and not following through, Cllr Travis and his Labour Group colleagues used a national closure programme in an attempt to score political advantage, but failed the people they were claiming to help.

As the Leader of the Council has said from time to time, "Thats Politics".

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust - Functional and fit for purpose?

As MYHT waits for government approval of its latest reconfiguration plan we see that in the NHS Staff Survey 27% of staff surveyed complained of harassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues. 44% complained of suffering the effects of stress and the Trust was rated as the lowest in the recommend to a friend or relative table, which pretty much sums up the uneasiness that many people feel.

The grand "Grasping the Nettle" project that was championed by our MP's who obtained "promises" and said it would provide the best in modern healthcare and would be "safe in their hands" has been sliding downwards since its inception in 2003.

The disastrous 2005 PFI championed by Yvette Cooper as Junior Health Minister and then Treasury Secretary has put the Trust into an ongoing financial spin, yearly service payments to Consort the PFI Operator mean that taxpayers will have a yearly bill of over £34 million to pay for a 30 year period. We will have paid over a staggering £1.2 Billion pounds by the time we get the rights to the buildings in 2040. MYHT's own financial position has been crippled by our MP's grand plans which saw a fully functional infirmary with an A&E which provided first class critical injuries support has been replaced with a "Pontefract Hospital" where the beds are in Pinderfields or Dewsbury it has a smaller less functional set of day clinics and what is at best a minor injuries unit.

We hear of staggering levels of negligence payments, the "Gates to Wellness Fiasco" and the £1million pound new appointments and bookings system sending people to none existent appointments or wrong day, date or location options. Each time we see a new issue the Chief Executive undertakes to resolve it, but that is starting to wear thin, particularly as the fixes often come unfixed.

The NHS staff survey creates a whole new problem, I have been hearing that people in the Health Service warn each other about the perils of working at Dewsbury, Pinderfields or Pontefract and that is only going to make things worse.

In a recent newsletter Labour Activists have been trumpeting their achievements and how they are resolving the problems that their own MP's created and nervously try to blame on others.

A hypocritical response that many see through.

Time MYHT gets a grip whilst they can.

UPDATED Wakefield Budget Meeting - Labour Group block Council Tax Freeze

Folks,

Having put the amendment, the Labour Group used their block vote to reject it and push through their budget increase. In doing so they protected their own political position and dipped into the taxpayers pocket because their numbers don't add up.

Cllr Walsh, Opposition Leader, presenting amendment. Proposing council tax freeze and additional savings to pay for it. #budgetcouncil
— Wakefield Council (@MyWakefield) February 26, 2014

Cllr Walsh (Cons) suggesting savings on area working, TU convenors, Cabinet Assistants, Scrutiny, The Citizen #budgetcouncil
— Wakefield Council (@MyWakefield) February 26, 2014

Interestingly they were claiming that the public will prefer their action but they stopped at 1.99% to avoid a budget that would trigger a referendum where the public would make it clear what they think.

I have posted a response here. http://youtu.be/AYDuLSDeLUU 

The Budget debate is here:

 http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/livestreaming.htm

For those that are backing us with this thanks.

Billions of pounds of Taxpayers money in 4 years of Wakefield expenditure...and they want more.

Whilst the Labour Group on WMDC have spent the last four years complaining about government cuts, council annual expenditure has been north of half a billion pounds a year. Still they say that the numbers do not work and want more council tax.

We say NO! The people of the district should not have their pockets picked when the numbers do not add up. Our amendment would freeze the WMDC Council Tax, taking advantage of the Governments grant.

Here is our amendment:

http://mg.wakefield.gov.uk/documents/b11943/Amendment%20to%20Budget%20Proposal%20Wednesday%2026-Feb-2014%2014.00%20Council.pdf?T=9

Here is  our pre-budget video trailing the 2014/2015 budget meeting.

Available here  http://youtu.be/8QTDNlwEzlc

Tune in to the budget webcast today

The budget meeting is on line on this afternoon at  http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/livestreaming.htm

Wakefield Budget meeting 26th February 2014

No to tax and spend, yes to a Council Tax Freeze

Wakefield Budget Day looms

Wednesday 26th of February is decision day for setting the budget for Wakefield District for 2014/2015. The Labour group have continued the standard practice that has very much marked the first forty years of their administration, when the numbers do not add up they dip into the taxpayer's pockets for the difference.

In 2011/2012, at our insistence, they took advantage of the government grant to freeze the council tax but
on Wednesday afternoon they will table a budget that will once more increase council tax in Wakefield District.

This is pretty much the Labour Party position across West Yorkshire wit the exception of the members of the Labour group on Kirklees Council who have broken with their party position and introduced a freeze.

In Wakefield it falls to us to push an amendment through on behalf of our local council tax payers to trigger the freeze.  Should be an interesting afternoon.

Tune in and watch the webcast.

UPDATE 2014 Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust - Pontefract Hospital what next?

It will be  interesting to see what Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust is proposing to do with the new Public Finance Initiative hospital which replaced PGI and is now very much the junior partner in the three hospitals that make up the Trust.  For those who have tracked progress of the grand plan offered by our local MP it is obvious that, instead of a state of the art hospital as promised, we  have greatly reduced services which consist of a minor injuries unit, some out patient facilities, a  WH Smith, a coffee and snack bar and  the most expensive car parks in Pontefract.  Great if you cut your finger or want to meet a friend for a coffee to discuss the morning papers, not so great if you're having a heart attack. When you consider that WMDC have identified space for up to 4000 extra houses within a few  minutes travel of the hospital you would have hoped that it could have offered a more comprehensive service.

Since the PGI A&E unit was bull-dozered,  critical care facilities are now at Dewsbury or Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield. Ambulance staff are instructed to bypass Pontefract Hospital for anyone  with anything other than a minor injury.  Patients find themselves caught up in the chaotic MYHT pinball machine and the golden hour gets frittered away all too quickly, with the potential for a tragic outcome for some of those in most critical need.

The galling thing is that our MPs never seem to be challenged to explain why the promises made have not been delivered or they fail to provide documentation of  the undertakings that they say they have been given.  What are people from the Pontefract area left with?   A compromised provision and a PFI for Pontefract and Pinderfields that will give Consort Health £34 million pounds a year and rising over a 30 year term. 

One Thousand Two Hundred Million Pounds of MYHT & taxpayers money, your money, for what?

UPDATE 2  See Wakefield Express report below..
Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust worst in country for recommend friends or family disgrace

Get your voice heard today

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Shop local - Hardwick Road Post Office

You may recall that I waxed lyrical about the benefits of being able to pop into Hardwick Road Post Office to get my morning newspaper, Hinnitts Scufflers and some smoky bacon, lovely with brown sauce and if you get to generous with that you can now also use their dry cleaning service compliments of Browns of Wakefield.

Potholing in Pontefract - February 2014

I am out with the head of Highways on tour tomorrow morning with a view to him experiencing our reality and coming up with a priority list for road repairs / potholes in Pontefract South (Baghill, Carleton, Chequerfield, Eastbourne, Hardwick/Ackworth Road, Larkshill, Wakefield Road and local roads to East Hardwick, Darrington and Wentbridge),

I already have a number of specific locations and people have given me others on Facebook and out and about. However if you are aware of particular problems that I should consider including give me a buzz or send me a fb message with contact details. 

Lets not get to excited but I am going to see what I can get done. 

Geoff

UPDATED January 2015

Following on from my work in January last year, a programme of repair work was undertaken. Not by any means a complete programme and apart from fairly major work on Hardwick Road from the Railway Bridge to East Hardwick there were a number of local repairs. There are a number of areas that still need work.

When people make promises in the run up to the next election ask for examples of what they have actually done for our community.

Talk is cheap and some will tell you what you want to hear and promise the earth. Ask our six Labour Councillors specifically what they have achieved. Most of their publicity shots relate to projects run and funded by others or work that they have little or no control over.

Icy Roads today, take care

Folks it looks like the first bit of deep frost has arrived this morning. Its a day to wrap up warm.

Some roads and footpaths around the district particularly in the shade may be slippy.

Have a good day, take care.

Geoff

Pontefract Pool to close? Petition to keep the three pools open.

There seem to be a number of groups and individuals coming together behind calls to keep swimming in Castleford, Knottingley and Pontefract.

There is a petition here  currently with 260 signatures.

UPDATED Keep Swimming at Pontefract! & a visit to a WMDC Cabinet Meeting

WMDC commissioned a leisure review last year primarily it appears to address the aftermath of the Minsthorpe Swimming Pool and to look at a way of rationalising swimming provision in the 5 towns by swapping three pools at Knottingley, Castleford and Pontefract and replacing them with a pool and leisure facility (Pontefract Park appears to be one of the favourite locations).

Having studied the review documentation I understand that this will be discussed at the Council Cabinet Meeting tomorrow as well as the Cabinet recommendations on the Budget and an item on the possible disposal of the 5 year old Market building that cost millions but has never been fit for purpose and other items.

As Leader of the Opposition Group, I will be attending to observe the Cabinet's money management skills, you could come along for the public elements or if they have sorted out the camera, view it on line.

Word of caution if you intend to go, it kicks off at 10.30 sharp and the meeting before Christmas had 14 items and lasted 32 minutes. Head towards the room with the whooshing noise unless it is being filmed, in which case it should take a fair bit longer.

UPDATED The meeting lasted 42 minutes, the budget was passed forward to the Council Meeting the Leader has pointed out that all difficulties are due to the Conservative Governments cuts (no mention of the previous government maxing out the state credit card) he further made a general comment about how we local conservatives typically don't support his plans for my benefit.

The budget proposal looks to be a council tax increase of 1.99%.

Pontefract Pool to close?

I have had a first opportunity to look at the report commissioned on Leisure Services across the Five Towns and South East of the District. You may have seen the headlines about pools to close in Knottingley, Castleford and Pontefract in this weeks edition of the Pontefract & Castleford Express,

This has been rumbling on for some time and the consultants talk about demand and facilities beyond their planned life and the risks that go with that. Now some of you may recall the closure of Minsthorpe Pool last year and the way that left the South East without swimming facilities. There was an absolute uproar and a large group of folk went to the Council Chamber in Wakefield to register their disgust. Whilst WMDC talk about the need for £1.1 million to bring the facility back to life, it turned out the closure was about a £1500 repair and a supplementary £15000 to improve some aspects of safety. What that says in the final analysis is that WMDC have not been maintaining and upgrading the districts leisure facilities in a structured and planned way and have had a high cost reactive policy in place, this has been going on for years and is an absolute disgrace..

Of the three pools that are being targeted in the 5 towns, Pontefract is in best condition, busiest and being adjacent to the Town Centre and the Bus Station and with ample parking facilities its loss will be felt. Closing it as part of a plan to replace the three with a single new facility at Glasshoughton, on the Prince of Wales site or on Pontefract Park seems just barmy.

Whatever happens I want to see the best facility in Pontefract for our residents. We have up to 4000 new homes to be built in our part of the world and I am sure that the new residents would join with existing ones in the message Keep Swimming at Pontefract!

We will see what the Cabinet decides on Tuesday they will be using government budget reductions to excuse them in tidying up their years of underfunding leisure and their poor use of resources.

I suspect we may have a battle on our hands and one we need to see the best result for Pontefract and its people.

Decision in on Priory Wood / Town End further compromised.

I went to the planning committee meeting last Thursday morning the 6th of February which was held in the Council Chamber at County Hall, Wood Street in Wakefield for the planning application to build 24 houses on Priory Wood to the rear of houses on Mill Hill and Wakefield Road. There were a number of objections that had been lodged and I put forward a case to reject the application based on access and asked that the decision be deferred so that they could look at the impact and or alternative access.

The planning committee reached their decision in a little short of 40 minutes. They discounted the objections and approved access to Priory Wood allowing a new junction on Wakefield Road about 60 yards from the new junction improvement works at Town End. In doing so they left AirQuality and the new junction improvements compromised before they begin. There was a brief discussion about alternative access but that was effectively rejected based on planning officer advice. All too typical it would seem and another example of the Wakefield - Pontefract relationship. Here we have another local decision made by people who do not know our issues and difficulties.

Whilst there is an outline permission now in place and specific proposals and detailed plans would have to go again to the Planning Department before work can commence it is only at that stage that we will see what is intended and I will do all that I can to ensure that existing residents views are factored in to any subsequent development.

So we are left with a need to see that anything that comes forward under the permission is done properly, with as little negative impact as possible.

In fact it needs to be the very best it can be.

Watch this space.

UPDATED 24 Houses in Priory Wood PLANNING MEETING 6th Feb

Planning UPDATE from Cllr Geoff Walsh

Planning Application reference 13/02705/OUT, Land at Wakefield Road, Pontefract WF8 4HW.

You may recall that having been advised of an OUTLINE planning application to build 24 houses on the woodland at the back of houses on Mill Hill and Wakefield Road, that I called the application in so that the WMDC Planning Committee could hear peoples representations, comments and objections should they wish to make them.

I have been told that the application is to go before the planning committee next Thursday morning the 6th of February which will be held in the Council Chamber at County Hall, Wood Street in Wakefield and I will be putting forward a case to reject the application. My objection relates to the access that the developer is looking to construct so close to Town End which itself has been scheduled for improvement, hopefully by the end of this year. I am further concerned about the scale of development proposed, loss of woodland habitat which in part helps balance the existing air pollution at the junction, proximity to the Town Centre, loss of amenity and potential overlooking of the needs of existing residents.

Following the 2010 consultation, Cllr Denise Jeffery promised to resolve the chaos and congestion that removing the roundabouts and adding lights at Town End had caused yet we are still no further forward. We still have unacceptably long queues, compromised air quality caused by standing traffic which exceeds national limits and the looming problem of additional traffic as up to 4000 more houses are added around the edges of town. The proposed access so close to the junction will only add to these existing problems.

I have been advised that residents who have already made representations or objections will have been notified about the place time and date of the Committee Meeting should they wish to attend.

You may still be able to make representations before Thursday on line or in writing quoting reference13/02705/OUT to the Case Officer
I am further concerned about the loss of woodland habitat so close to the Town Centre, loss of amenity and potential of overlooking to existing residents.

Agenda for the meeting is here and the application is listed amongst reports.

You may be able to make representations before Thursday online here quoting the planning reference 13/02705/OUT

Cllr Geoff Walsh

07973 747342