Councillor Matt Palmer

Today (Thursday 1st May) is the election day.

If you’re not sure whther you are going to vote, please do. If you are going to vote, please consider Dale Smith. That’s not just a party reccommendation, it’s personal - Dale has been working hard for Burley and Menston for many years, he’s doing a good job and he’s earned our support many times over. I shall be casting my vote at the Queens Hall this evening - polls are open until 10pm!

Matt

PS. If you have a postal vote and haven’t sent it back yet, you can complete it and hand it in at the polling station.

Hi all,

The Wharfedale Forums site has been upgraded - in a little bit more of a rush than planned, due to someone spamming the old forum with a rather unsuitable post - something that shouldn’t be possible, but the software the site was running was rather dated. The new one is up and running - minus the old messages - please visit, register and get involved!

www.wharfedaleforums.com

Matt

A shameless plug for a fund raiser - but a rather special one! Whatever your political views, William Hague is probably one of the most interesting politicians we have today - why not give yourself a treat for the new year and join him for dinner locally in a few weeks time? A few tickets are still available!
Shipley Conservatives » Dinner with William Hague - 31st January 2008

In this issue…

* What would you do with £100,000?
* Christmas lights & market
* Moor lane & station junction
* The Lawn & Burley Grange

Continue Reading »

Several people have asked me what is happening with The Grange at the moment (beyond someone stealing materials from the roof the other week).

The latest information is that the College have considered the proposal by the Parish Council and a developer for the purchase of the Grange and partial use of the gound floor for community use and adult education. Having looked at it, they’ve decided to see if they can get a better price elsewhere.

Whether they will or not is hard to say, but we can hold out some hope as they have said they will consider the community element when selecting a buyer.

It’s now some four years since I was appointed as a board member at Aire Wharfe Community Housing Trust (now Aire Wharfe Local Management Trust), which as part of Bradford Community Housing Trust runs the former council properties in Wharfedale and Airedale.

This has been for the most part a worthwhile experience, allowing me to keep a close eye on developments such as The Lawn as well as helping me assist several residents with housing issues. However, with the change in structure it now seems more beneficial to be on the outside, where I can, if need be, disagree with the trust, and not be constrained by the obilgations of being a board member.

It also takes up quite a lot of time, which reduces the time I can spend on issues such as Burley Grange, Green Lane, Education, roads… and everything else that comes across my desk as a district and parish councillor.

I have, therefore, resigned from the housing trust. Whilst it’s harder to comment on the rest of BCHT as I don’t know it so well, the board at Aire Wharfe is active, interested, competent and focussed on improving housing in both Burley and Menston - though it is not an easy task. I am sure they will get on just find without me… and if they don’t? I’m not going anywhere!

You may have noticed that Burley now has a Police Contact Point. However, you may alos have noticed that a year after volunteers were recruited to staff it, it is still 100% closed.

The contact point - funded by the police and the council - it due to open in the Queens Hall just as soon as volunteers can be checked by the police for a criminal record - a process that, it seems, takes a week or two for police officers but a year or more for those who ffer their time for free tobenefit their community.

I have, therefore written to the Cheif Contstable of West Yorkshire - and when I have a formal reply, I will let you know. In the meantime, I’ve been quietly assured that the police will try to put their foot on the accelerator and push these through  in ‘a matter of weeks’. Given the delay so far, I know that seems unlikley - but local officers are genuinely working hard to open it, so I for one will give them the benefit of the doubt. In the meantime, however, Burley Parich Council has also written a letter.

anyone who wants to do likewise can write to:

Sir Norman Bettison
Cheif Constable
West Yorkshire Police Headquarters
PO Box 9
Wakefield
WF1 3QP.

At the very least, they might just realise it would be quicker to do the checks than to respond to more letters!

It seems it’s goodbye to the ‘Green Lane Bypass’ after it’s short period of fame - which reached as far as the Daily Mail.

My thanks to everyone who participated in the process (whatever their view), particularly those who live on Green Lane, for whom I know this episode has been particularly difficult. I received a large number of letters both for and against - so many in fact that I have not had time yet to respond to every one.

Nonetheless, the council made the right decision in refusing permission - and credit where it’s due to the applicant for promptly accepting the decision.

What we have to do now is to make sure that the land is returned to it’s former glory as a key part of the Green Belt around Burley Woodhead.

The underlying issue here is simple though. Some are still saying that the road improved access. They are right - it did. Nothing, however, overcomes the main issue - that green belt development is bad for for Burley and it’s future as the semi-rural village we know and love. We need to protect our community and our environment by ensuring that the green belt stays exactly that - green. That’s why I said in my election address that I would fight against green belt development, and that is exactly what I am doing, and I will continue to do it without hesitation. Anything that potentially opens up the local green belt for further development is a bad thing.

We also need to ensure that all developments go through the proper process, as it is there for our benefit. Perhaps in time we will be able to look at ways we can improve access to green lane without destroying vast swathes of green fields. A passing place perhaps? I think that if an application were submitted, that may get more support.

Time may heal wounds in the community, but once land is built on it too often tends to be permanent.

Full marks to the Council planners for a good decision.

Councillor Palmer
Does the Leader believe that education in the district should be delivered by
the Council?

Answer
We are committed to working in partnership with Education Bradford to
continue to raise standards, and at a faster rate over the next few years.
Education is now fully integrated into Children’s Services. As I have already
stated I believe that the Council should look to bring together all education
functions with the rest of Children’s Services. We will be looking closely at the
best mix of private, voluntary and public sector provision to meet the needs of
Bradford’s children and young people after the end of the current contract.
Supplementary Question
Does the Leader rule out an extension of Education Bradford’s contract when
it expires in 2010?

Answer from Councillor Hopkins

There’s been much speculation since I dared to actually consider that
education be undertaken by this Council, about it’s future. First of all let’s not
forget why we’re in this situation, the shameful position that this Council is not
in a position to deliver education itself. I’ve not rejected any option for
delivering education, unlike what Councillor Berry suggested or hinted that I
have rejected something - I have not rejected any position. What I will say is
that I do welcome the enormous effort undertaken by our staff and by
Education Bradford to drive up education standards in this District. But
actually what we should have is the opportunity, the choice to actually deliver
our own education system and actually, at this moment in time, we don’t have
that opportunity. To actually to respond to what a member of the public
suggested that I somehow fettered the bidding process as well in the fact by
suggesting that I’d given an open opportunity for Education Bradford to
respond, I will say that we don’t have the opportunity at this moment in time to
deliver education in this District as a Council. We’re going to have to earn
that right to do that and what I say is I believe that we should work towards
that opportunity and at that moment in time when we have to make a decision
and we’ve got a full contract with you going on at this moment in time, or
about to start, then we have an opportunity to make the right decision.
So I am not ruling in or out Education Bradford. I welcome the work that’s
been undertaken, but we should have the opportunity to deliver education and
that choice by this Council and we’re in a shameful position that that
administration left us in, in 2000.

TodayI have launched a petition to the new Prime Minister to retain our funding for courses. If we’re to get new colleges in to run courses they need the funding support to do so. This will be my final request for your help, and very much our last chance. Please take a minute to visit www.keepbradfordlearning.com and sign the petition, which will be formally presented to Parliament by Philip Davies MP. If you want to know more, you can read the T&A article here.

Please click here to sign the petition.