Welcome to Issue 16 of the Parish Council Newsletter.
November 2007
The Council is constantly anxious to improve road safety in the area and the Emley rat-run is of particular concern. Requests for active road signs at 2 sites in Emley have been rejected as accident figures and traffic speeds did not put the area above average risk. However, the assessment for active road signs on the A636 is continuing.
The Council was pleased to hear that work had commenced on refurbishing the play area at Upper Denby. This has been made possible through a joint funding project with Kirklees MC and the input of £5000 from Denby Dale Parish Council. The Upper Denby play area has now been completed!
December 2007
For a number of years the Council has been lobbying to have the Polling Station in Emley moved to a more suitable and safely accessible location. Following representations by the Parish Council, the Elections Officer visited various possible venues and decided to use Methodist Church in Emley as a polling station in future elections.
The Council is pleased to announce that having awarded the Skelmanthorpe Youth and Community Association a grant of £8000 earlier in the year towards the new Youth and Community Centre, they have now re-visited this matter and agreed a further £8000, increasing the original amount to that requested of £16000. This is a fantastic project which aims to convert the Savoy Squash Club extension into a multi-purpose Youth and Community facility for the whole Parish.
January 2008
The Council has been invited by the Yellow Bus Commission to submit evidence of issues facing school transport in the area which they will use in their report. It is hoped this might be the first step towards improved school transport which has been an issue of concern to the Council for a number of years.
Councillors, like yourselves, being local people, rely heavily on local shops and services. As a result of everyday conversations with businesses in the area Councillors have concluded that a local Business Association may be of benefit to both the community and businesses alike, in helping to promote trade and the general well being of the area. The Parish Council is currently working with local businesses to facilitate the formation of such a body and have so far hosted an inaugural meeting.
As you will have seen in Focus on the Dale the Council is initiating hanging baskets throughout the area. It is hoped an increase in floral displays and some additional Christmas lighting through sponsorship could be one spin-off from such an association.
Public Transport
The Council continues to lobby Metro and Stagecoach for improvements to public transport across the Parish. Although Stagecoach acknowledges some of these problems, as yet we are not in a position to see if the minor timetable changes introduced in January have led to improvements to the service.
Stagecoach has promised 6 new buses on the 80, 81 and 82 routes, but these are not now expected until early March. However, on a positive note, the problems of overcrowding on these routes have been acknowledged and the specification for the new vehicles amended to increase seating capacity.
Corrections and Clarifications
The editors of the Denby Dale Parish Council Newsletter and the Focus on the Dale have mixed feelings about having to join that growing band of newspapers and other print media who set aside a column in their publication devoted to corrections and clarifications.
In our recent Focus on the Dale we printed a photograph which purported to be The Quaker Meeting House, High Flatts. Unfortunately, although in the same complex, the photograph was of a private residence. As editor of the Focus I take full responsibility for the mistake but take heart from the reply to a question put recently to The Times newspaper by a reader: “Why”, the reader asked, “do you sometimes make silly, obvious mistakes?
The editor replied:
Silly, obvious mistakes can slip by in the hurly-burly of newspaper production. They shouldn't, but they do. We regularly remind our reporters and sub-editors of the need for accuracy throughout the paper at all times. We wish our faults were fewer; the only consolation is that most of the mistakes we make are harmless in themselves.
Mine was a harmless mistake, a mistake made by an unpaid volunteer who enjoys producing four newsletters each year to keep local people informed of some of the things the Parish Council does.
Cllr Jane Birdsall
DENBY DALE PARISH COUNCILLORS 2007 – 2011
EMLEY WARD
Cllr D W Kaye 3 Chapel Lane, Emley, HD8 9SP
Cllr M Mills 10 Outlane, Emley, HD8 9RL 01924 849934
Cllr E I Shaw 15 Rectory Lane, Emley, HD8 9RR 01924 848364
Cllr N Wilson Newfield End, Scar Hole Lane, Cumberworth HD8 8YE 01924 840759
CLAYTON WEST WARD
Cllr C Barnfield 28 Pennine Rise, Scissett, HD8 9JE 01484 862717
Cllr Mrs A Heaton 51 Sunnymead, Scissett, HD8 9JA
Cllr T D Sigsworth 2 Dukewood Road, Clayton West, HD8 9HF 01484 860534
Cllr Mrs S Simpson 17 Wakefield Road, Scissett, HD8 9HR
DENBY & CUMBERWORTH WARD
Cllr Mrs M Barlow 4 Greenside, Denby Dale, HD8 8QY 01484 862537
Cllr J A Barlow 4 Greenside, Denby Dale, HD8 8QY 01484 862537
Cllr R Brook 83 Barnsley Road, Upper Cumberworth HD8 8NN 01484 606275
Cllr Mrs C Rimmer 9 Balk Lane, Upper Cumberworth, HD8 8NZ
Cllr Mrs K Thursby 14 Thorpes Avenue, Denby Dale, HD8 8SP
Cllr Mrs A Tribe 4 Penistone Road, Birdsedge, HD8 8XP 01484 606618
SKELMANTHORPE WARD
Cllr Mrs J E Birdsall 12 Heather Fold, Skelmanthorpe, HD8 9LD 01484 860174
Cllr J C Birdsall 12 Heather Fold, Skelmanthorpe, HD8 9LD 01484 860174
Cllr A Stimson 9 Ashfield Ave, Skelmanthorpe, HD8 9BW 01484 866968
Cllr G Turner 20 Beechfield Avenue, Skelmanthorpe,
HD8 9BZ 01484 864446
Cllr K Waites 4 Pennine Way, Scissett, HD8 9JB 01484 865449
Vacancy
CLERKS OFFICE
Dr Hazel Chowcat – Clerk, Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe Tel/fax 01484 222963
Mr K Haigh – Assistant
Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe email: denbydaleparishcouncil@kirklees.gov.uk
COUNTRYSIDE OFFICER
Mr A Wickham Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe 01484 222960
For more information about the council and other local matters visit the Denby Dale Parish website at:
www.denbydale.com
Dates for your diary
Tues 26 Feb Planning Committee 7.30pm
Tues 4 March Full Council 7pm
Tues 11 March Finance and GP 7.30pm
Tues 18 March Planning Committee 7.30pm
Tues 1 April Full Council 7pm
Tues 29 April Planning Committee 7.30pm
Tues 6 May AGM 7pm
Tues 20 May Planning Committee 7.30pm