Ossett News Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Week ending Saturday 12th March 2022 The weatherman said on the news that the temperature on Thursday was to be warmer than the Greek Islands. Well, I was out and about in Horbury & South Ossett, and I was frozen. So, I guess that means that the Greek Islands were cold also, or did they get it wrong? On Monday afternoon, Wakefield Council’s Business Support Team organised a Roundtable event for businesses across Wakefield. The event was held at The Junction in Horbury Junction. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how businesses across the whole of Wakefield are starting to decarbonise. This is a massive and very complex subject. It was truly amazing to see what is being done and how Wakefield Council can support them on this journey. Solutions discussed ranged from planting thousands of trees to installing acres of solar panels, and heat source pumps to highly energy effective new buildings. Monday evening was the monthly Horbury Village Partnership meeting. We agreed the installation of this summer’s hanging baskets along with the replacement of the Union flags across Queen Street & High Street. On Tuesday evening I approached my trade union UNITE for a range of small donations to help local groups. All of my requests were successful. Ill give more details over the following weeks. My Tuesday evening was rounded off by attending the Horbury Civic Society’s monthly meeting. This is a great opportunity to talk to people who want to make a real difference to Horbury and surrounding area. On Wednesday morning, I took the opportunity to have a walk around and do a spot of shopping in Horbury. I finished just before lunchtime calling into the coffee morning at the Methodist Church. With my Cabinet hat on, I met with Tracey Brabin the Mayor of West Yorkshire on Wednesday afternoon. This was an opportunity for the whole Cabinet to update the Mayor on our work across our district. This was a useful meeting as it gave us the chance to showcase our work, which is leading the way across West Yorkshire in many ways. You may be aware that the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is planning a shake-up of Council Ward boundaries across Wakefield. Their work will start later this year and will include many chances for public consultation. The reason for the review is two-fold. Firstly, is it around 12 years since the last review and some Ward areas have significantly more residents than others. For example, here in Horbury & South Ossett we have just under 12,000 voters. In Knottingley I am told there are over 14,000 electors. This imbalance needs to be corrected. The work of the LGBCE will take around 2 years to complete and will be implemented at the May elections in 2026 – 4 years from now. Watch this space and I will keep you posted. This week saw the completion of the resurfacing of Industrial Street in Horbury Junction. When I was first elected back in 2016, I first reported the state of this residential street. After nearly 6 years of trying, it has been done! This picture shows the before and after shots. Before the work, you were able to see the original cobbles. This week has also seen the start of the public consultation for the introduction of the 20mph zone in the Sycamore and Green Lane areas. This should be completed and installed within the next 4 months. Another outstanding job completed this week was the new SLOW road marking on Jenking Lane. This simple road signage should improve the safety of the residents on this very tight and narrow bend. Thank you to the resident who brought this to my attention. My next projects include, trying to resolve parking issues in Horbury Bridge and on Stannard Well Lane – I am trying my best with these two issues. Did you know that anyone can register for a postal vote? You can register to vote by post in local and general elections. All you need to do is either – send an email with your full name and postal address to – elections@wakefield.gov.uk and they will send you the application form and a return envelope. Or you can let me know your details and I will arrange for you to get the information. Either way it is a simple and straightforward application and process. On Friday morning I attended a Jobs Fair organised by Wakefield Council’s Step-Up Team. The fair was held in Trinity Walk and featured around 12 local employers. Between the employers present they had over 550 job vacancies. They ranged from bus drivers to pallet makers, from care workers to warehouse operatives. The next Jobs Fair will be held in Knottingley in April. However, you can find out more about Step-Up’s free service at www.StepUPWakefield.com or for more information and to make an appointment with a member of the team at a time and place which suits you, call us on 01924 303334 or email stepup@wakefield.gov.uk The war in the Ukraine is dreadful and totally unnecessary. The refugee crisis which our government appears to be ignoring is causing huge heartache for millions of Ukrainians as they flee the Russian aggression. Konin is Wakefield's twin city in Poland. Our friends there are welcoming refugees from the war in Ukraine. They are asking for our help. Wakefield District Labour Party is raising funds to provide food, warmth and shelter for desperate people who have left everything behind. Every penny we receive through this appeal will go directly to support Ukrainian refugees in Konin. If you feel you can help please visit our JustGiving page at - www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wakefielddlp-ukrainian-refugees-in-konin?utm_term=YwRWrYA4Q&fbclid=IwAR1VXV7maBZPqoTupvWc0qOyCq-9F8vIo1FsDqMVvLbIpyq1N_uGZ4W_X-A Please share this page link through your own social media pages – thank you. On Saturday morning Deb Nicholls and a team spent the morning in Horbury Junction, delivering leaflets and talking to residents. This was a very successful morning; Deb and I were made most welcome on the doorstep and chatting to a local whist washing his car on Industrial Street. Finally, this week, I was honoured to call to see the residents of Southfield Close. This was for the cheque presentation to Horbury’s Breakthru project part of Horbury’s Churches Together. Their second donation will be going to Parkinson’s UK – each group will receive £600. What an amazing total raised from their Christmas light display on their homes and on their close. Please keep safe and take care. If you need assistance or would like me to be involved in a new local project, please feel free to drop me a line. I will see what I can do to help. Darren View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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