Usually August is the quietest month for the Council as most people tend to have holidays so committees don’t meet but this year does seem to have been different. I am as busy as ever. Highways and traffic remain high on the agenda and I have provided an update elsewhere on the action plan produced as a result of the Public Meeting on speeding.
I have met several times with Graham West, the Kirklees Director at the meeting, looking at what can be done and starting to push forward the proposals. I also met with Highways at the beginning of August to discuss some other long-standing Highways related matters which included what could be done to our pedestrian crossing to address safety concerns, tackling worries about safety at the bottom of Stretchgates, where part of the wall by Shepley Dike has collapsed and ownership is unclear and also about the plans to convert the section of the Knowle from by the Viaduct up to the residential area into a bridleway.
We also have the first of our two speed indicator devices installed on Lane Head Rd and whilst the foilage still needs cutting back as I write, this will have been done before you read this. This will also record traffic speeds at this point on the road. The second one will be installed on Marsh Lane near Addy’s Farm. I’ve also been working with Mark Eastwood MP on a campaign about speeding which he has written more about and to suport this I am taking a motion to Council in September about speeding and road safety.
I enjoyed volunteering to help the Friends of Cliffe House with their Summer Garden Party even though I was mainly in the car park there! That said it was a great event and I know a lot of people attended and had a tour of the House which of course now looks fabulous since it has been refurbished and was glad I was able to help.
I was back at Cliffe House on 3rd August for the Food Waste Workshop which I had organised with Kirklees. This was really interesting and I certainly came away with some ideas and tips, especially around the storage of food and how to help it stay fresh longer. I know that there is more about this elsewhere in the magazine but at a time when budgets are strained with energy prices rising, any help to stretch the food budget further is welcome.
You’ll be shocked to learn that 35% of the waste collected in grey bins is food waste. Tackling this will help us all to live more lightly on the planet, making better use of the resources and of course not contributing so much to landfill or incineration.
Another success this month, which has taken a lot of work, was securing the final £80K funding to enable Hockey in Kirklees to be established at Storthes Hall which already supports football and Rugby. This funding from Kirklees adds to the £188K which had already been raised. The new pitch will be ready for the new season there.
Finally, just a thank you to everyone who came to the fundraiser I held at home on 7th August. I am up for re-election next year and need to raise the funds for my election campaign and it was great to have nearly 40 people come for lunch and to support me, so a big thank you from me!
Reporting Back
In last month’s magazine I promised an update on progress on the Village Action Plan, following the public meeting on speeding and traffic in June and so have below shown what actions have been agreed and timescales where these are known:
Firth St, congestion and issues parking in turning circle - Consultation to be undertaken on introducing restrictions (yellow lines?) on the turning circle. Implementation would be around six months as legal consultation timescales which have to be abided by when making changes of this nature.
Identified accident black spots: Carr Lane/Cross Lane junction and Marsh Lane/Penistone Rd junction - Initial concepts to be shared with Cllr Taylor at meeting in September. Hopefully work will be carried out in 2022/23.
Speeding on Marsh lane - Speed data collection commissioned before end of October. Review to follow to consider proposals to improve safety, this could include additional signage and white lining to narrow the road.
School advanced “flashing signs” - Review during school holidays to ensure working correctly and times for operation are correct.
Zebra Crossing – Abbey Rd - Review underway to consider how road safety can be improved and concerns raised addressed.
Speeding through Village - 3 locations for additional speed counts agreed and intened to conclude analysis by the end of October.
Request for Speed Indicator Devices - Initial one installed on Lane Head Rd, second one planned for Marsh Lane, hopefully installed by the end of August.
Concern raised about lack of Crossing Point in Birdsedge - Review and data analysis undertaken by end of October. Outcome to be discussed with Denby Dale Cllrs.
There were other issues that were raised that sit outside of the responsibility of the Council and will be pursued with the Police and other parties.
