I’ve been reflecting on what a busy month it’s been but a good one. Last month we held the Q & A session with Mark Eastwood MP and the issue that probably was discussed most was speeding and I know from my own conversations here and across the ward that is a major concern.
There’s a lot happening about it, as Mark mentions in his article he is tackling it in Westminster and here I’ve agreed to hold a meeting with Council Officers and the Police in June to look at what can be done locally. Also at Council this month, I’ve sponsored a motion on this issue which hopefully all Cllrs will support. It calls for a road safety review and for speeding reduction plans to be published It also asks the West Yorkshire Mayor, who sets priorities for Policing, to set out what her plans are as well. Tackling speeding is multi-faceted, as is the solution.
One part of the solution is the return of Speed Indicator Devices which highlight speeding and we have 3 allocated for the Kirkburton ward which hopefully will be being installed in April and one will initially be located on Lane Head Rd. I have also made a bid for some more funding to secure two more, one of which would be based in Shepley & one in Shelley.
We’ve also seen the launch of the improved recycling policy for Kirklees which I have written about in more detail elsewhere in the magazine. My recent comments on this and the linked issue of how we respond to concerns about climate issues has also led to some interesting conversations and I would thank the people who have contacted me about this. I have spoken with one resident about alternative ways of dealing with food waste and am following this up and have also agreed to sponsor some food waste workshops in the Summer in my ward as well.
I also this week met with a resident who is researching the issues around the move to net-zero carbon and the divergent views about this and I shared my view that we should be focussing on the things we can all agree on, rather than focussing on divergent views. I’m also looking forward to working with the WI on how we as a village can play our part in making our world a better place for future generations. I am sure this is an ambition everyone can share, regardless of differences on the best ways to get there.
Finally, I’d like to mention the impact that energy prices surging and the other inflationary factors are having on us. I’ve written elsewhere about the rebate all eligible households will receive and hope you will share this and check neighbours and family to make sure they get the rebate if eligible. The inflationary pressures and rising interest rates have also led me to ask questions at the Council about the viability of the big ambitious plans for Huddersfield Town Centre. I am worried about whether this is in danger of being a black hole that money continues to pour into. You can rest assured I will continue to ask questions about this and look at the detailed costings and assumptions throughout the development. We saw with the purchase of the George Hotel that the administration clearly didn’t do their homework and understand the costs associated with the purchase, this was a heart ruling head decision and the costs and end vision for this iconic building remain unclear.
