I would like to start this month’s report by highlighting a couple of forthcoming events which I am organising in the village and have more details elsewhere in the magazine. The first is the Food Waste Workshops, one in June in Kirkburton and a second here at Cliffe House in August. Places will be limited so please book asap. This initiative helps both with budgeting and keeping down food costs by making the best use of what we buy but also by reducing food waste it has a positive impact on the environment which is something I know we are all keen to do.
Whilst mentioning food, just a quick thank you to my neighbour Miriam Olutayo who has provided this month’s recipe which is a Nigerian recipe and I’ve had it cooked for me and can recommend it, so why not try something new. I have another local resident in mind to try and get an unusal recipe from for next month, so watch this space.
The second event I’d bring your attention to is the public meeting in June about speeding in the village, a topic I know is often raised with me and I am hoping that this meeting will be helpful is talking about what more can be done. On this I am also glad to be able to confirm that as a result of the work we did as a community a couple of years ago under “Ask Shepley”, I have been able to use the result of this to secure funding for an additional Speed Indicator Device (SID) exclusively for use in Shepley, although it will move round locations.
Still on the Highways theme, people may have noticed that the white lines through the village on the main road have been repainted as well as the Zebra Crossing which I have been frustrated about as this was first requested over 8 months ago. I have also asked for a review of the crossing and whether this could be upgraded to a Pelican, given that our Crossing Patrol Assistant has been absent for a period of time.
I’m also sure many of you have noticed the orange burnt grass around the edge of all of the grassed areas in the village that the Council maintain and also around anything like trees, bins, benches etc. This is due to excessive use of weedkiller and is destroying our green areas as once destroyed the grass rarely grows back. I have raised this with the Council and sought assurances that this practice will be stopped and asked about reseeding. Apparently because of the long-lasting nature of the weedkiller no reseeding can be done this year but have an agreement that a different approach will be piloted here next year and will include some reseeding to help try and improve the appearance of these areas.
Another type of vandalism which I know many of you have noticed and raised with me has been the damage to the lighting columns down on Stretchgates, it is a real shame that someone seeks to spoil something that is there to improve the environment for all of us. This is scheduled for repair and I have spoken with Kirklees about looking to see if there is a way in which these can be better protected and I am also indebted to a resident in the village with experience in this field for his advice on the type of protection that is needed.
