Lindley Chimes 4th Annual Christmas Celebration Dinner at Lindley Liberal Club was attended by over 70 older residents this year – the biggest number since the event began.

At the event, held at Lindley Liberal Club, local residents enjoyed a Christmas Dinner, pleasant company and entertainment provided by Lindley Junior School Choir and Almondbury Duo Dave and Kim Valentine.

Lindley Chimes is a community organisation in its fifth year which specialises in providing social opportunities for older residents in the Lindley and Huddersfield Area. The Group meets weekly on a Tuesday between 11 and 13.30 at Lindley Liberal Club for chat, refreshments, activities and entertainment.

Ann Beaumont from Chimes said:
“We are really pleased by the number of people who came to the Annual Christmas Dinner this year. Chimes membership has just grown and grown and grown. It goes to show that there is a real need among older residents for a place to go and meet regularly like we have here in Lindley. We are always looking for new members and would encourage anyone who wants to get out a bit more to come along.”

Cllr Cahal Burke, a long term supporter of the Chimes Group also attended the dinner. He said:
“I agree entirely with Ann, isolation among older residents is far too common and more groups like Chimes are needed across Kirklees. They do a fantastic job and service for the community and I cannot speak highly enough of them.”

http://www.lindleylib.co.uk/

Huddersfield Area Committee has agreed to fund a police and community room at Salendine Nook Shopping Centre for a further two years.

The funding of £2000 was agreed on the basis that the ongoing police presence at the centre had acted as a deterrent to antisocial behaviour in the local areas in addition to having benefited the polices’ work and relationship with the community.

The room will be used by police and community support officers while they are on duty as a private space where they can take reports or gather information from members of the public. It will also enable officers to spend more time on the beat as they won’t have to travel into the Town Centre for comfort breaks.

The room will also be available for wider community use. It is already used for joint police and councillor surgeries and for community group meetings.

Cllr Burke (Lib Dem, Lindley) who worked with the police to establish the initiative welcomed the committee backing its continuation for further two years, he said:

“The police and community room has proven a success over the last twelve months and I am glad that it has received funding for a second year.

It’s allowed the Neighbourhood Policing Team spend more time patrolling the streets which is good for the area and public safety.

It’s also provided a place where the public can come and see the officers and speak to them in private which is really important to getting people to come forward in the first place. Police surgeries used to happen in the public foyer which obliviously wasn’t ideal.

It’s important to realise this isn’t just a police room, it’s a multi agency space. It is and will be used by other agencies and community groups. So for the small amount of rent we are securing a space which can be used for the wider benefit of the community. This is why it’s important that the Cabinet don’t cut all community funding for next year.”

Police Sergeant David Coldwell of Huddersfield North NPT said:

“Use of the community room at Salendine Nook Shopping Centre has proved invaluable for Huddersfield North NPT. The space enables officers to hold meetings with local residents, complete reports and increases the time spent on patrol as a result of officers no longer having to return to the police station to take refreshment breaks.”

Pavement improvements at Howard Road in Lindley will start next Monday in response to complaints about pedestrian safety.

Councillor Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, Lindley) was contacted by residents, directly and via a survey, earlier in the year by residents complaining that the pavements on Howard Road near the HRI were broken and uneven and could potentially cause someone to suffer a fall.

Having undertaken investigations and discussions with Kirklees Officers, Cllr Burke subsequently had the case for improving Howard Road’s pavements submitted for inclusion in Lindley ward’s annual highways programme.

This was subsequently agreed and the work on Howard Road will now take place before Monday 23 December.

Every ward in Kirklees benefits from a ward highways programme paid for each year by delegated funds and supported by Kirklees Street Scene Service.

The Council’s Streetscene service has written to all residents advising them when the work will happen; asking that overhanging vegetation or hedges be cut back and that all vehicles are parked away from the road between 7.30am and 4.00pm as access and egress will be limited while the work is taking place.

Cllr Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, Lindley) said:
“Residents living on Howard Road got in touch with me about the pavements early this year; both directly and through a survey. Clearly there was a threat to pedestrian safety and neighbouring roads had already been improved in previous years. I am very pleased that Howard Road will now receive the same investment and that the work will be done before Christmas. If residents have any issues they can contact me or Simon Atkinson at the council on 01924 326142 or by emailing simon.atkinson@kirklees.gov.uk.”
If residents need to speak to someone outside office hours they can ring Highways Customer Care on 01484 414700.

Local residents whose street is being blighted by an “eyesore” empty home have told their local councillor they want the Council to be doing more to get this sort of property tidied up and back in use.

Lib Dem (pictured) has been working on behalf of the residents to get the owner to tidy the front garden and drive which is wildly overgrown and affecting neighbouring house prices.

Cllr Burke has been told that the Council has written to the owner to inform them of the complaints and to explain what help is on offer to get the property back on the market. But based on his experience of when this has happened in relation to other private properties in his ward, Cllr Burke is not expecting a quick turn around.

Cllr Burke said:

“I entirely agree with the local residents when they say that the Council should do more to get properties like this, which have stood empty for an age and are running wild, tidied up and back on the market.

“At present the Council’s approach is to send the owner a letter and to be honest when residents say to me that it won’t work and it’s not good enough they’re right. Some home owners will react and take up the offer of help but for real problem properties it is not enough. The letters go ignored and nothing else happens. And the Council can’t march on to the land and cut it back as there is no “risk” to people’s safety. There are other powers which some of our neighbouring councils use but Kirklees doesn’t. Kirklees Cabinet’s would rather leave residents and council services fighting a futile battle. People are rightly asking why we’re such a soft touch.”

Work has been undertaken to repair and improve a footpath linking Longwood to Salendine Nook after residents told their local councillor it needed attention

The footpath in question runs between Salendine Nook High School and Longwood Edge Road/Haugh’s Lane and is used frequently by high school and college students as well as local residents and dog walkers.

The work on the footpath came about after Cllr Burke (Lib Dem) undertook a survey of local people earlier in the year. The condition of the footpath was one of the chief complaints. The survey results, along with the matter being raised with the councillor as his weekly Saturday surgery at the Mount Sainsburys, led to Cllr Burke negotiating with Council Officer to get the work done.

The work started three weeks ago and will be completed by the middle of next week. The work included:

•Clearing the path and cutting back the vegetation
•Levelling the path surface
•Installing of timber edging
•Resurfacing with compacted recycled road planings
Cllr Burke said:

“This footpath is an important local link between Longwood and Salendine Nook.

It provides school and college pupils with direct access to the school grounds which is safer and quicker than walking along the road side. It also encourages them to get extra exercise and helps keep cars off the roads.

The path is also important for people wanting to make their way from Longwood to Salendine Nook, to Mount and to Lindley as well as being a popular route for dog walkers. Public Rights of Way play an important part in helping people of all ages keep active and healthy and need to be looked after.

I am really pleased that the Council has supported me in getting this work done after people raised the issue with me as their local councillor. I ask people using the path to take care of it and to report any issues such as littering or dog fouling to the council.”

Lindley Councillor Cahal Burke who in 2011 successfully fought off earlier plans to charge residents living around the HRI for parking outside their homes has re-launched his campaign on behalf of local residents.

Kirklees Labour Cabinet announced its plans to introduce a £30 charge per permit in its budget proposals for running the council in 2014/15 when it met on the 5 November.

9000 permits are currently issued by the Council with 1011 being issued to residents living on roads near the HRI.

The cost to local people would £15090.

Cllr Burke has launched a petition that can be accessed here: http://signme.org.uk/880

Cllr Burke said:

“The HRI is a major public service site that runs 24/7, 365 days year.

In terms of the Huddersfield area, this creates an almost unique set of circumstances for the residents living nearby.

I don’t think it is right for the Council to ask these residents – who show a great deal of goodwill to the hospital – to pay for permits without which they would find it almost impossible to park near their homes for the majority of the time.

I think the Cabinet needs to think about what local people put up with and to repay them by exempting them from the charge.

In fact, I think the Cabinet needs to give a great deal of more thought to this policy and whether it needs amending in other ways.

Their “one size fits all” approach shows little understanding of the diversity of our communities and little interest in talking to residents or shaping ideas to take account local issues. They only seem interested in the shortest route to increasing revenue for the council.

The hospital makes over £200k a year from their pay and display car parks, none of which goes to fund for patient care, but local residents are being asked to pay £15K to park outside their own homes across the road. It doesn’t seem fair.”

SIGN THE PETITION HERE:

http://signme.org.uk/880

Salendine Nook TRA recently hosted a cooking event which saw local youngsters preparing a meal for older residents living on Pennine Crescent.

The event – organised by Salendine Nook TRA, the Police and Cllr Cahal Burke – aimed to give local youngsters the chance to learn cooking skills whilst providing an opportunity to bring older and younger residents together in order to encourage better integration within the community.

The local branch of Sainsburys provided the food while Marsh DIY provided the cooking equipment.

Cllr Cahal Burke (pictured) who was involved in organising the event said:

“Often any problems between younger and older people are the result of the two groups living very separate lives. This sort of event, while giving the young people new life skills, gave everyone the chance to get to know each other on a personal level and to do away with some stereotypes which aren’t true and are actually stopping people getting along. I would like further activities like this to take place in the future and thank Sainsbury’s, Marsh DIY, Salendine Nook TRA and the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team for their support in getting this done.”

PCSO Hayley Hudson said:

“It was a really good day and everyone went home having made a new friend. It was lovely helping the children cook for the residents who all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience. Big thanks to the TRA, the residents, to Cllr Burke and to Sainsbury and Marsh DIY who supplied food and equipment. This sort of event should happen more often.”

At the recent meeting of Kirklees Council I spoke on a number of issues and raised concerns brought to my attention by local residents in the Lindley ward.

On the Local Development Framework Core Strategy debate I spoke of the importance of the Grimescar Valley which is in the Lindley ward. When the plans are being considered again I will do all I can with my party to protect Grimescar Valley and keep it out of the Local Development Framework Core Strategy. I is important to protect our green fields and greenbelt and do all we can to Save Grimescar Valley.

I pleaded with cabinet members to think long and hard about the proposals to expand Reinwood Schools by 210 places making it one of the biggest schools in the district. Expanding the school by 210 places will have a massive impact on the local raods and infrastructure in particular Willwood Avenue which struggles presently to cope with the volume of traffic. I will be working with residents and parents in the coming months to get their views across and fight for the best possible outcome. My preferred option has and still is the need for a new primary school in the Lindley ward to deal with the shortage of school places.

www.cahalburke.co.uk

www.facebook.com/CahalBurke

www.twitter.com/CahalBurke

I was delighted to open the new bicycle storage facility at Moorlands Primary. With the support of organisations like Sustrans, Moorlands has done a great deal to give staff and pupils the option of making healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys to and from the School each day.

The new bicycle storage facility demonstrates the School’s on going commitment to getting staff and pupils to make different choices about transport as part of active and healthy lifestyles.

www.moorlandsprimary.co.uk

www.sustrans.org.uk

The Huddersfield First Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped to create a pathway in a residential area of Lindley as part of their “Helping Hands” programme.

The “Helping Hands” programme brings together members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with their neighbours to undertake community work. The “Helping Hands” programme reflects the desire of Mormons to follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving others and is intended to help improve people’s understanding and awareness of the church. Helping Hands is a worldwide programme with volunteers donating millions of hours of service to their communities.

The Huddersfield First Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based on Halifax Road, Birchencliffe.

The Church contacted Cllr Cahal Burke when they were looking for projects for their biannual Helping Hands Day. Cllr Burke was aware that Bovis Homes had not been required to put in a footpath linking Blackthorn Drive to Brecon Avenue despite it clearly being needed and the developer having actually built steps up to the border where the path would begin. Thankfully, Church leaders involved in the Helping Hands programme agreed to take up the challenge.

Members worked with council officers and members of the community to clear a path that will makes it easier for residents to move about the estate and access the local the village. The work involved removing a fence, clearing debris, waste and vegetation.

Cllr Burke said:

“It’s really good of the church members to volunteer to create the path as part of their Helping Hands Day. Eventually I hope funding will be found to create an official, maintained path. However, until then – thanks to the help of the Church and local people – the situation has been immediately improved which I am immensely thankful for.”

Neville Oldham, local public affairs worker for the church, said:

“We never know how many people will be able to make time, in their busy lives, to come along and work with us, but we are delighted with the great turnout and all who came along and enjoyed working together and making a difference to our local community.”