Councillor Graham Stokes Cabinet Member for Corporate Services

FEBRUARY 2005

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, successful, talented and fabulous? - actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God, your playing small doesn’t serve the word. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It is not just in some of us – it is in everyone! And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others!"
Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Speech 1994

2004 - WHAT A YEAR!
I was just saying at Xmas what a good year we have had with no mishaps, we spent a lovely quiet family Xmas in a rented house overlooking the harbour at Whitby. Then we heard about the earthquake and Tsunami which cost so many thousands their lives, it brings home to you the vulnerability of life and the feeling of powerlessness to do anything about it, I feel for all those families who have lost loved ones at this time. Of course it is not just the loss of lives, it is also the total destruction of a much needed economy which was so dependent on tourism and fishing, areas like Sri Lanka and Thailand will take years to recover. I was though really heartened at the public response to the appeal, it showed once again our caring attitude to other cultures and people, but why do all these catastrophes and deaths always seem to happen at the close of the year? On New Years Eve my brother in law died whilst on holiday in Great Yarmouth. All in all it has been a very sad end to what could have been a good year.

COUNCIL / PRIMARY CARE TRUST ADVICE SHOP
Ashgrove Surgery, Cow Lane, Knottingley is providing accommodation for an officer from Wakefield MDC to give information on Council services and contact details for projects offered by the Primary Care Trusts. The idea is not to provide a specialist but to give help into accessing our services e.g. Social Care Direct, Housing One Call and Environment Services - Neighbourhood Action. Primary Care Trust examples: Give up smoking, Domestic abuse, substance misuse and five a day etc. It commenced on Tuesday January 11th and the hours are Tuesday 9am - 1pm and Wednesday 1pm - 5pm.

HIGHWAYS WORKS - KNOTTINGLEY & FERRYBRIDGE

Treatments Descriptions:
Roads: Slurry Seal/Microasphalt – can be used successfully on all types of roads to provide skid-resistance, a sealed waterproof surface and a more uniform appearance. A fine stone, mixed with tar, is spread on the road as a finished surface.

Planing and Resurfacing – used at locations where the existing surface of the road needs replacing. A machine first removes the old surface and this is then replaced with a new material. This treatment will strengthen the road and improve ride quality.

Reconstruction – used at locations where the strength of the road has failed. The damaged areas will be removed and renewed, to restore strength and improve ride quality.

Footways: Thin Surfacing – used at locations to provide a sealed surface and gives a more uniform appearance. A fine stone, mixed with tar, is spread on the footway.

Reconstruction – used at locations where the strength of the footway has failed. The damaged areas will be removed and renewed, to restore strength and improve ride quality.

Alterations to the Programme: If, due to unforeseen circumstances, the programme requires altering or is delayed, the altered / delayed works will take place as soon as is practicable. For example, thin surfacing treatments are very weather susceptible, if this work is not undertaken within the current financial year, it will be undertaken the following year.

Work is scheduled for: -

Arncliffe Drive, Ashcombe Drive, Broomhill Avenue, Cleveland Avenue, Fernley Green Road, Ferrybridge Road, Hawthorn Avenue, Kingsley Avenue, Marine Villa Road, Spawd Bone Lane, St. Andrew’s Drive and Warren Avenue.

KNOTTINGLEY SILVER BAND
We are fortunate within Knottingley to have two first class brass bands in Knottingley Concert Brass and Knottingley Silver Band, the Knottingley Concert Brass showed how versatile they are when they played at the Wakefield Mayor’s Black Tie Charity Ball, an ensemble complete with singer.

The Silver Band have now released a CD entitled ‘Solid Silver’, I recommend it to anyone who likes brass band music, it was recorded last July at Knottingley United Reformed Church.

NEW LICENSING LAWS
The new Licensing Act, designed to simplify current alcohol and entertainment licensing processes, and move responsibility for liquor licensing from the magistrates court to the local council is due to be introduced in February. The Act brings together several previous laws under one umbrella and represents the most significant change in licensing and entertainment legislation for more than a century.

Current licensees will need to apply for a ‘premises licence’ and if alcohol is to be provided, also a ‘personal licence’. Existing licensees will be given so called 'grandfather' rights, where they will automatically be given the licence on application provided there are no police objections and they apply for exactly the same permissions they already have. Although it gives more flexibility and freedom to licensees, applicants will also need to prove that they can be responsible in providing adequate safeguards for the public and others in complying with four key objectives of the Act: -

• Preventing crime and disorder
• Ensuring public safety
• Protecting children from harm
• Preventing public nuisance

Over the next nine months, which will be known as the transitional period, existing licensees will be able to operate on their existing licence unless they want to increase their opening hours and there are no police objections. New applications will be considered by a number of 'responsible authorities' who will check that each of these specific objectives have been carefully considered by the prospective licensee before it is approved or passed to the Licensing Committee. The responsible authorities include Police, Fire Service and various sections of the Council including Building Control, Health and Safety, Environmental Protection, and Community Safety.

The new law will radically change liquor and entertainment licensing, prospective licensees will need to show that they have properly considered all the implications and have plans in place for protecting the public from harm. We have written to existing licensees to make them aware of the new legislation and will be writing again, once we know the Government's plans for introducing it. The scheme is expected to become fully operational at the end of 2005.

When the Act comes into force, application forms and information will be downloadable from the Licensing Office, County Hall, Wakefield on 01924 305031 or from the Council's website at www.wakefield.gov.uk or the Government website on www.culture.gov.uk

MOST IMPROVED COUNCIL
The Local Government Chronicle has published its Shortlist Supplement listing the Councils short-listed for various awards. Wakefield has been short-listed for the Award of Most Improved Council of the Year. Judges from the Local Government Chronicle will now visit the short listed councils and we have high hopes, watch this space.

But whatever happens the speed of transition within Wakefield Council over the past two years has been a tremendous achievement, and it is to the credit of all our staff, it is them that have made it happen. We are one of six councils short-listed in the Local Government Chronicle award for the fastest improving council.

The annual LGC Awards are the biggest and most prestigious celebration of achievement and excellence among local authorities. By entering these awards we have put Wakefield Council on the national stage. And being short listed means we are now competing at the very highest level.  The winners will be announced in March at the LGC Awards presentation evening held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The short listed authorities are:-

• Bury MBC
• East Hertfordshire Council
• Shropshire CC
• Southwark LBC
• Tynedale DC
• Wakefield MDC

PRESS ENQUIRY
We received a request from the Wakefield Express for a list of attendances at Council, Cabinet and Scrutiny Committees by all Councillors, for the period following the 2004 elections until the end of December. The list, which was then published by the Wakefield Express, shows that I attended 18 out of a possible 19 meetings. Notwithstanding this I felt that it was misleading to just publish a list of council meetings. Councillor’s attend many meetings within the locality where they live, like tenants meetings, adventure playground, Carnival Committee, School Governors and they are also on countless outside bodies. I myself am on Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, West Yorkshire Pensions Committee, Norfolk Property Services, CAB, to name a few, as well as being the Older Peoples Champion and Freedom of Information Champion. I can guarantee that no two days are ever the same.

We hold regular meetings with council officers, attend training seminars, meet with the Trade Unions and spend long periods of time dealing with constituents problems. It is possible to be absent from one council meeting because you are representing the council at another meeting, we are available to be contacted by the public at all hours of the day. Many councillor’s have to do these things whilst holding down a job, so being a Councillor is not about attending a few meetings within the Town Hall, it is a way of life that you have to become accustomed to living. I think it does Councillor’s an injustice simply to publish attendances around a small percentage of the work that they do. There are also different categories of Councillor, some with special responsibilities and portfolios, some on Scrutiny Committees, all have different specialisms, so it is very difficult to be able to draw comparisons between them.

MORRISONS SUPERMARKET
I don’t know whether it is just me, but visiting the supermarket has become a social event and I am starting to enjoy shopping since the new Morrisons Supermarket opened in Knottingley. It seems to be an ideal place for meeting members of the community that you have not seen for some time, almost like Friends Re-United.

I walked into the store and had a chat with a Council Officer who was collecting on behalf of the Rotary Club, talked to Robin on the Fruit and Vegetable section, dropped on an old work colleague and caught up with old times and chatted to a couple of local people that I know well. Needless to say it took up a bit of time and my wife Linda had completed the shopping whilst I was reminiscing and talking to people, it is a good social pastime.

OLDER PEOPLES PROJECT
I have recently attended a meeting at Knottingley Town Hall organise by the Eastern Wakefield Primary Care Trust. The meeting was held to look at setting up and developing an Older Peoples Project in the Knottingley and Ferrybridge Area and to share local knowledge of current activity and possible gaps in service provision for older people across Eastern Wakefield. The project has already done some work within the Castleford area, including increasing security and independence of older people, creating health promotion opportunities and improving joint working between statutory, community and voluntary agencies. Activities have centred on a number of themes, like a Social and Health Care Directory, networking and information sharing, working with communities, information days, developing health promotion, working with West Yorkshire police, and developing an Older Peoples Interest Group. I will report more on this as it develops, no doubt we will be inviting members of the public to future meetings.

CHILDREN'S CENTRE AREA PARTNERSHIP
Our last meeting was held at Girnhill Infant School in Featherstone, which was a good venue as it allowed us to look at the facilities for young children that the school provides. We were also presented with copies of the building plans for the proposed Children’s Centres at Girnhill, Chequerfield and Simpson’s Lane, Knottingley. These will be units for the 0 – 3 age range, and will have a medical room, flexible meeting space for other agencies and providers to work from, baby changing facilities and an office. It was pleasing to see some plans actually drawn up and it is the intention to have a Children’s Centre in every community by 2010.

Information was given on a number of Government reports from the DFES relating to ‘Every Child Matters’ focussing on Health, Education and Social Care of children, (some bedtime reading for me) The numerous group representatives present also shared information on what they are doing within each area.

The Children’s Centre Health co-ordinator is to contact everyone with an interest in the project to gain contact and ascertain how we all see the service developing. She is also hoping to compile a booklet for parents which contains all the services available for parents and children with contact addresses and telephone numbers. Also present was Helen Dawson from Featherstone, Helen is to open the Happy Hippo Play Centre on Station Lane in Featherstone in May, which will be a profit making business venture, but will provide a valuable service to the locality. Our next meeting will take place at Simpson’s Lane School in April.

Graham Stokes
Cabinet Member for Corporate Services

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