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Councillor Graham Stokes
Cabinet Member for Corporate Services
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SEPTEMBER 2004
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?
To be
governed is to be kept in sight, spied upon, directed, law-driven,
numbered, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, estimated,
valued, censured, commanded…at every transaction to be noted,
registered, enrolled, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed,
licensed, authorised, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected,
punished. It is…to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed,
exploited, monopolised, extorted, squeezed, mystified, robbed; then, at
the slightest resistance…to be repressed, fined, despised, harassed,
tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned,
shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked,
ridiculed, outraged, dishonoured.
General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century (1851)
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon 1809-1865
No Comment!
ASPHALT PLANT
Just what we
feared might happen has now occurred, we thought the longer time was going
on the better, and just maybe Aggregate Industries might not appeal
against the planning application for an Asphalt Plant on Ferrybridge Power
Station site being turned down. However that
was not to be, and an appeal has been registered.
Aggregate
Industries have requested an Inquiry, this means that we now have to start
and prepare to defend the decision that was taken by the Planning
Committee to refuse the application, and an inspector will be brought in
to conduct the Inquiry. There are
several ways to appeal. Aggregate Industries have chosen the most formal
and expensive which requires barristers, written submissions and expert
witnesses. The fears of
the community are very real, it is important for us all to let the
planning inspectorate know that you don’t want the asphalt plant to be
built. AIRE the objectors Group are asking that people show this by
writing a short letter and sending it to the planning inspectors through
them.
Just write Your address, "We do not
want the asphalt plant to be built at Ferrybridge", Your
signature.
These letters
can be handed in for the planning inspectorate C/O A.I.R.E to Byram or
Knottingley Post Office, the Pontefract Squash & leisure Centre (near
Morrisons), or Ferrybridge Tenants association Office, Argyle Road,
Ferrybridge. We do not
need more pollution, smells, dust, noise, heavy industry and traffic in
our area. It does not even bring the hope of jobs for local people (6 to 8
specialist jobs specified on the application). The reason
this development was turned down was because the planning committee wanted
to protect our amenity in line with WMDC policies. This was a responsible
decision and we must help to make sure that Aggregate.Industries do not
succeed with their appeal.
We need to
act now before September 4th so that our letters reach the
planning inspectors in time. People need to write their note immediately
so that the deadline is not missed.
NEWCOMERS
I welcome Scottish and Southern Energy plc to Ferrybridge as the new owners of
Ferrybridge Power Station. Their Website
states that the Power Station is expected to operate at a load factor of
around 40% until 2008 and then for a total of 20,000 hours between 2008
and 2015, after which the plant is due to be de-commissioned. They
recognise that there are challenges involved in owning and operating
coal-fired plant at a time when there is a clear move to lower carbon
technologies, but as a responsible company, they will examine all
opportunities for improving the thermal efficiency of the power station
and for reducing the level of emissions. The new
owners should be good for the future prospects, the Power Station has had
several owners in the recent past, but Scottish and southern has a
customer base and a business plan that stands up well until 2015, giving
time for workforce planning.
DIGGERLAND LTD
Another exciting development to come to our area is Diggerland Ltd Theme Park, who
are proposing to build a theme park at Whitwood, Castleford. They are
proposing to build a Country Park that will include: -
An adventure
park based on driving JCB’s construction machinery, a snow park for
skiing and sledging outdoors on real snow, unlike Xscape this will be a
play area for children to sledge and build snowmen, extensive public open
space, and improved visual amenity, car parking and public transport
links.
Entrance fees
will be much less than other Theme Parks, it appears to be a fantastic
asset to the Wakefield District and I am sure it will be a success.
WASTE RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING SCHEME SUMMARY
| Scheme |
Property Nos |
Property % |
| Total properties in the district |
139,800 |
100 |
| Kerbside collection of paper/cardboard @ 1 July 2004 |
63,981 |
46% |
| Kerbside collection of paper/cardboard @ 31 October 2004 |
105,159 |
75% |
| Multi-occupancy collection of paper/cardboard/ glass @ 1 July 2004 |
4,258 |
3% |
| Kerbside collection of garden waste* |
70,685 |
51% |
* Note that as a substantial number of properties do not have gardens, the
maximum number of properties to be put on garden waste collection
schemes will be 108,300 (77%).
Once the new
paper collection rounds are introduced over the coming months, every ward
will have some properties on all three schemes i.e. kerbside collection of
paper, garden waste and multi-occupancy scheme.
FERRYBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTRE
I'm delighted
to be able to confirm that Ferrybridge Community Centre Management
Committee has been awarded a further grant from the Coalfields
Regeneration Trust. They have also been awarded a grant from the Single
Regeneration Budget FreshAire Programme. These grants, along with the
funds already raised, means that they have secured all the funds they need
for their project to build a new community centre, to go ahead.
Construction
will start mid-September with an anticipated completion date of end of
March 2005.
WAKEFIELD COUNCIL PRIDE AWARDS
The pride
awards have been introduced to celebrate and reward success within the
council, fellow workers will be nominating colleagues for outstanding work
and achievements; winners will be decided by a shortlising panel, which
will consist of
2 Senior Officers
2 Staff representatives - to be agreed
1 external member - to be agreed
1 Member – Cr. Graham Stokes
HEALTH ACTION WAKEFIELD SCHEME
A free insulation grant based on 'NEED' and NOT ON MEAN TESTING or BENEFIT
REQUIREMENTS. Health Action
Wakefield offers the opportunity to get your home insulated for FREE by
professional installers, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE.
WHAT'S
AVAILABLE?
Funded by the
Energy Saving Trust and WMDC Private Sector Housing, the Health Action
Wakefield scheme offers free:
- Loft insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Draught proofing
- Heat recovery ventilation (for respiratory illnesses)
WHO IS
ELIGIBLE?
Anyone who
suffers from a 'cold affected condition'. This can include heart problems,
stroke, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, respiratory problems, the
disabled, people with limited mobility. Any other health condition where
the benefits from having the measures installed can be shown will be
acceptable. THERE IS NO
REQUIREMENT TO BE ON A BENEFIT OR TO BE MEANS TESTED. Applicants
must live in a private owned or rented property.
AIM OF THE
SCHEME
To help
create warmer and more comfortable homes for people who suffer from
conditions that are made worse by the cold.
HOW TO APPLY
Contact the
Energy Advice Team for an application form. This is a simple referral
sheet to be signed by a doctor or nurse recommending the applicant on to
the scheme. The work will be performed shortly after the application has
been received. It is that easy! If you know
of anyone who would benefit please contact us.
The scheme
will last for a further 18 months funds permitting so please refer people
on Health Action Wakefield in the future. ENERGY ADVICE TEAM tel. 01977 727008
WEATHER AND CLIMATE CHANGE (Food for thought)
Sitting outside my tent (under the sun canopy) on holiday in Somerset in
torrential rain, I started to think that very strange things are happening
with our weather in recent times. Torrential
rain, thunder, lightning and near tropical humidity would all point
towards global warming, but is it that simple? Is it that as some would
suggest, our minds are playing games with our memories and that we only
remember the sunny times, we look back and only recall the best times, but
it did rain in the old days, even in those long hot summers it rained, it
made a mess of our cricket, camping and holidays.
Even in 1976
when I remember water shortages, hosepipe bans and scorching days, I also
remember the storms that followed, so has it been like this always? and
should we read something into the suddenly temperamental weather that
nature has created,? Does the weather’s unpredictable, unseasonal
behaviour mean that the scientists have a case about global warming or
not. There is
certainly nothing new about the debate on climate change, in 1896 Swedish
scientist Svante Arrhenius identified the potential problem of global
warming due to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the problem was
attributed to the industrial revolution and that man was to blame for the
earth becoming warmer over the last 50 years.
Globally, sea
levels have risen approximately 15 – 20cm in the last century, with up
to 5cm as a result of melting glaciers, experts across the world have come
up with a range of possible reasons for this. The consensus
is that the UK will increasingly experience milder, wetter winters with a
greater frequency of extreme storms as temperatures rise, and we will have
warmer, drier summers. In the last
10 years, eight years have been the warmest on record, you would think
that was a pretty convincing statistic proving climate change, but there
are still many eminent people who believe that this warming is down to a
natural cycle.
There is
nothing certain about our future weather patterns, but my inclination is
to err on the side of caution, accept that global warming is affected by
man, and cut down on the greenhouse gasses.
Graham Stokes
Cabinet Member for Corporate Services
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