The Todmorden Ward forum is held roughly every four months. On this weeks agenda were the anti-social behaviour, the progress of the asset-transfer of the market and various items related to crime and disorder.
First up a lady came from Calderdale Council to discuss the measures the Council has in place to deal with anti-social behaviour, pretty routine stuff and no questions were asked of her after her presentation.
The next item was the report of the Market Future's Steering Group. There was concern amongst many residents of the town that Incredible Edible were trying to take over this project, but the process has been chaired by Kate Moreton-Deakin who has put the reoprt together. She is an Independent Chair and detailed numerous options, including a straight buy-out by the market traders, leaving the markets under Calderdale Council ownership and numerous "partnership" models. Several questions were asked of her.
Kate Moreton-Deakin is the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a local resident. It was pleasing to see that, unlike most invited guests who leave as soon as they have said their piece, she stayed and answered questions from those in attendance. More initiative than most show, we have eighteen Town Councillors here and only two could even be bothered to show up.
After that came the Police Neighbourhood Team report-back. These sections are always what locals really come for and, as usual, there was a long list of complaints about speeding, parking and other traffic related issues (especially from the two representatives of the local Accident Prevention Council).
Predictably Coun. "Champagne Chris" Baksa brought up his usual complaints about dog owners, at that point I jumped in and pointed out that the Councillor was only bringing this up because he had an axe to grind against against one particular neighbour who owns a dog, whose life he has been making a misery for years.
I said that it was time we stopped bringing up petty complaints and criminalising dog-owners, bikers (after Coun. Goldthorpe, Liberal, had called for speed cameras to be put up to adress a non-existent problem of speeding bikers) and other groups, to appease those that just like to hear the sound of their own voice. That is how pointless over-regulation starts, I said.
Also I called, with much public approval, for the police to stop harassing local low-level cannabis growers and do something about the real drug dealers, the heroin pushers and so on. The public seemed to greatly approve of this!
The next local Ward Forum for Todmorden Ward is:
Thursday 27th of May at
St. Peters Primary School.
Walsden, Lancashire, OL14 6RN
Doors open 6.15pm
Meeting starts 6.45pm
On the agenda is;
- Local Health Watch
- Police Priorities
First up a lady came from Calderdale Council to discuss the measures the Council has in place to deal with anti-social behaviour, pretty routine stuff and no questions were asked of her after her presentation.
The next item was the report of the Market Future's Steering Group. There was concern amongst many residents of the town that Incredible Edible were trying to take over this project, but the process has been chaired by Kate Moreton-Deakin who has put the reoprt together. She is an Independent Chair and detailed numerous options, including a straight buy-out by the market traders, leaving the markets under Calderdale Council ownership and numerous "partnership" models. Several questions were asked of her.
Kate Moreton-Deakin is the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a local resident. It was pleasing to see that, unlike most invited guests who leave as soon as they have said their piece, she stayed and answered questions from those in attendance. More initiative than most show, we have eighteen Town Councillors here and only two could even be bothered to show up.
After that came the Police Neighbourhood Team report-back. These sections are always what locals really come for and, as usual, there was a long list of complaints about speeding, parking and other traffic related issues (especially from the two representatives of the local Accident Prevention Council).
Predictably Coun. "Champagne Chris" Baksa brought up his usual complaints about dog owners, at that point I jumped in and pointed out that the Councillor was only bringing this up because he had an axe to grind against against one particular neighbour who owns a dog, whose life he has been making a misery for years.
I said that it was time we stopped bringing up petty complaints and criminalising dog-owners, bikers (after Coun. Goldthorpe, Liberal, had called for speed cameras to be put up to adress a non-existent problem of speeding bikers) and other groups, to appease those that just like to hear the sound of their own voice. That is how pointless over-regulation starts, I said.
Also I called, with much public approval, for the police to stop harassing local low-level cannabis growers and do something about the real drug dealers, the heroin pushers and so on. The public seemed to greatly approve of this!
The next local Ward Forum for Todmorden Ward is:
Thursday 27th of May at
St. Peters Primary School.
Walsden, Lancashire, OL14 6RN
Doors open 6.15pm
Meeting starts 6.45pm
On the agenda is;
- Local Health Watch
- Police Priorities