More Bobbies on bicyles

We are backing a bid from Morley Neighbourhood Policing Team which will see a grant being awarded for extra bicycles to support front line staff. Morley NPT already do an excellent job and we have some of the lowest crime levels across the whole of West Yorkshire.

The idea behind providing the NPT with state of the art mountain bikes is to support then getting around their beats quicker. They can cover a greater area and meet more people including the vulnerable. It is a much better way to Police than getting officers to patrol in police cars where they don't have the same level of interaction with local residents.

The new bikes will be a good asset to the Police and I am sure residents will see them operating across the wider Morley area. We will always find the cash to support local Policing. It is one of our priorities and clearly a similar priority for the communities we represent.

More bobbies on bikes is a sure sign that we will continue to do all we can to have the biggest, most mobile and most effective policing team across the West Yorkshire area!

Owlers Farm - another Labour betrayal



Owlers Farm Morley - another Greenfield site handed over by Labour to Developers

 I attended Plans Panel yesterday to support residents who are opposing housing development on a Greenfield site at Owlers Farm off Wide Lane Morley. The proposal was for 125 executive style houses on a greenfield site which is very precious to local residents.

As you would expect Labour Councillors - the Developers friend - backed the application from Persimmon Homes to rip up this greenfield site and cover it in concrete. The application was also initially opposed by both the Tories and the Lib Dem who spoke eloquently against the proposal but ultimately backed Labour when it came to the vote.

What are we to make of this further Labour betrayal of the people of Morley? Lets check the evidence. The Planning Report confirmed that objections had come from my colleagues Cllrs Varley and Elliott and from MBI run Morley Town Council. It also confirmed that NO objection has been made by Labour apologist Cllr Neil Dawson despite his promise to oppose the application. Indeed he couldn't even be bothered to attend the meeting to see his Labour colleagues betray Morley residents further. Our MP Ed Balls - as ever - didn't raise an objection nor could he with his recent pledge to build 200,000 new homes. Perhaps he's looking to build then all on Morley Greenfield sites!

Planning Officers confirmed that the site was not sustainable as both Primary and Secondary Schools are full with children presently living in Morley. The decision to agree these additional 125 properties put the total of Labour Betrayal to over 450 new houses on Morley Greenfield sites. Planners will also tell you that that level of Over development will create a further 150 schoolchildren - all of whom do not have a place in a local school. Is puts more pressure on local roads - which are already overloaded - and on local health centres where waiting times for an appointment are already long.

Labours position is that this is "an acceptable development" . It often is with them. As we have seen with Cottingley Springs they are happy to dump problems in other peoples back yards. Of course they claim that this will offer affordable homes - a claim that is as hollow as their commitment to Morley. Labour agreed to reduce the percentage of affordable homes that Developers have to provide from 25% to 15% because their buddies in the house building business claim they could not afford to house local people and on this development even agreed to the Developer not providing any affordable homes on site to house any local residents. We will inevitable get Executive style housing on this site which local people will not be able to afford and which will not be housing them.

But all is not lost. The Developer has a real problem with access to the site because of its undulating nature. We will continue to battle to stop development here as it may not be practical - in planning terms - to develop the site enough to give the Developer a profit.

Clearly Labour backs the Developers yet again and believe that profit should be put before people. We will continue to fight to protect all of Morley's Greenfield sites - and that includes Owlers Farm.

Bookies decision slammed




Cllrs Varley and Elliott outside the proposed betting shop

  A decision by a Planning Inspector to grant planning permission for the bookies William Hill to open a shop on Windsor Court in Morley has been slammed by local MBI Councillors Shirley Varley and Judith Elliott. The controversial decision overturns a refusal notice form both Leeds City Council and Morley Town Council.

Cllr Shirley Varley said “This is an outrageous decision that ignores the concerns of local people. The Planning Inspector accepts that this betting shop breaches planning rules but still grants planning permission against the wishes of local people.”

The Planning Inspector states in his decision notice “I observed on my site visit that the town centre had a strong retail presence, with a good range of shops and a relatively low level of vacancies, although there were two other vacant units within Windsor Court. At the time of my visit the centre was busy and vibrant.”

Cllr Judith Elliott said “It appears from the Inspectors decision notice that because the Town Centre is doing well in these difficult times then a betting office is acceptable! Presumably if the Town centre was failing then he would have refused planning permission.”

Councillors opposed the application as they believed it was important to avoid the Town Centre becoming over dominated by betting shops. They also had concerns that its location could impact on children and young people who would pass the betting shop on their way to school.

Cllr Varley said “This is a rejection of local democracy and undermines the wishes of local people. This decision is taken by a Planning inspector who doesn’t live in the area and visited the Town Centre briefly for a short period of time. Local decision making has been rejected and the interests of a wealthy nationally based business put above the wishes of local residents.”

Burglary numbers drop in Morley



Morley Police Station houses Morley NPT

 The drop in burglary rates across Morley is a good news story. The figures show a drop in burglary rates of 25% in the Morley North Ward and 26% in Morley South over the last 3 months. Over the last year burglary rates in Morley have dropped by over 11%.

This is not only good news for all our communities it also shows what an excellent job the Morley Neighbourhood Policing Team is doing with cracking down on these offenders.

We have supported Morley NPT with financial support for crime reduction programmes such as improved locks and other security measures and financial support from Morley Town Council and Drighlington and Gildersome Parish Councils makes Morley’s Neighbourhood Policing Team one of the largest in West Yorkshire.

We need to continue to work together to make sure we do all we can to keep burglary figures as low as possible. Being burgled is a distressing crime and people often feel violated in their homes. A larger Policing Team means more Police Officers on the streets and cracking down on burglary rates will mean fewer residents suffering these crimes.

Morley Neighbourhood Policing Team is recognised as one of the highest performing teams across Leeds. The NPT focus on known offenders to prevent re-occurrence of previous crimes which has substantially reduced levels of burglary over the last decade.

Indeed their zero tolerance policy on such individuals brings real results and is a major reason for the increased confidence in our Police Service which is keeping Morley and its wider district safe.



Letter from Brandon Lewis MP confirming call in of Cottingley Springs

 I received news this week that the controversial Cottingley Springs Travellers site expansion plan is to be referred to the Secretary of State Eric Pickles - should Labour Leeds City Council decide to grant planning permission.

This is good news and follows on from the meeting I had with Eric Pickles last week to voice our concerns about this inappropriate development in the greenbelt. The letter also confirms the Governments clear policy intent not to allow development of Travellers sites in the greenbelt and follows on from a Ministerial Statement in June which confirmed that unmet need for Travellers sites doesn not constitute very special reasons to allow such development in the greenbelt.

The Comrades position on this application is a puzzle. Despite their public "solidarity" supporting Travellers rights - they seem less keen when it comes to putting this empty rhetoric into practise. A small Travellers site application in Sandon Mount in Hunslet is a good example of this gross hypocrisy. The site - a nailed on approval as it satisfies all the policy tests - clear to local facilities such as schools/shops, good public transport/ not isolated form other communities/ was objected to by all three Labour Councillors for the Ward along with the local Labour MP. As a result of this the application has been buried in the Planning Department for 10 months while the Comrades attempt to agree the Cottingley Spring Expansion Plan which would allow them to refuse the application on the basis of the additional 12 pitches! So much for working class solidarity which is clearly only veneer thick with many of the Comrades.

My view is this application is doomed. If Labour Leeds City Council manages to wangle it through by using  their majority on the Planning Committee then the Secretary of State will  - if he is consistent with these things - refuse it at that point.

The alternative is to adopt the policy agreed by the Comrades at a recent Executive Board meeting. Smaller family run sites on previously developed brownfield land. We have several around Morley - such as on Nepshaw Lane, Howden Clough Road and Whitehall Road - along with Cottingley Springs. Other areas need to offer up similar sites. If all the other 31 wards in Leeds offered just one small family sites for a couple of pitches then the Travellers site problem - and the blight of unauthorised Travellers sites - would be resolved. It requires Labour Councillors to practise what they preach and to put their so called socialist principles into real and tangible action.

Don't hold your breath!