Labour cut community funding and CAB budget - but keep a tight grasp on their allowances!

A proposal by Morley Borough Independent Councillors to reverse cuts to Community Committees budgets and the Citizens Advice Bureau was rejected at a Full Council Meeting last Wednesday. The proposal, which would have seen Councillors special responsibility allowances cut by 30%, would have generated an additional £190,000 spending on local communities with an additional £50,000 to support local advice provision.

I am disappointed at the decision to reject our proposal. In these difficult times Councillors should be showing more restraint by accepting a reduction in their special responsibilities allowances which is paid on top of their basic allowance and can amount to an additional £20,000 a year! Community Committees need the extra cash to support initiatives from community groups within their wards and the advice service budget should be increased not reduced as many residents need this support when facing problems of bereavement, debt, benefit issues and other legal matters.

The Labour Administration in Leeds pays over £1/4 million in payroll loyalty payments to keep its Labour Members in line and backing the Leadership. As there have been 3 Councillors who have defected from Labour to Independent over the last week or so it would seem that Labour is falling apart both locally and nationally - regardless of what they pay their elected representatives!

Free Wi-fi for Morley?

A free Wi-Fi network could be coming to Morley Town Centre after Morley Town Council agreed a financing package to support a scheme at a meeting last Thursday. The network, which would cover the whole of Queen Street, would allow visitors to the Town Centre to log onto the network on every visit.

Cllr Robert Finnigan said “It has been the Town Councils ambition to bring the digital high street to Morley Town Centre for some time. If Morley is to compete with other towns around the area as well as the White Rose Centre then it needs to offer shoppers a positive digital experience which is what they now expect.”

A similar scheme proposed by the former MP Ed Balls was never implemented. A digital high street would offer click and collect options for those retailers offering the service along with a marketing tools to confirm offers at shops, cafes and restaurants in the Town Centre as well as confirming events such as Morley Arts Festival.

Cllr Finnigan said “Morley has fewer empty shops than most of the towns it is competing against. We are determined to make sure Morley Town Centre survives and thrives and to achieve this we need to move the high street in to the digital age.”

Councillors will now meet with Morley Chamber of Trade, Leeds City Council, the Police and the Town Centre Manager to develop the free Wi-Fi proposal further for practical implementation in the summer.

Morley Sports Centre Expansion?

Morley Borough Independent Councillors are to explore the options of bringing additional swimming pool facilities following a recent visit to Morley Sports Centre. The Sports Centre, one of the best performing centres across the Leeds City Council area, has over 350,000 visits between April 2016 and January 2017.

Cllr Bob Getting said “We had an excellent visit to the fabulous facilities at the Sports Centre. The staff are brilliant and the number of visits by residents is fantastic. We were especially impressed with the Fitness Suite and the new equipment recently placed there. However staff told us that because the Centre is so popular there is a significant pressure for more swimming time. This cannot be done with the present pools which are being used full time but an additional pool would provide increased capacity for the centre to deal with this unmet demand.”

Morley Town Council is to receive additional Community Infrastructure Levy payments from the additional 2000+ new homes proposed for Morley over the new few years which could generate a significant capital receipt to support such an expansion.

Cllr Judith Elliott said “We have asked to meet with senior officers to explore if there is a realistic option for an additional pool. This may be an ambitious project and the lack of space or finance may prevent the delivery of such a new facility but we think it is important to explore all such possibilities.”