May 2017 and growing

May 2017 and looking tidy

Does this mean that every business in Featherstone can apply or just every charity? There are many businesses in Featherstone suffering from daily attack who need much needed help.

342/17 MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
A grant cheque for £500 was presented to Mr Mulroe for the Dr. Jackson Cancer Fund he thanked the Council and said the shop was very busy but had suffered some damage from a break in.

Ok so no one gives a crap that they are paying more council tax for something they no nothing about. Worse still for those very few people who do care apparently why we are paying more has to be kept a secret:

341/17 PUBLIC BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS) ACT 1960 To consider, if thought fit, a resolution under the terms of the Public Bodies Admission to Meetings Act 1960 that the press and public be excluded from items such as the Community Centre Lease which may be of a confidential nature of the business being transacted.

347/17 PRECEPT 2017/18
Wakefield Council has requested the Town Council’s Precept demand by Friday 10th February. It was thought that Members may wish to delay the decision to the meeting on the 8th February but it was decided that the Council still wished to adopt the Community Centre when the lease was finally agreed and that the Precept demand should be £130,000 to assist in covering the costs of running the centre in the first instance this will be offset by the increased usage when the centre, which is currently closed, is reopened. There has been an increase in tax base to 4,487 houses due to the new housing being built in the Featherstone area and therefore a band A property will rise

Dews, David Alan: UKIP
Jordan, Mike: Conservative
Macqueen, Joan Mary: Lib Dems
Roberts, Martin Paul: The Yorkshire Party
Trickett, Jon Hedley: Labour

Our local candidates have been announced and it’s an interesting mix. The Yorkshire party is probably the dangerous vote as it would only help Labour split the vote from UKIP, CON & Libs but at this time for England would not help. Like it or not this appears another Brexit election. The Cons were winning with a reasonable stop the rich bullies vote but the pre drawn immigration continuance of what we see now is not the Brexit we voted for. Looks like a Labour, Conservative & UKIP battle for Hemsworth.

Forgive me if I see things wrong. This post is written for an opinion as this next vote appears not as clear cut as probably we all thought. Politics has changed so much recently ending in Brexit fireworks most recent. For those who did vote to leave one of their reasons was to almost shut the door on immigration as it clearly out of control.

The war of words continued for a year resulting in T May announcing an election mainly due to threats from others trying to get their own way and not the way Brexit voted. I have to agree that comments made as threats to stall the Brexit process would be harming the UK and the conservatives would never stand a chance. Not fair but neither is politics. The Brits and Scots had been getting along quite well for the last 100 or so years but now a whole new opinion is growing.

Having lived listening to local politics the words given by most parties from the off at this election had to be good to be true and a little time was needed to see the real picture I am personally still drawing. Corbin is still running as he shouldn’t and his bags of sweets must be embarrassing to the party as most of them have issues. Not forgetting T May who did sound to have a fair plan. However the twist appears now to be coming to light very delicately by feeding the public a little at a time. It sounds like the EU has already agreed with the UK that immigration (and who knows what else) will continue in Brexit thanks to the minority rich who appear would be affected by no cheap labour. Had to look at this a bit more as the UK has a minimum wage......hasn’t it? I keep seeing news reports of farmers saying they will go bust without cheap labour. Apparently cheap labour can be brought in to the UK via outside of the UK companies working as labour contractors who pay less than UK wages. Is that not slavery? Over the centuries there are many similar circumstances but all are now considered slavery.

It appears that like it or not and regardless of how many bags of sweets is offered for your vote this election is still about Brexit. What the parties offer so far is not the Brexit deal we voted for but possibly a Brexit plan created by the EU. A wise move by any party this time would be to make very, very clear the key points of their Brexit in English without a paper bag.

If you have been wondering or one of those still complaining about disrupted phone services in Featherstone since 11th February 2017 when a main BT box was destroyed you will probably like to know the reason for the delay according to BT is planning permission? 

Not that it helps anyone in Featherstone but at least now we know where Featherstone’s regeneration money is being spent. It appears Labour Cllr Peter Box is not happy with the colour of the tarmac in Wakefield town centre and has ordered a re-fit at a cost of over 6 million pounds. Meanwhile our Cllrs remain with their heads in the sand.

Dont you just love our council. After a day of complaints Yorkshire water true to their word have fixed the problem at the cross roads by 9.15am this morning. Now all the workmen have to wait until 3.30pm until someone from WMDC turns up to switch the traffic lights back on. Meanwhile not a call from our Labour Cllrs

You can tell its Easter as for the 3rd year running Featherstone roads come to a standstill due to roadwork’s booked for the school holidays. I should have commented earlier as many folk in Fev had all ready noticed that Station Lane is a no go area twice a day at peak times without roadwork’s due to the new quickly growing population. You just have to love Featherstone as she appears to always fight back just when those who wish she would not push her. This week Fev was stretched to the limit with road work passes that have every road in and out of Fev blocked by traffic lights. Just one problem would be a disaster. The disaster struck on Wednesday afternoon as the water main again burst this time on the Wakefield road junction. Fev has been gridlocked most of the day and has probably cost business and peoples holidays many tens of thousands of pounds.
Ironically for those who have ignored the out of date services in Fev even when given the facts the locals are catching up. It makes a pleasant change to talk to people who are discussing the problem and following the growing concerns that Fev infrastructure cannot cope with the increased usage.