Local councillor Sandy Lay (Lib Dem, Danefield) is calling on parents and residents of Otley to comment on Prince Henry’s Grammar School draft Admissions Policy.

Councillor Lay stated ‘it is more important than ever that parents and residents have their say now that PHGS is an academy. It is up to parents to provide the scrutiny and oversight once afforded by the Local Authority and its elected representatives’.

Councillor Lay went on to say ‘having had a look at the draft I have particular concerns that some schools and pupils involved in Otley’s Family of Schools will lose out. There appears to be no mention of Otley Family of Schools taking precedence rather Criteria 3 states ‘Children for whom Prince Henry’s is the nearest High School’ means that potentially children from Menston and Burley will take precedence over students from Pool, Bramhope & Adel (members of Otley’s Family of Schools). A 2.5 mile radius from PHGS includes most of Menston & Burley in Wharfedale but none of Pool, Bramhope or Adel, which could mean these ‘Otley Family Schools’ children could end up in Holt Park, Yeadon or Guiseley rather than attending their local high school’.

Councillor Lay went on to say ‘I am also worried about the sibling’s criteria and anxious that some step brothers and sisters could lose out. Criteria 2 states ‘We give priority for brothers and sisters only if they are living in the same house’ but we all know that modern families come in all shapes and sizes and these families should not be put at risk of being broken up just because they don’t to live together’.

‘My third concern involves the Appeals Procedure and the rather vague reference to an ‘independent appeals panel’, as well as a failure to identify a final adjudicator should parents disagree with the Panel’s decision. With the loss of LEA involvement it appears there is now just one appeal’.

Finally, I shall be writing to the school for clarification and I urge parents and residents to do likewise. The consultation ends on 1st March and can be found on the schools website.

Cllr Sandy Lay is calling on Leeds to be honest about their proposals for housing development in the Otley and Yeadon areas.

“We know that the Councils Local Development Framework (LDF) will propose that 3,660 houses a year will be built in the Leeds City area each year for the next five years,” says Cllr Lay, “and that more housing land will need to be found in the five years beyond that. Leeds have made it clear that this means that green fields and more worryingly green belt in the Otley and Yeadon area will be targeted to provide a proportion of the developments.

Otley has been threatened for the last twenty years by the prospect of a large housing estate east of the town,” continued Cllr Lay. “There were also plans for a development north of the river. I am concerned that any further proposals will mean eating into the green belt and destroying the rural aspect of the town.

Major developments in Otley or Yeadon will have a dramatic effect on the area. The road infrastructure is currently at breaking point and public transport, local schools and medical services are already under severe pressure, more housing will mean they deteriorate further.

It is only fair that the Council let local people know the scale of their proposals which are set to cause major changes to both Wharfedale and Aireborough.”

You can read the full article with contributions from my fellow councillor Councillor Colin Campbell in this week’s Wharfedale Observer (out today) or on-line here

The following press release can be seen on Page 3 on this week’s Wharfedale Observer

Councillors Sandy Lay and Graham Kirkland are pleased with the news that work on the long awaited zebra crossing planned for Westgate is due to start at the end of the month.

“We have wanted a crossing for a number of years,” said Cllr Graham Kirkland, “but it was only last year that pedestrian numbers meant the site met highways criteria for a crossing.”

“This important road safety measure will help pedestrians cross the road to access both Waitrose supermarket and the Westgate Medical Practice,” continued Cllr Lay. “I must pay tribute to my colleague Cllr Graham Kirkland who’s hard work campaigning for the crossing has at last paid off.”

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority today endorsed the plans of West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) ‘Fire Cover’ proposals to close 10 Fire Stations, including the station at Otley

Cllr Sandy Lay commented ‘once again a public body has failed to listen to the concerns of the residents of Otley, its elected representatives and the station staff, ignoring calls for ‘ a pause’ for further consultation and for independent scrutiny of WYFRS projected response times’.

Cllr Lay went on to say ‘I have particular concerns for residents north of the river and those outlying communities as engines struggle through Otley’s increasingly congested streets and over the only bridge within 5 miles and nothing I have read have allayed those fears’.

Furthermore, Cllr Lay commented ‘I hope that WYFRS works with the 12 firefighters based in Otley to ensure they are offered the opportunity to train full time and relocate to Menston so that these dedicated and highly skilled public servants can continue to serve the people of Otley’.

I read with interest Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling’s statement ‘that all new stations will have an additional back up engine and that this will be equipped during peak demand’ and I will be asking Chief Pilling for assurances that this happens.

Finally, it remains imperative that the station at Otley remains open until any new station is open and operational and that fire prevention remains a priority for the new station.

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (WYFRA) today (Friday 16th Dec) confirmed their proposal to close 10 fire stations across West Yorkshire replacing them with 5 new stations.  Their press release is available here

Despite calls for further consultations with residents and firefighters by myself and local MP Greg Mulholland  and a petition signed by 1265 residents, WYFRA have confirmed plans to close Otley Fire Station and replace it with a new build at Menston. The plans also include the loss of 12 retained firefighters based at Otley.

The proposals are part of a plan designed to save £4M a year by 2016 and includes a full time crew during the day and by the use of  ’off duty accommodation’ at night, this ‘will be provided close to the fire station which will enable firefighters to rest during the night’

Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling whilst recognising over 100 full time firefighter posts would be lost albeit through planned retirements does not state how Otley’s retained firefighters will be treated.

I expect Chief Fire Officer Pilling will stand true to his word and a back up engine based at Menston and ensure that a crew is available to to man the engine during peak demand.

Finally, Chief Fire Officer Pilling conceded that “my proposals will spread us a little more thinly but still enable us to deliver a first-class emergency service across the whole of West Yorkshire.” Only time will tell.

Speeding on Pool Road continues to cause residents on Pool Road and the adjoining streets concern, so much so that I recently wrote to Becky James – Road Safety Manager from Highways & Transportation at Leeds City Council and to Police Sergeant Jane Franks from West Yorkshire Police to gather some information and to provide an update.

Becky is keen for local groups to utilise one of their three SID’s (Speed Indicator Device) and can provide training for groups and individuals in their use, please contact me in the first instance.

PS Franks (who is part of the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) based in Otley) kindly provided the following information;

• Pool Road is a current PACT (Partners & Communities Together) priority
• We deploy the SID on Pool Road on an ad-hoc basis
• Pool Road came off after a spell of high visibility policing but was then raised again and went back as a priority in September 2011
• During October,

the first week resulted in 25 vehicles travelling above the speed limit,

by the 2nd week this was down to 7

and by the 3rd week it was down to 2 respectively

in the final week the figures went up to 35

• As this was not a conclusive month we therefore decided to continue to monitor for November, again an inconclusive month with no pattern is merging.
• The issue seems to be where the limit goes from 40 mph to 30mph, the 50 mph stretch not raising any concerns.

Otley NPT continues to invest in the training of the Speed Gun – the next level up from SID deployment in which officers can issue Fixed Penalties or Summons depending on speed – and has recently trained a further two officers in its use.

As your local councillor I am keen that the community (the Police, residents & councillors alike) continue to monitor the situation. Please contact me if you wish to discuss this matter some more. You can stay up to date with Otley NPT Priorities here . It’s well worth a look

Lastly, if road safety is ‘your thing’ Otley & District Road Safety Committee is always looking for new members. The Chair is our very own Mayor (and Danefield Councillor) Nigel Francis. More details are available from him on 01943 463467

Town Councillor Sandy Lay has today written to West Yorkshire Fire Service concerning their proposals to build a new fire station at Menston and close Rawdon and Otley station.

“I have asked them to attend a Public Meeting,” said Cllr Lay, “so that residents can hear all the details of the proposals and ask questions’.

“We are all concerned that any change in service will reduce fire cover and public safety,” commented  Cllr Lay, “and I would not want the Fire Service to be accused of a ‘lack of consultation’ with the people of Otley.

“It is clear that decisions like those involved in the ‘Fire Cover’ proposals should be discussed and debated by the communities involved,” continued Cllr Lay. “and before they make their decision on the 9th December I hope the Fire Service will come and discuss their proposals with the people of Otley”.

“Although the proposals were agreed on the 9th September by the Fire Authority unfortunately it was not until Monday 28th November that the Fire Service started actively consulting with the people of Otley when they gave an explanation of their proposal to the Town Council. Sadly, without a public meeting I do not feel this was widely advertised nor sufficient to allow the people of Otley to make up their minds”.

If the Fire Authority continue with their plans I am asking for an assurance that the Otley Station will remain open until a replacement is built and the fire tender currently based there will stay in the district.” Ends

The proposals are available here

Now that the dark winter nights have returned there seems to have been an increase in dog fouling (again) on the Cambridge estate.

I have today written to Leeds City Council asking them the following questions;

1) Who are able to enforce penalties ie. Dog Wardens, PCSO’s, Council Officers etc

2) When was the last 3 visits to the estate by dog wardens

3) A request for more ‘No Dog Fouling’ signs & ‘Dog Waste’ bins

If you see someone allowing their dog to foul please (do not put your safety at risk doing so) and wish to report the matter, gather the following details;

1) take some details of the offender; their gender, height, approx age, address (if known), car number plate if in car

2) details of the dog; colour, breed, distinguishing marks

3) note the time and place the incident occurred

4) Do they normally walk the dog at the same or similar time of day

This information can then be passed to Leeds City Council by either telephoning 0113 222 4407 or by emailing them on environmental.action@leeds.gov.uk. Further details are available from the City Council website here

Lets hope that together we can eliminate dog fouling from the estate .

Sandy