WYCA mayor responds to spring statement, pothole cash injection and young family funding boost
The Ilkley Journal roundup 🗞️
Local authorities to get pothole money – with a small-ish catch
To get the full amount of extra cash that the Labour government is handing out to local authorities next month, which for Yorkshire and the Humber amounts to £48 million, councils will be required to publish annual reports that demonstrate the work they’re doing to tackle what has been dubbed the “pothole plague”.
Local authorities in the region, like Bradford Council, that fail to meet the strict criteria, which also includes demonstrating public confidence in their work, will be punished, with 25% of their funding being withheld because of poor performance (that’s equivalent to £12 million for Yorkshire and Humber).
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, said:
“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
If you’ve spotted a pothole that’s causing you and other drivers bother, you can report it here.
Investigation into Ilkley Moor assault ongoing
Enquiries into the report of a teenage girl being assaulted on Ilkley Moor near to the Poetry Seat near to Backstone Beck are ongoing, West Yorkshire Police have confirmed.
The incident took place on Monday 17 March at around 4.14pm with a 16-year-old girl reporting minor injuries.
The suspect, described as a white, clean-shaven male aged between 30–60, ran off after the victim’s dog started barking. He was said to be wearing scruffy clothing when the attack took place.
“We believe there were a lot of people in the area yesterday and are keen to speak to anyone who was in the Ilkley Moor area yesterday afternoon who may have seen this incident or the man described,” Rachel McKay, a detective inspector at Bradford CID, said at the time.
If you have any information, contact West Yorkshire Police here.
Young families to benefit from funding boost
Families with kids up to the age of two, as well as those expecting, will benefit from a funding boost to Bradford District’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
The government-backed scheme was introduced in 2022 for an initial period of three years but has been expanded by a further 12 months.
Councillor Sue Duffy, executive member for children and families at Bradford Council, said:
“Bradford district’s babies, children and young people deserve to be given the best start in life, so they can be happy and healthy, able to develop to their full potential, and have successful lives.
“The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in the Bradford district aims to make services more accessible, better connected and more relationship centred, making it easier for families to get the right information and support, at the right time.”
For more on the importance of the first 1,001 critical days of a child’s life, check out this paper.
Peatlands “under threat” from planning and infrastructure bill
Peatlands will be under threat if the Labour government has its way, Keighley and Ilkley’s MP has claimed at the second reading of the planning and infrastructure bill.
Robbie Moore said that according to his analysis, the bill does “the opposite” of affording special protections for peatland on sites of special scientific interest.
To illustrate, he mentioned Walshaw Moor in West Yorkshire, which is the proposed site for what would be the biggest onshore wind farm in England, which he and others like Stop Calderdale Wind Farm group oppose.
Moore said:
“The disruption that a new wind farm would cause, through the construction of 65 turbines – each taller than Blackpool tower – would be devastating to the blanket bog peatland … Disturbing that peatland by constructing a wind farm on top of it could release many tonnes of carbon back into the atmosphere, directly contradicting the aim of the whole development – namely, to reduce carbon emissions.
“It is simply nonsensical to use Walshaw moor when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has shown that the Government could achieve their targets for wind power without building on a single acre of protected peatland.”
For more on what Stop Calderdale Wind Farm thinks, head here. For more on the bill, the government’s detailed guide is a good start.
West Yorkshire’s mayor delivers perfunctory response to spring statement
Global uncertainty has made the government’s growth mission more challenging but it is “getting on with its plan for change”, West Yorkshire mayor has said in a terse, perfunctory response to the chancellor’s spring statement.
Tracy Brabin’s short response on Twitter/X was in marked contrast to mayor Andy Burham’s more critical statement on Rachel Reeve’s plans.
Brabin said:
“We must now double down on our efforts to boost living standards and support public services. Mayors are best placed to help achieve this and I welcome the chancellor’s focus on housing, skills and infrastructure as we build a country that works for all.”
While welcoming what he described as “further positive announcements on devolution’, Burnham, who oversees the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, expressed, among other things, his unease at the tax cuts being introduced by a Labour government.
He said:
“This budget failed to acknowledge or address the national emergency in the state of local government finances. Instead, the chancellor chose tax cuts that will ultimately be paid for by further drastic cuts to public services. The consequences are severe – for communities both in Greater Manchester and across the UK – and our most vulnerable residents will be hardest hit.
“It is unacceptable for local government to be treated this way. Councils have a statutory duty to provide certain services, but in many areas the funding they receive is below the level they need to deliver those essential services.”
To read the spring statement in full, head here.
West Yorkshire bus travel “much easier”
Travelling around West Yorkshire by bus is easier, according to a new survey from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Two-thirds of respondents said that the Mayor’s Fares scheme “made it easier for them to make multiple bus journeys on the same day”.
One in five people said that as a result of the fare cap they had started using buses more across the region.
Mayor Tracy Brabin said:
“Our Mayor’s Fares have had such a positive impact on people using buses across the region. We have worked hard to keep fares low so that people have access to affordable bus travel across the region.
“Improving our bus network and bringing it back under public control is central to our plan to build a greener, better-connected region that works.”
From next month, the price cap for a single bus fare will be £2.50. The national cap is set at £3. A DaySaver ticket will cost travellers £6.
For more on how the mayor is looking to improve travel by bus, check out the page here.
Your link re the Calderdale Wind Farm is incorrect. The active campaign coalition is Stronger Together to Stop Calderdale Wind Farm and is at www.saverestorewalshawmoor@wordpress.com. Find us on Facebook at Calderdale Windfarm Action Group Thanks!