Category Archives: Dinnington Town Council

Children’s Centre “Counsultation” in Dinnington

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The consultation event at Dinnington Community Primary was a bit of an eye opener, this was of course our chance to find out about the plans to close children’s centres in Dinnington, Anston, Kiveton and Thurcroft, and a chance for all to air their views.

Parents and staff from the Children’s Centre were joined by local ward councillors, town councillors and two members of the actual cabinet from the Town Hall itself, Children’s Services supremo Paul Larkin and Deputy Leader Jahangir Akhtar.

Local activist Dave Smith was also present and was unsympathetic to the Council’s case for closing all the Children’s Centres in the Rother Valley South Area. Cllr Larkin threatened to close the meeting and take his ball in if any one tried to make a political point, Cllr Akhtar accused Mr Smith of showing no respect (A bit rich given Cllr Akhtar’s criminal conviction for assault, but never mind)

The lady chairing the meeting kind of lost her credibility when she admitted to a parent that they didn’t actually know how well attended each centre was.

She also told us that the service would improve despite any closures so a parent asked then why not close all the centres if the mystery alternative is better. Again no answer!

Firebrand independent Cllr Stuart Thornton was next, pointing out that the consultation was a  bit of a fix given that Cllrs had already voted for the cuts by approving the budget. This was met by howls of protest from the cabinet members and Cllr Jacquie Falvey (who had stayed obediently quiet throughout the previous exchange)

Cllr Paul Larkin settled the issue by admitting that yes the money has already been cut from his budget, but that if the “consultation” decided the centres had to stay open he would cut it from somewhere else in the Children and Young Persons budget.

Sort of robbing Peter to pay Paul! (Paul Larkin, get it? Not sure who Peter is…)

The Cllrs from Dinnington Town Council also held their tongues, thanks for your help there ladies and gentlemen! Not.

Cllr Akhtar got really surreal when he suggested that the dissenting voices in the room were upsetting the children (who were happily playing football at the back as far as I could see)

At this point I had to leave to pick my daughter up so cannot report further on the proceedings.

I never got the chance to air my views, but I fear they would not have been important to the cynical self serving officials and Labour Councillors who frankly give not one jot for the children of Dinnington and Anston.

Dave Smith Remembers the Miners Strike

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Dave Smith the independent candidate for the local elections has been remembering the miners strike, something that played a very large part in my own childhood.

Even now it sends a shiver down my spine when I ride my bike up past the ruined Miners Welfare, you can feel the neglect and disappointment hanging in the air. I can only imagine how this makes the miners feel, those who remember its hey day.

Many people in Dinnington didn’t rely on the pit and life for them continued, but for a large part of our community what was taken is yet to be replaced.

PRESS CUTTING PIT

Dinnington’s Annual Parish Meeting 14 April 2014

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Dinnington Town Council have announced a Parish Meeting at the Lyric Theatre, all residents of Dinnington are welcome to attend and vote on the issues of the day.

The votes cast by residents are not binding on the Council, but it is a very direct way of telling our Council what is important to you.

Issues sure to be discussed:

1. Closure of our Sure Start centre

2. Building on our Greenbelt

3. Our relationship with Rotherham Council

4. The state of our roads

5. Street cleanliness

6. Getting our young people back to work

To have something included on the agenda email the clerk by close of play on 28 March 2014.

Annual Parish Meeting in Dinnington April 14th 2014

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Dinnington Town Council want to hear your view on all issues Dinnington related, be it Sure Start centres, protecting our greenbelt, dog poo or any of the other stuff we like to moan about.

A Parish meeting will be held at the Lyric on the above date and all residents of Dinnington are invited to come along and make their views known on the issues of the day.

All agenda items you wish to see included should be lodged with the Clerk no later than 4pm on Friday 28th March 2014.

In other news from Dinnington Town Council:

1. The Town Council refuse to allow a local referendum in Dinnington to decide on housing developers proposals to tarmac over our countryside. Chair of Council says it will have to come to the Parish meeting (see above)

2. The A57 works are due to end in early April, but works will soon start to sink a pedestrian tunnel on the Lindrick side of the road, this will involve some weekend closures and a diversion through Anston whilst being carried out.

3. RMBC are described as liars by certain Councillors, congratulations on catching up chaps, we told you that a couple of years ago!

Rotherham Labour Party Target Dinnington Greenbelt Again!

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Rotherham Council have unveiled their latest “consultation” in responses to comments made on their local plan by a government inspector who must approve before the house building on greenbelt extravaganza can begin.

Housing and Employment Land Distribution 2013 - 2028

Some highlights:

1. No priority given to brownfield first, lots of people even greenbelt campaigners believed the Council when they said they would go brownfield first, but they have now confirmed what a lot of us always knew, there is no instrument left in planning law to do this.

Therefore developers can leave brownfield sites derelict and go straight to green field.

2. The Council intend to set the level of Community Infrastructure Levy (a charge developers must pay to contribute to local infrastructure) ridiculously low in Dinnington and North Anston. It will be cheaper for developers to build on our countryside than derelict council estates in Sheffield.

3. An extra 200 and odd houses planned for Dinnington, the majority on greenbelt with no investment in local amenities and infrastructure.

4. No new retail developments, just 16% of Rotherham’s industrial units that will be moved out here.

5. Five percent of all houses in Rotherham to be built on our green belt.

Have your say on the consultation HERE.

Dave Smith Journeys to Rotherham

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Personally I try to avoid Rotherham, but Dave Smith the independent candidate for Dinnington in May’s elections clearly knows no fear.

Read this thrilling tale of how Dave and first mate Brian Lewis resisted the siren call of Rodger Stone to visit some ideological rape and pillage on some silly Union people.

http://dave4dinnington.com/2014/02/26/the-demonstration-that-wasnt/

Rotherham Council move to raise Council Tax by 2%

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RMBC Cabinet have put forward plans to raise Council Tax by approximately 2% for the next year, raising an additional half million or so of revenue.

In other news:

1. Dinnington Town Council up in arms over (proposed) closure of Sure Start centre.

2. Anston Town Council a bit less so, Councillors saying that the centre was not well used and Anston is not a deprived area. Hmmmm!

3. Dinnington Town Council refuse to record a vote of confidence in Dinnington’s relationship with RMBC.

4. Rotherham Council told to build 3000 extra houses, Dinnington’s greenbelt once again in the cross hairs!

5. Rotherham Council refuse to transfer Birkdale Avenue playing field to local ownership, say they want to hold onto the land for commercial reason as it may be used for a housing development.

Rotherham Council Target Sure Start in Dinnington and Anston

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The Whole of Rother Valley South could be stripped of vital children’s centres.

Just when you thought they couldn’t get any lower…..!

RMBC Councillors have decided that 2 million pounds needs to be saved over the next few years and have targeted 13 Sure Start centres throughout the borough. Of course it is only out for consultation at this point but as we have learned over the last couple of years RMBC’s idea of consult is most people’s understanding of “rubber stamp”

Have your say here:

http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/consultations/Childrens_Centre_consultation/index.php

Councillors who pay themselves a million pounds a year have decided that Sure Start has to take one for the team rather than cut out the junkets and other loony tune projects that make up the Rotherham gravy train.

RMBC’s web site says:

“It is proposed to keep open the children centre buildings where there are more than
400 vulnerable children under 5 years of age living in the most disadvantaged areas
(30% super output areas as at 31st March 2013). When evaluated, this equates to
having 7 children centre areas (incorporating 9 buildings) across the borough.”

Rother Valley South is looking at the possibility of losing all it’s Sure Start centres, they will be replaced by “outreach” sessions according to an RMBC representative today who could not explain or elaborate on what that means.

Apparently Dinnington and Anston only have “pockets” of deprivation therefore we are not worthy.

So whilst other areas of Rotherham get leisure facilities, keep their council service centres and Sure Start facilities we once again have to take one for the team. Why exactly do we pay our Council tax again?

So other parts of Rotherham represented by cabinet members can benefit.

Not content with handing over our countryside to housing developers, leaving us without service centres and leisure facilities Rotherham Labour tighten their strangle hold on our town with this.

Labour Councillors up for election this year Jacquie Falvey and Jo Burton are going to have some explaining to do here.