WALKABOUTS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

To make sure they’re keeping in touch with communities and practical local issues, Borough Councillors in Rother Vale Ward take part in regular Walkabouts round estates and villages with officers from 2010 Housing, Police and Environment Wardens from the Council. “It’s all about getting action taken when problems arise,” say the Councillors.

“On our recent Walkabout in Thurcroft,” explained Cllr Jeb Nightingale, “we found that initiatives we’d introduced to target graffiti earlier this year, had been successful and there had been no reoccurrence of the vandalism. And we’re now working with the Police to deal with an example of off-road motor bike nuisance residents told us about as we walked through the area.”

“The Council’s Streetpride service follow up our reports on litter and fly-tipping,” said Cllr Georgina Boyes, “but they don’t just get it cleared away, they check for any information that will give a clue to the identity of the offenders and their Enforcement Officers are now investigating an address they found.”

“Encouraging everyone to take a pride in the way Thurcroft looks is very important,” added Cllr John Swift. “We support the work of Estate Officers who contact tenants whose untidy gardens mean they’re in breach of their Tenancy Agreement. As we walk through the different areas, villagers tell us that reminding some householders about cutting the grass and clearing up gardens have made real improvements in the overall appearance of their street.”

“Being there at street level to see and hear what affects people can really make all the difference,” say the Councillors, “we mean to keep it up.”

Treeton passes the test of time

Rother Vale councillors took the opportunity of a first visit to Treeton by Peter Thornborrow and Jonathan Bell of Rotherham Borough Council’s Heritage staff to introduce them to aspects of the village’s picturesque Conservation Area and the restoration work being undertaken on its historic Parish Church of St Helen.

Said Cllr John Swift, “We’re very pleased that the Council has experts available to offer advice to residents. It’s important for everyone here that the character of the village is maintained and improved for the benefit of future generations.” “The Council’s Heritage staff were particularly impressed by the excellent work of Treeton Local History Group and the displays of photographs and information in the Parish Reading Rooms, “ added Cllr Georgina Boyes. “They said it was rare to find a local history exhibition of this quality and were full of praise for the range of material and attractive presentation. In fact, this is a typical community initiative in Treeton, as credit is also due to the Parish Council for providing free use of the Rooms by the Group.” “There’s a lot of interest in Heritage and local history throughout Rother Vale Ward,” explained Cllr Jeb Nightingale, “2009 will see the centenary of Thurcroft’s coalmine and ideas are already coming forward from the community about ways of marking that anniversary too.”

“Treeton has a long and eventful history,” say the Councillors, “the village and church are recorded in the Doomesday Book and – leading the way for modern life - it was also the first village in England to have electric street lighting. We want to see Treeton keep up its reputation for maintaining the best of its history whilst making the most of the future.”

Councillors keep up pressure for flood prevention

Rother Vale’s Borough Councillors are keeping up the pressure for progress on flood prevention measures in the village. Said Cllr Jeb Nightingale, “Floods at The Willows School and in the Locksley and Elgitha Drives area have created problems for the school and health and safety concerns among residents. Gardens of houses adjoining the school grounds were affected by sewage during last June’s storms and even the heavy rain a few weeks ago created minor floods on the road outside the school,” explained Cllr John Swift, “so it’s important to everyone to get the drainage sorted out.”

“The emergency work which was needed to allow the school to re-open has been really successful,” added Cllr Georgina Boyes, “but we need long term solutions which will prevent further flooding if we have exceptional weather in the future.”

The Councillors have held meetings where plans for new work to combat potential problems in both the school grounds and surrounding roads have been brought forward. “As well as adding to existing banks to prevent water reaching other properties,” explained Cllr Nightingale, “there will be new bunds, high pressure seals for the water company sewer which crosses the playing fields and investigations to see if a new length of drain is needed to take water away from the road. There’ll also be an emergency pump available if power supplies to the main pump fail.”

“Work should be starting very shortly,” say the Councillors. “It looks like a good solution which we hope will meet the concerns of staff at The Willows and local residents.”

CONTACT – Georgina Boyes

georgina@nomasters.co.uk

Tel: 01709 320 250

Thurcroft  - Keeping Up the Improvement

Rother Vale Ward Councillors are joining Rotherham Borough Council’s Environmental services and officers from 2010 Rotherham in a programme of action to keep Thurcroft clean and green.

“Seeing the village looking smart is important for everyone, so we’ve organised clean-ups right across Rother Vale Ward,” said Cllr John Swift who is Chair of the Rotherham West Area Assembly and a Borough Councillor for Rother Vale Ward. “Last week saw a clean-up led by Borough and Parish Councillors when we removed litter from streets and recreation areas in the centre of Thurcroft. Now, to ensure this good work isn’t lost, the Council has made an inspection and is following it up with letters asking householders to keep their yards free from rubbish. We’re also explaining the services the Council provides for dealing with Household Waste Recycling and removal of large items of furniture.”

“Council inspectors will be visiting the centre of Thurcroft again in two weeks,” added Cllr Jeb Nightingale who is also Chair of Thurcroft Parish Council. “They’ll be checking each yard to see if they need to take action against residents who haven’t removed the kinds of rubbish which might be an environmental hazard – such as dog dirt and household waste. In extreme cases, we can even take residents to court if they create health problems and won’t keep their property clean.”

“There’s a lot to be proud of in Thurcroft,” explained Cllr Georgina Boyes, “with new facilities in the village, many residents making improvement to existing houses and new properties being built. Residents have told us they want to see the whole village kept to this good standard – rather than being let down by a few dozen inconsiderate householders who won’t clean up. The Council is taking this seriously and is following-up on any cases where problems persist.”

Rother Vale Councillors are asking everyone to help to keep Thurcroft clean and green. If you see anyone tipping rubbish on streets or land in and around Thurcroft, ring 01709 336003.

The Council will make every effort to trace the fly tipper and will prosecute them wherever possible.

BETTER BUS SERVICE NEEDED FOR TREETON

"It's not just pupils who are experiencing difficulties with lack of transport to Aston Comprehensive" adds Councillor Georgina Boyes, "because direct buses only run in the daytime, Treeton villagers who want to attend Parents Evenings or go to see their children on school concerts and other evening events are having to pay for taxis if they don't own a car. As a parent or guardian you shouldn't need to get into major expenses to play a proper role in your children's schooling, as for getting to work or to see family Councillors for Rother Vale Ward have written to Transport bosses to complain about losses of public transport in Treeton which are putting school children at risk and damaging job prospects for villagers. "I've lived in Treeton all my adult life" says Councillor John Swift, "and seen bus services go down and down in recent years - but it's never been as bad as this. The last round of cuts mean that there aren't enough buses to take pupils to our local secondary school, Aston Comprehensive. Some pupils are having to walk on narrow country roads with no footpath, through open country and past woodland, it's not safe. We have raised the problem with Education and they tell us they're aware of the problems and support what we are doing, but what we need is a better bus service for the school.and friends - unless you're just going to Rotherham town centre, you need to catch at least two buses, there are no direct services to other places - even in the village. Residents who haven't got a car tell us it's really restricting their job options and opportunities to get out and about for leisure and shopping. Public transport should be available to meet economic and social needs like this".

Councillor Geb Nightingale agreed and said the problems were widespread - "We've talked to Rotherham Borough Council's representatives on the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority and they say it's a widespread problem across the south of the Borough. I know that in Thurcroft, public transport is so limited that the Council has started a scheme to make motorbikes available to people who have no other means of getting to work. This is a start, but it's only suitable for a small minority. Villages no longer have the wide range of shops and services that they once did - and without buses a lot of people are left with a choice of paying out for taxis or taking time consuming double or triple bus journeys".

Cllr Swift said "Working with our colleagues on Treeton Parish Council, we have invited the Passenger Transport Executive to send a representative to their next meeting. We are glad to say that the PTE have agreed to this and look forward to talking to them to see what can be done. A better bus service would make a real difference to life in the village".

KEEPING AN EYE ON THURCROFT

Rother Vale Ward Councillors went on one of their regular walkabouts in Thurcroft on Monday morning - looking out for hotspots of litter and vandalism in the village and talking to local residents.

"The Borough Council and the Police are working together in a new, more co-ordinated way to tackle anti-social behaviour, so it's important for us to get out and about to find out where it's working well and where we might need improvements," said Cllr Jeb Nightingale. "There's alot to be proud of in Thurcroft - some parts are really well looked after and the village as a whole is getting better, but we want to see it all come up to standard."

The Walkabouts are a really good chance to talk to people about the village. Anti-social behaviour, particularly involving motor bikes on the village playing fields and sales of alcohol to young, underage people are a bing concern for residents," explained Cllr Georgina Boyes. "But we are now getting the positive side as well, with villagers saying that they're pleased to see the new play facilities for children and the general feeling that Thurcroft is on the way up at last."

SAFER TRAVEL FOR TREETON PUPILS

Borough Councillors and parents in Rother Vale Ward were celebrating the success of a year long campaign to see pupils in Treeton receive zero fare bus passes for travel to Aston Comprehensive School. The village just fails to meet the distance at which national guidelines say that pupils should receive free passes, but Borough Councillors argued that the route children had to take from Treeton to their Comprehensive School in Aston was not suitable for pedestrians. Now, following a visit by Rotherham Borough Council’s Road Safety Officer, it has been agreed that the route raised unacceptable safety issues and as it was ‘unsafe to walk’, pupils should receive free bus passes to travel to school.

“We have been very concerned that a route that had no footpath for part of its length and went past an extensive area of woodland was just not suitable for children walking to school,” said Cllr John Swift. “On dark mornings, even adults are not entirely safe when traffic passes. We have been working with parents in Treeton for some months now to raised this issue, and are delighted that the Council has listened and taken action.”

“The timing of the offer of bus passes couldn’t be better,” added Cllr Georgina Boyes. “We were especially worried about pupils walking the route during the winter months, so starting the new service the weekend that clocks have gone back is an extra benefit, and makes very good sense. A free pass means that parents won’t have to choose between the cost of bus fares and children’s safety.”

“I was really glad to give my support on this issue,” said Cllr Gerald Nightingale. “Road safety is a major concern in the Ward, and this particular route to school was a worry for parents and children alike. It will be a great advantage to families in Treeton now and into the future.”

Cllr Swift said "Working with our colleagues on Treeton Parish Council, we have invited the Passenger Transport Executive to send a representative to their next meeting. We are glad to say that the PTE have agreed to this and look forward to talking to them to see what can be done. A better bus service would make a real difference to life in the village".

Councillors join forces to improve village scene

Rotherham Borough Councillors in Rother Vale Ward are leading a new initiative to make village streets cleaner and safer places. Councillors Georgina Boyes, John Swift and Jeb Nightingale are joining Council officers from Streetpride, Neighbourhoods and the Police in regular fortnightly Walkabouts in Thurcroft and Treeton to check for problems at street level.

“The Walkabouts are all about improving the quality of life in Thurcroft and Treeton,” said Cllr Georgina Boyes. ‘Walking through an area is the best way to find out where things are going wrong on the ground - where it actually affects everybody. As well as looking ourselves, as residents see us, they also come and talk about local issues, particularly where there’s social nuisance or an environmental concern. Officers can then phone in to report dumping, accumulations of litter or where cars are obstructing the footpath straightaway, as we’re going round, so problems are dealt with more quickly.”

“It’s a real bonus to have a team with us,” added Cllr Jeb Nightingale, “by working together we get much more done – and everyone gets to know where the hot spots are and can watch out for them. I want to see this initiative developed even further, there’s still a lot to be done in Thurcroft and the other villages in the Ward.”

“Keeping a village atmosphere in Treeton is really important to me,” commented Cllr John Swift, “and that means that streets and open spaces are clean and safe. Because we’ve now arranged Walkabouts on a regular basis, we can also check that where we’ve asked for clean-ups, the work has been done to everybody’s satisfaction. As Councillors, we are now looking to see how the initiative can be rolled out to other villages in the Ward.”

Rother Vale Ward Councillors also hold weekly Advice and Information Surgeries in different parts of the Ward and Housing Surgeries at The Gordon Bennett Memorial Hall in Thurcroft and at The Parish Rooms Treeton.

SAFER SCHOOLS IN ROTHER VALE

Following requests from parents, Rother Vale Ward Councillors have worked with the Council to provide -

• Extended safety barriers at Thurcroft Junior School ool to protect children from passing traffic
• Flashing amber safety lights at Fence Primary School to alert traffic on Sheffield Road to the presence of children
• Notices reminding parents not to park within school grounds in place at

Treeton Primary

Said Councillor Georgina Boyes, "For the sake of their health and the environment, we want to encourage more children and parents to walk to school. But obviously, routes need to be as safe as possible if they're going to feel able to do this. My Ward Colleagues and I are very pleased to see these practical improvements taking place, but know there's still a lot be done."

BETTER HOMES IN ROTHER VALE

Rother Vale Ward Councillors have also had meetings to discuss the modernisation and improvements to safety that will be taking place at Sheltered Housing schemes in the Ward over the next three to four years. We have also met residents at Thurcroft and Treeton to outline the timetableand proposals, hear their views and respond to questions.