Councillor Jane Havenhand Latest to Step Down in Wake of CSE Scandal

Councillor Jane Havenhand has announced she is stepping down this year, there have been widespread calls for her to do so since the CSE scandal hot Rotherham as she has held some key rolls in licensing of taxis and child protection in the past.

Rumour around Dinnington is that she will take up a new job with the Olde Dinnington Club, an establishment which her family has been involved in for sometime.

Both Jane and her sister Jacquie have been conspicuously absent from Dinnington Town Council meetings of late, even though she insisted last year she would not resign due to the CSE scandal. (Click for video)

A rather embarassing incident took place past year when their brother went round to a political rivals home and threatened to duff him up. Jacquie was forced to publicly apologise.

LoveDinnington says: whilst we welcome the resignations of complicit Councillors we would also urge that any money they have received over the years for failed duties should be repaid and put into a fund for victims of CSE in Rotherham Borough.

Councillor Havenhand’s career to date.

HAVENHAND Jane   (Councillor from May 2004)

(a) committees

Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2010 to date)

Vice-Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2007 to May 2010)

Health Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Licensing Board (May 2004 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2005 to date)

Education Consultative Committee (May 2008 to May 2013)

Rotherham Local Admissions Forum (May 2007 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2007 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding and Developing Learning Opportunities for Children (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning (May 2008 to May 2009)

Adult Services and Health Scrutiny Panel (May 2005 to May 2006)

Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (May 2006 to May 2011)

Social and Community Support Scrutiny Panel (May 2004 to May 2005)

(b) other roles

Adoption Panel (2007 to date)

Rotherham Holiday Aid (2006 to date)

Rotherham Women’s Refuge (2008 to 2009)

Dinnington Community Centre and Recreation Group – Trustee Group (2008 to date)

Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (2007 to 2011)

Rural Action Yorkshire (2011 to 2013)

Rotherham Council Sinks Beneath the Waves of Truth

Rotherham Council’s chickens came home to roost big time last week with the publication of the Casey report following on from the Jay report of last year. The Secretary of State announced that government commissioners would move in to take over executive duties in Rotherham and the serving cabinet of Labour Councillors resigned at once.

Yet what is not so well known is the part played in these events by our local Councillors, some of whom are still in office, others now bit players on Parish Councils.

Iain St John was Lord Mayor of Sheffield during the period in question and probably should have spent more time challenging officials and the Police instead of riding around in the big car opening things.

Judy Dalton is licensing supremo in Rotherham, at least was as this role will be passed to the government soon. Taxi drivers were lambasted by the Jay report for providing the means in many cases to ferry victims around Rotherham and further afield. She was also adviser to the now resigned Children’s Services supremo.

Jo Burton was a member of a scrutiny committee who were tasked with oversight of child protection. She was vice chair of the committee for a couple of years and also served on the licensing board during the worst of the abuses. She was a senior adviser to Sean Wright the disgraced Police Commissioner when he ran Children’s Services.

Dominic Beck has resigned as a cabinet member, he has also served on the licensing board

Jacqui Falvey has also served on the Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel and on the licensing board when abuse was rife.

Jane Havenhand has had the following roles:

Licensing Board (May 2004 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2005 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2007 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding and Developing Learning Opportunities for Children (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Why did they serve on all these committees and take on all these roles?

They got paid. Thousands of pounds.

What were they doing? Taking the money.

LoveDinnington says:

1. All RMBC Councillors should resign. Now. From all roles in public life.

2. All the Councillors who held licensing and child protection scrutiny roles should pay back all the money they collected over the years to be paid into a fund for the victims.

3. RMBC as an entity should be disbanded and each Area Assembly allowed a vote as to who governs them from now on.

The government should act now to kill the rot and punish the rotten Councillors and officials who through greed, inaction and incompetence ruined the loves of hundreds of children.

North Anston Recycling Site sees Opening Times cut

The Magilla Recycling Site in North Anston will now open 6 days per week instead of the current 7. This is in line with changes throughout Rotherham as RMBC fights to balance it’s budget.

No sign of them cutting back on the number of Councillors or their stratospheric allowances (compare and contrast with nearby Sheffield), everyday services continue to take one for the team.

Councillors voted for the measure as they flocked in droves to approve the budget, all Labour Councillors followed the party line and said “Aye”

Another example of North Anston “going for a Burton?”

Rotherham Labour Party Target Dinnington Greenbelt Again!

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.

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.

Rotherham Council Target Sure Start in Dinnington and Anston

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.

Dave Smith Launches Dave4Dinnington Campaign

Dinnington local activist Dave Smith is the latest to enter the fray for May’s local elections. He intends to challenge the incumbent Labour Councillor Jacquie Falvey for Dinnington ward.

Launching is Dave4Dinnington website he says:

“I make no secret of the fact that I will be standing as an independent candidate in the Rotherham Borough Council elections in May.  The question I get asked the most is what difference can one person make when faced with the might of the political parties.  So I think I should point out the changes I have forced Dinnington Town council to adopt, and this whilst not being an elected member of the Town or Borough council.  Dinnington Town council has been misusing the 1972 local government act, to keep the general public from hearing what decisions these people were making supposedly in our interests.  Virtually all of the council business was being conducted in secret, I challenged this and made them change the way they conduct their meetings; the public can now stay for all of the meeting.  This means that what for years was secret is now open to public scrutiny, I did this.  Then I took them on about their secret committees, they had two, one was  the finance committee and the other the asset committee.  They were keeping the public out of these committees by misusing another act, I have forced them to disband the finance committee because this has to be dealt with in the full council meeting; and the asset committee has to now allow the public into their meetings.  These are important changes it means the council has to conduct its business in front of the very people who’s money they are spending.  I did this because I believe that the public should be able to see at all times what their elected politicians are doing.  I did this whilst a member of the public just imagine what I could do as an elected councillor.  It is worth noting that in all the years I have been attending the council meetings there has been no sign of the Conservatives or UKIP attending yet when it comes to the election they will be asking for your vote.  I am active all the time not just at elections.“

Let’s hope he gets a better picture this time, the last one looked like something off Crimewatch.

For balance I should state that we will also be seeking to give full coverage to all candidates if and when we hear something about them.

Labour Fires the First Shot in Run Up to the Elections

Got this through the post the other day from our local Labour politicians. May is election time and they have wasted no time at all by starting things off with this little note.

Shame about the photographs, come on guys, get yourselves a decent photographer!

What have our Councillors been up to?

Ever wondered just what your local Councillors actually do? How they spend their time and money whilst they are representing us? Me too, so join with me and digest the cornucopia of information below.

BECK Dominic  (Councillor from May 2011)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Licensing Board (May 2011 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2013 to date)

Standards Committee (May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2012 to May 2013)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2011 to May 2012)

Groundworks Trusts Panel (May 2012 to May 2013)

(b) other roles

Wales Educational Foundation  (May 2012 to date)

Rotherham Citizen’s Advice Bureau – Trustee Board (May 2012 to May 2013)

Rother Valley Country Park Steering Group (May 2012 to date)

Unity Centre Steering Group (2011 to 2013)

 

BURTON Josephine   (Councillor from May 2002)

(a) committees

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Improving Lives Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2002 to May 2004 and May 2009 to May 2011)

Planning Board (May 2004 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2011 to May 2013)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development and Engagement (May 2009 to May 2011)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Communities and Involvement (May 2007 to May 2009)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion  (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Planning and Social Inclusion (May 2004 to May 2005)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Social Services (May 2002 to May 2004)

Adult Services and Health Scrutiny Panel (May 2005 to May 2007 and May 2010 to May 2011)

Vice-Chair of Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2009)

Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2009)

Democratic and Resources Scrutiny Panel (May 2003 to May 2004)

Democratic Renewal Scrutiny Panel (May 2002 to May 2003)

Environment Scrutiny Panel (May 2002 to May 2003)

Social and Community Support Scrutiny Panel (May 2004 to May 2005)

Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee (May 2007 to May 2009)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Redbarn- Rowan Management Group (2006 to 2008)

Rotherham Alcohol Advisory Service (2006)

Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (2007 to 2008)

RMBC and Voluntary Action Rotherham Liaison Group (May 2009 to May 2010)

Voluntary Action Rotherham – Board of Trustees Executive Committee (2011 to date)

Women’s Refuge Group (May 2009 to date)

Women’s Strategy Group (2009 to date)

Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (May 2012 to date)

 

DALTON Judy    (Councillor from May 2011)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of Health Select Commission (May 2012 to date)

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2013 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2013 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2012 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism  (May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Culture, Lifestyle, Sport and Tourism (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Hospital Teaching and Home Tuition Service (2012 to 2013)

South Yorkshire Joint Committee on Archaeology (May 2012 to May 2013)

Renewal or Discharge of Guardianship Order Panel (May 2013 to date)

FALVEY Jacqui    (Councillor from May 2007)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2011 to date)

Chair of Improving Places Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Vice-Chair of Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2007 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2011 to May 2013)

Local Plan Steering Group (May 2013 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2011 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Cultural Services and Sport (May 2009 to May 2011)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning (May 2007 to May 2009)

Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2010 to May 2011)

Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2011)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Adoption Panel (2010 to date)

Redbarn- Rowan Management Group (2007 to date)

Chesterfield Canal Partnership (2013 to date)

 

HAVENHAND Jane   (Councillor from May 2004)

(a) committees

Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2010 to date)

Vice-Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2007 to May 2010)

Health Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Licensing Board (May 2004 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2005 to date)

Education Consultative Committee (May 2008 to May 2013)

Rotherham Local Admissions Forum (May 2007 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2007 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding and Developing Learning Opportunities for Children (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning (May 2008 to May 2009)

Adult Services and Health Scrutiny Panel (May 2005 to May 2006)

Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (May 2006 to May 2011)

Social and Community Support Scrutiny Panel (May 2004 to May 2005)

(b) other roles

Adoption Panel (2007 to date)

Rotherham Holiday Aid (2006 to date)

Rotherham Women’s Refuge (2008 to 2009)

Dinnington Community Centre and Recreation Group – Trustee Group (2008 to date)

Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (2007 to 2011)

Rural Action Yorkshire (2011 to 2013)

 

JEPSON Clive    (Councillor from May 2012)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2012 to date)

 

TWEED Simon     (Councillor from May 2008)

(a) committees

Planning Board (May 2008 to date)

Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Standards Committee (May 2013 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing (May 2013 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Environment (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Streetpride Services (May 2010 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2009 to May 2010)

Democratic Renewal Scrutiny Panel (May 2008 to May 2011)

(b) other roles

Dinnington Community Centre and Recreation Group – Trustee Group (2008 to date)

Rotherham Holiday Aid (2008)

Local Government Association – Rural Commission (May 2011 to May 2012)

Plans Revealed for Birkdale Avenue Playing Field

The developer Taylor Wimpey has revealed it’s plans to develop the Rotherham Council owned playing field at the end of Birkdale Avenue.

To summarise they plan to build a load of houses over it and replace it with a much smaller open space a long way from where local children play currently.

This is where the plot lies:

Having been previously told by the developer that they had no interest in the playing field I am not happy, I am also less than thrilled with Rotherham Council who seem to be willing to see what little recreational land we have left built on.

Well last week I handed in 150 evidence forms claiming the footpaths that people currently use on that land, so I hope the owners of the new houses will be OK with me walking through their back gardens and riding my bike through their dining room.

Full PDF plans are available here and here.

Dinnington’s Broken Relationship with RMBC

At a time when national politics is focussing on our (possibly?) broken relationship with Europe, Dinnington and Anston politics, I feel should be looking towards our most definitely broken relationship with Rotherham Borough Council.

It feels to me like RMBC are essentially pulling out of Dinnington and Anston, they are closing the Service Centre, we have no public swimming or leisure centre and the state of our roads gets worse every year. Dinnington is supposed to be a town but has a very rural bus service!

Our Borough Councillors are not helping matters, Councillors Falvey and Havenhand in Dinnington and Dalton and Burton in Anston should be off fighting our cause in Rotherham, instead they are basically told what will happen to Dinnington and sent back to tell us all the bad news and trot out the Labour party line.

They act like Imperial Viceroys reigning over us while the real decisions are taken at the Borough by their political masters, any awkward questions at Dinnington Town Council or Anston Parish are brushed off by political guff from RMBC crib sheets and sly complacent smiles.

We don’t want Councillors who care first and foremost for their own standing in their political party, we want them to be fighting for us! Has anyone noticed how all these “consultations” RMBC launch in Dinnington and Anston invariably end the same way? With RMBC doing what they were going to do anyway?

We are a “Principal Township” when it comes to building new houses on our countryside. When it comes to library hours, service centres and leisure facilities it’s all forgotten.

The only way to break this cycle of events is for us to change the way we vote, that’s the only language the comrades in Rotherham will understand. Anston saw a glimmer of hope last year when Clive Jepson defeated the every so slightly slimy Darren Hughes. We need the same thing to happen again and I would call on anyone who would like to stand as an independent candidate in next years elections and put the people first to do just that. Many people in Dinnington and Anston would support them.

And it would send the right message to Rotherham, don’t take us for granted or you will end up with another bloody nose.