Anston Councillor Judy Dalton Steps Down

After just one term in office Judy Dalton of Anston and Woodsetts Ward will step down as a Councillor.

Judy and Dominic Beck trying to get a pensioner thrown out of Anston Parish Hall. Happy Days.

Whether you regard this as retirement or resignation it comes against a background of strong criticism for her past roles in Rotherham Council’s failure to protect children and failure to keep criminal elements from working in Rotherham’s taxi trade.

“Louise Casey’s report uncovered serious weaknesses in the council’s taxi licensing where sufficient steps to ensure only fit and proper persons are permitted to hold taxi licenses have not been, and are not being undertaken.

There can be no confidence in the council’s Licensing Committee.

I am thus minded that the commissioners will take control of all the council’s licensing functions.” Eric Pickles

Her Career 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)

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.

Judy Goes on a Walk

Our very own Anston Councillor Judy Dalton has discovered a new walk she’s enjoying recently, no it’s not a one trip she is planning on coming back, despite being a key player at Rotherham Council which was described as “not fit for purpose” recently.

Apparently Judy’s walk was “heralded by birdsong” unlike her job as Taxi Licensing supremo which has been heralded by the arrival of government commissioners sent to replace her and her colleagues. Taxi’s were highlighted in the recent reports into RMBC child protection failings as ace facilitators to the child trafficking trade, ferrying victims around Rotherham and to cities beyond.

Well we’re glad Judy had a nice walk and her dog enjoyed itself, but with hindsight wouldn’t it be better if she’d spent the morning tightening up on background checks and other licensing matters?

In fact Judy, rather than having the cheek to walk round Anston and campaign for re-election in May with Sir Kevin Nutkin it might be better if you just kept on walking…!

Response to Cllr Judy Dalton

Our Response to Councillor Judy Dalton’s letter to the local papers.

I would like to respond to Cllr Judy Dalton who said in the local papers last week that she no longer wants to attend Council meetings because members of the public are being disruptive, rude and abusive.

In the interest of free and open debate I thought it might be helpful to supply a bit of background information about the goings on at Anston Parish.

Firstly Parish Councils should not be run along party lines and it is quite unusual to have the situation at Anston where two groups, Labour councillors and Independent councillors + their supporters are constantly at each other’s throats.

This situation and the huge amounts of complaints attracted the attention of Rotherham Borough Council who are responsible for Anston Parish’s conduct and they have had to send in an “Independent Person” to sort things out. This independent person did recommend training for the councillors as Judy says.

Training would certainly help as councillors currently struggle to understand briefing notes from RMBC, meeting procedures and even their own accounts. Regular attendees and independent councillors gradually became frustrated at this situation and began to push for more openness, transparency and scrutiny of the Councils affairs. Many awkward questions were asked and Labour councillors responded by battening down the hatches and pretending it wasn’t happening.

Frustration grew on both sides and meetings became more and more unwieldy, on one occasion two Police officers were summoned to throw out one pensioner who refused to sit down when the councillors ignored a letter he’d wrote.

Judy was present at this meeting and could have stepped in as an experienced councillor and shown a bit of leadership. She did not.

I would like to reiterate some of the suggestions I have made in the past to improve things:

1. Start dealing efficiently and openly with real issues that affect the most vulnerable people in Anston. Instead of carping on about hanging baskets let’s start to tackle the pockets of unemployment and deprivation in Anston and Dinnington. Let’s push for a decent bus service to the big centres of employment, Sheffield and Meadowhall. This would improve everybody’s quality of life as it would also help tackle crime and ASB.

2. Please Councillors get some training in the basics of budgets, planning and the other matters that come from RMBC. If members of the public challenge you challenge them back to suggest a better course of action.

3. Please start to work together with Dinnington Town Council, we are essentially one big community, joined at the hip. Let’s work together, this would allow us to get a much better deal when putting a case forward to bodies like RMBC. Let’s present a united front.

4. Film council meetings. It’s amazing how much more civilised people are when they know what they say might end up on YouTube. The government agrees with this and has asked councils to adopt this approach.

5. Let’s try and encourage more people to attend council meetings in Dinnington and Anston. If we start to tackle bigger issues more people will get involved.

Judy, Anston and Dinnington deserve better, so instead of threatening to take your ball in, get back in the game!

 

Councillor Judy Dalton in the Local Papers!

 

 

 

Anston Parish Council Pour Poo Poo on Tesco Rumours

It felt like a war of attrition tonight at Anston Parish Council as Cllrs and Agitators alike lost theirs rags and in some cases stomped out early from a venom filled poison fest of a Parish Council meeting.

The Council’s bussed in support barely made it past the starting line.

1. Councillors cautiously welcome the possibility of an extension to the side of the Cutler pub, saying it could bring business into the area. Much scorn was poured on the rumour that Tesco may acquire the site, time will well.

2. Councillor Jo Burton lamented the (possible) loss of Anston’s Sure Start centre, when asked why she voted for it in the full Council budget she fumbled and blamed the government, Wonder if she voted to cut her own allowances as well? No thought not!

3. Cllr Brindley says many of the Sure Start children come from “suspect families” which I’m sure will endear her to all those who attend. My wife went to Sure Start centres, does that make us “suspect”? On second thoughts leave that one!

4. A presentation by the “Independent Person” appointed by RMBC to sort out the wrong doings at the Council was given a mixed reception. Whilst most Cllrs and members of the public wanted him to continue there was grumblings that complaints were being brushed under the carpet.

5. Cllr Jo Burton admitted finally that she was talking tosh when she offered to make all the housing developers use brown field land before raiding the greenbelt. Glad you finally read the law and caught up with the rest of us Jo!

There was more but I made my excuses and left before my soul was further corrupted and hightailed it back to Dinno.

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)

Anston Parish Council get a SPANKING!

Six of the best, trousers down.

Officers from the borough council’s standards board have delivered their damning findings.

Some of the highlights;

Dominic Beck was NOT present.

All Councillors have had a serious talking to and will be given training and guidance on how to conduct themselves.

Many Cllrs agree “they are crap” at dealing with the public.

Another meeting to be held on this in Dec or Jan.

Public asked to stop sending “trivial” complaints until the backlog is cleared, “trivial” meaning a Cllr was merely rude.

Cllrs agree to show more respect.

Chief Exec Martin Kimber has got involved and told officers to “sort it”

Chairman Ireland apologises for past actions.

In other news:

Judy Dalton takes over management of skate park after knifing Thornton in the back.

Cllr Jepson slams some Cllrs attendance record.

Saint John talks nonsense. (Not news really)

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.

RMBC officers may ask Anston Parish Council to go halves on the bill for investigating Parish Hall problems

Word has reached us that Rotherham Borough Council have spent so much time and money investigating dodgy going ons at Anston Parish Council they want to send them a bill!

RMBC officers may ask Anston Parish Council to go halves on the bill for investigating things like calling the police to chuck pensioners out of meetings, insulting the public and being generally bad eggs.

Cllr Saint-John isn’t too pleased, possibly because a lot of the complaints are directed at him, wouldn’t put it past the Borough to send another bill to his door, watch out Iain!

Wonder if the police will join in and start billing them? Hundred quid per pensioner? More on this as we get it!