Gift to club
Pic: Chairman of Birstall United Juniors Phil
Baker receives a cheque from (l-r) Mrs Jean Twigg, Mrs Edith
Murphy and Secretary Mrs Pam Breakwell from the Edith Murphy
Trust.
AFTER READING about the side in the Birstall
Post, a charitable foundation has donated £500 to Birstall
United Juniors football club.
Trustee of the Edith Murphy Trust Mrs Jean Twigg said: “This
club is marvellous for children, it helps build self esteem,
discipline and the responsibility of belonging to a team. It’s
also good for their physical development and is the sort of project
the Trust wants to encourage.”
Chairman of Birstall United Juniors Phil Baker said: “I
am absolutely elated to receive this donation, it was very nice
of them to think of us and recognise the work the club does”.
The Trust’s donation will help the club pay for the connection
of an electricity supply to their clubhouse on Meadow Lane. The
club currently caters for 200 children aged 4-18, with the under
11s and under 13s sides both winners of their respective divisions.
Date for wheelies
WHEELIE BINS will be introduced “from
the end of 2004” say Charnwood Borough Council, with full
implementation by the end of March 2005.
The glass and textile collections are the subject of a DEFRA
bid for financial support which Charnwood says has been “partially
successful although some details are still awaited”. Collections
of glass, textiles and cardboard could start in September 2004
and Charnwood say they hope to offer the optional wheeled bins
for garden waste from late August 2004.
Every resident will be contacted and invited to inform the Council
of any concerns they have in respect of not being able to manage
the new bins, either through disability, frailty or because of
the design of their property. Charnwood says exceptions and assistance
will be made where necessary, but these will be limited to cases
of real need.
Police called to Parish Council
THE POLICE were called to a meeting of
Birstall Parish Council when a councillor refused to obey a ruling
from the Chairman.
On May 10 Birstall Parish Council held its Annual meeting, where
the chairman and vice chairman of the council are elected, as
well as the members of the various committees. The meeting also
confirms the council’s standing orders.
Following the election of Cllr Stuart Jones as Chairman and Cllr
Tony Fowler as vice chairman, Cllr Clarke raised a point of order.
He pointed out that the Local Government Act 2000 required that
councillors be given three clear days notice of meetings, that
this requirement had not been met and that any decisions made
at the meeting would consequently not be lawful.
He also commented that the Standing Orders, if adopted, would
exclude him from full participation in Council business.
Cllr Peter West then commented on Cllr Clarke’s time wasting
and disruptive behaviour. Cllr Clarke objected to these comments
and asked the chairman to rule them out of order and return to
the agenda. Other members objected, and the Chairman ruled that
Cllr West be heard.
Cllr Clarke continued to object, and the Council moved that Cllr
Clarke should no longer be heard. Cllr Clarke refused to accept
this and the Chairman ruled that Cllr Clarke should remain silent
or leave the meeting, which he refused to do despite the Chairman
repeating his ruling three times.
Cllr Roger Wilson proposed that the meeting be adjourned. The
Police were called and an officer arrived after 15 minutes. Cllr
Clarke, Chairman Stuart Jones and the Police officer left the
meeting to talk outside. Cllr Clarke agreed to leave the meeting
if the Police Officer would record in his notebook their conversation
in the corridor, to provide an independent account. He then left,
Chairman Stuart Jones returned to the council chamber, and the
meeting resumed.
Cllr Jones told the Birstall Post: “Mr Clarke became very
aggressive in the corridor and the police officer and myself
calmed him down. We shook hands before we left and I have no
ill feelings towards Mr Clarke.
“It is not pleasant having to deal with things like this
but I cannot permit this kind of conduct in meetings.”
Cllr Clarke said: “Cllr Fowler proposed a resolution that
I no longer be heard. That is improper, as it can only be done
during the debate of a resolution before the council. I won’t
allow this sort of thing to happen any more, if I did I would
be condoning unlawful action. All I can do is draw it to the
attention of the Chairman and wait for the resolution of my complaint
to the Standards Board.”
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College’s new principal
Pic: Longslade’s new principal Dr Mike
Griffiths
“LONGSLADE IS a school that is very
determined to improve itself “ says the College’s newly
appointed principal, Dr Mike Griffiths.
“There are a lot of students, and staff at Longslade who
want to get rid of the label ‘Special Measures’ and
turn the college into somewhere known as being special”
he added.
Prior to coming to Longslade, Mike (54), was headteacher at the
City of Leicester School, a state school for 11 to 18 year olds
and a post he held for eight years.
Mike, who was awarded a degree in Chemistry by Oxford University
and later a doctorate, has spent almost his entire career in
teaching. Married with two daughters, he moved to Leicestershire
in 1982.
Longslade failed its Ofsted inspection in 2002 and was placed
in Special Measures. An action plan was drawn up and the school
is periodically inspected by Government Inspectors (HMI).
Mike said: “I know that the college hasn’t enjoyed
a good reputation over the last couple of years, but there are
many committed students and staff on which to build changes over
the next few months and years. I am very keen to ensure every
student who is at our college and who will come in the future
has a genuine chance to make the most of her or his future -
developing talents and abilities to the full.
“We will do this working together in partnership - schools
and colleges are not like supermarkets - you cannot just drop
in and buy learning! - you need to be involved in learning”
The College’s last inspection by HMI was in March which
reported “reasonable progress” and an LEA inspection
in May found significant improvements in teaching. The school
is still in Special Measures but Mike is hopeful that following
further inspections by HMI, this status will be removed by Christmas.
The College expects to be almost 100 per cent fully staffed with
permanent teachers by the beginning of the autumn term.
The school roll is around £850 and will rise above 900
next year, when there will be an additional 40 students on post
16 courses compared to this year.
Bus service changes announced
RESIDENTS FROM the Orchard Road area are
angry at plans announced by the County Council to withdraw bus
services from their area.
They have produced a petition objecting to the plans.
The Council have announced a service review and have been consulting
Parish Councils, but not the public, about their plans. They
aim to ensure the provision of a daytime bus service of hourly
frequency or better, within an 800 metre walk for 95 per cent
of all Leicestershire residents.
Most bus services in the county are provided by commercial operators
on routes that can return a profit, but some services, many in
rural areas, are subsidised by the County Council and it is these
services that will be affected by the changes.
The following services will be withdrawn: 123, 120, 99, 98 and
70b. There will be a new 123 and a new 99 service. The 123 service
will not serve Birstall. The new 99 service will operate hourly
from Leicester to Mountsorrel via Birstall, Thurcaston and Rothley
Plain. Its route through Birstall will be: Red Hill Circle, Birstall
Road, Sibson Road, Loughborough Road, Goscote Hall Road, Fielding
Road, Elmfield Avenue, Walnut Avenue, Greengate Lane, Ambergate
Drive, Harrowgate Drive, Woodgate Drive, Greengate Lane.
The new services are expected to start on Tuesday, August 31,
2004.
Birstall garden trail
DURING THE recent brighter days several
gardeners in Greengate Lane, Walnut Avenue and Castlegate Avenue
have been busy tidying their gardens in readiness for the annual
Birstall Garden Trail.
Plans leading toward another successful Village Trail are well
advanced and the committee of the Birstall Methodist Church and
the gardeners are looking forward to seeing you make that annual
visit around this selected area of Birstall.
Remember, this year there are Plant Stall, Ice Cream Stall, a
Children’s Treasure trail, Tombola Stall with prizes related
to gardening uses, and the Raffle Ticket Draw, with generous
prizes. Teas will be available at 22 Castlegate Avenue.
This year Richard Kilby has been able to persuade Highcliffe
Primary School and The Greengate Medical Centre to kindly let
the public have the use of their car parking facilities for the
two afternoons of the event and we are grateful to them for this.
Admission tickets (passports) can be obtained, prior to the dates,
from several shops in Birstall at £2, or they can be bought
on the day at gardens on the route for £2.50. Please remember
that half of all the money we raise for the event will be donated
to the Leicestershire Air Ambulance. Once again, we are grateful
to the Birstall Garden Centre for their continued support in
sponsoring the trail, which this year is held on June 26 &
27.
From Richard Kilby, Birstall Garden Trail Committee Garden Organiser
Complaint rejected
A COMPLAINT brought against Parish Councillor
Chris Clarke has been rejected by the Standards Board for England.
Cllr Peter West made the complaint, alleging that Cllr Clarke
had:
made malicious and unfounded complaints to the Standards Board
about him made libellous statements about him
distributed notes before a council meeting that were “misleading
in the extreme” brought Birstall Parish Council into disrepute
by disrupting meetings and sending threatening letters to other
members.
After considering the complaint, the Standards Board ruled that
the allegations should not be investigated. In its ruling it
said: “In all the circumstances, it was considered that
the alleged conduct, even if it were found to have occurred,
is not of such significance of itself to justify a publicly funded
investigation by an Ethical Standards Officer and any consequent
action.”
Cllr Peter West told the Birstall Post “This has come as
a great shock, not only to members of Birstall Parish Council,
but also to the Secretary of the Leicestershire Association of
Parish Councils, who witnessed Mr Clarke’s performance at
the last Council meeting, when he had to be removed by the police.
“I complained that Mr Clarke had made five malicious complaints
about me and asked that the Standards Board take action. But
they admitted that they have no powers to do this, however many
unfounded complaints are made.
“More seriously, as Chairman of the Council at that time,
I notified them that Mr Clarke had used bullying and threatening
behaviour not only towards other councillors but, even worse,
towards the office staff, and had also called the Clerk a liar.
At the last AGM of the Standards Board they promised that they
would take strong action against bullies. Apparently these were
just empty words.”
He added: “I have to admit that we have now lost all confidence
in the Standards Board and are wondering just what we can do
to stop Mr Clarke’s mindless disruption of meetings.”
Cllr Chris Clarke told the Birstall Post: “The same evidence
that Peter West presented to the Standards Board, he provided
to the Parish Council at their April meeting, which persuaded
them to pass two resolutions in my absence - one standing behind
Peter West’s comments as true, and one passing a vote of
no confidence in me as a councillor. The Standards Board, considering
the same evidence, decided not to pursue it. So Mr West is saying
the Standards Board is wrong and he is right. This is diabolical.”
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