Post Office petition update

Local response to the Save Headingley Post Office petition has been phenomenal! This picture shows just some of the paper signatures which have flooded into the Leeds North West Lib Dems office or which we have collected on the door-steps. Along with over 1800 people who have signed the petition online, that now amounts to well over 2000 voices calling on Post Office Ltd. to halt their plans for closure – indeed nearer to 2500. It is very clear that the people of Headingley want to keep their much-loved local Post Office.

Post Office petition returns

Post Office Ltd. have now responded to our letter asking them to call a halt to their plans. They say that they have had an expression of interest from a potential franchisee, and that they will consult the local community before any next moves.

Local campaigner Penny Goodman said:

This is my local Post Office, and like anyone who uses it regularly I can see how busy and well used it is. It seems disgraceful that Post Office Ltd. are planning on closing down this site. It is especially disappointing considering their promise to keep it open when they closed a number of other local post offices in 2008.

I don’t think a franchise is an appropriate replacement for a Crown Post Office and have replied to them stressing my opposition to this proposal. I will be continuing to campaign to keep a Crown Post Office in Headingley, as well as making sure that the massive local support for this post office is not ignored by the Post Office.

Add your voice to the petition here, and help us to show how strongly local people feel about this branch!

Headingley local election hustings

The Headingley Network have organised a hustings for this year’s local elections. The event will take place at the HEART centre in the Shire Oak Room from 7 to 9pm on Tuesday May 3rd.

Our candidate, Penny Goodman, will be there of course. Do come along if you would like to hear her speak about what she is standing for in Headingley, and to ask her your questions.

If you would like to submit a question, you can do this by placing it in the box currently available for the purpose in the foyer of the HEART centre. All questions must be received by 5pm on May 3rd, so that they can be sorted thematically. You should put your name and postcode on your question.

Out on the doorsteps: Ash Road

Yesterday evening the Headingley Liberal Democrat team went out on the doorsteps in the Ash Road area, speaking to local residents about the local elections coming up on May 5th.

Ash Road door knocking

Most people had already received their polling cards, and were looking forward to voting. We got a very positive response, with many residents wishing our candidate, Penny Goodman, good luck on the day.

Focus stories: The positive Liberal Democrat vision for Headingley

Penny war memorialOn Thursday 5th May there will be local council elections for Leeds City Council. The Liberal Democrat candidate for Headingley ward is Penny Goodman. These are some of the things Penny wants to achieve for our area:

Protecting green spaces: Penny is determined to fight to protect the remaining green spaces in our city from development. “All too often green spaces have been built on – such as Victoria Road playing fields. We must protect  these areas for the future and for the benefit of all who live in Headingley.” Read more about Penny’s efforts to protect green spaces here.

Introduce doorstep glass and food waste recycling: With a falling recycling rate in the city, Penny is fighting to get more doorstep recycling services offered to local residents. “I know that local residents want to do more to help the environment but the Council has to offer the services to help.” Read more about Penny’s campaign for doorstep glass and food waste recycling here.

Tackle poor broadband provision: Penny is campaigning hard to get broadband providers to improve their local  infrastructure. “Many students and people living locally have said they pay high bill prices but get poor broadband  speed. Companies need to act when customers are paying for the service.” Read more about Penny’s campaign for better broadband provision here.

Focus stories: Local clean-up success!

Working with local residents, Liberal Democrat campaigner Penny Goodman ensured that a neglected area of Ash Terrace was spruced up and made tidy.

Penny Goodman said:

Local residents had raised with me their concerns about the overgrown vegetation. I took the issue to the Council and they agreed to fix it up. Two truck-loads of greenery have now been taken away.

It was great to be able to work with residents to get the job done. If any other residents are having similar issues, please let me know.

See below for before and after pictures of the site:

Before...

Before…

...and after

…and after

Response from Morrison Utility Services

Two weeks ago, we reported on some correspondence with Morrison Utility Services, a company who have been working on behalf of Northern Powergrid on Chapel Lane. A local resident contacted Penny Goodman to say that some of Chapel Lane’s Yorkshire stone paving had been stolen in the course of this work, so she wrote to the CEO of Morrison Utility Services, Charles B. Morrison, asking him to improve the company’s on-site security protocols and to replace the stolen paving. He wrote back very quickly to say that they would be conducting a full investigation, and that he would report back further when they had done so. This has now happened, and Penny has received a second letter detailing the outcomes of the investigation.

You can read the letter in full below, but as it is quite long, we will note the key points here:

  • The company removes unsecured stone paving stone each evening, and places it in a secure depot. This practice was followed as usual on Chapel Lane.
  • The stone which was stolen was not lying unsecured in stacks, but had been relaid into the pavement that day.
  • After the theft occurred on Friday 27th February, a mobile CCTV unit was put in place, which recorded a further disturbance on the site in the early hours of Saturday 28th February.
  • The company will be replacing the stolen paving with new Yorkshire stone slabs as soon as they can secure appropriate materials from their supplier.

The last point is particularly welcome, and we will be keeping an eye on the site to check that it actually happens. The seriousness of the company’s overall approach to the issue, and to Penny’s letter, is also good to see. But it is still clear that works like this are a major target for thieves. We would suggest that companies whose work involves disturbing Yorkshire stone paving should be putting CCTV in place on site before they start as a matter of course – not waiting until a theft has taken place.

It is also very clear that the thieves responsible for these crimes are working on an almost industrial scale. Another theft just a few days ago in Granby Road, where thieves similarly crow-barred up slabs directly from the pavement, confirms this. The only long-term solution to the problem will be to shut off the market for stolen materials which is clearly driving the crimes. Greg Mulholland’s Early Day Motion calling for legislation, a taskforce and an awareness-raising campaign, similar to the measures used to stop the theft and re-sale of scrap metal, has been an important step forward in that direction.

You can read Charles Morrison’s letter for yourself here:

MUS letter 1

MUS letter 2

MUS letter 3

Fighting to save Headingley Post Office

Yesterday, Headingley Liberal Democrats gathered in front of the local Post Office to protest against the plans to close it, and to invite members of the public to sign a petition calling on Post Office Ltd to halt the closure.

Placards and petitions

We collected over 100 signatures in just over an hour, which shows the strength of local feeling about this issue. Some people were queuing up to sign, while others told us how much they or their friends and relatives use and depend on this post office.

If you missed us at the Arndale Centre, but would like to show your support, you can sign the petition online here.

Focus stories: Labour fails recycling target

Leeds Liberal Democrats have accused the Labour-led Council of lacking ambition after Labour bosses announced they plan to reduce their recycling target.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Penny Goodman said:

Reducing and re-writing recycling targets is not how to improve sustainability and the environment in our city. Instead it shows a lack of ambition to improve.

From talking to local residents I know that people want to recycle more – residents repeatedly ask me for doorstep glass and food recycling as exists elsewhere.

Instead of playing with the numbers in reports, Labour should be taking this sort of practical action to improve recycling. Then they would not need to re-write targets, we would reach them!

Recycling 2

Food waste and glass can be recycled in many other cities – but not Leeds.

Yorkshire stone theft update

We are pleased to report that Charles Morrison, CEO of Morrison Utility Services, has already replied to Penny Goodman’s letter raising concerns about the theft of Yorkshire stone paving on Chapel Lane. Mr. Morrison stated:

We are fully committed to respecting the environment whilst carrying out work on behalf of our clients. In view of the seriousness of the allegations, I have asked my Contract Director to undertake a full investigation immediately. Once he has completed his findings, we will revert to you with our response.

This is a very promising response. We very much hope that the Contract Director is able to ascertain what happened on Chapel Lane, and to recommend measures which will ensure that it does not happen again.

Yorkshire stone theft on Chapel Lane

Last week, a significant quantity of Yorkshire stone paving slabs were stolen from Chapel Lane in Headingley. The theft was able to take place because the stones had been lifted up as part of electricity works taking place on the street, and were left unsecured by the company responsible.

Chapel Lane 2

Local activist Penny Goodman has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the company concerned, Morrison Utility Services, to draw his attention to the problem and ask him to take action. You can read her letter in full below. We will report back here if we receive any response.

Dear Mr. Morrison,

I am writing to raise a concern about the professional practices of your workmen in relation to work currently taking place on Chapel Lane in Headingley, Leeds, LS6 3BW.

Last week, the Yorkshire stone paving along the lower part of Chapel Lane was lifted by your company in order to conduct electricity works on behalf of Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc. I have attached pictures of the site. The stone paving slabs were stacked at the side of the road, with no measures taken to secure them.

As you are probably aware, theft of Yorkshire stone is a serious issue in Leeds. Over the last year, West Yorkshire police have recorded an 18% rise in incidences of Yorkshire stone theft, and Leeds City Council have had to replace £50,000 of stone stolen from the city’s pavements. It is an organised crime, and currently on the rise.

Residents of Chapel Lane were therefore very concerned to see their historic paving stone left unsecured at the side of the road by your workmen. Chapel Lane is part of the Headingley conservation area, and as such its Yorkshire stone paving is recognised as part of the area’s unique local heritage. However, in this case, that heritage has now been lost due to the negligent actions of your company. All of the unsecured stone paving has been taken, most of it in two visits on Friday February 19th.

On one of these two occasions, a local resident witnessed the crime in progress, took the registration number of the vehicle being used, and reported it to the police. We can therefore hold out some hope that the criminals may be caught. However, the fact remains that this theft would not have been possible in the first place if your workmen had taken due care of the historic paving stones, instead of leaving them unsecured at the side of the road.

One of the residents whom I spoke to about this matter over the weekend reported that she had telephoned the emergency number provided on your safety barriers to report the theft and raise her concerns. Eventually, she received a call back from Tony Porter, your reinstatement agent, who said that Yorkshire stone paving is usually taken to the depot for safekeeping during work of this kind. However, on this occasion he did not know its whereabouts, and agreed that it had probably been stolen. This tells me that your normal protocol is to take actions to secure historic paving materials, but that on this occasion the protocol failed.

I would therefore like to ask you to review your working practices, to ensure that they do not allow this kind of devastating loss of unique local heritage to happen again in the future. I would also suggest that on this occasion you should undertake to compensate the Headingley community for its losses by offering to pay the cost of replacing these particular paving stones with new Yorkshire stone slabs to Leeds City Council.

I would appreciate your swift reply on how you will be responding to this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Penny Goodman
Liberal Democrat candidate for Headingley ward