Dear resident,
While this unprecedented lockdown is now starting to ease very slightly, we should continue to think of all of our key workers who are doing their utmost to make life possible for the rest of us. Our thanks go again to them and to all who have given their time and resources to support those who have needed help in the past weeks.
For anyone who needs support at this difficult time, the number to ring is Bradford Council’s helpline on 01274 431000, and there is a list of other useful contacts below.
The council is getting back into its stride and has been able to progress various items of business this month. I am delighted to report that, after a lengthy period of planning, work has now started on the conversion of the disused toilet block in Jubilee Gardens. The pandemic will increase the time the contractors need to spend on site, but it is hoped that the project will be complete by mid September.
A policy is now in place for the spending of the Community Infrastructure Levy monies, and discussions are ongoing about the return of the monthly markets; we report on both below. And look out for the new season’s floral displays that will shortly be brightening up our town.
Kind regards,
Helen Owen Chair,
Bingley Town Council
Picture above: Wildflower meadow year two, sadly unable to be tended
Bingley Town Council meetings
As reported last month, the Council has restarted full council meetings and standing committees, i.e. Finance and General Purposes, Planning and Staffing and the Events, Marketing and Communications sub-committee.
At the full council meeting on 26 May, it was agreed to restart the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, and a meeting of the Emergency Support Sub-Group is also being planned.
These meetings will all be held remotely (via Zoom) – please email enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk for the meeting ID and password).
Officer hours
The Town Council’s office is closed due to the lockdown with staff working from home. Bingley Town Council can be contacted by email at enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk or by telephone on the following numbers:
- Town Clerk – 07703 188660
- Administrative Officer – 07856 365806 (every weekday except Thursday)
- Environmental Warden – 07529 222679 (Tuesdays and Fridays only).
Pictures above: Work on the toilet block underway, internal and external, May 2020,
Office and public toilets
Work has now started to convert the toilet block in Jubilee Gardens into an office for the council and new public toilets. Contractors Building Projects Group have been on site since 18 May and have already undertaken the initial internal demolition works, knocking out the internal walls and making spaces for new windows and doors. First fix of the electrics will be on 1 June and first fix of the plumbing on 8 June. Due to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the work is expected to take 16 weeks to complete rather than the 12 weeks originally anticipated.
Management of the site is the responsibility of Building Projects Group and project managers Bowman Riley, and regular meetings are being held with the council’s project team to deal with issues and details as they arise.
The Council remains committed to providing a Changing Places facility at Bingley Pool and negotiations need to be recommenced with FOBP and Bradford Council when possible.
Community Infrastructure Levy policy
A new policy has been agreed for the spending of the funds transferred to Bingley Town Council from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The CIL is a charge levied on developers by Bradford Council, and 15% of the monies raised is returned to the parish/town council where the development is located to be spent on infrastructure to support local development.
The policy sets out how the funds can be spent, either by the council itself or by groups with ideas for infrastructural projects, and how groups can apply. Priorities for spending were identified during the community consultation in September 2019 and the top six were parks and playgrounds (particularly Myrtle Park and Crossflatts Rec, Bingley Pool, green spaces, youth provision, police and crime, and sports facilities.
Further priorities will emerge from the future consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan. (If the plan is approved, Bingley will receive 25% of the CIL monies rather than 15%). The CIL policy will be available on the Town Council’s website shortly.
Pictures above: Incredible Edibles being prepared for the new season
Supporting Bingley residents through the COVID-19 pandemic
The Town Council is continuing to work closely with a number of partners and community groups, in particular Bradford Council’s Shipley Neighbourhood Hub for Bingley and Bingley Rural and the Resilience group operating on Facebook led by Michelle Chapman and Jo Reynard. Fortnightly meetings are being held with the above groups, Bradford Council’s Bingley and Bingley Rural Ward Officers and representatives of Bingley Food Bank, Trinity Community Kitchen, All Saints Church and Eldwick Church to share information and updates on the status of their community support activity.
Four Bingley Town Councillors are on call at Bank Holiday and on weekends when the hub has a skeleton staff. The Town Council’s Environmental Warden continues to work with Bingley Food Bank and liaises with the supermarkets that are accommodating collections for Bingley Food Bank (Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer) and with Cottingley Community Centre.
Thank you again to all who have donated and volunteered, to the supermarkets for hosting the collection points and to all who are helping to run Bingley Food Bank, Cottingley Community Centre, the Community Kitchen and all the various local support groups.
COVID-19 measures
As we move out of lockdown, we all want our communities to get back on their feet safely and as soon as possible. Measures to support social distancing in Bradford district by making changes to roads and pavements were recently announced by Bradford Council with specific schemes in Bradford City Centre, Shipley and Ilkley. But what would you like to see happening in Bingley, Crossflatts, Cottingley, Gilstead, Eldwick and Micklethwaite?
Measures Bradford Council say they’re considering include: temporarily widening pavements and cycle lanes to help people maintain a two metre distance as they shop, walk or cycle around the district, improving crossings for pedestrians, reducing bottlenecks and slowing vehicle speeds to make the roads safer for cyclists and walkers. If there’s a need for any of these where you live, shop or work in Bingley parish, or if you’ve got any thoughts on other social distancing measures of benefit to our parish, please share them with us by emailing enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk We’ll gather the suggestions together and pass them to Bradford Council. We can’t guarantee they’ll happen but we’ll do our best!
Follow this link to find out more about the type of highways changes that Bradford Council is considering: Highways changes to aid social distancing
Useful COVID-19 contacts
Bradford Council’s Shipley Neighbourhood Hub: 01274 431000
Bingley and Bingley Rural wards Community Coronavirus Resilience group (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/groups/199478144693845/
Parish befriending service: care@bingleyparish.org.uk
Denholme Assist telephone befriending scheme: https://bit.ly/2xf6q96.
Bradford Council daily update: https://www.bradford.gov.uk/health/health-advice-and-support/coronavirus-covid-19-advice/
Community Action Bradford and District (CABAD) daily briefing: www.cabad.org.uk/covid-19
Bingley monthly markets
Bingley Town Council is holding regular discussions with Otley Town Partnership, who run the markets, about a possible date to restart the popular monthly market. Although recent guidance has suggested that open air markets can be opened, it is not yet possible for this to happen for a variety of reasons.
The main reason is that toilet and hand-washing facilities cannot be available for stallholders to use. In general, local cafés are generous in allowing the use of their facilities, but even with the possible reopening of cafés, it is unlikely that toilets will be open to customers. The newly refurbished public toilets in the town centre are not likely to be open before mid-September. Also, Bingley Town Council are obliged to provide First Aid at the markets and under current social distancing guidelines it is not possible to provide this service.
We have a projected date of 1 August for the next market, but this may change and we will keep residents informed.
Funding granted to the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service
At its meeting on 26 May, the council awarded a grant of £2,000 to the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service. The funding is to be put towards the cost of new carpets at the charity’s premises at the Pamela Sunter Centre, Whitley Street in central Bingley.
The charity works with people with Down Syndrome, providing training and support to families and schools. It also provides volunteer, work experience and employment opportunities for people in Bingley and spaces for meetings and training.
Picture below: Planters waiting to be filled with edible crops at Bingley railway station
Bingley Pool
The council wrote to Bradford Council on 29 April to ask for additional financial support for Friends of Bingley Pool (FOBP), who will be taking over the pool at a time when both boilers and the electrical wiring system are needing considerable expenditure.
The response on 6 May from the Assistant Director Estates and Property stated: “The Council will continue to provide as much support and guidance to the group as possible to hopefully ensure a successful outcome, however, at this time, we are unable to commit any additional funding to address the mechanical and electrical issues that are inherent within the property.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the transfer of the pool to FOBP has been postponed until September 2021.
Leeds Bradford Airport
The council has written to Leeds City Council to object to the planning application submitted by AMP Capital, the owners of Leeds Bradford Airport. The plan is for the expansion of the current terminal in light of a projected increase in annual passenger numbers from 4 million to 7 million and extension of the daytime flight period by 1.5 hours.
The objection is being made primarily for environmental reasons, in that the impact of the additional passenger numbers would be an enormous increase in greenhouse gas emissions, incompatible with advice from the UK Committee on Climate Change that aviation growth must be limited to 25% between 2018 and 2050 to address the climate emergency. Concerns are also being raised about the additional noise and air pollution that would result from any expansion, with likely impact on Bingley residents. The council has also asked Bradford Council to object to the planning proposal.
Dates for your diary
All activities, including markets and group litter picks, are currently on hold.
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The next ordinary meeting of the Town Council is at 6.30pm on:
Tuesday 23 June 2020 (via Zoom – please email enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk for the meeting ID and password)
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You can see all the council’s meeting dates in the calendar of the Events section of its website, and a full listing is available as a separate document, updated weekly, in the Documents section of the site.
Finally….if you’ve made it this far, please do share this newsletter with friends and family and encourage them to subscribe too.
Bingley Town Council contacts
Bingley Town Council, Cottingley Community Centre, Littlelands, Cottingley, Bingley, BD16 1AL
Town Clerk: Ruth Batterley
Administrative Officer: Laura Jowett
Environmental Warden: Lee Matthews
Email: enquiries@bingleytowncouncil.gov.uk
Tel: 07703 188660
The lockdown and the ability to go for local walks has highlighted the terrible state of some of our local buildings in particular the old town hall ,which is particularly bad and then the area around the arts centre which is desperate at the best of times but with weeds everywhere and cracked walls and paving it looks desperate.I am sure all we will from the council is with the Coronavirus they can’t do anything at this time ,but it certainly hasn’t got like this in the last few months
It would appear that if you don’t live in central bradford we don’t matter