News

Below are the latest news items from the Parish Council.
December Grants News
06/12/2019
The Council has taken the decisions on all of the grant applications submitted by 25 October.  It has approved all of the small annual grant applications, with the exception of the one submitted by University of Huddersfield Allotment Society (the group did not supply a Constitution and did not have a bank account in its own name) and Shelley Emmanuel Church, which applied for a grant to lay down unsafe memorial stones, on the grounds that churches are ineligible for small annual grants.  The Committee has recommended that the Church is invited to apply for a General Grant instead, for which it is eligible.

All of the general grants were approved, but some with a lower amount than the applicant had applied for.  The reason being that we received an unprecedented number of general grant applications, and the Committee was mindful that there would be another grants meeting in March. 

There were two applications for the Village Improvement Funding, one in Flockton for planting up a small garden on Barnsley Road.  Consideration of the proposal is to be deferred pending the applicant receiving permission from the landowner and from Kirklees Highways due to its location.  The other application was in Stocksmoor for a new village sign, flowers for the planters and a plaque for the ceremonial tree.  This has been approved.

The 2 VE Day commemoration grant applications have been approved.  They were submitted by Rowley Hill Club in Lepton and Thurstonland Village Association, both for £250.

Applicants for general grants, VE Day grants and village improvement funding will receive their cheques in January.

Small annual grant applicants will be notified in January of the outcome of the applications, and the cheques will be issued around April at the start of the Council's new financial year.  The information will also be put on the Grants page of the website.

The next deadline for submitting an application is Friday 6 March.  Late applications will not be considered.
Christmas Trees Arrive in the Parish
25/11/2019
You will have noticed that the Christmas trees are popping up in most of our villages.  We'd like to thank Kirklees Council for all the work involved in installing the trees, and for providing one free of charge.  The others are paid for by the Parish Council and can be found in: Farnley Tyas, Grange Moor, Highburton, Kirkheaton Lascelles Hall, Shelley Village Hall, Shepley, Stocksmoor and Thurstonland.  The lights have been installed on the planted tree in Flockton.

The one in Grange Moor had to be re-located to St Bartholomew's Church, as it was deemed unsafe to position it under the overhead cables on the recreation ground.

We hope you all enjoy having the trees and that they will bring a festive atmosphere to all of the villages over the Christmas period.
Grange Moor Christmas Tree
12/11/2019
The tree in Grange Moor has been re-sited to St Bartholomew's Church on Liley Lane.  We are very grateful to the Rev Ian Jones and the PCC for granting permission for the new position and to the officers at Kirklees Council, who are currently busy sorting out the sockets and electricity supply. 

We know that everyone liked having it on the recreation ground and we're sorry it had to be moved but a new site had to be found very quickly, or it would not have been possible to put all the arrangements in place before the tree arrived.

We do hope that everyone understands the situation and that the tree continues to bring pleasure to everyone at Grange Moor, especially at the annual Carol Singing event.
Funding towards 75th Anniversary of VE Day
04/10/2019
8 May 2020 will be the 75th anniversary of VE Day.  The Council has decided to make grants available to community groups to contribute towards the cost of hosting village events to commemorate it. 

To make an application please complete and submit a General Grant Form.  The maximum grant available is £250. 

Full details can be found on the Grants Page.
Village Improvement Fund
24/09/2019
A new initiative was agreed by the last Council, which is being trialled in this financial year.  Local Councillors have been allocated up to £1,500 each to spend on projects in the villages they represent.  If you have an idea for something which could be achieved in your village, tell your local Councillor about it.  It may be possible to fund it from this money.  The Councillors will need to submit a form giving full details of the project and costings, which must be received by 25 October at the latest.

The Grants & Community Projects Committee will consider all the proposed projects, with the Council taking the final decisions at the December Council meeting.
Date change for the January Parish Council Meeting
07/08/2019
The Parish Council meeting will be held on 9 January 2020 (2nd Thursday) due to the Village Hall being closed for redecoration and repairs.
Hanging Baskets
04/08/2019
Once again the Parish Council is grateful to Kirklees Council for helping with the cost of the hanging baskets, which are so beloved by local residents.  100 baskets have been put up in the Parish with 25 of them being paid for by Kirklees grants.

Shelley Over 60's and Yetton Together also raised funds to put up additional baskets in Shelley and Kirkheaton respectively.  We are very grateful to those groups for increasing the areas covered with hanging baskets.

If you value the baskets, it would be of enormous help to us in securing funding in the future if you could please send us a quick email or mention us on Twitter, maybe with a photograph.
Council supports the Petition for a Bypass around Flockton
03/08/2019
The Council discussed the long-running traffic issues on Barnsley Road in Flockton and heard how a bypass around the village would help not only Flockton, but also neighbouring villages such as Emley, Netherton and Sitlington.  Flockton Bypass Group has been working hard to progress it and has already gained the support of the local MP's Paula Sherriff and Mary Creagh.  Representatives of the Group have met with officers from Wakefield and Kirklees Councils as well as groups from Denby Dale and Sitlington Parish Councils.  A petition of more than 4,000 signatures has been handed in to Kirklees Council.  The Parish Council has added its support to the petition.
Cllr Lin Holroyd
14/07/2019
The Council is very sad to announce the death of Lin Holroyd, a past Chairman and Councillor.  She represented Flockton for 12 years, during which time she served as Chairman and Line Manager.  She took an active role in Council activities and was always the first one to volunteer when extra help was needed.  She represented the Council at the National Coal Mining Museum for many years, where she assisted with projects and funding applications.  She was also an active volunteer at Flockton First School, where she regularly took children out on 'Welly Walks' and helped with the 'twinning' project between Flockton and Savile Town.

The Council paid tributes to her at the June meeting and sent condolences to her family.  A collection was taken amongst Councillors, which raised £106.  A donation of £52.50 has been made to the RSPB and the rest was used for flowers at Lin's funeral.