Come along to the Forum and have your say

The next meeting of the Richmond Hill Community Forum is being held tomorrow at 6.00pm at the newly re-furbished Richmond Hill Community Centre on Long Close Lane.

Come along and listen to what is being said and have your own say.  This is a chance to put your point across to the councillors and the council officers who have your lives in their hands.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tomorrow.

The first meeting of the Cupcake Book Club

The first meeting of the Cupcake Book Club took place at the Spring Close Tavern at 7.30pm on Tuesday 31 May 2011 and proved to be a huge success as a thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all involved.

Local residents met together in cosy and pleasant surroundings to discuss books, good and bad and many, many other subjects and to socialise with their friends and neighbours.

Delicious home made cakes were on offer provided by the members themselves and as well as the usual wide array of drinks normally available in a well run pub, including hand drawn specialist ales, tea and coffee flowed freely for those who preferred that.

Asghar Khan, our newest local Labour councillor, popped in to wish the members of the club every success and to offer his support for this much needed local initiative, he also enjoyed the cakes on offer.

The first book which had been chosen was The Queen and I by Sue Townsend and this book received a mixed reception, some of the people loved it and some loathed it which was only to be expected with such a varied group of residents we suppose but it certainly led to a lively, interesting and thoroughly friendly discussion.

The next book to be read, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, was chosen by Brian one of the members who recommended it to us all so we are all going to read it and share our views of the book at the next meeting of the Club at 7.30pm on Tuesday 5 July 2011 at the Spring Close Tavern.

We look forward to welcoming many new members in the future and to making this an enjoyable and convivial evening for people who share many different tastes but who like to meet and talk to each other and share their thoughts on books they have read or anything else that comes up so please accept our invitation to come along and enjoy yourselves with other like minded souls.

Police Warning - Regarding the Census

Police Reminder To Check For ID
Monday, 21 March, 2011

Police are reminding residents to check for identification when officials visit homes in the region as part of the forthcoming 2011 Census process.

The actual Census day is Sunday 27th March, however, the field operation will run from March to mid-August and census field staff will be taking to the streets to offer assistance and collect questionnaires from residential households and communal establishments across West Yorkshire. Every household in West Yorkshire will have to complete a census form.

Members of the public should remember that:

Residents who return their completed questionnaires promptly (before 6th April) will not be contacted by the census field staff

All census staff will carry an ID card with photo, logo and hologram and should automatically show their ID and explain who they are They may ask for name and number of residents, but they will not ask for specific details (like credit card details, bank accounts etc)

Census staff should never enter the household unless they are invited and they may also need to make several visits to the same address to ensure a questionnaire is returned.

Residents will not be asked to leave their questionnaire on the doorstep for collection

Residents can request a pre-arranged appointment with a collector via the census helpline number – 0300 0201 101

Additional information/assistance can also be found on the census website www.census.gov.uk
For people who live in communal establishments such as care homes, hotels, and halls of residence will have their questionnaires hand delivered as well as Gypsy and Traveller sites, caravans parks and marinas. A dedicated member of the Census staff will speak with the manager of the complex and agree a date and time to pick-up completed questionnaires. They will not necessarily speak with residents.

West Yorkshire Police are encouraging residents to be alert when dealing with callers at the door.

Chris Joyce, Force Crime Reduction Officer said: "It is a sad fact of life that some people will impersonate others to commit a criminal offence, so it is extremely important that members of the public remember to satisfy themselves that callers at their home are genuine and who they say they are.

"Most callers at your door will be genuine, but it is vital that you thoroughly check their identity before giving them any personal details or allowing them access to your property’

"The Census Team has ensured that their staff follows good practice when calling at residential properties. However, if you are in any doubt whatsoever about the identity of anyone who calls at your home, do not let them in, turn them away and then alert the Police if you are suspicious of their intentions."

Anyone who would like additional information about the 2011 Census process should ring the Census Helpline on 0300 0201 101 or visit http://www.census.gov.uk/

RICHMOND HILL COMMUNITY CENTRE

As accusations fly between our local councillors over the suspension of the long overdue £250,000 refurbishment of Richmond Hill Community Centre COVEN understands that the decision not to go ahead with the project as originally planned was based solely on the fact that the source of the finance, a central fund, is now under review, as is all council funding. We also understand that the plans are on hold pending a full review of the money available when this process is finished, and after taking into account the effects of any further cuts in funding arising from the Government's spending review due on 20 October 2010, after that the fate of the building's future will be decided.

The assertion, apparently made by Cllr Pryke (Lib Dem) that the whole plan had been scuppered deliberately by the Labour Party, now the largest single party on Leeds City Council, and the ward councillor Ron Grahame is vehemently denied.

However, with our library facilities once again under threat of closure (the previous plan had been to relocate the library and Leedslearning.net to the Community Centre) we feel strongly that Richmond Hill cannot afford to lose this community resource, used by so many different local groups. Transport links with other more fortunate areas of the city are poor and extremely expensive.

COVEN will be watching closely to see how this matter progresses and will keep you informed.