At the last Parish Council Elections one of the issues we raised as something we would wanted to progress was to give a greater focus on services for young people. The Parish Council has been fortunate to have such good champions as Cllrs Suzanne Triggs and Ian Lumb who have worked closely with young people around the Parish helping them gain the confidence to successfully argue for a new Skateboard Park facilities in Skelmanthorpe and to seek a Youth Shelter in Shelley. Talking to the young people you can see it has been a very positive and literally empowering experience for them and they should be very proud of what they have achieved. We've got to see how we can build on this success.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Kirkburton Parish Council - Helping give young people a voice
At the last Parish Council Elections one of the issues we raised as something we would wanted to progress was to give a greater focus on services for young people. The Parish Council has been fortunate to have such good champions as Cllrs Suzanne Triggs and Ian Lumb who have worked closely with young people around the Parish helping them gain the confidence to successfully argue for a new Skateboard Park facilities in Skelmanthorpe and to seek a Youth Shelter in Shelley. Talking to the young people you can see it has been a very positive and literally empowering experience for them and they should be very proud of what they have achieved. We've got to see how we can build on this success.
Kings Bridge lights – Pedestrian crossing to be added
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A new crossing is to be added at a busy junction for pedestrians. The pedestrian crossing will be at the junction of Damside Road and Kings Mill Road where it meets the end of Newsome Road just before Kings Bridge. The route is a well used route by locals and students making their way into Huddersfield Town Centre. The works will commence in May and take around 4 weeks but the route through Newsome Road over the bridge into the Town Centre will be open with the 2 adjoining roads closed off as work take place.
Councillor Andrew Cooper said,
“We have been asking for a safe crossing here for some time
and are pleased to let people know that pedestrian facilities are finally to be
installed at Kings Bridge. This is a busy route between Newsome and the Town
Centre where people literally take their life in their hands crossing this busy
road. The works should be complete by the beginning of June.”
Friday, 21 March 2014
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Kirklees Local TV Appearance - 14/3/14
I made it on to video channel Kirklees Local TV this week and quite a treat to share the interview with Tom Hirst, Tory Mirfield Town Councillor who seems to be on the libertarian wing of the Tory Party. He's not a big fan of equality laws and would rather we just managed to do the right thing without them. It doesn't take a genius to work out the pretty dire state we would be without the protection from unscrupulous employers that equality laws have provided.
The portion of the interview that took me by surprise was that a woman in one part of the world has apparently married a dog. I just took this to be a dubious and bizarre skateboarding duck type story and treated it accordingly. Tom however saw this as a seriously moral issue and cited the Bible. I did wonder whether there was a negative subtext from Tom here about recent changes in the law allowing gay marraige. I hope not. He really needs to lighten up a bit.
Overall I enjoyed the experience despite feeling a bit ropey but more opportunity for debate between different viewpoints would make these interviews more interesting to potential viewers.
Greens welcome EU move to cut clutter with single charger for mobilephones - Meanwhile UKIP charge in wrong direction!
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| Andrew Cooper with a multitude of different phone chargers |
Yorkshire and the Humber Green Party’s Andrew Cooper said,
"What a great idea! I hate having to look for the right charger and fish through different sets of wires for that special socket. Mobile phone companies have had people over a barrel on chargers for years, demanding often exorbitant prices for replacements. They add to the ever growing clutter of redundant plastic and metal waste which ends up in landfill or worse, dumped in the environment harming wildlife."
UKIP have opposed the move claiming that it will harm creativity, but Cllr Cooper, the Greens’ lead Euro candidate in May’s elections, disagreed.
"How will having a single socket harm creativity?" he asked. "We don’t need separate adaptors for TV sets or washing machines, so what's different about mobile phones?
“UKIP are charging completely in the wrong direction! If anything, I hope the EU will extend the ruling to cover MP3 players, cameras and all the electronic gadgets that are increasingly basic parts of day to day life."
The European Parliament decision follows a previous ruling to reduce data roaming charges imposed by mobile phone companies on consumers travelling across Europe.
"This is simple regulation which works. It shows the power of the Parliament to act for the benefit of ordinary people," Cllr Cooper added. "But we need to elect more MEPs who are committed to consumer protection. Greens consistently put people before profit."
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Friday, 14 March 2014
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Monday, 3 March 2014
PRESS RELEASE - Andrew Cooper makes it into Top Ten Sustainability Twitter users
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| "What I had for breakfast" - a subject not covered on Andrew's Twitter |
Ecobuild the top industry event for sustainable construction and the built environment has named Andrew Cooper as one of the most influential Twitter users. Ecobuild said of their survey
"The #Ecobuild100 aims to provide a comprehensive list of the most useful and insightful sustainable construction, design and built environment oriented Twitter accounts. The list is comprised of public nominations, from which the Ecobuild team has carefully selected the final 100 based on relevant content, engagement and Klout score.
In response to popular demand, we have this year, also selected a list of the top ten individuals within the #Ecobuild100, recognising some of the unsung heroes in the industry who are striving to bring sustainable issues to the forefront of the social debate"
Andrew said,
"Obviously pleased that my use of 140 characters has found favour. I never tweet about what I've had for breakfast but I do link it to my blog where I've usually a fair bit to say about matters to do with sustainable energy, the local council and issues in the area that I represent as a Councillor. With over 1500 followers I'm not in the Russell Brand or Stephen Fry league but I do find it a good way of getting ideas across and occasionally taking the mickey out of other politicians."
http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/page.cfm/Link=98/
Press Release - Greens vow to kick out the Far Right
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| The Despicable Duo - Andrew Brons & Nick Griffin, elected as BNP MEPs before the split |
THE
GREEN Party target candidates for the North in the European elections, Cllr
Andrew Cooper and Peter Cranie, have outlined their plans to kick the BNP out
of Europe. Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Green Party's spring conference
in Liverpool they expressed their determination to kick the far right out of
the North West and Yorkshire & Humber regions. These regions elected the
BNP's only members of the European Parliament in 2009.
Andrew
Cooper, lead candidate for Yorkshire and Humber region and a Kirklees
councillor, said:
“It’s
a stain on Yorkshire and Humber that we elected a BNP member to the European
Parliament in 2009 and we're determined to reverse that decision this time. But
rather than focusing on a political party whose days are numbered, I'll be
campaigning on the issues that really matter to people - explaining how we
create more jobs, how we can improve our local economy and how we use practical
solutions to tackle climate change.
"We
want to be proud of our MEPs so that we can say 'there's someone in Brussels
fighting for what I believe in'."
Speaking
about UKIP, Andrew Cooper said "UKIP don’t turn up to vote in the European
Parliament and they’re not involved in the business of the parliament, but
they’re very happy to take the money. Greens have an excellent attendance
record which means we're at the table when crucial decisions are being
made."
The
fringe meeting also welcomed Clara Palliard, PCS Culture Sector President and a
member of Merseyside TUC, who urged her fellow trade unionists to back the
Green Party in May. She highlighted the violence, intimidation and threats
suffered by many anti-racism campaigners in the region and called on trade
unionists to back the Greens.
Clara
Palliard said: "The Green Party is clearly in a good position to beat the
BNP in May. That's why trade unionists across the region are coming out in
favour of the Greens as a robust challenger to the threat of the far right. The
bottom line is we’ve got one fascist too many and that's Griffin. We also have
to be vigilant against the rise of UKIP who are simply fascists in disguise.
UKIP and the mainstream parties would have us believe that austerity is the
only show in town, that the cuts are inevitable. The Green Party rejects that
view and offers an alternative - jobs, decent working conditions, a fairer
distribution of wealth and a sensible strategy to tackle climate change and its
devastating consequences."
Peter
Cranie, the Green lead for the North West region said: "Sadly the BNP has
not gone away. They were out on the streets of Wythenshawe at the recent
by-election. We came incredibly close to stopping them back in 2009 and we're
hopeful that we will kick them out this May. If they lose their seats they'll
lose their European funding and without that money they’ll be finished as a
political force. Their ejection from the parliament will remove their
legitimacy and their right to participate in media debates."
He
concluded: "As for UKIP, I intend to expose them for what they are. Their
racism, lies, double standards and a shocking lack of policy should mean they
have no place in British politics. Our job is to engage with people about their
problems and their fears and show that xenophobic rhetoric from businessmen who
call for more cuts and less protection for working people is not the answer.
The Green Party is challenging austerity, standing up for working people and
making the case for a positive alternative."
-------------------------------------
Contact:
Cllr Andrew Cooper
Lead
Green Euro candidate, Yorkshire and the Humber
01484
667519 | 07721 348619
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