The candidates for the Town Council election on Thursday, 4th May have now been confirmed. I am proud to be standing again as Labour candidate for my home ward and I am committed to working hard again to try and get things done, both in the ward and around Otley in general.

I thought I would share a summary of some of the many things I have done in just two years as a councillor. My commitment is to carry on working hard for all Danefield residents whatever their politics and I will post my priorities shortly in another post.

There are a lot of candidates standing in the ward, so please vote for someone who will work hard after the election for the good of the town!

For the past two years, I’ve been an active and committed town councillor working together with residents, other councillors and officers, community groups and businesses to tackle things that needed doing, in line with my stated priorities.

This hasn’t always been easy and I’ve met many roadblocks, but by working with others, we’ve been able to progress a number of initiatives and resolve problems. Here are a few of these developments:

East of Otley

I played a significant role in discussions with Leeds city council (LCC) planners, the town council and community groups like Otley 2030 to ensure a robust response to the ill thought-out development proposals. My own response ran to 10 pages. The development is now paused while planners try to revise proposals into something that could meet the community’s needs, but I’ll be ready to re- engage when these emerge. I was also active in discussing the formal recognition of footpaths around the Cambridge estate with LCC rights of way staff, which was largely successful.

Anti-social behaviour

Recent examples of drug- dealing and linked anti-social behaviour in the ward have caused a fair bit of upset to nearby residents. I liaised with local police, LCC housing and anti-social behaviour teams, and other councillors, to bring together agencies to tackle this, and the issue of problem tenants being housed near vulnerable people. This action got a more robust response from the authorities and the problems appear to have been resolved.

Potholes

Various streets in the ward – such as Albion St, South View Terrace and Orchard Street – have poor road surfaces and resurfacing is planned in the next two years. In the meantime I’ve persuaded LCC Highways to patch some of these and fill in potholes.

Street cleansing

A number of areas in Danefield ward haven’t been cleaned for many years, due to on- street parking. I liaised with LCC staff to organise a day of action to sweep streets and pavements and jetwash blocked gullies.

Road safety

I’ve lobbied colleagues to introduce speed indicator devices at hotspots in and around Danefield ward. There is a possibility that one or two may be installed over the next two years on larger roads, following traffic surveys, along with proposals for 20mph zones across much of the town.

Community facilities

Otley has fewer community facilities compared to some towns, reducing our ability to develop the local economy. Over two years, I’ve worked with the town council and community groups to help deliver the 3G artificial sports pitch at Prince Henry’s school (construction start January 2023). I’ve also helped organise the Otley Live music festival, and explored whether the Methodist church could be acquired for community use. The town council plans to gather evidence of facilities needed across the town.

Contact Richard Davies

Please contact me at richard.davies@otleytowncouncil.gov.uk if you have any questions.