Over the last two and a half years Ferret has heard Mr Jim Kenyon – Chair, Independent Hemsworth Town Council vociferously proclaim about his many achievements since taking over from a Labour led Town Council in May 2019.
The one and only “achievements” relating to Fitzwilliam is the creation of a car park at the bottom of First Avenue adjacent to the allotments.
Mr Kenyon states that this car park was created “for Fitzwilliam school parents because they were blocking people in”.
Here are some photographs showing the car park:
Ferret can reveal that Fitzwilliam Primary School knew nothing about the work until it had been completed.
Fitzwilliam Primary School had to contact Independent Hemsworth Town Council as the car park posed a danger to school pupils.
On a site visit Mr Alan Draper – Clerk, Independent Hemsworth Town Council (and former Governor of Fitzwilliam Primary School) accepted it was dangerous and arranged for a barrier to be placed outside the gate to stop children running straight out into the newly created access road.
To this day, the car park continues to cause a danger to the pupils and parents who walk to school.
Traffic has increased outside the gate and in general at the bottom of first avenue as a result.
The road surface is dangerous with numerous pot holes and debris which has been left, when Kenyon “bodged” another job.
Oh, and does it have planning permission?
On complaining to Independent Hemsworth Town Council following a pupil injuring themselves on the car park, Ferret would have expected Mr Alan Draper, former School Governor to have a sympathetic ear.
Mr Draper simply informed the parent that the land belongs to Wakefield Council…
Disgusting, I wonder what the real purpose of creating a wider space was for? There’s always a reason to benefit Kenyon and or friends?
I’m disgusted at this but again not surprised. It’s completely irresponsible to do any work anywhere without telling the people using the land. If they’d told the head teacher, the school would’ve worked with them to keep the children safe. Now the children and adults accessing the school have to risk injury every day, just because ‘Kenyon knows best’. Also if the land belongs to WMDC why the bloody hell would HTC do any work on it? More precept money down the drain again on something nobody wanted.
An utter disgrace not even a proper job the material used is what in the game is called plainings. Plainings are the residue waste left over from when a road as the top surface plained off to enable new tarmac to be laid. These plainings are usually sent to the tip because they’re forbidden by some authority or contractor to be used in infill because they will not compact because of their loose nature. Road contractors are more than willing to give these plainings away as it frees them from paying for the tip farmers often take them and use them on farm tracks they’re shite waste only good for the tip. That land where this has been done may not even belong to HTC and yes you would have to get planning permission and I doubt they’d give you it to put a load of that old shite down. Because it won’t compact everytime it rains and cars go on it it’ll just churn up its a job you’d get done by a flyby night con merchant
[…] Kenyon’s gift to Fitzwilliam… […]
Seriously how can this be called a car park? It’s a wonder the school haven’t complained more as child safety affects their ofsted result.
Mind you. We know they don’t care about child/vulnerable people safety, making sure that it is optional for a DBS to be done on councillors, which in fact should be mandatory!!
I’ll be very surprised if the real reason for this unwanted gift doesn’t lay with the width of road required for access for development at the field at the back. It makes sense with the allotment fence being moved inwards. Why would you do that Mr Kenyon and friends, potentially giving away thousands of pounds worth of valuable land. Money that should be ours and not given up for the benefit of a housing developer. Smelling fishing to me.