Darnall Community Meeting with NHS Bosses

Local residents of Darnall, working through the community forum, have come together with the three Darnall councillors and their MP, Clive Betts, to set up a meeting with senior managers from the Sheffield Primary Care Trust about the proposals for new community health services in Darnall.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 6 January in the Darnall Forum Community Learning Centre, which is at 245 Main Road in Darnall Centre, and will begin at 6pm.

Clive Betts said: “The people of Darnall deserve health facilities fit for the 21st century and which are easily accessible by all. It’s important that what is provided really meets the needs of people in the area, so come along and put your point of view."

Councillor Mazher Iqbal said: 'This project will serve people's health needs in Darnall for many years to come. It's important that we get it right, so I would encourage everyone to come, ask questions and have their say.'

Chair of Darnall Forum, Sylvia Hamilton, said: 'This development is long overdue, both for the people of Darnall and the health providers in the area - so let's work together to make it happen.'
ENDS

From Area Panels to Community Assemblies

7 new Community Assemblies will replace the current 12 Area Panels.

For Darnall, this will involve changes to the current boundaries. The relevant Community Assembly area will consist of 4 complete wards: Manor Castle, Arbourthorne, Richmond and Darnall.

Each Community Assembly will have a staff team of 5: A Community Assembly Manager with overall responsibility for the Assembly; a Planning and Performance Officer who will help to develop a Community Plan and ensure that services are adapted to local need; an Assembly Officer who will ensure good communication and consultation with local residents and groups; a Safer Neighbourhoods Officer who will work closely with the Police; and a Team Support Officer. Staff for these teams are currently being recruited. The Assembly will also be supported by a team of people from other services and partner organisations.

Community Assemblies will differ from Area Panels by having greater influence on how council budgets are spent in the area, and by deciding how local services will be provided to meet local needs. Councillors will have more power to make local decisions, based on the views of residents. The Assemblies will use public meetings as well as more innovative events and methods to reach local people. These will include Assembly Roadshows in each Ward and 2 way communication via Assembly websites.

The new Community Assemblies will come into being in May 2009.

Do you think it’s time you learned how to use a computer?

Don’t put it off!
Computing for Beginners starts at Darnall Forum in January 2009.
If you are interested please call the office on 0114 249 0099

or attend the enrolment session

at 1.30pm on 13th January

This will be a 10 week introductory IT course for complete beginners and will lead to a qualification.

What we said about the proposed Waverley Township and office park in Rotherham

The trustees of Darnall Community Forum are concerned about educational provision, especially for Year 7s and above. While we understand that Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has spare capacity in some of its schools we are concerned that the main pressure for additional places will fall on those schools – both in Sheffield and in Rotherham – which are closest to the proposed development.

We wish to support the view of Darnall Ward councillors that the whole project should be dependent on the provision of a sustainable plan for traffic management and public transport provision, which we believe requires the implementation of a bus rapid transit system, a tram service or a rail link between Rotherham, Waverley and Sheffield.

What we said about the re-development of the Wellington Public House in Darnall

At the Darnall Forum AGM concerns were expressed about access to and from the car park for the doctors’ surgery which it is proposed should be located in the Wellington public house. If cars are going to access the car park from Main Road it was felt that this could create an additional hazard in an already very complicated set of road junctions.

We understand that the Practice is saying that the majority of users will access the site from Station Road, however, the intersection between Station Road and Main Road is already very busy and it might be necessary to reconsider the design of the whole junction between Station Road, Main Road and Staniforth Road.

Both of the existing public car parks on Main Road and Station Road, as well as the on-street parking spaces on Station Road, are often fully utilized. There is also some concern, therefore, as to whether the car park for the Practice will really be large enough to cater for all of the patients and staff. If not, the increased traffic is certain to cause inconvenience to local residents and business, although we have no doubt that – if these concerns can be addressed – traders will appreciate the influx of potential customers into the centre of Darnall. One particular concern, however, is that patients might be tempted to park their cars on any adjacent private land.

Darnall Children’s Centre Official Opening

Come along on Saturday 24th January 2009 from 10:00am to 1:00pm

to the new Children's Centre at

563 Staniforth Road
Sheffield
S9 4RA
Tel: 0114 2423510

An opportunity to find out about services and look around the Children’s Centre and Darnall Community Nursery
Light refreshments
Everyone welcome

The European Elections & The BNP

Abdool Gooljar from the Islamic Society of Great Britain and the Sheffield organiser of Unite Against Fascism have asked for our support in a new effort to encourage people to vote in the European elections next June. They are concerned that, if the turnout is very low, the BNP may manage to get at least one of their candidates elected, which would give them special privileges such as access to town halls. They want to carry out a publicity campaign in places like Darnall to encourage as many people as possible to vote, for whichever party they prefer. The higher the turnout, the more votes that the BNP will need to attract in order to get an MEP elected.

If you share their concern, you are invited to a meeting at our offices at 6pm on Monday 26 January.