The lack of maintenance of the unadopted road behind the shops at Goole’s Colonels Walk has been a contentious issue for a considerable time. Goole North Ward Councillor Keith Moore brought the issue to the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team (LAT) as an issue that was difficult to solve, and was having an adverse affect on local residents and businesses.Cllr Keith Moore, LAT Officer Tania Pells and myself, in my role as LAT Chairman, came up with an innovative solution by bringing on board the Humberside Probation Service and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to get the work done.
Six offenders on the Community Payback scheme, who live in Goole and were carrying out their punishment in the town, provided the labour, while the Probation Service and the Council carried out the supervision and provided the tools to do the job. Within 4 hours the potholes had been filled in and the road rolled and compacted.
The positive comments afterwards from the local businesses and residents, was all that was needed to demonstrate a job well done!
Having offenders carrying out their punishment through the Community Payback scheme in the area in which they live is positive, having them working on community projects is beneficial, but having them work with other organisations like the Council to deliver solutions to identified problems is a way of maximising impact for a given amount of money.
This joining up of activity and thinking is a way of making public funds go further, possibly something we need to see more of in the future as money becomes tighter?
(Pictured with Cllr Keith Moore, residents, local business people and the ERYC staff - needless to say, and understandably, the offenders on the Community Payback didn't want to be photographed)
5 comments:
Congratulations on obtaining a useful payback for Goole residents. Did the tools used include shovels and picks?
I would have liked to be able to see similar benefit given to the community of Gilberdyke by using payback workers to clear the overgrown part of Thornton Dam Lane to the North of the M62. Apparently the offenders are not allowed to use sharp implements so cutting down briars and sawing up fallen trees is not possible.
The American system does not seem to have such concerns (remember Cool Hand Luke with convicts slashing weeds at the roadside?)
John - The tools did include shovels and rakes... I'm led to believe other hand tools are made available for the offenders use. I will enquire as to whether the Community Payback scheme can be used on projects such as you suggest... and yes I do remember Cool Hand Luke - wasn't he 'eggbound' at one point?
Paul
Not sure about eggbound but he could certainly eat a lot of them.
Now he did do a lot of gardening which seemed to revolve around digging a hole then putting all the soil (dirt) back again. Helped to put his mind right but I don't think it did much for his back.
A further thought occurs to me regarding the use of payback labour.
As you know Gilberdyke has traced and identified the critical sections of drainage which contributed in no small part to the damage done to many dwellings during the flooding of 2007.
The Parish Council and the Flood Action Group worked together and with a Government grant an Engineers Report (Mason Clark Report) was drawn up. This was used to obtain a further £85,000 Government Grant to pay for remedial works to critical drainage, this being the watercourse between Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive plus the covered in dyke through Bellasize Park rear gardens.
I will not expand on the difficulties and hold ups caused by certain individuals within the village but we are promised that the work will be substantially complete by next March. However other parts of the system will need clearance, such as the old Victorian brick arched culvert under the front of the houses to the West of Clementhorpe Road which is presently about two feet deep in silt. Also the piped dyke at the East side of Clementhorpe Road should, according to records, be a 15" pipe but inspection shows the original developers used 6" pipe which is now half full of highway drain gravel and silt as well. This needs digging out and replacing with the correct size. A bit of good digging work there I think.
Can you find out if this suggestion can be adopted please?
Still no apparent movement on payback labour to clear lanes etc Paul. If you have any responsive contacts in the probation service some pressure on them would be appreciated.
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