Michael Clapham

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Barnsley West & Penistone is a semi-rural constituency with a population of approximately 83,200 people. 22% of the constituency are over 60 years of age. It is the most rural of the three Barnsley constituencies and stretches from the edge of Barnsley in the East to the wild Pennine moor land in the West.

The constituency is divided into two equal parts by the M1 motorway with generally more countryside and more prosperity to be found in the west side. There are more urban areas and deprivation to the east of the constituency.

There are three small towns in the constituency, namely, Penistone, Darton and Hoyland. Penistone is a Market Town set in beautiful countryside on the hinterland of the Pennines. It was the scenery in the constituency that attracted the landed gentry to build their stately homes in the villages of Cawthorne, Silkstone, Stainborough and Wortley. Although by the 18th century it was the exploitation of coal that was paying for the lifestyle of the owners. The indifference of coal owners to people's working conditions was shaken on the 4th July 1938 when in the village of Silkstone in the constituency 26 children working underground were drowned when the pit flooded. This incident echoed throughout the workshop of the world and resulted in the very first Mines Act of 1844.

Given the unique features of the locality there is a good chance that tourism could in future be a money spinner for the area. Already many ramblers visit the area on a weekend. In addition there is a growing number of visitors interested in tracing the industrial history of the locality.

Barnsley West & Penistone Constituency was formerly a coal mining area. The last coal mines closed down in the late 1980's. The closure of the collieries brought many changes impacting on employment, the environment and culture. The social structure was put under enormous strain by economic dislocation. In this context it was the tenacity of the community that has helped the positive renewal of the locality. It is fair to say that the Labour Government has done more than any other Government to honour the debt of gratitude the country owes to the mining communities like those that make up my constituency.

The Coalfield Regeneration Trust, Objective 1 monies and Government policies to attract industry to the area has helped to rebuild its industrial based, although there is still much more to do.

The economy is now more diverse with the decline of heavy industry. There has been a steady growth in industrial parks throughout the constituency which has attracted light engineering, including Koyo, a Japanese company, which is based on the former Dodworth Colliery site. The Hoyland and Wilthorpe Industrial sites are expanding and the Tankersley site has attracted Mercedes-Benz. Darton Business Park is dominated by BXL, although we do have a small Bakery whose owner, Mr. Foster, has uniquely captured a market of a daily bread delivery service to France. Service Industries are expanding with new Restaurants, Hotels and a Fitness Centre at Dodworth. Unemployment has also fallen and the new Service Industries together with the expansion of Child Care facilities and Family Tax Credits has encouraged more women into the workforce.

Average house prices in the constituency are just over two thirds of the national average but the beauty of the Pennine countryside and the proximity of Sheffield's Industries, Universities and Hospitals are attracting more academic and other middle class professionals to the west of the area. New houses are being built in villages such as Oxspring, Silkstone, Thurlstone and Millhouse Green. There is a shortage of social housing in the far west of the constituency and in former mining villages like Worsborough but not in the Borough as a whole. The rising house prices on the west side of the constituency have made it difficult for some local people, especially first time buyers.

The health of the community is a major issue. It is connected with the legacy of the mining as well as the traditional fondness of fatty food and red meat. In addition the consumption of beer is well above the national average. Incidences of cancer, heart disease and strokes is high but initiatives such as Fit for the Future - a major programme to improve the health and well-being of the Barnsley community - and continued investment in health services in the town are helping to tackle the problems.

In addition to the creation of 11 new Primary Care Centres (through LIFT) throughout the Borough, Barnsley District General Hospital will soon benefit from a new £15m women's and children's wing, an £8m radiology centre and a range of other schemes to modernise the outdated 1970's structure. It is also bidding for NHS Foundation status - paving the way for greater local direction and enabling resources to be directed to specific services to target the needs of the town's health legacy.

Educational attainment is improving although results show that we are below the attainment results of statistical neighbours at all key stages. However, there was a 4% improvement in the percentage of pupils achieving GCSE SA above C grades. David Milliband MP, Minister of State for School Standards, wrote to the Local Authority congratulating it on the improvements which are significantly higher than the national rate. His letter also acknowledged the reduced number of unauthorised absences.

Further since the year 2000 Ofsted has not judged any schools as underachieving. Barnsley is taking the need for computer literacy seriously and the ratio of pupils to computer in primary schools is in the top10% of LEA's and in the top 20% of LEA's in secondary schools. Headway is also being made in obtaining a first preference school in relation to all applications for school places. Barnsley is now in the top 20% of LEA's.