Michael Clapham

Labour Party | Barnsley West and Penistone

MP seeks funding to restore Welland Crescent, Elsecar

1 November 2009

Michael Clapham MP for Barnsley West & Penistone has paid a visit to Welland Crescentt to see for himself the issues affecting the street. He took a stroll through the crescent with Hoyland SNT's PC Paul Davies at the end of October.

PC Davies showed Mr. Clapham the littered, burnt-out and vandalised houses which have been neglected by the absentee landlords.

Mr. Clapham MP told the Chronicle: "It seems to me that the only solution to some of the issues is to think in terms of how we may get the right to demolish some of the houses. Then what we need is to get some resources to start to make the place look such that it is conducive to restoring the pride of the community. Once we get pride we can start to move forward.

He said he would write to the Coalfield Regeneration Trust to ask if any funding was available for Welland Crescent.

The MP added: "The majority of people on the crescent are really good people. It's just that we do have that minority who don't seem to have any pride at all and rubbish gets dumped which all adds to a downward spiral. Now it has been cleaned up we need to work from there."