HERE’S a few stories as they were reported in the Barnsley Chronicle in this week back in 1994.
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TWO councillors are backing traders and calling for Doncaster Road to be taken out of Barnsley Council’s controversial voucher parking scheme.
The move, by Central Ward councillors Ron Fisher and Margaret Wilby, follows protests from traders there.
The traders say some of their takings have dropped between 35 and 45 per cent since the scheme’s introduction, and they claim their shops are not really part of the town centre.
If Doncaster Road is not taken out, say the councillors, some traders will go bust following a ‘catastrophic’ fall in trade since the scheme started nearly three weeks ago.
The two councillors have had talks with council leader Coun Hedley Salt, and top council officers with further discussions planned for next week.
* SIMMERING rivalry between two football teams led to a Sunday league match being abandoned twice.
Twenty minutes into the game there was a scuffle between a Shafton Great Dane FC player and a rival from Monk Bretton WMC.
The Monk Bretton player is alleged to have elbowed and spat at his opponent. He retaliated but was knocked to the ground by a punch.
The Redfearn’s Ground was invaded by angry fans and the referee sent both players off and abandoned the game.
Players and officials from both sides then managed to convince the ref that the trouble was over and the game was restarted. But within seconds a tackle sparked a touchline brawl, signalled another pitch invasion, forcing the referee, fearful of his safety, to stop the match.
* JEANETTE Myers prepares more big dinners than big breakfasts.
But not next week when the Darfield Valley Primary School cook and her family help out in Channel 4’s cult TV show Big Breakfast.
TV bosses wanted someone involved with school dinners to feature as their ‘family of the week’, coinciding with National School Meals Week.
The Myers family — the cook, her policeman husband Andrew and their daughters
Sarah, ten, and Nicola, eight, were nominated by Jeanette’s boss Angela Hanks.
* THE AILING Barnsley economy is to get a massive jobs boost, with news of hundreds of jobs being created in the Dearne Valley.
German-owned car components manufacturer Kostal hopes to employ more than 600 new workers within the next two years after applying for planning permission to double the size of its four-year-old, 206-worker factory in Goldthorpe.
The factory beat competition from other Kostal plants in the Czech Republic and Ireland to win backing for the £10m expansion.
The project has also received a £1.5m government assistance grant.
Council leader Coun Hedley Salt said: “Thanks to its success, Kostal is a shining example for companies looking to relocate in the Dearne and Barnsley areas. The expansion plans are yet again proof that the regeneration of the area is well underway.”
The company, which makes steering column switches for major car companies such as Jaguar, Audi, Saab and Ford, has offices all over the world, including in the USA and Japan.
* SWITCHBOARD staff at the Town Hall have praise ringing in their ears having gained top marks in a nation-wide survey of efficiency.
Independent research company Teleconomy made 13,000 calls to 449 local authorities and found that 90 per cent of calls to Barnsley Council were answered within three rings. Only Wigan, Solihull and Bolton matched that achievement.
