WOOLLEY PARISH
A blend of the historic and the modern, Woolley Parish lies on the southern edge of both West Yorkshire and the Wakefield Metropolitan District, of which it forms a part. Covering the three communities of Woolley Village, Woolley Grange and Haigh, as well as more isolated farms and homes, this largely rural parish sits perfectly in its spot between larger towns and cities. On its eastern boundary, the A61 joins Wakefield and Barnsley, each about 5 miles away. On the western boundary the M1, with J38 in the parish (and the famous Woolley Edge Services nearby), give quick connections to Leeds and the north in one direction, Sheffield and cities south in the other.
Down the centre of the Parish lies Woolley Edge, a ridge of high ground forming the highest ground east of the Pennines; Woolley village sheltering on the eastern side looks out across the low rolling countryside with the towers of Ferrybridge, Eggborough and Drax power stations in the distance; to the west, with the M1 in the valley, the villages of Haigh and Woolley Grange face the beautiful Pennine hills, renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Bretton estate in the foreground, and the Emley Moor mast clear on the horizon.
Although many residents commute, the villages have active communities; both Woolley Village and Woolley Grange have Resident’s Associations, St. Peters Church has an active congregation, and the Woolley Village Hall next to the village green and the recreation ground provides a fine location for many private and community organised events. The Village Hall is run by a trust with members from the Resident’s Association, the Church and the Parish Council. The Resident’s Associations host the biennial Woolley Feast for children, and many entertainment and charity events, including open air theatre on the recreation ground and ‘street parties’ on special occasions, and the Village Hall is frequently opened for ‘bar night’. The Woolley horse show every other year is hosted by a local farmer, and Woolley Park Golf Club has 18 and 9 hole courses and a busy licensed clubhouse serving food and liquid refreshment.
The historic and attractive village of Woolley, characterised by its traditional stone houses and trees in and around it, is now recognised by its designation as a Conservation Area. The countryside around the villages is crisscrossed by footpaths, and surrounding the parish is yet more Yorkshire scenery – woodland at Seckar Wood and elsewhere, lakes at Newmillerdam and Wintersett, country parks at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Anglers and Pugneys.
The Parish is within the Rural District of Wakefield Metropolitan Council, and the Parish Council oversees the administration of the Parish budget and other local affairs on behalf of the communities.
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QUEEN'S JUBILEE TREES
Prior to the sad passing of Her Majesty The Queen the Parish Council had ordered commemorative blossom trees to be planted in Woolley Grange and on The Green at Woolley. These were planted in the autumn of 2022 and we look forward to seeing their blossom for many years to come. A commemorative bench was ordered for Haigh Playground.
2025/26 PARISH PRECEPT
The precept for the next financial year will remain at £31,000
2024/25 PARISH PRECEPT
The precept for the next financial year will be £31,000.
2023/24 PARISH PRECEPT
Due to the cost of living crisis the Parish Council have REDUCED the precept for the next financial year from £33,350 to £30,000
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE PARISH MEETING
Dear Parish Councillors, District Councillors, our Parish Clerk and members of the public, it gives me great pleasure to present my first Annual Chairs Report on Thursday 9th April 2026
It is now almost 1 year since Mark Willis stepped down as our Chair. Mark served as Chair for many years and I would like to thank him for his service both as Chair and as a Parish Councillor.
I would like to welcome our newest member, David Smith, to the Parish Council. I would also like to thank all our parish councillors for their hard work and dedication to Woolley Parish. We would all like to thank our clerk, Judy Box for her hard work and keeping us on track and doing the things we forget.
With the forthcoming elections, all 3 District Councillors are up for election, and once elected the councillors will serve for differing periods of time. As only Andrew Nicholls is standing for re-election in the Rural Ward, we say goodbye to Samantha Harvey who will be standing for re-election in Wakefield West. We also say goodbye to Jordan Bryan. We would like to thank all 3 councillors for their work and co-operation with the parish council. We await the outcome of the election results on 7th May and by the time of our next meeting we will be welcoming all our District Councillors, new or old.
During the past year WMDC have excelled themselves in a lack of accountability, particularly in Planning. The Parish Council seem to have expended a lot of time in countering or commenting on actions taken or not taken by WMDC. In turn WMDC has shown little or no respect for the wishes or position of the Parish Council.
At the beginning of the year, WMDC planning decided to withdraw all objections/supporters’ letters on the planning portal for what they said was GDPR reasons. This makes the system less transparent and robs residents of the right to know the reasons for objections/supporters opinions. Although information could be obtained in writing, this seemed a costly and time-consuming exercise. Sensibly, due to negative feedback this has now been withdrawn.
The Wakefield District Plan 2036 designated most of our Parish as Green Belt but following changes to government policy, WMDC are now redesignating areas of the Green Belt as Grey belt. There has been no consultation on changes to the Wakefield District Plan 2036 and they do not seem to see any problems making changes to the Green Belt in a document which was subject to public consultation. This has serious implications for our parish, as all green belt land which was protected from development is now able to be redesignated as Grey Belt and open to development, with no consultation. The fundamental purpose of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. It restricts development around large built-up areas, ensuring land remains unspoiled and preserving the setting of historic towns while encouraging brownfield redevelopment. Whilst Barnsley continue to build on our boundaries, there will be no division between the towns and WMDC have made no attempt to use previously brown sites as it is easier to use virgin green belt.
The Solar farm planning application was controversially passed. Boom who are the applicants, were allowed to redesignate agricultural land as grey belt without any further consultation with the Parish Council or residents, this was accepted by the planning department and contributed to the application being passed. It was thought that as the Sitlington Solar farm had initially been rejected, that our application would also be rejected on similar grounds. However, the former application was later approved on appeal, and this influenced WMDC who did not want another costly appeal. We should thank one of our residents, Richard Dixon for pursuing this planning application and he has now won a Judicial Review in the High Court to be heard on 22nd and 23rd April. There is a Facebook page where you can obtain further information about the impact of this planning application which can be found at ‘Save the Woolley Countryside: Support the High Court Challenge’. This is not just Richard’s fight but everyone in the parish, as this will change our countryside for a lifetime. We have to ask ourselves do we want to maintain the green belt and the agricultural land or do we want it to be industrialised.
The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman reported in February 2026 a concern about the lack of Enforcement over unlawful development which are being permanently left in place. Because of lack of staff, councils run out of statutory time to deal with them. This is at a time when the number of cases requiring enforcement increases. They have said,
"If people lose faith that planning rules will be enforced, they stop raising concerns. We risk a two-tier system: those who follow the law play by the rules, while those who flout them face no real consequences.”
This has certainly been the case with several planning applications within the parish, where developments which have breached their planning applications, particularly over the green belt and imposed conditions have regularly been ignored by both owner and planners. Despite representations from the Parish Council, WMDC continue to take no action over complaints. We continue to be concerned about lack of enforcement over the Stables, Old Beech Farm and the Wentworth footpath, all of which had conditions imposed to protect the green belt, the conservation village and heritage assets. This lack of timely enforcement often results in opening the door to appeals. We have also seen applications recommended for refusal by one planning officer over concerns, only for these concerns to be ignored by a different planning officer. There is no consistency.
Issues over The Wentworth Path continue, part of which has been incorporated into local gardens. Last year Mark Willis reported about the desecration of the path. The community submitted a DMMO to have the path restored to its former width and beauty. Last year the WMDC reported that the application had been delayed for several months, turning into a year. The community have petitioned the Secretary of State who have instructed WMDC to resolve the matter. I think I am right in saying we are still waiting.
During the year there were rumours about the sale of Woolley Hall, even the national press, Yorkshire Post and Daily Telegraph were reporting that the hall had been sold. However, no information was forthcoming from the council as we were told that the information was commercially sensitive. We understand the sale has been concluded, and even though the leader of the council promised to keep the Parish informed, we are still in the dark as to who might have bought it and what the intentions are for its future. It is only to be hoped that for whatever purpose Woolley Hall will be used, that it is in keeping with the wishes and views of the village residents. This is no way to proceed and shows a further lack of consultation and clarity.
The Council continue to invest in the Police Safe Scheme which offers value for money. Our present police officer PC Craig Steel is an asset to this scheme and has been accommodating in pursuing the parishes concerns. One of the concerns this year has been the problem of ‘Off road bikes’, which is proving hard to stop as offenders could not be apprehended. Other than the nuisance and potential safety issues, they have also caused damage to a local farmers field and crops. In the summer a serious issue was reported over cross boundary reporting between West and South Yorkshire police where neither force accepted responsibility for a crime. This is not the first time this has arisen, when calling the police, residents living in S75 area are initially put through to South Yorkshire police then referred onto West Yorkshire. However, there are continual reports of West Yorkshire police not accepting that certain S75 post codes are within their remit. An intermediate response has been received from West Yorkshire police, but I believe we are still awaiting a full response. This is a serious issue as it could cause delays in a police response, particularly if serious crimes are committed. We are also receiving reports that the police will not accept reports of crimes regarding property unless the reporter is the owner. This has happened with damage caused to remembrance trees at Woolley Grange and the recently stolen post-box at Woolley Village. The police continue to monitor the one-way system and have also issued several tickets to motorists going round the mini–Round about in Woolley Grange the wrong way.
The One-Way System which was implemented in November 2023 for an 18-month trial period has still to be formally adopted, which means that some of the infrastructure such as signs and road markings still look temporary. Although the scheme seems to have cut down on accidents there is still a great deal of disagreement around the system which causes a great deal of confusion. There are still reports of cars not adhering to the one-way system, notably on Intake Lane and Woolley Low Moor. Also, cars coming up Haigh Lane are not always giving way to traffic on Woolley Edge Lane. Right turners coming out of Haigh Lane was always a problem and has not been adequately addressed by the one-way system. People are still confused about the system, and many are avoiding the area by finding rat runs, some through Woolley Village. Complaints have also been received from residents on Woolley Low Moor Road about increased traffic and speeding due to the one-way system.
One area of concern is the ability of this scheme to cope with hundreds of houses planned by Barnsley MC on our boundary and with a likely increase in traffic. Vistry are about to start building 266 houses at Staincross Common, and Gleeson Homes are starting to build 114 homes on Woolley Colliery Road adjacent to Woolley Grange. So why has there been no negotiations or financial incentives from Vistry, Gleeson Homes or Barnsley to improve Haigh junction? Wakefield roads will see an increase in traffic to the detriment of Woolley Grange and Haigh. No financial redress in terms of 106 money has been requested. This is in stark contrast to Barnsley Council who requested 106 money when Woolley Grange was built. WMDC do not seem to be interested in protecting their residents or their roads from increased through traffic.
Last year the parish council took on the task of producing a Neighbourhood Plan. As a first step the working group produced and distributed an Information Leaflet to all residents. A Facebook page was constructed and the aims and objectives for the neighbourhood plan were written. On the eve of making an application to DEFRA for a grant enabling us to appoint a consultant to help with character assessments and writing the plan, the government made changes and the DEFRA grants were withdrawn. It was decided to press on and we produced and distributed a Survey to all residents. This was mainly completed online, and the results have now been collated and will be available asap. The next step will be, using the survey results, to produce some small Character Assessments to enhance the larger scale assessments done by WMDC. The working group are very much on a learning curve at each stage and although there have been delays due to personal circumstances hopefully, we can get back on track this summer.
The Parish Council continue to support local events and welcome social events which bring communities together. Last summer Woolley Grange operated a pop-up bar and food stalls throughout the summer months. This brought the community together and most residents felt this was a great success. The pop-up bar has been organised again for this summer but in a new location off the long entry hill away from local houses. Hopefully this will be another success. Woolley Village Residents Association successfully reinstated the Woolley Feast which was held on 6th September.
The council also continue to support the 2 playgrounds, and the recreation ground, along with responsibilities to support the village hall and the church clock. Unlike other parish councils we are committed to gritting and snow ploughing during the winter months and with the help of a contractor we maintain the grit boxes throughout Woolley Village and Woolley Grange.
With our obligation under the Environment Act 2021, to conserve and enhance biodiversity, the parish council have made repairs and improvements to the Hawthorn Hedge on the Recreation Ground and this work is going well.
That concludes the Chairs Annual Report which is only a snapshot of the work of the Parish Council throughout the year. Thankyou all for attending.
Carol Robson
Chairperson
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NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN
LOOK OUT FOR THE SURVEY WHICH IS BEING DELIVERED TO EVERY RESIDENT TO HEAR YOUR VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN. Email: Woolleyplan@gmail.com or join the Facebook group:- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2675273382673000/
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The Council recently discussed whether a Neighbourhood Plan would be beneficial for the Parish. This is a community-led initiative giving local communities power to prepare a planning document that will be part of the statutory development plan for the Wakefield District. It can be used in the determination of planning applications for a local area.
The Council wishes to establish a steering group to discuss the merits or otherwise of developing a Neighbourhood Plan as this will entail a lot of work and is not without cost. Councillors Robson and Dyke are leading on this matter and will be in contact with the Residents Associations and other interested parties to organise a meeting in the near future.
PROPOSED SOLAR FARM
After a lengthy discussion at its meeting on 13th February the Parish Council resolved to object to the planning application for the proposed solar farm and have conveyed their objections to WMDC.
UPDATE: Despite the many objections to the solar farm this was agreed by WMDC at a meeting on 17th July 2025.
DEFIBRILLATORS
The Parish Council has provided public use defibrillators in Woolley Village and at Woolley Grange. These are registered with the Ambulance Service and anyone needing to use one should first call 999 and they will be directed by the operator on the location of the defibrillator and the code to open the box.
No one should attend the defibrillator before ringing 999. It is not always appropriate to use a defibrillator and the 999 operator will decide whether to send a caller to the site. The defibrillator itself is fully automated and should someone need to use it then it will give clear instructions to them.
PLAYGROUNDS
The Parish Council has been undertaking a programme of refurbishment of the playgrounds in Haigh and Woolley over the past couple of years with the provision of new equipment, picnic benches and associated ground works. The playgrounds are regularly inspected and any issues raised by the inspections are speedily rectified.