23/04/2026
Dan Jarvis MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Dear Dan,
I’m writing an open letter from Cliffe Court and the village of Monk Bretton – tha knows, t’place where average age is about 80 and most of us remember when buses actually turned up and t’council filled potholes before they became open‑cast mines.
Our road’s in that bad a state the Four Yorkshiremen could live in some o’ them holes wi’ their families and still have room for t’dog. We’ve got craters big enough to qualify for their own postcode. If an 80‑odd‑year‑old trips in one, they’ll not be getting out without Sherpa Tenzing and a mountain rescue team.
Now, I’ve been reading about that Tommy Taylor Memorial Bridge – just over £11 million in total, nearly £8 million on the build, and £8.9 million coming from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Lovely bit of kit for walkers and cyclists, and it’s grand that Tommy Taylor’s remembered by His Royal Highness and all that – no complaint there.
Then we’ve got them Yorkshire Rose sculptures – three of ’em – nearly £1.9 million, plus over £530,000 for lights and sound, £216,000 for galvanising and paint, and £30,000 a year just on insurance. They’re like Fort Knox in flower form.
All that’s very artistic and modern and I’m sure they look smashing lit up, but here at Cliffe Court we’d settle for a road that doesn’t need a miner’s helmet and a rope to cross. We’re a bunch of older folk and pensioners, not off‑road rally drivers. If you added up price of one fancy light fitting off them roses, you could probably fill half o’ Monk Bretton.
So can you please:
Get someone from Barnsley Council or whoever’s in charge to come and actually look at the state of Cliffe Court and surrounding streets – on foot, not in a Range Rover that just glides over everything.
Push for some of that big‑money “infrastructure” cash to be spent on basics – like not breaking our hips on way to t’bins.
Let us know what realistic timescale we’re looking at for proper road repairs round here.
We’re not against bridges, sculptures or big ideas – we just think, before we start commissioning multi‑million‑pound metal flowers with talking lights, it might be worth making sure Barnsley pensioners can get to t’bus stop without needing crampons.
I’d be grateful if you could take this up with Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and send me a proper reply I can share with t’neighbours.
Yours sincerely
Marcus Speaks out for all!
