The charity was formed in 2009 after the ownership rights of 26 former 19th century stone quarries across the district were finally settled.
The exhausted quarries, most of which are less than an acre in size, were a legacy of the 1974 local government revamp and parish councillors have been working for decades to clarify what they could do with them.
Is it something to do with Holme Valley Parish Council?
Having finally registered the quarries with the Land Registry, councillors decided to form a separate charity in order to use any money generated for charitable purposes.
The link between the charity and the parish council is overseen by the Charities Commission as the original plots of land were gifted to the council.
The two organisations are separate but the parish council is the charity’s trustee. Decisions are made by the charity’s trustees and its management committee and administration is run from a separate office.
The charity has no political affiliations and the council’s duty is to act as a trustee
The charity's controversial name, which seems to link it to the Chief Constable of the Graveship of Holme, Arthur Quarmby, relates to its common origins. The name is a legacy of the 1828 Graveship of Holme Inclosure Act.
If land was sold in 2009 why haven’t we seen any charitable activity?
The sale of a number of sites has been contested by various parties including Yorkshire Water. The action has delayed further auctions and consumed a lot of time. The charity is trying to avoid running up huge legal costs and is handling matters by negotiation. This has inevitably slowed the process down.
Why did they sell a piece of Common Land at auction?
The charity was not aware of the Common Land issue but say they acted in good faith. While acknowledging it is unfortunate,they say they have not been contacted by any other authorities to complain about the sale and also believe it was not their responsibility to conduct land searches.
Why has information been removed from the website?
The charity is not required to make its operations public. Having done so initially it was advised to remove its meetings minutes and details of its land ownership from its website, but anyone who has asked for a meeting with them has been given one.
How much money could be raised and what are the plans to spend it?
The charity believes that when it has finished disposing of its land it could raise a six figure sum. There is a choice of doing a very large project such as a community hall, or a range of smaller things – or a combination of both. A consultation with the public will launch later this year.
Web address: www.holmevalleylandcharity.org.uk
