Baxenden report by County Councllor Graham Jones

Last week was the Baxenden Area Council. Graham Jones remains the County Councillor, though Bernard Dawson is his replacement candidate for next May's elections. Below is Graham's County Council report to residents in Baxenden.

First of all Graham has led the campaign to save Baxenden's dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team which would have been merged into Accrington otherwise had the 2.5% precept increase not gone through in May. Graham was the only councillor to pick this detail up and campaign against the cut. The increase works out at around £2 to £4 a year depending on band or 4p to 8p per week. Graham believed the planned cuts if a 0% Police precept rise had been set was bad for Baxenden.

Following a failure of the grass protected verges on Rock Street Graham has had them tarmaced.

Chatterton Drive area is still a cause for concern and. Is the gas works work has been done Graham has been requesting work to these avenues.

Graham has successfully had installed a permanent Spid on Royds Avenue erected which seems to having some effect.

Graham has also sorted out the problem the Spid signs Baxenden Area council paid for a while back and which we're not being put in the village due to a dispute between area council staff and the contractor Altham Parish Council. Graham is now paying for the service and coordinating the signs. He has been to highways to seek more brackets and put the current ones in a better location. You may have seen it go up on Manchester road recently.

Over the last three years Graham has had many roads resurfaced particularly junctions. You will have noticed that following on from that, Graham has had most the white lines in the important junctions in the village repainted. Especially the dangerous Southwood Drive junction where the lines had virtually rubbed away.

Graham promised to get the car park improved at his first area council. Following a successful campaign to do so, Hyndburn's Conservative Council finally responded with a welcome yes after several no's at Baxenden area council's much to grahams dissatisfaction. It's now been finished and available for over a year and graham reports that the car parking issue on Church Street has eased considerably as a consequence. Graham had previously been asking the traffic police to ticket offenders.

Graham has been campaigning quietly on the issue of Hill Top. Residents who have written to him bag had a reply. It is a long way off a resolution but only this month Graham wrote to the CEO of LCC following the collapse of a second sale leaving no buyers even after going to auction. Graham has been in close discussions with HBC over the future of the site.

Graham has supported prospects and the Haworth Art Gallery recently and is in talks with Hyndburn Council to see what further improvements can be made.