Merry Christmas from your Labour Councillors!

The Labour Councillors have all been posting Christmas cards throughout Hyndburn with contact details and important emergency numbers over the festive period. The Council offices are currently closed but will reopen on January 2nd 2013.

The Hyndburn Labour group would like to wish all residents a very merry Christmas!

(Photograph courtesy of the Accrington Observer)

Hyndburn faces maximum funding cuts from Conservative government

A statement was made by Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, on 19th December 2012 regarding the Conservative-run government funding for district Councils. Cuts range from around 1.3% to 8.8% but Hyndburn will take the biggest hit with a maximum reduction in grants and East Lancashire fares worse than most of the rest of England. Conservative-controlled Ribble Valley will only face a 1.3% reduction and many of the Councils in southern England will actually have their grants increased. A BBC news article has full details of each borough:

BBC News - Eric Pickles outlines funding cuts for England Councils

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson has spoken in response to the recent settlement announcement:

“The headline figure is a reduction in Council Spending power of 8.8%, the toughest in the country. The figure could have been much worse at over 17% except for strong lobbying by local MP Graham Jones for additional funding of £2.1m not to be withdrawn. The Government finally agreed to continue this extra funding but reduced it by over £900,000. This extra funding will only last 2 years and after that the impact of Government reductions will exceed 17%. This is on the back of previous reductions over the last 2 years of over 20%.

The actual reduction in Government support is significantly higher than the headline figure of 8.8% as this figure includes amounts raised in local taxation. Initial calculations indicate that the Government has reduced funding to the Council by more than 13%, though we are still working on the detail to confirm this figure.

The overall Local Government Grant Settlement this year shows that local government is continuing to face the brunt of reductions in spending by Government and that deprived councils particularly in the North are suffering the most under the Government’s reforms of local government finance.

The Council however remains strongly committed to ensuring services and jobs are protected wherever possible and that in these times of economic hardship for the people of Hyndburn, there should be no additional burden from increases in local taxation. Therefore despite the significant reduction in funding from the Government there will be no rise in the Council Tax in 2013/14 and we will still deliver quality, value for money services for our residents.

Hyndburn Council has a strong track record over many years of delivering good quality services efficiently and we will continue to find ways to do more for less.”

The Cabinet member for Finance, Cllr Joan Smith, has calculated the following figures about the reduction in spending power per dwelling in this borough over the period of 2013/14 and 2014/15:

2013/14

HBC spending is reduced by £38.56 per dwelling (8.8% reduction)
LCC reduction of £37.47 per dwelling (2.2% reduction)
Fire and Rescue reduced by £4.67 per dwelling (4.5% reduction)

2014/15 

HBC spending is reduced by £60.87 per dwelling (15.2% reduction)
LCC reduction of £60.55 per dwelling (3.7% reduction)
Fire and Rescue reduced by £3.22 per dwelling (3.2% reduction)

The total reduction works out at £205.64  less on public services per dwelling over the next two years. The Hyndburn Labour group are unwilling to incorporate any grants into that figure as there is no guarantee that any will now be available in future years.

Second wave of 2011 Census results

The second wave of information from the 2011 Census has now been released. This concerns details at district level, with a third wave expected next year regarding individual wards. This is the Hyndburn report:

Ethnicity
The ‘White’ population in Hyndburn (Including White British, White Irish, White Gypsy & Traveller and White Other) has fallen from 91.7% in 2001 down to 87.6% in 2011. This includes White Other and Gypsy and Travellers that could be described as minority ethnic.
Nationally 85.5% of the population describe themselves as ‘White’, falling down from 90.9% back in 2001.
The proportion of ‘Asian’ population has grown from 7.6% in 2001 upto 11% in 2011. This compares slightly higher than the national figure of 7.7% - rising from 5% in 2001.

Religion
The largest religious belief in Hyndburn is ‘Christian’ with 66.4% (falling 9.9% since 2001), followed by ‘Muslim’ with 10.3% (rising 3.1% since 2001). The biggest increase has been with those stating ‘No religion’ rising from 9.2% in 2001 upto 17% in 2011.
Nationally 59.4% of the population would describe their religious beliefs as ‘Christian’, falling down from 71.7% in 2001. Those who stated ‘No religion’nationally rose from 14.6% in 2001 upto 24.7% in 2011.

Property Type
The proportion of ‘detached’ properties and flats has slightly increased in the borough from 10.6% in 2001 upto 11.7% in 2011. The proportion of ‘purpose built flats’ has also increased from 6.7% upto 7.5%. The borough is still significantly dominated by terraced housing with 52.6% in comparison with 24.5% nationally.

Tenure
Hyndburn’s ‘Private Rented stock’ has risen from 7.9% upto 18.1% in 2011 (ranked 76th in the country out of 348 local authorities). Across Lancashire private rented stock stands at 15.1%, England & Wales it stands at 16.7%, 13.7% in the Ribble Valley and 19.3% in Burnley.
The proportion of people who ‘own a property with a mortgage’ has fallen from 48.3% in 2001 down to 34.3% in 2011, with the proportion of people ‘who own outright’ staying the same over the past decade.

Central Heating
5.2% of households in Hyndburn ‘do not have Central Heating’ (1,786 households) – this is the third highest in Lancashire behind Pendle with 6% and Blackpool 5.5%. Hyndburn is ranked 19th highest in the country.

Households
In 2011 Hyndburn had 34,341 households (32,979 in 2001) with a total population of 80,734 (81,470 in 2001) which comes to an average 2.3 household size in the borough; this is similar to the national average of 2.4 people per household.
Hyndburn is ranked 5th highest for the proportion of ‘Male lone parents who are not in employment’. The actual numbers are quite low 149 in comparison to 183 ‘Male lone parents in employment’.

Education
Nationally there are more people (27.4%) who have attained ‘Level 4’ qualifications (equivalent to a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education) than those with ‘no qualifications’ 22.5%.
In Hyndburn there is a higher proportion (28%) with ‘no qualifications’ compared to 18.9% with ‘Level 4 qualifications’ and above. However, this shows a 6.1% rise in Level 4 qualifications over the past 10 years and a fall of 7.5% in those without any qualifications.
In Lancashire Hyndburn have the second highest rates of people who have gained an ‘Apprenticeship’ with 5.5%, just slightly lower than the South Ribble with 5.8% in comparison with 3.6% nationally and 3.9% across the North West. Hyndburn was ranked 8th across all local authorities nationally for people who have gained an apprenticeship.

Employment
Hyndburn is ranked 15th for the proportion of ‘workers working in the manufacturing industry’ with 16.9%.
The largest employment sector in Hyndburn is the ‘Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles’ (broad range of employment sectors) with 18.4% of the workforce ranked 40th in the country.

We will keep you posted when the next wave of data is released.

Co-operation sees local Milnshaw Residents receive Low Energy Security Lighting

This week sees the completion of a project on the Laneside estate that sees low energy security lighting fitted to Milnshaw residents properties on both Ribblesdale Ave and Ribbleton Drive Accrington. The Residents, pictured along with Cllr Paul Cox and Laneside Residents Association Chairman Malcolm Sommerville, are delighted with the new security lights outside their properties.

The project shows how in these austere times local partners working together can provide a solution to residents concerns. Late last year Cllr Paul Cox noticed how these flats at their entrances, due to there construction, where poorly light Working with Laneside Residents it was also discovered that a hand rail was needed on one of the blocks of flats to help assist residents who accessed both Laneside community centre and properties along Ribblesdale Avenue.

Cllr Cox and Mr Sommerville contacted both Hyndburn Homes and Church and Milnshaw Community Group to help provide the funding for this proposed project. Both Hyndburn Borough Council, through Church & Milnshaw Community Group (CMCG) and Hyndburn Homes were fantastic in their responses to the needs of the community. Both organisations provided the much needed funding, with Hyndburn Homes also providing the help of the Neighbourhood Manager , Mr David Motley, who working with Cllr Cox and Laneside Residents association to helped see this work completed.

Cllr Cox stated, ” to see local partners working together in cooperation like this can only be of benefit to the local community, to often organisations fail to work as a team, to often in the past silo thinking has led to good projects failing to see the light of day”

Malclom Sommerville also added, “we at Laneside have established a good working relationship with both Cllr Paul Cox and Hyndburn Homes which has enabled us to help give our residents the much needed lights that will make them feel a little safer in their homes as the winter evenings draw in”

Milnshaw borough councillor Paul Cox also said ” it is very important to listen to the needs of the community and act in a way to help the most people with what little funding is available Community groups have to realise that funding is limited. So, like Laneside Residents association, the need is one of combined efforts deliver the best rewards.

Hill Top, Baxenden update

Chris Coxhead, Head of the Property Group at LCC has confirmed that it is LCC’s intention to bring forward a planning application to demolish the building and structures at Hill Top early in the new year.

LCC also confirmed that Hill Top will be a priority for Carillion. I will be writing to Carillion regarding their interest in the site.

Living wage increase at HBC

Hyndburn Council has continued its policy to pay its employees no less than the ‘Living Wage’ rate, which has increased recently from £7.20 to £7.45 per hour for those aged 21 and over.

The idea of a Living Wage rate was initially developed in London but more recently a Living wage rate has been determined for the rest of the country. The principle underlying the Living Wage is a simple and powerful one and it is that work should bring dignity and should pay enough to provide families the essentials of life.

The Living Wage differs from the National Minimum Wage and recognises that the statutory minimum pay requirements don’t always ensure that families can afford the necessary goods and services that they need to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.

Since its launch the Living Wage campaign has become a powerful force for change in London and it is estimated that over 10,000 families have been lifted out of working poverty as a direct result of the campaign. Outside London the campaign is less well known but it is starting to gain momentum. In total, over 140 employers from every sector have adopted the Living Wage.

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet Member with responsibility for pay and employment conditions, said “Paying our employees a living wage makes good business sense and ensures our lowest paid employees are not overly disadvantaged during a period of public sector pay freezes. We are also keen to raise awareness about the Living Wage and hope that our decision will encourage other employers in the area to become Living Wage employers.”

St James' Church refurbishments now complete

Work to improve the grounds of St James’ Church in Accrington is now complete. Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “It’s great to see the refurbishment of this important green space within the town centre, which makes this whole area more welcoming for visitors with an events space for the whole community to enjoy.”

The improvements include new stone paved paths, with the focus on the 18th century grade II listed church, which will also have new lighting to the church’s facades.  Cllr Parkinson added; “The refurbishment of the grounds complement the planned opening up of the church for community use, music rehearsal and performance.”

Gordon Whewell, Deputy Church Warden said; “'St. James' congregation are delighted with this recent enhancement to our church grounds. The whole of St. James' Square is one of Accrington's treasures and the forthcoming additional planting within the grounds and floodlighting of the grade 11 listed church will compliment this area with charm and elegance. Sympathetic changes within the church are also planned to facilitate greater community use and ensure the church continues to be a place of worship and prayer.”

Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum have helped to secure £40K towards the cost of this project. Neil Mooney chair of HGSF said ‘."The forum is very active at promoting and improving green spaces within Hyndburn, we were very pleased to help raise this money for St. James Church."

The work was funded by Community Spaces, Lancashire Environmental Fund and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Allotment holder wins prize

Local allotment holder, Ian McHugh, has bagged a range of gardening goods after taking part in a Council consultation to find out what people think about allotments. Ian’s prize, which was donated by The Garden Village of Clayton-le-Dale, included lots of things for allotment growing including planters, grow bags, trowel, fork and seeds.

Cllr Ciaran Wells, Cabinet Member for Allotments said; “We’re very grateful to everyone who took part and gave us feedback about allotments. It’s a great pleasure to give Ian his prize, he clearly spends a great deal of time tending and caring for his allotment plot, which is immaculate. I’d also like to thank The Garden Village for kindly donating the prize.

Cllr Wells added; “We’ll use everything allotment holders have told us to form the Council’s strategy for providing and improving allotments in the future. The strategy will be produced next year after more consultation with local allotment associations and the Hyndburn Federation of Allotments. Anyone with a Council allotment still can still find the questionnaire online on the Councils website. Any ideas are welcome”.

Receiving the prize Ian said, “I’ve had the allotment here for four years and really enjoy it, I grow all my own veg all year round and it’s a great way to get some fresh air and exercise.”

If you fancy growing your own then the Council still has vacant raised beds in Great Harwood, Oswaldtwistle, and Accrington. Raised beds are very small plots raised by wooden boarding. These are not only suitable for elderly and disabled people, but also for those who just want a very small area to discover the pleasure of growing. The Council also has larger plots available at its allotment site at Meadoway, Queens Road West, and Woodnook Vale.

Call Ian Marfleet, allotment manager at Hyndburn Borough Council on 01254 356180 for further information.

Consultation on Taxi Licensing

The Council is seeking to adopt a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

In March 2010, the Department for Transport (DfT) issued an updated version of its best practice guidance for taxi and private hire licensing. The guidance is not statutory but the document is intended to assist Licensing Authorities. Paragraph 4 states that "it is for individual licensing authorities to reach their own decision both on overall policies and on individual licensing matters, in the light of their own views of the relevant considerations".

The Council has responsibility for licensing hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, drivers and operators within Hyndburn Borough Council. The Council has traditionally exercised this responsibility through a number of different policies and procedures that have developed piecemeal over a number of years. Some procedures are based upon custom and practice only and have never been set out in document form.

It is therefore, the council's intention to bring together these policies and procedures, updating them where necessary and incorporating them into one policy to ensure greater transparency and consistency in the decision making process.

The policy is available by clicking on the following link Draft Policy Document

The public notice is available by clicking on the following link Consultation Public Notice

If you have any comments regarding the draft policy, please respond to the licensing department by noon on 4th February, 2013.

Living wages at Hyndburn Council

Hyndburn Council has continued its policy to pay its employees no less than the ‘Living Wage’ rate, which has increased recently from £7.20 to £7.45 per hour for those aged 21 and over.

The idea of a Living Wage rate was initially developed in London but more recently a Living wage rate has been determined for the rest of the country. The principle underlying the Living Wage is a simple and powerful one and it is that work should bring dignity and should pay enough to provide families the essentials of life.

The Living Wage differs from the National Minimum Wage and recognises that the statutory minimum pay requirements don’t always ensure that families can afford the necessary goods and services that they need to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living.
Since its launch the Living Wage campaign has become a powerful force for change in London and it is estimated that over 10,000 families have been lifted out of working poverty as a direct result of the campaign. Outside London the campaign is less well known but it is starting to gain momentum. In total, over 140 employers from every sector have adopted the Living Wage.

Cllr Joan Smith, Church Ward councillor and Cabinet Member with responsibility for pay and employment conditions, said “Paying our employees a living wage makes good business sense and ensures our lowest paid employees are not overly disadvantaged during a period of public sector pay freezes. We are also keen to raise awareness about the Living Wage and hope that our decision will encourage other employers in the area to become Living Wage employers.”

Help shape the future of Hyndburn

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, is calling on residents, local businesses and anyone who has an interest in Hyndburn, to help shape the Borough in the future and have their say on an important planning document, the Development Management Development Plan Document (DPD), which the Council is currently working on. 

Cllr Parkinson said; “Make sure you have your say on the Development Management Development Plan Document (DPD), which will set out the detailed day-to-day planning policies through which development within Hyndburn will be delivered, and which planning applications will be judged against. The consultation is now open and runs until Friday 18th January 2013.”

Cllr Parkinson continued; “We’ve already produced the first version of the Development Management DPD to encourage discussion on a range of issues earlier this year. The next stage of the Development Management DPD is the Preferred Policy Options Document, which is where we’re at now and so we’re asking for comments now on the policies which have been presented. All comments will be considered and help inform the next stage of the documents production in Spring 2013, so please make sure you register you views.”

You can comment on the Development Management document from Friday 23rd November 2012 until Friday 18th January 2013 through the Council’s website at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk; at local libraries and at Council Offices, Scaitcliffe House, Ormerod Street, Accrington, BB5 0PF, during normal working hours.

Please email your comments to email to planning@hyndburnbc.gov.uk, or post to ‘Development Management Consultation,’ using the above address. All comments should be received by 5pm on Friday 18th January 2012 and will be made available for public inspection, and will therefore not be treated as confidential. After taking account of comments received, the next stage will be to produce the publication edition later in 2013.

Church and Milnshaw triple Christmas lights switch on's

Dyke Nook gardens was the final location for Church & Milnshaw’s trio of Christmas lights switch on's, Wednesday 5th of December, residents of both Milnshaw and Laneside were joined by the Mayor Cllr Joan Broadley and Mayoress Mrs Jean Broadley. At the lights switch on was also Father Lawrence and players from Accrington Stanley Football Club.The Mayor switched on the new Christmas lights in Dyke Nook so completing the Christmas displays within Church and Milnshaw.

Cllr Paul Cox, one of the event organisers, stated I’m really proud of our local community here in Church &Milnshaw, He added, All three displays have shown how resident involvement coupled together with community groups along with Church & Milnshaw Councillors have worked in cooperation to achieve successful local events.

This display follows on from two christmas lights switch on's in Church ward earlier in the week. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn along with local Church ward councillor, Joan Smith joined together in switching on the first ever Christmas lights display in the Church Kirk area of Church.

Cllr John Broadley, stated that even in such tough economic times an area such as this can join together and work to achieve such a wonderful thing is a credit to the people of Church Kirk and something to be very proud of.

Cllr Joan Smith also added “It was really great to see so any people there and I said to one resident that local issues really drive the community together and considering the size of this area the turn out is amazing”.

Textiles recycling benefits Hyndburn charities

Local charities in Hyndburn will now receive a donation from the sale of textiles donated by residents and collected via the kerbside recycling scheme. The charities set to receive a donation are the Accrington Blind Society, Homewise and East Lancashire Hospice. 

Every household in Hyndburn will soon receive a new textile recycling bag along with the new 2 year recycling calendar. Residents can participate in the scheme by filling the green textile bag with any unwanted clean clothing, shoes, curtains, bedding and duvets. Please present the bag along with your other recycling containers by 7.30am on your usual recycling collection day. A donation will then be made to the three chosen charities.

Councillor Munsif Dad, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for environmental issues said; ‘Hyndburn residents already do a fantastic job with recycling their waste and recycling textiles is a fantastic way of diverting waste from landfill. In fact last year a massive 76 tonnes of textiles was collected kerbside and a further 40 tonnes was donated using bring banks in the borough. The added bonus is that residents can now recycle their textiles and know that they have helped a local charity’.

Look out for your new textile bag and 2 year recycling calendar and residents can collect additional recycling containers from the Council offices at Willows Lane.

Final Christmas lights switch-on

The last two Hyndburn townships will have their Christmas lights switched on this week:

• Altham - 10th December, 6.30pm
• Huncoat - 13th December, 6.30pm

The Labour group would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all in Hyndburn!

Pennine Lancashire Question Time - December 2012

Hyndburn Borough Council and Accrington & Rossendale College have teamed up to host a Pennine Lancashire Question Time event. The format, based on the BBC television programme has been arranged by students of the College’s Stanhill Enterprise Academy assisted by the Council’s Democratic Services Department. Local residents were invited to attend the production on Friday 7th December between 2.00- 3.15pm in the Coppice Theatre at the college on Sandy Lane. 

The host of the programme was 2BR radio breakfast presenter Chris Dean, and the panel was made up of the following people:

· Clare Pritchard- Deputy Leader Hyndburn Borough Council

· Jake Berry- MP for Rossendale

· Inspector Catherine Platt- Lancashire Constabulary

· Miles Parkinson- Leader Hyndburn Borough Council

· Peter Britcliffe- Leader of Conservatives in Hyndburn

· Rob Heyes- Chief Executive Accrington Stanley FC

The audience consisted of pupils from the college and every high school and 6th form centre across Hyndburn and the Rossendale Valley who were invited to send representatives and ask questions. This ground-breaking partnership project had been arranged by Hyndburn Borough Council to promote local democracy and the students are using the event as part of their practical studies.

· Media students have built a Question Time set and will be filming the programme as live television show.

· Beauty therapists are providing hair styling and make up to members of the panel.

· Those studying business and admin are assisting in the planning for the event and managing attendance in the theatre venue.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson said “ It’s great to be involved in events like this which bring politicians together with future generations of electors and really help to get young people involved in local democracy.”

Former Cllr Dave Mason passes away

The Labour group would like to extend their condolences to the family of former Councillor Dave Mason, who passed away on Friday 30th November. Mr Mason was an Independent Councillor for Great Harwood until 2011 and had served on HBC for 11 years. His funeral will be held on Monday 10th December at 1.00pm at St Bartholemew's Church, Great Harwood.

A full story has been run in the Accrington Obsever this week:

Death of former Councillor David Mason

Cllr Clare Pritchard on BBC Northwest Tonight

Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council, was interviewed by the BBC in Woodnook regarding empty properties and the problems they create earlier this week. The interview formed part of Look Northwest on BBC One on Tuesday 4th December 2012.

A large part of the Woodnook area is due to be redeveloped in 2013-2014 as part of a joint venture between HBC and PlaceFirst.

Christmas Food Hygiene

If there’s one thing guaranteed to ruin your Christmas meal out with friends, family or colleagues, it’s a nasty bout of food poisoning. But if you’re eating out, how do you know if the restaurant owner takes food hygiene seriously? 

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme rates eateries and other places that sell food on their hygiene standards, based on inspections carried out by Hyndburn Council. What’s more, these ratings are available for everyone to see.

This national scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities, rates food outlets on a scale ranging from zero at the bottom (which means ‘urgent improvement necessary’ to a top rating of five (‘very good’). You can check the rating online at www.food.gov.uk/ratings, via a free phone app, or look for the distinctive green and black rating sticker that businesses are encouraged to display.

If you’re organising a Christmas gathering with family, friends or work colleagues at a local restaurant, pub or hotel don’t just examine the menu, also check what their hygiene rating is too.

Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Health said: ‘When dining out, you’ll choose to go to a place where you like the food and you know you’ll have a good time. It makes sense to look before you book and check out the food hygiene rating as well.’

Catriona Stewart, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the FSA, added: 'No-one wants to gamble with their health when eating out, particularly when celebrating a special festive meal. Local authorities, including Hyndburn Council have worked with the FSA to successfully roll-out the scheme which helps people choose where to eat. Our app makes it even easier for people to check hygiene ratings before deciding which place to visit.'