Helping pubs - Message in Barrel Campaign

The 'Message in Barrel' campaign has called for help with beer duty in the March Budget by sending a special ‘message in a barrel’ to the Chancellor at an event in Parliament this Wednesday.

The hand-crafted oak barrel, an iconic symbol of Britain’s world-renowned brewing and pub industry,  is a reminder of how important brewing and pubs are to the Haslingden and Hyndburn constituency.

The barrel, containing messages of support to Britain's ailing pubs, was later delivered to the Treasury by MPs and representatives of the British Beer & Pub Association, CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers).

People Power taking off in Hyndburn

Leader of Hyndburn Council, Cllr Miles Parkinson, today welcomed the news that people are already signing up to the People Power community energy scheme for Lancashire.

Cllr Parkinson said;  “People Power uses the notion of bulk buying to get the best deals from the big energy providers. We want as many residents as possible to sign up to the scheme as based on the experience of other collective energy switching schemes, residents have potentially saved up saved up to £250 per year by switching energy suppliers through a collective energy switching scheme.”

Collective energy schemes bring together a number of people who want to switch providers into one 'auction'. Energy providers then bid for their business by offering the best available prices. The more people who join the collective scheme, the better a deal everybody gets.

People Power was launched across Lancashire by 13 local Councils, including Hyndburn,  last week, and if the target of just 15,000 residents signs up to the scheme, it could potentially save over £3million for those collectively involved.

Residents are therefore being urged to review their bills and combine their purchasing power in the innovative scheme to ensure they get the very best energy deal possible. Simply visit www.peoplepower.co.uk before 8th April 2013 and enter your details and energy usage (you will need a copy of your energy bills to hand).

There is no obligation from registering your interest in the scheme, as registering simply includes you in the collective group taken to auction on 9th April where energy suppliers will bid for the business which residents can either accept or decline.  The more residents that are registered with the scheme naturally makes this a more attractive proposition for the utility firms, effectively achieving considerable economies of scale with significant savings passed to the consumer.

The People Power scheme is targeted at all residents in Lancashire, although anyone outside of the county can also register to be a part of it.  The scheme is also open to residents who use pre-payment metres.

Whilst registration is easiest online, Hyndburn people who don’t have email access can sign up at Scaitcliffe House from 9am to 5pm.  There will also be sign up roadshows in the community with visits planned for Accrington Town Centre on 22nd March, Great Harwood on 15th March and Oswaldtwistle on 20th March. Call the Council on 01254 388111 for more information. Furthermore, one email address can be used five times to allow for additional family members, friends or neighbours with no internet or email accessibility.

Full Council - 28th February 2013

The next meeting of the Full Council will be on Thursday 28th February at 7.00pm in Accrington Town Hall. This is the annual Budget meeting where the financial terms for the borough during 2013/14 will be set out and agreed.

Cllr Miles Parkinson will present the controlling Labour group's budget proposals for discussion and approval. Suggestions have been received from the Independent group but opposition member Peter Britcliffe has not put forward an alternative Conservative budget for the second year running, something which all opposition parties are invited to do.

Members of the public are invited to come and view proceedings from the public gallery.

Cllr Clare Pritchard meets Shadow Housing Minister

Deputy Leader of Hyndburn Borough Council, Cllr Clare Pritchard, travelled to Westminster today to meet Jack Dromey MP, Shadow Minister for Housing. The purpose of the visit was to raise awareness of the housing problems within the borough and these were met with a sympathetic ear by Mr Dromey.

Clare said, 'It was a pleasure to meet Jack and discuss the housing problems we face in Hyndburn. Conservative cuts to the Housing Renewal programme have been devastating to deprived boroughs such as ours and it was reassuring to know that this is recognised and will be addressed by a future Labour government.'

County Council Election 2013 - Altham, Clayton-le-Moors and Rishton

Canvassing and leafleting has begun for the campaign to re-elect Cllr Miles Parkinson as County Councillor for Altham, Clayton-le-Moors and Rishton. Miles was elected in 2009 and has since gone on to also become Leader of Hyndburn Borough Council when control shifted back to Labour in 2011. 

Miles has been assisted by Cllr Chris Fisher in Altham, Cllr Tim O'Kane in Clayton-le-Moors and Cllrs Ken Moss, Harry Grayson and Clare Cleary in Rishton. Over the coming weeks they will be out and about in all areas to promote Miles's work ahead of voting day on 2nd May 2013.

The Labour group pay for all their own campaign literature and if you have any further questions then please get in touch by looking under the 'Your Councillors' tab on the homepage of this blog.

County Council Election 2013 - Great Harwood

Cllr Gareth Molineux (left) is standing for election in May to win the seat currently held by County Cllr Ciaran Wells (right), who is stepping down this year. Both Councillors currently represent Great Harwood in the district Council chamber and have been delivering newsletters to homes in Overton and Netherton to canvass for support.

If you would like to get in touch with any of the Hyndburn Labour Councillors regarding the forthcoming elections please see the 'Your Councillors' tab on the home page of this blog.

County Council Election 2013 - Accrington South

Cllr Bernard Dawson (along with fellow Councillor June Harrison) has been out campaigning in Peel and Barnfield ahead of the Lancashire County Council elections on 2nd May 2013. Cllr Dawson currently sits as member for Peel ward on Hyndburn Borough Council but is hoping to also take the county seat for the area in this year's election.

Bernard is campaigning to win the Accrington South seat currently held by Graham Jones MP, who is stepping down to concentrate on his parliamentary work. A series of leaflets will be posted in the coming months to inform residents of Bernard's work within the community.

Saskia's plea impresses Leader

A local schoolgirl’s artwork and letter asking people to pick up their litter and recycle more has so impressed Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, that he has asked for it to be displayed in Accrington Town Centre. Nine year old Saskia Haq designed a poster asking people not to litter and recycle more and sent it with a letter to Cllr Parkinson. 

Cllr Parkinson said; “Saskia is obviously passionate about her local environment and has put a lot of thought into this, so we’re going to put it on display outside the Town Hall.

Saskia said; “I want people to pick up their litter and recycle more and I’m really glad my poster will be on display in Accrington.”

Free seeds outside Market Hall

The Hyndburn Prospects Foundation will be trying to promote home-growing of plants and flowers by giving away free packets of seeds outside Accrington Market Hall on Wednesday 20th February from 10.00am until 1.00pm. For further information on this project please call the Community Food Growing Coordinator, Julie Livesey, on 01254 380677.

Farmer's Market raises cash for local charities

Cabinet Member for Town Centres, Cllr Clare Pritchard, and Nick Gaskell of Gaskell Motorbodies (pictured here with Mayor John Broadley) presented £140 raised from the Farmers Market at Towngate in Great Harwood to local good causes, including the Mayoral Charity Fund.

The Farmers Market, held in February, was a joint venture between the Council and Gaskells. It attracted lots of visitors to the town, who sampled and bought a whole host of locally produced food and goods at the event. Due to the first Market’s success, another is planned for 3rd March, running from 8am to 2pm. Stalls are just £10, with all proceeds to charity.

Cllr Pritchard said; “We’re delighted to present this money to the various charities including the Mayoral Charity Fund and East Lancashire Hospice and also that the event itself was such a success. We plan to carry on, with the next one scheduled for 3rd March. Word is spreading and we’ve already got lots of producers booked in for March, so please come along on the day and buy some wonderful locally sourced produce."

Nick Gaskell, of Gaskell Motorbodies said; “We’re really pleased to be working in partnership with the Council and local producers. We’re thrilled with the markets success so far, and that we are able to carry on raising money for local good causes as well. Please come along to Towngate on 3rd March for the next Farmers Market and help us grow this already popular event.”

To rent a stall, or for more information about the Farmers Market, call Rob Grigorjevs, Town Centre Manager, on 01254 388111.

Cllr Bill Pinder - Surgeries

Cllr Bill Pinder is holding a series of public surgeries at Hippings Vale Community Centre in Oswaldtwistle. Cllr Pinder is the Labour member for St Andrews ward and will be available from 10.00am until 11.30am on the first Saturday of each month to answer queries from residents.

Rishton Canal Masterplan approved

A proposal to draw up a masterplan document for the development of the Rishton canal corridor has been approved by Cabinet on 6th February 2013. Cllr Ken Moss put up a motion to Council in 2012 to put forward the idea and a more detailed report was presented to the six members of the Cabinet for final approval, which was passed unanimously.

Cllr Moss said, "The masterplan document needs to be done now while so many sites are derelict along the Rishton section of the canal. We have a unique opportunity to take a holistic approach to future development and planning applications and make sure they fit in with our vision for Rishton rather than a piecemeal approach which simply suits the developers."

The papers relating to are online and can be seen under item 7 in this link:

Cabinet - 6th February 2013

Medium Term Financial Strategy

The HBC portfolio holder for Finance, Cllr Joan Smith, outlined the HBC medium-term financial strategy at Cabinet on 6th February. This is the Council's plan for finances over the next three years and outlines the problems likely to be faced by Hyndburn Borough Council and how we plan to overcome them:

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2013

A more concise version of the Council's financial position is presented by Cllr Smith to Cabinet every month and this can be read here:

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2012-2013 - February 2013

HBC is to suffer an 8.8% cut in grant funding from central government, the highest percentage reduction in the country, but this translates as nearer to 16% overall when various other factors are taken into consideration.

The Labour group also inherited debts of over £12m from the Conservative group when they took control of the Council in 2011 (£9m in long-term debts and around £3m in short term debts) and have managed to reduce them by approximately £1m in 18 months. Although calls from the opposition are being made to spend the reserves, the Labour group are hoping to use part of any underspending to reduce the Council debts further and save thousands of pounds in interest payments each month.

Charter For Young People

Hyndburn’s Cabinet voted to adopt the North West Trades Union Congress Charter for Young People on Wednesday 6th February. The Charter is aimed at persuading public, private and voluntary sector employers to provide job opportunities for young people. It sets out a 5-point programme of action to combat youth unemployment and help the 149,000 young people who are NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) in the North West:

1. A Job Guarantee 
2. Action on Apprenticeships
3. Quality Work Experience 
4. Welfare Reform
5. Practical support

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson said; “We will be working up firm proposals to implement the 5 action points, to give apprentices, real jobs, real skills and a better future. We want to help raise the aspirations of local young people in east Lancashire and ensure that they can earn a decent wage and have the expectation that they can do more with their lives.”

For more information visit: www.nwtucforafuturethatworks.org.uk/

Accrington Town Centre update

The team responsible for the overall running of Accrington Town Centre have produced a report on various activities which are designed to improve the services that HBC provide for both shoppers and traders. This is an ongoing activity which also covers the Market Hall and is intended to help the public to bring any problems or suggestions to the attention of the Council:

Trader Survey – We will shortly be doing a survey of town centre traders to get views on the Christmas celebrations and an idea of trading conditions in the town. We will also be putting together a survey for market traders on various issues to obtain formal feedback and help us review the Market Handbook.

Cleaning – Cleaning the Market and its environs is a neverending task. Our team of porters work hard to keep the place as clean and tidy as possible and much of this takes place when there’s no-one about. During our regular discussions on this issue the porters raised the issue of getting better cleaning equipment. As a result we have purchased new equipment which is lighter and more efficient. Hopefully you will notice the difference.

Workstart – In response to the request for more hands in the market we are liaising with our colleagues at Lancashire County Council and JobCentre to employ people via the workstart scheme. This is where people are obliged to undertake work in order to maintain their benefits and ease them back into work, as it is much easier to find work if you are already working. We will shortly be taking on some people to assist us. The aim of this is to free up time for the existing porters.

Regeneration – The town centre will be undergoing some major changes in the next few years. Work on the new bus station is due to commence shortly and it is due to be completed by 2015. We have also submitted a Heritage Lottery Bid to improve shop fronts on Blackburn Road and in front of the Town Hall/Market Hall. If the latter is successful these two schemes alone will see major improvements to the physical environment of the town centre. They will complement the changes that have already taken place, such as the new rail station, the improvements to St James’s churchyard and of course our refurbished Market Hall.

HBC goes Breastfeeding Friendly

Hyndburn Council is officially breastfeeding friendly, with the adoption of a new policy which shows how breastfeeding mothers will be made welcome within Council offices and other public buildings, such as the award-winning Accrington market.

Increasing the rates of breastfeeding has been shown to be one of most important ways to reduce infant deaths. Not only can breastfeeding save lives, research shows that if rates increased, this could save the NHS millions of pounds, because breastfed babies are less likely to need treatment for conditions such as gastroenteritis, ear infections and respiratory illness. Their mothers are also less likely to develop breast cancer.

Councillor Pam Barton, Cabinet member for Health and Communities said, “The law supports mothers to breastfeed, in fact many people don’t know is that it’s actually illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place. As a next step we will be looking at how we can support local businesses to become breastfeeding-friendly.”

If anyone would like support or information about breastfeeding, they should contact their health visitor or local children’s centre.

Great Harwood Farmers Market

The first Great Harwood Farmers' Market took place on Sunday 3rd February and was well-attended despite poor weather. Stallholders came from as far away as Nelson to take part and a wide range of quality produce was on offer including cakes, sausages, preserves, fish, pies and speciality coffees.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Miles Parkinson, was in attendance along with Graham Jones MP and several other Councillors and said, "This first farmers' market is the planting of an acorn. There is much investment coming to improve Towngate from various sources but we are now looking to seriously develop our borough's markets to become the visitor attractions they should be, like Skipton or Bury in their own right."

The next farmers' market will take place on Sunday 3rd March and if anyone would like to get in touch regarding a stall then please call Rob Grigorjevs, the Town Centre manager on 01254 380980.