Huncoat: New woodland project at Spout House Wood

Woodland planting at Spout House Wood to create a new community woodland there is set to start soon.

Funding has been approved to create woodland, forming a natural oakwood in time, with oak and birch trees, rowan, wild cherry, hazel, holly and other varieties to be planted.  A second phase will improve the paths and entrances and improve links with the surrounding areas.

A Community meeting will be held on Thursday 6th February 2014, 7pm at the Griffin Head pub on Burnley Road, where there will be an informal chance to hear more about the project and discuss ideas.

There’ll also be a Woodland activity day on either Saturday 8th or 15th March 2014, just
look out for posters with more information nearer the time.

Everyone is invited to come along to help plant the trees, it won’t be hard work as the holes will already be prepared.   There will be other interesting activities too, a woodland craft demonstration, learn about trees in the existing woodland and have fun in the company of other local people.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “This community woodland will be a great resource for the Huncoat area. There will be lots of opportunities for everyone to get involved to help make it happen. Planting trees is a great way to make a real difference to your local area, so please bring your friends and family and have a go. Lots of people are already interested in doing some practical activities and maybe supporting a Friends group to help care for the woodland as a local resource.”

The project is a collaboration between Hyndburn Council and Lancashire County Council under the Woodlands from Waste programme.  Carbon absorbed by the growth of the trees will help to balance the carbon emissions from the activities needed to dispose of our rubbish – so the project is good for the environment in lots of different ways.

The project has received support from a national organisation, the Forestry Commission, who have given a £28k grant from the English Woodland Grant Scheme.  Further grant bids are currently being prepared for paths and entrance improvements.

If you would like more information about the project or to get involved with any of the events being organised, please contact Anne Hourican, Senior Environmental Initiatives Officer on 01254 388111 or anne.hourican@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Have your say about allotment guidelines and rules

Have your say about new proposed new Allotment Guidelines & Rules.

The Guidelines and Rules, which are to ensure consistency throughout the boroughs allotments, are on the Council’s web site at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk and hard copies of the documents are also available at Scaitcliffe House and Accrington Town Hall.

Cllr Ciaran Wells, Cabinet Member for Allotments, said; “We want everyone to have their say about the proposed new allotment guidelines and rules, so please pick up a hard copy or visit the website at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk.”

The documents have already been discussed with the Hyndburn Federation of Allotments for consultation and comment.

The website link is at http://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/site/scripts/download_info.php?downloadID=1398

HBC and Community Switch unite to reduce fuel costs

Hyndburn households could save up to £370 a year on their energy bills thanks to a pioneering partnership between energy switching business Community Switch and Hyndburn Borough Council. Council data shows that about 7,417 or 21.9 per cent of the 34,000 households in Hyndburn are in fuel poverty.

The private-public sector partnership forms a key part of the local authority’s plans to reduce the fuel costs of residents and thereby tackle fuel poverty by offering all of its households the chance to switch energy supplier.

The scheme will address the issue of households  without internet access by using an innovative telephone-based approach. All householders across the borough - owner occupiers, private rented tenants and social rented housing tenants  – will be able to receive help to switch energy supplier, with a particular focus on excluded and vulnerable households suffering from fuel poverty - defined as spending more than 10 per cent of household income on fuel.

The campaign will start on 30 January and is intended to provide support over the longer-term as well as deliver an immediate switching campaign. The initiative will be promoted through press and radio, leaflets, advertising in Council public offices, advertising on refuse vehicles and by Community Switch staff attending public events.

Community Switch has an established track record in Hyndburn after helping 26 per cent of the borough’s social housing residents with pre-payment meters to switch to a better deal.

Patrick Berry, managing director of Community Switch, said the initiative is tied in with the Government’s drive to make it easier for people to switch energy supplier for a less expensive deal and complements the Council’s Warm Homes Hyndburn initiative to provide funding for insulation improvements in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the Borough.

He said: “We were particularly keen to engage residents in energy switching especially those most vulnerable to fuel poverty. While the Council has participated in collective switching campaigns it has found that these, while raising interest, do not penetrate the most vulnerable communities.

“There is considerable inertia to engagement with energy markets and suppliers where processes are seen as complex and access to switching services largely online. The Council is keen to explore new ways in which it can promote and support energy switching as a regular event across the borough.

“We have therefore teamed up with the Council to proactively target the most deprived residents in local communities while providing switching services to the whole community.”

Councillor Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of Hyndburn Council said a central plank of its plan to reduce fuel poverty was to support residents in reducing fuel costs via energy switching. She said: “Doing nothing is not an option. The energy switching market is confusing and predominantly web-based. Our approach will help to sign post more vulnerable households in fuel poverty to an alternative telephone-based service.
“Households will still have the option to use web-based energy switching sites. In other words, by promoting Community Switch the Council is providing households with an alternative option for energy switching targeted towards more vulnerable households.”

Residents should text ‘switch’ to 60777 for a call back or call 0333 240 6024 (a local call rate number and usually included in inclusive minutes). If you have internet access visit Hyndburn Councils website or that of Community Switch.
Ends.

For further information please contact Justin Strong or Richard Bond at SKV Communications on 0161 838 7770 or e-mail: justin.strong.@skvcommunications.co.uk

Milnshaw: Residents' concerns acted on by Labour Councillors

Fed up residents of both Rugby Avenue & Cheltenham Avenue, Accrington, have had there complaints listened too and resolved by their local Labour team. Late last year several residents commented on how areas of both the Laneside area streets where being continually parked on. Causing both a hazard to pedestrians and damaging the paving stones on both these streets. Working together both Lancashire County Councillor,Clare Pritchard, and Borough Councillor Paul Cox worked towards placing these bollards which will restrict access to vehicles but still allow safe use of the footpath. 

Cllr Pritchard said " these residents had tried unsuccessful to have these bollards placed here and quite frankly had given up hope, but when my fellow ward representative Cllr Cox spoke with them and informed me of the issues I acted to have something done and keep the pathways as clear as possible. 

Cllr Cox added " This again just shows how when we are told of a problem we attempt to solve it and also in doing so help improve a great part of the ward, several residents have since thanked us for taking on board the problem and working to resolve it"

Baxenden: Haworth Art Gallery Open Focus Exhibition

Three artists selected from the Haworth Art Gallery Annual Open exhibition will each exhibit more of their work at the Open Focus Exhibition. Anthony Ogden will be exhibiting his fine art, Steve Plummer will be exhibiting his illusion knitted artworks and Tony Bingham will be exhibiting his wood and metal sculptures, including robots!

The exhibition will be launched on Saturday 1st February at 12 noon by the Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn, Cllr. Judith Addison and Cllr. Kath Pratt, followed by a free concert by the Red Rose singers at 1pm. Refreshments will be available. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Also, if you haven’t already voted, please, please, please vote for the Haworth Art Gallery bid for Jessica Vorsanger at this years ‘Museum at Night’ event.

Just follow the link: www.museumsatnight.org.uk

Hundreds attend Hyndburn Apprentice event

Over two hundred people visited Accrington Town Hall on 16th January to find out about apprenticeships on offer at the Hyndburn Apprenticeship event.

This was the second Hyndburn Apprenticeship event, following the success of the first one last summer.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Council Leader, said; “The event was a great success with lots of people coming along to find out more about a wide range of apprenticeships and training places will be on offer.”

Aimed at people aged 16 to 24, attendees were able to find out more about apprenticeships direct from employers and training providers, seek expert advice and get one-to-one support in applying for apprenticeship vacancies.  
There were real live vacancies on offer, along with the chance to apply for apprenticeships and have an interview with potential employers on the day.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, added; “An apprentice learns on the job, and is able to gain qualifications by learning new skills, whilst earning money at the same time. Many thanks to the local businesses who took part offering even more fantastic opportunities for anyone who is aged 16 to 24 and is interested in becoming an apprentice.”

Motion to Council: FOBTs

A motion was submitted to full council on 23rd January by Rishton Cllr Ken Moss regarding Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (or FOBTs). Debates are currently being held in Westminster headed by Hyndburn MP Graham Jones calling for greater regulation on these betting machines, which have been dubbed 'the crack cocaine of gambling' by critics.

An early day motion put forward by the Labour party to the House of Commons in January 2014 was blocked by the Conservatives. The coalition government wants to wait for research by the Responsible Gambling Trust before taking action but the research is looking into the details of FOBT gambling, not the effects on the players and why they are causing problems.

A fixed odds betting terminal can normally be found in betting shops in the United Kingdom that allows players to bet on the outcome of various games and events with fixed odds. They were introduced to UK shops in 2001 and the most commonly played game is roulette.

The minimum amount wagered per spin is £1. The maximum bet cannot exceed a payout of £500 (i.e. putting £14.00 on a single number on roulette). The largest single payout cannot exceed £500. Other games include bingo, simulated horseracing and greyhound racing, and a range of slot machine games. Like all casino games, the "house" (i.e. the casino) has a built-in advantage, with current margins on roulette games being theoretically between 2.7% and 5%.

FOBTs are used for money laundering by paying cash into the terminal, making low-risk bets which involve a small relative loss, and withdrawing most of the proceeds as a voucher which is exchanged for cash at the shop counter. This has been acknowledged by the Gambling Commission, which fined Gala Coral Group £90,000 for allowing a drug dealer to launder money through their betting shops.

MPs took part in a debate on fixed-odds betting terminals in Lancashire, led by Graham Jones, the Labour MP for Hyndburn on 22nd January 2014 in Westminster Hall. Mr Jones described how fixed-odds betting machines could take "up to £100 in cash every 20 seconds" and were effectively "mini-casinos". He said that in his constituency £1.8m had been lost on these machines in 2012 from just 13 betting shops.

Graham explained in the debate about the case of Blackburn resident Michael Waring who became obsessed within weeks and rapidly lost control of his life. This was covered in an article in the LT on 18th February 2013 and can be read here:

Lancashire Telegraph - Gambling_machines_took_my_dignity

Hyndburn resident Russell Whalley, a director of former Rishton company E W Cartons, has also been covered in an LT story on gambling addiction:

Lancashire Telegraph - I lost £200k gambling

Offers in Lancashire include £20 free credit, 2CVs Polling held a survey showing that 62% of players gambled until all their money is gone and a secondary British Gambling Prevalence Survey showed it to be definitely the most additive form of gambling.

Hyndburn opposition Councillors Peter Britcliffe and Brian Roberts accused the Labour party of hypocrisy, stating that the FOBT machines are nothing new and that it is the fault of the previous government for being too lax with betting laws.

Cllr Moss stated, "This motion is not an attempt to have a go at the Tories or to start a political argument and I find all this 'previous administration' nonsense to be a pretty flimsy way of debating. If you want to go down that route then we could say that the Conservative-led coalition has had four years to tighten up betting laws but it doesn't help the situation one bit."

He added, "The payouts are not the issue, they are broadly the same as every other form of betting, but the amount that can be spent in such a short time on these particular machines is alarming. The local Tories accuse us of doing nothing in ten years but it is quite common for things to be addressed when they become a problem and I haven't noticed anything coming from their side of the benches either. Betting has changed in Great Britain and changed rapidly with the rise of online poker and other such means of gambling. We now need changes to the law to give more powers to local Councils to deal with betting shop applications."

Rishton Councillor Clare Cleary seconded the motion and said, "This is not just a monetary issue, the Council's hands are tied by gambling laws. We can bicker about who is to blame but the fact is that the proliferation of betting outlets is damaging our country."

The motion can be found in full here:

Full Council 23rd January 2014 - Motion to Council

BBC video of the debate featuring Graham Jones can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-25842177

Fire Authority makes presentation at Full Council

Ben Norman, a Community Protection manager for the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, made a presentation to Hyndburn Council on 23rd January 2014. The presentation showed various fire statistics in Hyndburn and called on Councillors to visit Hyndburn Fire Station to promote further interaction at ward level on fire prevention.

There are two fire stations in Hyndburn, one in Church and the other in Great Harwood and from the end of March 2014 we will be losing one full-time engine in the borough which will save the Fire authority £1m per year. Ben stated that he is confident that the capacity should still be sufficient as fires have dropped by two-thirds since 2006 and he would rather focus on fire prevention rather than response.

Capacity in Hyndburn from April 2014 will be one tender with five full-time staff 24/7 365 days a year, one aerial platform ladder (one of only four in Lancashire) and one unit with retained staff (also known as auxiliary firemen). Fires have a maximum response time of five minutes but in Hyndburn the staff are averaging just three minutes.

There are four fire crews in Hyndburn covering the 16 wards:

RED WATCH
Rishton, Overton, Clayton-le-Moors and Church

GREEN WATCH
St Oswalds, St Andrews, Immanuel and Springhill

WHITE WATCH
Altham, Milnshaw, Central and Netherton

BLUE WATCH
Huncoat, Baxenden, Peel and Barnfield

All commercial properties in the borough have had a fire assessment and at the moment 30 are classified as Category 2 (some element of risk of wider impact in the outbreak of fire) and 36 as Category 3 (major planning required if fire breaks out). Category 1 is a fire which can be dealt with using normal response measures.

Council Leader (and former firefighter) Miles Parkinson said, "Thanks to the Area Manager and thanks to the work done with the Princes Trust which is now operating in Hyndburn out of the fire station. Hyndburn's Fire Authority is widely regarded as one of the best in Lancashire and it is good that the service is now helping members in the wider community through these schemes."

LCC and BT refresh strategic partnership

The strategic partnership between Lancashire County Council and BT is to transform after BT and the county council's Cabinet agreed changes to support improvements in local services.

Following a strategic review of the partnership, it has been agreed that a number of services - ranging from welfare rights to human resources - will return to being delivered in-house by the council. Meanwhile BT's role will focus on improving the efficiency and quality of information and communication technology (ICT), revenue, benefits and payroll services.

Both BT and the council agree that the revised arrangement will help deliver further efficiencies, given the changing needs of the council. The changes mean One Connect Limited, the jointly owned company created when the partnership formed, will become a wholly owned BT company and renamed as BT Lancashire Services Limited.

Hundreds of county council staff currently seconded to One Connect will return to the council, with the remainder continuing their secondments as part of the newly slimmed-down partnership. The new arrangements will take effect from 31 March 2014.

Leader of the Council, Jennifer Mein, said: "I'm pleased the council and BT have come to an agreement that I believe has the interests of Lancashire's residents and taxpayers at its heart.

"Both organisations have shown great commitment to reviewing operations over the last few months and looking again at how we can best work together for the benefit of Lancashire residents.

"There is no doubt BT's expertise in cutting edge technology has been a real benefit in a number of service areas to date and as a forward-thinking council we'll continue to need that kind of support and innovation.

"The changes allow us to focus on developing that potential in partnership with BT while bringing back services and decisions that sit better in the county council's structure."

Lancashire County Council Interim Chief Executive, Jo Turton said: "BT is an important partner of the county council's, not just through the strategic partnership but also in supporting us on several key initiatives including the Superfast Lancashire broadband programme and the creation of hundreds of new BT jobs in Accrington.

"Repositioning the partnership with BT will allow us to focus on securing access to BT's technologies and skills that otherwise wouldn't be available to a local council.

"Particularly given the huge funding pressures we're facing, this sort of support really can save money behind the scenes while helping to protect services on the frontline.

"I know that county council employees, including our secondees involved in the revised arrangement, will work hard to make the changes a success."

As the company will be wholly owned by BT, the partnership governance arrangements will no longer involve a joint board of directors.
Instead, senior representatives from both organisations will work together to regularly review progress and identify new opportunities to improve local services.

Tony Chanmugam, Chairman of OCL and BT Group CFO said: “This is a key milestone in our relationship with Lancashire County Council. The environment in which local authorities operate is continually changing. We all appreciated that when OCL was created and it was one reason for agreeing that a strategic review would take place at around this time.

“As a key partner to the Council BT will continually work with the council to agree how we can adapt the services we provide to help the council better serve the citizens of Lancashire. This is the sign of a true partnership and I would like to thank Lancashire County Council for their continued support of our strategic partnership and we look forward to our relationship going from strength to strength during this next phase.

“BT remains fully committed to maintaining a strong presence across the North-West, not just through BT Lancashire Services but across all the BT Group activities.”

Hyndburn hero Ron Hill to lead 10k runners

World famous Accrington runner Ron Hill will lead hundreds onto Hyndburn’s roads as he puts his name to a brand new 10K event in the borough. This event also marks the 40th anniversary of Hyndburn Borough Council.

Ron Hill MBE – world record holder, Olympian, clothing entrepreneur and Freeman of the Borough – is encouraging Hyndburn residents to shape up for 2014 by signing up to the Ron Hill Accrington 10K run set to take place on Sunday, 30 March.

Setting off from Accrington Town Hall at 10.30am, the event will see runners venture up Manchester Road to Baxenden before looping back down the tree-lined, former railway track ‘greenway’, finishing back in the town centre.

The Ron Hill Accrington 10K is open to anyone over the age of 18 with prizes available for the first three runners home in the categories of male, female and veterans. It costs £8 for affiliated running club members to register, £10 for unaffiliated members or £12 on the day.

Charities and good causes locally set to benefit from the event include Finley’s Disney Dream, East Lancashire Hospice and Derian House Children’s Hospice.

Cllr Clare Pritchard said: “Ron Hill MBE is a true Hyndburn hero and the perfect person to lead this exciting new high profile event. It’s set to attract visitors to the town, offer a fantastic day out for families and raise money for great local causes close to all of our hearts.

“Signing up now gives you the ideal excuse to dust off your trainers and stick to those New Year Resolutions to start 2014 in style!”

Cuadrilla press release

Cuadrilla Resources has announced an agreement with the Community Foundation for Lancashire under which the Community Foundation will run a pilot scheme managing community benefit funds at upcoming Cuadrilla shale gas exploration sites in Lancashire.

The pilot will be run independently by the Community Foundation, which is part of the network of UK Community Foundations. The organisation is an independent registered charity experienced in engaging and consulting with communities in Lancashire, receiving and administering funding applications and evaluating their success. Since 2003, the Community Foundation has distributed funds of £9 million to over 1,900 community groups, charities and social businesses across Lancashire working in partnership with donors, funders and philanthropists.

A community benefit of £100,000 will be paid by Cuadrilla for each exploration wellhead where hydraulic fracturing takes place. This payment will be made into the community fund as drilling operations commence on each well that we intend to hydraulically fracture. The Community Foundation will be responsible for coordinating a consultation into how local residents and community groups would like to see that funding distributed for public benefit and will administer the scheme to ensure a transparent process that delivers benefit to the community.

The pilot is part of a scheme announced today by the industry’s representative body, the United Kingdom Onshore Operators Group (UKOOG) working in partnership with the UK Community Foundation.

Francis Egan, Cuadrilla’s chief executive, said, “Cuadrilla is delighted to be able to make this announcement today. The Community Foundation for Lancashire is an excellent partner with a strong track record of working with communities to help identify appropriate causes and means of disseminating these community funds. We are committed to being a good neighbour and it will be for local people to decide for themselves - with the help of the Community Foundation for Lancashire - how this money will be spent.”

Cathy Elliott, chief executive of the Community Foundation for Lancashire, said, “Community Foundation for Lancashire is an impartial and independent charity and will manage the funds independently of Cuadrilla and entirely for the benefit of the local communities for whom each fund is intended, within Charity Commission guidelines.Work on any fund will commence after the full planning and regulatory approval process has been completed and all necessary approvals have been given. We will work with and for local communities in a robust, effective and fully transparent process, supporting local people to define local priorities, including the appointment of a community panel to decide how the money will be spent. We will ensure that funds are effectively managed to deliver the greatest possible social benefit.”

Cuadrilla Resources Ltd
Cuadrilla House
Stowe Court
Stowe Street
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS13 6AQ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0)1543266444
Fax: +44(0)15432664440
www.cuadrillaresources.com

Great Harwood: Farmers Market raises £4,000 for charity

A conversation between Gaskell Motor Bodies, Graham Jones MP and Miles Parkinson, leader of Hyndburn Council a year  ago suggesting that a farmers market be be started on Towngate in the centre of Great Harwood, has led to a Sunday market which has gone from strength to strength and is now firmly established in the calendar.

The first market took place in March and with the help and support of the local community it has grown in popularity from a few stalls to now around 30 local traders attending each market on the first Sunday of each month.
Success can be measured in many ways, for example there is the massive amount raised for local charities, it has helped to bring life back into the local economy, it is attracting visitors from outside the Borough the market was shortlisted for the Association of Town and City Management awards in the category ‘Improving the Business Mix’, new businesses have been established and existing traders have taken on new employees.

Feedback from all involved has been very positive. The charities involved have welcomed the support and opportunity to be involved, traders have commented it has made a significant difference to their business by increasing their income and establishing useful business opportunities elsewhere.

Councillor Clare Pritchard says “It’s been a real pleasure to support the development of the farmers market. The wooden chalets we have provided have enhanced the look and feel of the market and have been very popular. The market has galvanised the whole community and helped to regenerate the local economy, provided much needed support for local good causes and reinforced the sense of pride local people have.”
Louise Gaskell said; “We’re really pleased to see the how the Farmers Market has developed and grown in popularity.  It’s not only a great day out but raises money for local good causes, so if you haven’t been yet, please come along on Sun 2nd March to see for yourself.”

Everyone is looking forward to an even better 2014 with the first market due on Sunday 2nd March 2014 (the application form will be live on the Hyndburn BC website from the start of February).

Milnshaw: 100th new dog bin installed

Hyndburn’s one hundredth extra dog bin has now been installed at Dyke Nook Gardens in Milnshaw, bringing the total number of dog bins across the Borough to three hundred and fifty.

Cllr Paul Cox, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council and Jean Sommerville, Vice Chair of Laneside Residents Association were joined by  Harry the Hyndburn Hound last week to welcome the installation of the last in a series of new dog bins across the Borough.

Cllr Cox said; “Street cleansing is one of our top priorities and we know that dog fouling is a big concern for local people. We’ve invested £15,000 into the service and these extra hundred dog bins have been installed in all wards right around the Borough, bringing the total to three hundred, plus another fifty four within our parks, which our Waste Services and Parks Teams empty each week, in fact they collect four tonnes of dog waste from the bins every week.”

Cllr Clare Pritchard added; “It’s wonderful to see the last new dog bin being installed now. All Councillors have had a say in where the bins should be installed on their patch, based on residents feedback and the new bins have been going in over the last few months.  Our dog warden service is also working with local PCSO’s to tackle dog fouling and two notices have been issued in Clayton just recently to dog owners who failed to pick up after their dogs by PCSO’s there.”

Jean Sommerville, Vice Chair of Laneside Residents Association said; “It’s fantastic to see this new bin going in, the more the merrier! Anything which helps to keep dog dirt off these gardens and our streets is really welcome.”

Cllr Cox concluded; “All the dog waste bins are emptied at least once each week and we will be attaching stickers to let residents know what day the bin will be emptied and a reference number to make it easier for us to identify the bin if a problem is reported. We’re also providing 200,000 free poop bags for residents to use, so please call in at Scaitcliffe House or Willows Lane reception to pick yours up.”

Please help in the fight against dog fouling, if you see anyone failing to pick up after their dog please report it to the Council on 01254 388111.

Conservatives threaten funding cuts for refusing weekly bin collections

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has warned English councils that fail to restore weekly bin collections could have their central government funding slashed. Mr Pickles said there was “no plausible reason” why councils should not collect bins weekly and warned that formula grant funding could be removed from authorities which did not do so. At the moment, only Stoke-on-Trent Council has reverted to weekly bin collections out of 216 in the country.

In Hyndburn, the estimated costs have been drawn up and the impact on annual Council resources is considerable:

£105,000  Contract hire 3 vehicles              
£36,000  Fuel for 3 vehicles
£90,000  3 extra drivers
£234,000  9 extra loaders
£82,000  Cover for absence

Total = £547,000 per annum  

Weekly general waste collections would be expected to impact on recycling rates and currently HBC receives around £230,000 per year from sales of recyclable waste.

The scheme has attracted widespread derision from Councils across the United Kingdom and is not supported by the controlling Labour group at HBC.

PCC: PCSOs 'offer' never formally made

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw has commented on proposals from the previous Conservative administration at LCC on funding for more PCSOs.

Clive said:  "I would like to clarify that the 'offer' by the former Conservative administration at Lancashire County Council to invest this money into PCSOs was never formally made. Cllr Driver's political posturing never amounted to anything my office could consider – and there were a number of significant problems with the initial suggestion, such as what added value these additional PCSOs would bring and how their jobs could be sustained at the end of the three-year funding commitment. None of these issues were formally discussed prior to the May election, when the public failed to back Cllr Driver's party."

He added, "It is complete nonsense for Cllr Driver to claim the police have rejected the chance to bolster PCSO numbers in the county. I know communities value their PCSOs, and I have made it clear maintaining PCSO numbers is a priority for me. That is why I have ring-fenced the total PCSO budget in Lancashire and committed to match-funding where local authorities continue to do so."

The PCC commented on the new Labour-led coalition's plans for local police by saying, "Following the election Cllr Mein's administration contacted us to make us aware funds were available and to formally discuss how they could be used most effectively. I believe this new proposal is innovative and brings significant benefits for both the County Council and the Constabulary in how we deal with vulnerable people. The scheme will reduce future demand on both our services, gives good value for money through match-funding and has also allowed us to submit a bid into the Government's new Police Innovation Fund which, if successful, will bring even more resources to Lancashire."

Lancashire PCC cleared of fraud

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw will not face prosecution over his expenses when a Labour county councillor.

CPS lawyer Gemma Carsey said: “A file was submitted in October 2013, and all evidence received in mid-November 2013, in order for the CPS to consider if potential charges of fraud by false misrepresentation should be brought against Mr Clive Grunshaw. To prosecute this offence dishonesty must be proved. Our assessment is that there is insufficient evidence to show that any of these claims was submitted dishonestly. In all the circumstances of this case, therefore, we have concluded that no further action should be taken.”

A full story has been printed by the Lancashire Telegraph and can be read here:

Lancashire Telegraph - Police_and_Crime_Comissioner_clearedr

St Andrews: Election campaign begins for Stewart Eaves

The Labour election campaign has begun in earnest with candidates and Councillors visiting residents throughout the borough. On Friday 10th January, the campaign team were in St Andrews ward to promote Stewart Eaves.

The team were joined by MP Graham Jones who will also be on the trail every Friday evening visiting all wards around the borough.

HBC and LCC Pennine Reach to start work in 2014

Pennine Reach is a new rapid bus transit scheme which is a £40m Labour joint venture between Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

The system is designed to improve bus links on the Blackburn, Darwen and Accrington corridors and will tackle the problems of congestion on bus routes, regular illegal parking which delays services and the reasons for declining numbers of passengers.

The scheme will coincide with major improvements to both Blackburn and Accrington town centres, a new ticketing and passenger information system and a statutory quality partnership with bus operators to improve services.

Work has now started and construction of the new Accrington bus station at Crawshaw Street (to the rear of B&M Bargains, Subway, etc) will begin in Autumn 2014. Structural highways improvements will be completed by late 2015 with the scheme to be fully implemented by 2016.

For more information and updates as each phase is completed go to http://lancashire.gov.uk/penninereach

Answer on combined recycling bins question

Over the Christmas period there have been a number of requests for HBC to introduce a combined recycling wheelie bin as used in several neighbouring boroughs. Exceptionally windy weather on two recycling days in December and January have created a litter problem and this has prompted complaints.

Rishton member, Cllr Ken Moss, responded to questions and explained that cost issues were behind the decision not to introduce a combined waste system at the present time but requested information from the Waste Services manager and received this response:

"HBC have only just received delivery of the new recycling vehicles and any change could only take place after they are replaced (in 6 years) unless the Council took the hit on the cost of new vehicles before that date.

If we were to go with wheeled bins then each property would have to have a minimum of 2 extra wheeled bins with an estimated cost £1.5 million. In addition, the vehicles needed to lift wheeled bins are different (split bodied RCV's that can keep 2 waste streams separate) and cost around £160,000 each. We would need 4 which would cost around £650,000.

Mixing the recycling together would affect the income we currently receive for keeping it separate. This is unknown as we would need to source an outlet that could split the materials apart and this would lead to an estimated £50,000+ loss of income per year.

Whilst not a cost, residents would have to present the wheeled bins at the front of the property (affects terrace properties only). This is because the vehicles are too big to go down the back street. If you wanted back street collections, the vehicle costs would be increased further as you would need to double the number of single body vehicles and crews, each collecting one of the bins. 

Finally, under the current Cost Share Agreement with Lancashire Waste Partnership strategy it is not possible to have all materials in 1 bin and would put the Cost Sharing money we receive from LCC at risk which is around another £60,000."

Broken down, this equates to an initial start up cost of approximately £2,150,000 with additional annual costs to HBC of £110,000 plus further staff costs for extra crews. At this time, HBC could 
not afford to absorb this and the extra cost in lost revenue alone is higher than could be raised in taxes. Council tax rises are currently capped at 2% and such a move to combined recycling would require a tax rise of between 15 and 20%.

Cllr Paul Cox is Cabinet member at HBC for Environmental Services and this week said, "Although combined recycling is extremely desirable we just cannot afford to do it with the severity of the cuts being imposed by central government. This is only going to get worse in the coming years so unfortunately the current system will remain in place for the foreseeable future."


He added, "Recycling rates across Lancashire are falling and yet here in Hyndburn we are the only borough whose rates are actually increasing. We are sending less to landfill which is costing us less than everyone else and helping to keep our borough's Council tax down."