Conservative Leader brands Todmorden Curve motion as 'boring'

Great Harwood Labour Councillors Noordad Aziz and Kerry Molineux submitted a motion to full Council on Thursday 26th June requesting that HBC put pressure on the Department of Transport to provide trains and carriages (rolling stock) for the newly refurbished Todmorden Curve.

The rail line is now re-opened after decades of disuse and provides a direct link between Accrington and Manchester for the first time in years but the DoT have not ensured that there are any vehicles to use and now it looks unlikely that there will be trains in service until the start of 2015.

Cllr Tim O'Kane observed that the new rail link does not currently travel through any Conservative constituencies which may be the reason for the delay.

But Leader of the Conservatives, Cllr Peter Britcliffe, talked throughout the motion and commented, "This is boring, has the timer not gone yet? A new train line? You don't know what you're talking about." He indicated that the Todmorden Curve rolling stock was his idea and that Labour were simply jumping on the bandwagon.

However, Cllr Britcliffe was present for a Labour press photo call in the Accrington Observer calling for immediate provision of trains and Cllr Kerry Molineux stood up to say that the option was there for him to have brought the motion to Council himself, yet he had failed to do so.

The motion was voted for by all Labour members and can be read here:

Motion to Council 1 - 26th June 2014

Oswaldtwistle: Armed Forces Day 2014

Hyndburn Armed Forces Day was commemorated in Oswaldtwistle this year and a service was held at the War Memorial following a parade along Union Road.

The event was well attended and many Labour Councillors and supporters came along, including MP for Hyndburn, Graham Jones.

Mayor Munsif Dad and Oswaldtwistle Councillor Judith Addison gave thanks and prayers for our serving armed forces personnel before retiring to the Social Club for refreshments.

A full set of photographs can be viewed at the Hyndburn Labour Facebook page:

Facebook - Hyndburn Labour

Lancashire Telegraph employees stage protest against staff relocation to Newport

Lancashire Telegraph workers and other members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) held a picket line from 7.45am outside their Blackburn offices on 25th June to raise public awareness of Newsquest's plans to relocate 25 sub-editors to Newport and the response from the public was very positive.

At 12.30pm, following a pizza dinner courtesy of Shuaib Khan, they marched through the town centre to Blackburn Town Hall, where we were greeted by Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Kate Hollern, who was also very supportive. She spoke to members and north west NUJ rep Chris Morley about her dismay at the Newport move.

There was a very strong turnout of members and there were also visits on the picket line from the NUJ vice president, local reps from Unison, UCU (University and Colleges Union), Blackburn with Darwen councillors and Hyndburn Councillor Clare Cleary, as well as the famous ex-Telegraph Harold Heys.

Spring Hill: Roar in the Gore - 29th June 2014

Roar in the Gore is a community fun day at Bullough Park including a bouncy castle, gladiator challenge, climbing wall, rides and attractions.

It will take place this coming Saturday from 8.00am until early evening and admission is free.

Milnshaw: Letter to Laneside residents from local Labour Councillor

Milnshaw Labour Councillor, Paul Cox, has drafted an open letter to the residents of Laneside estate updating them on the situation at Highams playing Fields in Accrington. The playing fields have undergone a huge transformation over the last few months in order to tackle the severe drainage problems that existed on the site.

Cllr Cox said, "Working with external funders Hyndburn Borough Council secured almost £500,000 to redevelop the sports pitches on Thorneyholme Road. The work has been hampered by the incredible amount of rainfall we experienced from December 2013 till March 2014. So making it almost impossible to complete the project on time."

HBC have been assured, by the contractor, that the scheme was delayed due to the ground being unsafe for heavy site machinery to operate. But as the weather has improved it is hoped that the scheme will be back on schedule over the next few months. So allowing for the protective fencing to be removed latter this year with access returned to residents as soon as possible.

Paul added, "I have delivered this letter to the residents of Laneside to keep them informed of the situation and hopefully let them know how we are progressing. But I do ask that if anybody from the community wishes to discuss the issue then please feel free to get in touch"

Duke of Lancaster Freedom Parade - 1st July 2014

Excitement is building in Accrington ahead of the Freedom Parade next Tuesday 1st July, which will see 120 soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment march past the Town Hall to exercise their Freedom of the Borough.

Starting from in front of St. John the Evangelist Church, Addison Street, Accrington at 12.00 noon the soldiers will march through Accrington, with drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed, finishing at the Town Hall  at 12:20 pm.  (Please note that all timings are approximate due to the nature of the event.)

This is the first time that the Regiment, known as The Lions of England, has been able to exercise its right to march in the Borough, after being awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Hyndburn, the Borough’s highest honour.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “Excitement about the Freedom Parade is really building now. It will offer us all the opportunity to show how proud we are of our soldiers who risk their lives both at home and abroad to serve our country.  Everyone is warmly welcomed to come and see the Freedom Parade and show our thanks and appreciation for the Regiment’s gallant and courageous service, so please come along on the 1st July to show them your support.”

Colonel Chris Owen, of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment said; “It is a tremendous honour for the Regiment and its soldiers to exercise the Freedom of Hyndburn, and it is fitting that we will do so in the home town of the Accrington Pals on the anniversary of their great sacrifice. Parades such as this give us an opportunity to publicly express our gratitude to the communities our soldiers come from. We very much look forward to July 1 and to thanking the people of Hyndburn for their long-standing and continued support.”
The day will feature a service for the regiment and invited guests at St John The Evangelist Church, Accrington, where Hyndburn’s Mayor, Cllr Munsif Dad will be joined by Mayors from across Lancashire, military dignitaries, cadets, the British Legion and those involved in Hyndburn’s First World War centenary commemorations.

The annual Accrington Pals Memorial service at the Pals Memorial on Church St Accrington is also taking place on 1st July at 11.30am and members of the public are very welcome to attend this.

There are likely to be disruptions to traffic, particularly when the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment makes its way into Accrington town centre. To keep delays to a minimum, we advise people to allow extra time for your journey and try to leave your car at home and catch the bus or walk in where possible.

For a map of the route please see Council’s website www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk.

The Freedom Parade is part of a programme of activities running from 2014 to 2018 in Hyndburn, to coincide with the programme of national commemorations of the First World War. For more details visit: www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk.

Milnshaw: More improvements made to Milnshaw Park

The next phase of Milnshaw Park's long term improvement works took another step forward this week with the installation of a handrail to the newly refurbished steps. This rail replaces the previous rail that had to be removed when the new footpaths were upgraded by Hyndburn Borough Council last month.

Milnshaw’s Labour Councillor Paul Cox said, "When I was elected I stated that Milnshaw Park would be a priority of mine. Over the last couple of years I have worked with our Council staff to find funding to improve the Borough's oldest Park. Part of this was a much needed £100,000 spent on the footpaths, this handrail is yet further improvement and another step towards its revamping."

The handrail will provide a great help to many residents who used the new steps. The previous steps, located to the side of the winter bowling green, had become unstable and when the new footpaths were installed this area had to be transformed. When the new footpaths were complete residents asked for the handrail to be placed back in its new position and approached Cllr Cox to see if it was possible. 

Cllr Cox added, "Milnshaw Park is a real asset to this area and is something that I will continue to work to improve. For too long this park has missed out, my own children have never known a functioning park, something that is a real disgrace and something I will not allow to go on. Work like this, footpaths, handrail and community gardens will restore pride in this park and also Milnshaw Ward."

Milnshaw: Laneside estate celebrates 90 years of providing Social Housing in Accrington

Laneside estate, Milnshaw Ward Accrington, held a special event on Dyke Nook Gardens earlier this month.  The event was organised by Laneside Residents Association and marked the ninetieth anniversary of the construction of Hyndburn's first Socail housing estate. 

Milnshaw Ward Cllr, Paul Cox said "I'm really proud to represent this flagship estate. The fact that it is celebrating its 90th birthday is testament to this areas great community spirt and drive. Being Accrington's pioneering Socail housing scheme Laneside is a credit to Hyndburn"

Chair of Laneside Residents Association, Malclom Sommerville, said "Dyke Nook gardens was chosen as the location for the residents party, because as the gateway into the estate it shows how much we really care about this area in Laneside" 

Last year two BBC radio Lancashire "outdoor" programmes were broadcast from the gardens were a huge make over transformed the area into a valuable community asset. Again the event was joined by Radio Lancashire with "outdoor" host Stephen Lowe broadcasting from the site.

The event was opened by the Mayor of Hyndburn. The local dignitarys were joined by several local community groups including Hyndburn borough Council,Hyndburn Homes, Homewise, One Planet shop, Hyndburn Police Cadets and Hyndburn Greenspaces forum.

Durning the day a whole host of events helped promote the areas rich heritage. Hyndburn Homes community investment officers were on hand to provide information and assistance. The Hyndburn Police Cadets, led by PCSO Iain McCarrol, helped steward the event and handed out safety information to residents.

Cllr Cox added, "Events like this really bring the community together, having groups like both Homewise and Hyndburn Green Spaces forum shows how committed these Socail investment organisation are to this great area"

Starlight Walk for East Lancashire Hospice - 28th June 2014

There is still time to sign up to make a difference at the Strictly Starlight Walk Saturday 28th June. Go to www.eastlancshospice.org.uk or call Denise 01254 733411

We are in need of volunteer marshals to help at our annual Starlight Walk taking place this Saturday from the Soccerdome, Haslingden Road, Guide. If you've never done it before - or even if you have - please consider offering your help this Saturday. It only a few hours and you'll have fun.

On the night marshals will need to be at the Soccerdome between 8-9pm then you will make your way to your marshal point and will make mobile phone contact with control. Once the last walker has passed there will be a back marker who will stand you down and you're free to go. Depending on where you are marshalling this could be soon after 10pm when the walk starts, with the latest walkers arriving back at around 1.30am.

A marshals job is simply to make sure the ladies are safe and to cheer them on during their walk.

There is a marshals briefing on Wednesday at 7pm at the hospice on Park Lee Road. If you can attend it would be advantageous,

Please forward this to your friends and colleagues in this area. Any questions or to put your name down please give Denise a call on 01254 733411.

Grass cutting issues across Hyndburn

There have been issues across the borough with grass cutting in public areas and HBC is now dealing with them. Complaints have been logged with Councillors in several wards, particularly with regard to clumps of grass which appear to have been left on playing fields.

Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet member for Education, Leisure and the Arts, said, "Standard practice is not to pick up the cuttings as it is not only time consuming and impractical but is good for the grassed areas and usually not a problem. The wet and warm weather has caused the grass to grow like mad without the maintenance team being able to deal with it properly so it has grown very long over a short period which is why cuttings are now visible on the surface. The Parks team are aware of recent problems and the staff are now working to get all areas back to normal as soon as possible."

Oswaldtwistle: Stolen stones at Rhyddings Park

Thieves have been at Rhyddings Park in Oswaldtwistle on the evening of Friday 13th June 2014 and removed a quantity of stone coping stones from one of the park walls. HBC officers went in to tidy up the site and repairs were completed in time for the Carnival last weekend.

Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet member for Education, Leisure and the Arts, said, "This is a sad sign of the times that even public parks are not safe from thieves. It is not financially viable to replace stolen copings with traditional stone but thanks are due to the hardworking staff for fixing the problem in time for the Carnival. If anyone does have any information then please come forward, this is theft of public property."

Letter outlining concerns on taxi licensing

Altham Councillor Chris Fisher, new Chair of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, has written this public letter regarding taxi licensing:

"I write to you with deep concerns over proposed free market, free for all relaxation of taxi regulations by the government in the De-Regulation bill.

I think I can speak for all Labour councillors at Hyndburn Council on this subject, particularly those that have sat on a taxi licensing committee.  We are all appalled by how this bill is being rushed through with little consultation and how it will further frustrate our limited enforcement powers.

It is clear the Conservative MPs in Westminster who proposed these points in the bill have no idea about private hire taxis outside London and the implications to public safety in places like Hyndburn.

The changes will mean that if you book a ride from your chosen trusted firm in Hyndburn, you might find a Blackburn, Burnley or even Leeds registered private hire vehicle pulling up to your door.  Paying passengers will be totally unaware of the difference and crucially that other councils who license these private hire vehicles have far lower standards for driver licensing and vehicle condition.

It could even be a fake taxi driven by a criminal or sex offender.  Some councils have no limit on the age and mileage of the private hire vehicle, requiring only limited checks on its condition.

The crucial point the public must be made aware of is that Hyndburn enforcement officers are not legally allowed to pull over a vehicle and check they are legitimate and safe, regardless of their condition or who the driver is.

Any issues arising while using a vehicle from another area will need to be directed to the Licensing Authority – in plain English, the Council where the vehicle was licensed.  That council could be a poor or failing council.

Clearly this is going to lead to confusion, misinformation and could be potentially dangerous to the travelling public.

All licensing authorities have a statutory duty to act in the interests of public safety through enforcement activity.  Checking vehicles for road worthiness and vetting the drivers – but only their own vehicles.

The Government’s rushed and out of touch approach appears bizarre as they have asked the Law Commission to report on the matter.  It would appear the Government are pushing through a piece of ill thought out, free market reform just before a general election."

Hyndburn Armed Forces Day 2014

Armed Forces Day services will take place in Hyndburn on Saturday 28th June and this year the event is being hosted by Oswaldtwistle. The schedule of events is as follows:

10.30am  Marching Organisations should assemble on Thwaites Street, Oswaldtwistle.

10.40am  Parade departs from Thwaites Street, onto Union Road and halts by the War Memorial.

A service takes place at the War Memorial on Rhyddings Street.

Following the service the parade will be dismissed. Members of the parade are invited to the Oswaldtwistle Conservative Club for refreshments.

Central: Frederick Street renovation problems

Concerns have been raised by Central Councillors regarding renovation work at Frederick Street.

Cllr Abdul Khan said, "I would like to bring attention to the recently completed refurbishment work on Frederick Street in Accrington as it is already deteriorating, it's not even six months after completion and the weeds are breaking through the Tarmac."

Local Councillors spent around £5000 of Area Council money on this project and are determined that this must show justification through the workmanship. It is also understood that a promise was made for digging out tree stumps from the same land where trees were cut from so that new grass can be laid down and enquiries are being made as to whether something can be done regarding this.

Baxenden: Watercolour and Digital Camera presentations this weekend

It’s all happening at the Haworth Art Gallery this coming Sunday 22nd June!

Gill Fox will be running a watercolour painting workshop on Sunday 22nd June 10am to 3.30pm. Admission price is £20 and includes all materials. Please contact the Haworth Art Gallery to book your place on 01254 233782.

Also, there will be a free presentation by members of Accrington Camera Club on Exploring Digital Cameras on Sunday 22nd June at 2.00pm. There is no need to book but please arrive early to reserve your seat.

HBC Question Time - June 2014

The next meeting of the full Council will take place on Thursday 26th May at 7.00pm at Accrington Town Hall and residents are invited to submit any questions they may have to the Cabinet by using this online form:

Hyndburn Question Time - 26th June 2014

A full set of papers for the meeting can be found here:

Council - 5th June 2014

Great Harwood: Farmers Market - 6th July 2014

The monthly Great Harwood Farmers Market is going from strength to strength and is a co-partnership between Hyndburn Borough Council and Gaskells Motor Bodies. The market runs on the first Sunday of every month from 8.00am and features lots of local produce on sale at Towngate in Great Harwood.

Cllr Clare Cleary (pictured here with Graham Jones MP and Netherton ward Councillor Bernadette Parkinson) said, "The Farmers Market really brings the Towngate Square to life, it's lovely to see so many people here supporting it and buying quality goods from local businesses. I come here most months with my husband and always leave with something delicious for tea."

The next Farmers Market is on Sunday 6th July 2014.

Woodnook Regeneration Project

The first houses in the regeneration of the terraced Woodnook area in Accrington are now complete and have been given a stunning makeover, with several houses being knocked from two buildings into one single property.

The first phase is due to be completed later this year and will offer a series of good quality 2, 3 and 4 bedroomed properties for rent to working families within Hyndburn at an affordable rate. The scheme is a co-partnership between Hyndburn Borough Council and PlaceFirst who are a housing provider as opposed to a social landlord.

Insulted exterior rear walls plus a render on top also provide an aesthetically pleasing finish to the back garden area while the kitchens are designed to have plenty of storage space and an area for families to eat together. Exterior parking will take the form of multi-coloured car parking bays plus gated back alleys for extra security.

Sockets in the house are Lifetime Standard which means that whilst they are at too high a level to be a danger to curious babies they are at the correct height to be easily used by someone in a wheelchair.

Thick insulation on the interior walls and floors mean that the houses are between 50 and 60% cheaper to run than a standard uninsulated terraced property.

Cllr Clare Cleary is the Cabinet member for Housing and is impressed with the work which has been carried out so far.

"This has been a long time coming. It has taken two years of hard work to get to this point and finally the area is being completely transormed. This is real partnership between PlaceFirst and HBC and we are now the only borough Council in the country to be working on area-based regeneration by regenerating whole rows of streets rather than simply individual properties."

Area Councils abolished

The current system of Area Councils has been scrapped in order to save money. Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of HBC, has issued a statement.

He said, "Members will be aware of the increasing pressures on the Council’s revenue and capital budgets. For example, our capital programme for the current year is only a quarter of what it was four years ago and we now receive no government grant for general capital expenditure. We only have £2.5 million of capital resources left to cover the next three years and, of that, £1.5 million is already committed to finance existing commitments.

Our revenue budget is also declining year on year and I anticipate that further savings will be required in 2015-16.

As leader of the Council I want to ensure that we make the best use of the money we have for the benefit of the Borough as a whole and we therefore have to take an increasingly strategic approach

to resource allocation.The Controlling Group remains committed to protecting frontline services and this means that difficult decisions sometimes have to be taken elsewhere.

With this in mind, I have concluded that the Council’s current area working arrangements must be brought to an end. The cuts year on year have left the remaining area council’s managing ever decreasing budgets and rendered them unviable looking ahead.

As a cost saving measure I am therefore proposing that we do not establish any area councils for the coming financial year. I also propose that no further expenditure is permitted from the area council budgets with immediate effect, although existing contractual commitments will be honoured.

At the same time, I will tomorrow be asking the Chief Executive to bring forward proposals to streamline the Council’s member services and civic services functions. As part of this review I will ask officers to consider whether technology could be better used to support members, provide more accessible information to the public and generate efficiency savings. I will also request that no action is taken to fill staff vacancies in these areas during the review process.

I propose that a detailed report will be brought to Cabinet in due course.

I also want to stress the importance of maintaining strong and vibrant local communities and I encourage members to bring forward proposals and new ideas for the regeneration and improvement of our various townships and neighbourhoods."

Netherton: Community Cleanup - 12th June 2014

Cllr Noordad Aziz along with PCSO Helena Cryer have started to deliver leaflets in the Netherton ward to highlight next Saturdays Community Clean Up.

They will be delivering the letters around the Lomax St and St Hubert’s road area highlight to all the resident that they can help on Saturday. This will give an opportunity for everyone to get rid of items that are causing a clutter in the household as well spruce the area.

If you require any further information please get in touch with Cllr Noordad Aziz at noordad.aziz@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Clayton-le-Moors: Woodland scoops another award

The hard work of and Clayton le Moors with Altham Prospects Panel and the local community has again been recognised, as the Woodlands in Clayton-le-Moors is set to receive a silver Community Woodland award in the  Best of England Excellence in Forestry Awards next month.

This latest award follows hot on the heels of The Woodlands being awarded First Place in the Community Woodlands category of the Royal Forestry Society's Excellence in Forestry Awards last year, scooping a first prize of £1,000.

The awards encourage and reward projects involving community woodlands and forests which have been established and managed in a way that is sustainable and beneficial to the landscape, the local people, biodiversity and the economy in both the short and long term.

Cath Holmes of Clayton le Moors with Altham Prospects Panel said; “The judges were blown away by the quality of our entry and we’re absolutely delighted that The Woodlands, an oasis in the heart of the town of Clayton, has been recognised yet again with this new award. It’s all down to the hard work and great co-operation between the many enthusiastic volunteers on the Panel, the Council’s Parks team and Councillors, who have all come together with a common bond of a great interest and enthusiasm for conserving and looking about the Woodlands.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Council Leader and Clayton le Moors with Altham Prospects Panel volunteer said; “This is wonderful news. The Woodlands in a wonderful resource for the whole community and a lovely green space in the heart of Clayton le Moors.  Lots of hard work from lots of people has gone into making improvements at The Woodlands, well done to everyone involved.  If you haven’t seen it already come along to The Woodlands and see for yourself what a fabulous community resource this is, everyone is welcome.”

RFS Co-ordinator Trefor Thompson said: “The quality of the field was evidence of the strength of woodland knowledge and management throughout England.

“All those who entered the woodland and schools categories had already proved themselves as excellent winners in their regions in previous years, and they were all therefore competing against the very toughest of competition.

“The introduction of an England-wide Woodlands for Climate Change Award, sponsored by Forestry Commission in partnership with the Environment Agency Climate Ready project, reflects the need to build resilience into our woodlands for the future. Those who have won awards are all demonstrating how management can be adapted to meet the challenges of today and of tomorrow!”

The Awards will be presented at a special event at the Hay Barns, Upton, Oxfordshire, on 9 July 2014.

Freedom Parade - 1st July 2014

With the anniversary of the start of World War One fast approaching, Hyndburn is gearing up for the Freedom Parade on 1st July, when one hundred and twenty soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment will march through Accrington to exercise their Freedom of the Borough.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “The history of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment is linked with the Accrington Pals so it is fitting that they have chosen this the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War to exercise the Freedom of the Borough. Everyone is invited and warmly welcomed to come along and see the parade, which will give us all the opportunity to show our appreciation for the Regiment’s gallant and courageous service.”

The time of the march and the parade route will be available on the Council’s website www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk from Monday 16th June 2014.

The Freedom Parade is part of a programme of activities running from 2014 to 2018 in Hyndburn, to coincide with the programme of national commemorations of the First World War. For more details visit: www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk.

Statement by the Deputy Leader of Hyndburn Borough Council regarding the incident at the Arndale Shopping Centre this morning

Councillors will no doubt have heard that earlier today a tragic incident occurred when a young woman died following a fall from the roof of the Arndale Centre. While the coroner will no doubt want to conduct proper enquiries into the circumstances of this particular tragedy, we know that over the past few years a number of incidents of suicide have taken place at this location.

The first thing to say about this is that every death, whatever its circumstances, is a tragedy and our hearts and thoughts go out to the family of this young woman and to anyone else who has been affected by this.

Naturally, in the hours following the incident there has been a lot of public concern expressed about this tragedy and calls have been made for the Council to either demolish the building or to install safety measure in the car park. These views have been widely made through the social media and it is clear that local people feel very strongly about what has happened.

Against this background, I want to make it clear that the Arndale Centre and its Car Parks are private property and that they are in no way owned or controlled by the Council. The Chief Executive has spoken this afternoon to Chief Inspector Platt at the Lancashire Constabulary, and we will be contacting the owners of the centre – a company called Jesta Finance – to again ask that they review the security of their building and take any steps necessary to try and prevent further occurrences of this kind.

Netherton: Noordad Aziz raises money for local charities

Curtis Law Solicitors' team of Cllr Noordad Aziz, Martin Wigan, Sam Reed, Pawel Witzcak, Shonagh Horgan, Nkolika Oraka, Joanne Lever, Danielle Haworth, Juber Deriwala, Chris Cowgill and Neil Thomason recently completed the Manchester 10k run in a combined time of 13hrs 8 minutes (average time of 1hrs 11 minutes) for some great local and national charities. RNIB, Macmillan, East Lancashire Hospice and Christies will all benefit from the money they have raised whilst doing this.

A donations page is open until 18th June 2014:

Virgin Money Giving - Curtis Law Solicitors

Join the Labour Party

Membership of the Labour party has been steadily on the increase since January 2014 and it costs just £1.25 a month to be a member. The Hyndburn Labour Group raises its own funds from members but the money from national memberships goes towards helping Labour election campaigns to publicise our work and is invaluable, particularly during General Elections.

The forms for joining are downloadable from this blog by right-clicking the pictures above and printing them off.

You can also simply fill in the forms and become a Labour supporter for free if you are not ready to become a full member. The Labour party will keep you informed of upcoming events and campaigns.

Questions to Labour following the elections

Shouldn't you have won?

Of course we'd have liked to win, but these are good results significantly increasing our share of the vote and number of MEPs. The Tories have gone backwards, just as they did in the local elections last week.

You didn't win a year out from the General Election – that's not good enough?
There's famously little correlation between European election results and general elections. William Hague won the 1999 Euro elections and lost to a landslide in 2001. Tony Blair in fact never won a European election and won three general elections.

Labour hasn't won the European elections for 20 years. Traditionally these are tough elections for centre and centre-left parties across Europe, and we've seen right-wing non-governing parties do well in the results so far from the rest of Europe.

UKIP beat you
Right wing nationalist parties have done well across Europe tonight, as we've come to expect in European elections. We beat UKIP significantly in the share of the vote in the local elections.

What's going to change in Labour's approach?
We've made good progress in European and local elections, with a campaign focused on concrete action the next Labour government will take to deal with the cost of living crisis. Going forward we will focus on three things:

• Organisation, building on the excellent results we've had in our key seats. In these elections we knocked on 7 million doors, more than any other party; in the General Election we will need to knock on millions more. We know that we will be outspent, but we will not be out-organised.
• Policy: we've announced important policies to deal with the cost of living crisis, freezing energy bills, helping families who rent and raising the minimum wage, and we've fought a policy-rich campaign, but we'll be announcing more policies at the National Policy Forum in July and at Conference.
• Politics: in a General Election year, we need to show that our vision meets the needs and aspirations of the country and offers answers to the challenges people see in their own lives. The Conservatives have nothing to say about the deep alienation many people feel in Britain today as they face a cost-of-living crisis.

Doesn't Labour need to be doing better?
We are moving forward while the Conservatives and Lib Dems are going backwards. We've made real progress in the key seats we need to win in the General Election, while the Conservatives have lost ground and the Liberal Democrats have seen a catastrophic collapse in their vote. The Tories aren't making progress in the seats they need to win to form a majority - we are.

Aren't UKIP as much of a problem for Labour as they are for the Tories?
That's not what the evidence shows. The Tories lost seats, we gained 338 councillors. But we all know that people feel left out of the economy and ignored by our politics and UKIP is tapping into that feeling. The strength of support for UKIP isn't simply about Europe. It's about the frustrations that people feel about an economy that doesn't work for them. That's why Ed Miliband has led the way on the big changes we need to see in our economy

Shouldn't you change your policy on a referendum to try and counter the UKIP threat?
No. It's far too simplistic to say that the UKIP vote is just about Europe. It is as much anti-politics as anti-Europe. Our focus is on setting out concrete steps about how we make Britain work for working people once again. The party that's seeing discontent over the UKIP threat is the Tories, with backbenchers calling for a Tory-UKIP pact and saying that David Cameron's European policy isn't credible.

What difference do Labour MEPs actually make?
Over the last few years Labour MEPs have:

• Stood up to the banking sector, backing new laws to curb bankers' bonuses.
• Opposed unfair roaming charges and forced phone companies to reduce them.
• Protected consumers  against sky-high credit card transaction fees.
• Stood up to big tobacco companies, banning products which encourage children to smoke. 

Doesn't the rise of the far right across Europe show you're too pro-european for the public?
The right has traditionally done better in European elections, and these elections take place in the context of much of Europe still feeling the effects of the financial crash with high unemployment. But we're clear that the EU does need to change so that it works for Britain, which is why we've argued for longer transitional controls before citizens of any new member states can come to UK and for an end to child benefit being paid for children not living in the UK. 

Labour on Europe

Labour's priority is the cost of living crisis: Labour's priority is tackling the cost of living crisis and the NHS, not a costly and damaging debate about leaving the European Union.

Labour will give the British people a guarantee that no powers will be transferred to Brussels without an in/out referendum: there are no proposals for a further transfer of powers to Brussels. But given the uncertainty about the future of eurozone integration, the British people know that although it's unlikely, it remains possible. Therefore the next Labour government will legislate for a lock that guarantees that there cannot be any transfer of powers from Britain to the European Union without an in/out referendum.

Labour wants to see change in Europe: we will work for reform of the European Union to make it work better for Britain.

The Tories can't be trusted on Europe: they are divided and damaging Britain's interest because David Cameron can't tell us what he is negotiating for, has no strategy for achieving change and can't even tell us whether he will vote yes or no.

David Cameron can't be trusted on Europe: he can't tell us what he is negotiating for, he has no strategy for achieving change and can't even tell us whether he will vote yes or no in a referendum. And his Cabinet is divided about staying in or coming out altogether. 

A Tory government after 2015 would be dominated by damaging division about the EU and unable to represent the national interest - a re-run of John Major in 1992-7.

Businesses—from the CBI to Nissan to DHL—are worried about the Tories increasingly drifting towards exit. That is the danger to jobs and growth of where the Tory party is heading.

We all know that the EU needs to change. But the real tragedy is that we have a prime minister too weak to pursue those reforms in a sensible way.

And there is no appetite for this sort of posturing from our EU partners. During her visit to London Chancellor Merkel refused to offer her support for either Mr Cameron's timetable or his proposals.

She explained how he needs unanimous backing to get his new treaty. And, it is clear, he has none.

Council AGM - 5th June 2014

The Annual General Meeting of the Full Council will take place at Accrington Town Hall on Thursday 5th June at 7.00pm.

At this meeting, Councillors officially take up and new positions and items of administration and constitution that require amending are dealt with.

The papers and agenda for the meeting can be found here:

Council - 5th June 2014