Viewpoint - Mayor Munsif Dad - February 2015

Last month I was honoured to visit Hyndburn centenarian, Alice Horne, in her Oswaldtwistle home as she celebrated her 108th birthday. Alice is an amazing woman who has done extensive charity work during her life and she was awarded the Freedom of the Borough in 2005 in recognition of this.
Alice, originally from Scotland and one of nine children, has led a remarkable life having cheated death on several occasions. As a child she contracted polio and during the Second World War she was buried under the rubble of a matchstick factory after the German blitz on Liverpool.

At the age of 50, an accident left her confined to a wheelchair but Alice has spent many years working for charity and playing sports. After learning to swim aged 70, she became involved with the Disabled Association for Sport in Hyndburn, taking part in javelin, bowling and darts events and in 1986 she was named Britain’s most active pensioner.

It was lovely to hear Alice say that the secret of her longevity is happiness. I’d heard a lot about Alice from previous Mayors and it was an honour and a pleasure to meet her.  I’m delighted we have such a remarkable woman in the Borough.

The Accrington Pals are part of Hyndburn and the commemoration of their bravery and sacrifice plays a big part in the Mayoral role, as it was the Mayor 100 years ago who gave the call to sign up. Therefore I was extremely proud to attend the Accrington Pals Memorial Service, on Sunday 22nd February, which commemorated the events 100 years ago when the Pals Battalion held their Valedictory Service at St Johns Church in Accrington. The Pals then left their hometowns on the 23rd Feb 1915, eventually journeying to the Somme region in France, where on 1st July 1916 the majority of the Battalion were injured or killed in action.

Looking ahead to next year, commemorations are planned in Accrington and France on 1st July 2016,  with an early morning special Council meeting and a maroon flare  at 7.30am in Accrington, to mark one hundred years since the Pals went ‘over the top’. There will also be books of honour presentations and wreaths will be laid at the Accrington Pals memorial in France to remember their bravery and sacrifice.

And finally, we’re now getting excited about my Mayoral Ball, which is set to take place in the beautifully refurbished Ballroom at Accrington Town Hall on Saturday, 25th April. Tickets are £30 and the evening is all about raising money for my Mayoral Charities: Accrington Deaf & Blind Society, East Lancashire Hospice, East Lancashire Air Ambulance and Macmillan Cancer Research, so please support us by coming along and raising lots of funds for these worthy causes. The evening starts at 7pm and features a delicious three course meal and musical entertainment. We’re also looking for sponsors for the ball and are holding a raffle so we’d love to hear from anyone who’d like to provide sponsorship or donate vouchers or raffle prizes. For more information about the Mayor’s Ball, and sponsorship or donation of vouchers or raffle prizes, please call Monica Bell at the Council on 01254  380114.

Central: Mayoral Charity donation from community

Cllr Abdul Khan, Cllr Mohammad Ayub and Community Member Mohammed Siddique presented the Mayor, Cllr Munsif Dad, with a cheque for £1650 yesterday for the Mayoral Charity Fund.

They had raised the money by holding a charity event held on 11th January 2015 at Accrington Town hall attended by around 160 people.

Rishton: New Piggy Park allotments to be discussed at Cabinet

The future of Piggy Park at Devonshire Road is to be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting on 11th March 2015.

The area is owned by Hyndburn Borough Council and was once used as a children’s play area.  However, the play equipment was removed many years ago and the site now comprises an area of level grass with some paths which date back to the time when the area was used as a play area.

The Rishton Food Growing Association (RFGA) has identified the site as one that could be used as a local allotment / food growing area.  The RFGA propose to develop the area for local residents to use to grow their own food through the provision of raised beds, small allotment plots and a polytunnel, which would be for the benefit of those that use the site.

Cllr Harry Grayson has been liaising with the RFGA and requested £10,000 from Rishton Area Council funds to get the project off the ground. Cllr Ken Moss is portfolio holder for allotments and will be presenting the report to Cabinet for approval.

HBC: Budget 2015 - 26th February 2015

The annual meeting of the Council to agree the budget for the forthcoming financial year will take place on Thursday 26th February at the Town Hall in Accrington.

Labour is the only party in Hyndburn that has written a full budget proposal and this has already been passed through the HBC scrutiny process at a meeting on 17th February, where certain counter-proposals were made by Independent and UKIP Councillors. No budget was proposed by the Conservative group for the fourth year running and the Leader of the opposition did not attend the discussion.

Members of the public can come and view proceedings from the gallery and a full set of papers for the meeting will be available here shortly:

Council - 26th February 2015

Oswaldtwistle: BBC programme filmed on 22nd February

Hyndburn Borough Council were recently approached for permission to film parts of a new BBC series in Oswaldtwistle.

“Thief Trackers” is a series of television programmes for the BBC which tells the story of stolen items and tries to find out what becomes of our everyday possessions like cars, bicycles and laptops once thieves have struck. The series includes interviews with police, surveillance teams and members of the public to discover their experiences of robberies and how, in many cases, items were recovered.

The crew recorded scenes along Union Road, Spring Street, Blackburn Road and Stone Bridge Lane in Oswaldtwistle, plus filmed interviews at Church and Oswaldtwistle Cricket Club.

The broadcast date is not yet known.

Fundraising after homeless man targeted in arson attack

Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning on 22nd February 2015, an area used by homeless man Johnno was set fire to in a suspected arson attack which is now being investigated. What little he had was destroyed and a group of residents are looking to raise money to replace his belongings with new clothing and blankets and this will be coordinated through Hyndburn Helpers.

A target of £500 was set on a fundraising page at Gofundme.com but this was raised to £1,000 following a very swift public response and any money which is left over will go towards helping other homeless people. Graham Jones MP donated £50 to the cause and the page can be found here:

http://www.gofundme.com/mys0mw

Accrington Food Festival - 6th June 2015

Plans are well underway for this year’s Accrington Food Festival – and this year’s event looks set to be sweeter than ever.

Formerly known as Lancashire Food Festival, this year the newly rebranded Accrington Food and Drink Festival will be a one-day event designed to showcase the area’s best food and drink.

Supporting farmers and independent traders, the festival – now in its 18th year – will entice hungry crowds in with a host of culinary surprises, from freshly made pies and black puddings to healthy juices and colourful cakes.

This year, Hyndburn Leisure has appointed marketing company Scott Dawson Advertising to organise the annual food festival on a three-year contract to turn it into a sustainable event. Work already completed by SDA has included the design of a brand new logo to launch this year’s event.

Managing director Murray Dawson said: “We’re proud to be the driving force behind this year’s Accrington Food Festival – it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. We’ve worked hard for many years to win this contract and we’re giving it our all to make it a wonderful event for everyone.”

SDA hopes to unite all of the town’s independent retailers, bars, restaurants, cafes, pubs and street food specialists to make it a celebration of Accrington.

Kirsty Lauder, who works for Accrington Market Online through SDA and is helping to organise the festival said: “Here in Hyndburn we have a population of 87,000 and we’ve set out with big goals to attract more than 4,000 people to this year’s food festival.

“We know everything that’s great about Accrington and the wider area – there is just so much fantastic produce available so it’s our job to handpick the very best and show it off. We have an enormous passion for shopping local and hopefully it will be infectious!

Organisers say the decision to pack all of the activity into a single day, Saturday 6 June, rather than running the festival across an entire weekend was designed to make sure visitors, exhibitors and sponsors all get the most from the event.

It’s not too late to get involved – limited spaces are still available for exhibitors and sponsors. Contact kirsty@accringtonmarketonline.co.uk or 07973 870582 for more information and follow @AccringtonFood on Twitter for the latest news.

Rishton: Owner of Spring Street property found guilty

The owner of a derelict empty property on Spring Street, Rishton has been taken to court and ordered to pay £1,300 in fines and costs recently after ignoring a notice from the Council ordering him to make repairs.

Mr Antony Ridgway Faulkes, of Sands Road, Rishton, was found guilty in his absence of non-compliance of a notice served on him by the Council, ordering him to make repairs to his property, including roofing and guttering repairs, new doors and windows, rendering and new yard walls.

Cllr Clare Cleary said, “Where people refuse to bring their properties into a decent state of repair we always give them plenty of chances to do so, but where they refuse to comply we will take them to court. Mr Faulkes bought the property in 2010 and it has been declining ever since. Council officers have requested repairs over a period of time but Mr Faulkes did not make the repairs so a notice under section 79 of the Building Act 1984 was served, ultimately landing him in court with hefty fines and costs.”

Mr Faulkes was fined £400 plus £40 victims surcharge and ordered to pay costs to the Council of £860 pounds with 28 days to pay.

Huncoat: War Memorial public consultation 27th February - 27th March 2015

A public consultation is taking place regarding the planned move of Huncoat War Memorial from its current position on the recreation ground to the corner of Station Road and Lower Gate Road. The move has come about following a request to Hyndburn Borough Council from the Royal British Legion to improve accessibility to the monument for the disabled and infirm.

The consultation period will take place between 27th February and 27th March and all Huncoat residents are eligible to send any questions or comments they may have to HBC in writing or via the email address below. Please remember to enclose your full name and address.

An open public session will also take place on 17th March from 3.00pm until 8.00pm at the Council Offices for anyone to come and view the proposal and ask questions.

Anyone wanting further information can contact Councillor Ken Moss on 01254 882797 or 07789077816

HYNDBURN BOROUGH COUNCIL
Scaitcliffe House
Ormerod Street
Accrington
BB5 0PF

Email: enquiries@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Graham Jones MP: The Plough, Great Harwood, 20th February 2015

Graham Jones MP continues his pub tour this Friday at The Plough on Queen Street in Great Harwood. Graham will be in the pub holding a surgery from 5.30pm chatting to residents about their problems and this is open to all
.

Previous events held at The Hare and Hounds in Clayton-le-Moors and The Black Bull at Huncoat have been well received and more dates are planned.

Clayton-le-Moors: Footbridge at Woodlands

A footbridge in Woodlands at Clayton-le-Moors recently had chicken wire fitted to it by HBC in order to prevent slippages but this has been damaged and is now loose.

Cllr Miles Parkinson has requested that this is repaired as soon as possible.

Baxenden: Successful wedding fair at The Haworth Art Gallery

Shown above is a report and photographs of the first 'in-house' Wedding Fair at the Haworth Art Gallery by the Co-ordinator, Yvonne Robins. The response from the exhibitors was excellent with bookings made for a variety of services - including another ceremony for the gallery itself!

LCC: Work begins on Pennine Reach in Rishton

Works on the Blackburn Road/Harwood Road/High Street junction at Rishton started on Monday 16th February and are expected to continue until mid-April 2015.

There are expected to be heavy volumes of traffic in the area and delays as a result of the works. The works will be carried out as quickly as possible in order to keep disruptions as low as possible.

The work includes minor road widening to improve the left turn from Harwood Road to High Street, resurfacing of the road at the junction and relocation of the southbound bus stop on Blackburn Road to move it further away from the junction.  These works will be carried out under three-way temporary signals.

During the works period Eachill Road will be closed from its junction with Blackburn Road to its junction with Noble Street for the entirety of the works. Mary Street will also be required to be closed for one week during the works, however it is not yet known when this will be. Both Mary Street and Eachill Road can be accessed via Haworth Street off Station Road or Knowles Street off Walmsley Street.

No bus stops in the area will be closed as part of these works, however the Southbound stop on Blackburn Road (stop no.2500156) will be removed during the works and replaced by a new stop further away from the junction. It is hoped that the new stop will be in place before the old stop is closed and removed from site.

HBC: Recycling calendar replaced with online version

The HBC recycling calendars will no longer be produced due to cutbacks within the Council as government grants have now been reduced to the authority by several million pounds a year and this will save tens of thousands from the Waste Services budget.

An online version has been produced instead and this can be downloaded direct from the HBC website by following this link and entering your postcode:

http://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/mycalendar

A simple A4 paper copy can be also requested from the Council by phoning 01254 388111.

The Rishton calendar for 2015 is shown above. Several dates are highlighted in red and should be noted as this indicates temporary alternative collection dates to accommodate bank holidays.

Pennine Lancashire Film Festival - March 2015

Excitement is building as the ninth annual Pennine Film Festival is set to start in March.

The week long festival, which has attracted interest from across the globe boasts an impressive line-up of film submissions, activities and guests that include the director of Flash Gordon and Get Carter, Mike Hodges.

Festival Director, Stephen Murphy said, “Our 9th Year is going to be the biggest and most exciting year. We are particularly looking forward to delivering events for so many different audiences. In particular, Mike Hodges will be special.”

Due to the rapid success of the premiere event, this year’s festival will be taking place across the town, with events being held at Accrington and Rossendale College, Accrington Town Hall, The Church of St James and Grants Bar.

A special screening of the iconic 1984 classic, Ghostbusters will be taking place at the Church of St James Church, Accrington. This free event, which is suitable for all the family will have stalls based around the film including meet the Ghostbusters and see the Ecto1 car.

If your more of a horror fan, A screening of cult classic The Exorcist will be taking place at Accrington Town Hall where guests will be able to enjoy the film alongside spooky cocktails.

There will also be a premiere showing of ‘A Pal’s Tale’, a Heritage Lottery funded film produced by students from AccRoss College about the heroic WW1 East Lancs Brigade, The Accrington Pals.

Owner of local filmmakers Shooters Media and former student Paul Coppack, who have had a big role in the development of this year’s festival explained; “Being a former student, I have seen the Pennine Film Festival grow year on year. Being able to be a part of this prestigious event has been a pleasure.”

Cllr Clare Cleary, Hyndburn Council’s Cabinet Member for Town Centres said;  “We are looking forward to being a part of the ninth annual Pennine Film Festival. The event has continuously thrived and this year’s is going to be no exception. It’s set to not only showcase the town of Accrington, but will also give aspiring filmmakers the chance to come and see what it’s all about as well as network with like-minded people. ”

For more information about the Pennine Film Festival including copies of the programme and ticket booking, please visit http://penninefilm.com

Spring Hill: Woodlands improvements on the way with £110,000 grant

A beautiful woodland area close to Accrington town centre is set to be improved, thanks to a
£110,000 grant from the Forestry Commission. Local people are invited to a drop in session on Tuesday 24th February, any time between 4pm and 8pm, at Globe Bowling Club, Bullough Park, off Willows Lane, Accrington to find out more about the planned improvements to the nearby woodlands.

 The woodland area, linking Bullough Park and Woodnook Vale and running right up the hillside to Rothwell Heights is one of the biggest woodland areas in the district, with spectacular views across the valley towards the Coppice and Hameldon Hill. It’s right on the doorstep of thousands of homes and the work there will make it much more accessible and attractive for residents and visitors to enjoy as a  network of surfaced footpaths will meander through the woods and a completely new path will link to a lovely riverside walk along Woodnook Water.

Other plans include woodland thinning and habitat enhancements to improve the condition of the woodlands along with new signage, waymarking and leaflets to help people find their way around.

Council Leader Cllr Miles Parkinson said, “This beautiful landscape is well used by local people already and we know there’s a lot more potential there.  The improvements will help everyone, including families with pushchairs and people with reduced mobility, to enjoy these attractive spaces. Everyone is welcome to the drop in session on 24th February and there’s also a programme of interesting activities for families and local volunteers to get involved, learn more about the area and have some fun, so please come along and see for yourself what it’s all about.”

The large investment is coming from a national organisation, the Forestry Commission, through the English Woodland Grant Scheme. Barnfield Councillor June Harrison has also secured £1,000 from Area Council funding to help towards this bid and assist with development at Royds Street.

Additional projects will be developed in the hope of attracting even more investment to this lovely area of the Borough.  Possibilities include an environmental education space at Rothwell Heights, a heritage project at the site of Woodnook Farm, near Rose Place, and more path linkages to key locations around the area.
The informal drop-in session will take place on Tuesday 24th February any time between 4pm and 8pm at Globe Bowling Club, Bullough Park, off Willows Lane, Accrington.

If you’d like more information about the project or to discuss your ideas, please contact Anne Hourican, Senior Environmental Initiatives Officer on 01254 388111 or anne.hourican@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Clayton-le-Moors: Woodlands set for further improvements

Clayton Forest Park, the woodland area surrounding Wilson’s Playing Fields in Clayton-le-Moors, is set to be improved after the Council and Prospects Foundation secured around £150,000 in grants from the Forestry Commission and the Lancashire Environment Fund.

The money will fund a whole host of improvements there, including improvements to the footpaths to make them more accessible, installation of waymarking and interpretation boards along with improvements to the boundary and the woodland habitat.

In this first year of the two year project, work has started on tree thinning to decrease the overall tree density to allow sunlight to penetrate the canopy which in turn encourages the development of ground flora, which attracts more wildlife to the area.

Coppicing work will also take place, where most trees within the area will be cut to ground level, and their regrowth used to produce furniture, artwork, fencing, and charcoal. Watch out later in the year for a public charcoal making event to be organised by ‘Woody’ – a local community interest company.

The thinning work is done by horse logging, a traditional method of woodland management, used extensively throughout the country until mechanisation meant the use of larger and larger machines. The technique gently manipulates the ground surface which encourages the regrowth of seeds that have for many years been shaded out by the dense tree cover. Everyone is welcome to come along to public demonstrations of horse logging on the morning of Saturday 14th February.  However please note that no parking will be available on site, so it would be best if possible to travel to the site on foot.

Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said “This new funding boost is great news and will be used to carry out lots of improvements including making the area more accessible, by improving footpaths which was the biggest issue people talked about during public consultations in 2013 and 2014.”

For more information about the event this Saturday, or to get involved in volunteering in woodlands within Hyndburn, email philip.johnson@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Central: Landlord fined over property in disrepair

 The owner of an empty property on Burnley Rd in Accrington has been taken to court and ordered to pay £1290 in fines and costs for allowing it to fall into disrepair.

Council officers visited the property, which had been empty since 2010, after receiving complaints about its neglected state and found that it had been broken in to and severely vandalised.

After hiring a locksmith to secure the building, officers set about tracing the owner, Mr Mark R Brennan. Officers wrote to Mr Brennan on several occasions asking him to carry out works to repair to the property. However Mr Brennan failed to carry out the works as requested and therefore the Council had no option but to serve a notice requiring the roof to be repaired, new gutters to be fitted, new windows and doors and the removal of all waste materials in the yard areas.

Cllr Clare Cleary, Cabinet Member for empty properties, said; “We gave the owner of this property ample opportunity to bring this property into a state of repair, however, despite several requests and being given extra time to comply with the notice the work was not completed.  This left the Council no choice but to issue a notice ordering the work to be carried out.  Empty properties can often cause a nuisance for neighbours as they are unsightly and can become the focus of anti- social behaviour and we will always take owners to court where they refuse to bring their properties into good repair.”

The case was taken to Hyndburn’s Magistrates court on the 29/1/2015 and Mr Brennan was found guilty in his absence of failing to comply with the notice. He was fined £400 +40 Victims surcharge and ordered to pay £850.00 costs to the Council.

Election 2015: Graham Jones MP

Graham Jones MP is standing again in the May 2015 elections to remain as our MP for a second term. He has been out canvassing since last August and is trying to speak to every householder in person. So far, the responses have been overwhelmingly positive about his time as our elected MP.

Graham said, "The number one priority in Haslingden and Hyndburn for me will always be better jobs. I have worked tirelessly to help increase our industrial capacity and increase opportunity. To improve transport links. To provide hope and to work towards a better future for families in Haslingden and Hyndburn."

Voting in the local and general elections will take place on Thursday May 7th 2015 from 7.00am until 10.00pm.

Election 2015: Rishton

Councillor Clare Cleary is standing for election on May 7th 2015 and is hopeful of securing a second term in office. Rishton has three Councillors and Clare stands alongside members Harry Grayson and Ken Moss in the Hyndburn Council chamber.

Clare was promoted to the Cabinet in May 2014 and is now portfolio holder for Housing and Regeneration. Since her appointment she has kick-started programmes which will see regeneration along the Rishton section of the canal and also housing along Spring Street. Consultations and reports are due within the next few months.

Cllr Ken Moss said, "We are fully behind Clare in this election. She is an invaluable member for Rishton and we are much stronger as a team with her on board. We each have our own different strengths, for example she has dealt with healthcare problems more effectively than I could have done, so it is better to have diversity and cohesion between ward Councillors. You wouldn't get that dynamic with an opposition Councillor and both Harry and myself urge people to vote for Clare on May 7th."

Rishton: Empty mill site gates now secured

The gates to the empty York Mill site in Rishton were recently broken open and the site began attracting antisocial behaviour.

The mill owners were contacted and have now acted quickly to secure the site.

Valentine's Day Food Safety

Planning the perfect date can be stressful as there’s a lot to worry about, including of course – whether you will get on and if you will make a good impression. So the last thing you want to think about before an important dinner is whether or not the place you choose takes food hygiene seriously.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme means you don’t have to. The Food Standards Agency is urging you look before you book and check the food hygiene rating before deciding where to go on your special date.

The truth is, you can’t tell a restaurant’s hygiene standards by how clean and tidy the staff look or by how romantic the décor and ambience is. It’s the things you can’t see – like germs spread by bad hygiene practices – that you need to consider.. There’s one easy way to set your mind at rest – check the food hygiene rating. This tells you about hygiene standards in restaurants and other food businesses.

It’s really simple to check. Just go online to the Food Standard Agency’s website: www.food.gov.uk/ratings or if you’re out and about look for the green and black sticker; if you can’t see one just ask the staff.

The ratings are determined by local authority food safety officers and range from 0 to 5, with a 5 rating meaning very good food hygiene standards.

92% of food businesses are rated a 3 or higher so there are plenty of places with good food hygiene standards, you can choose from. This means you can easily avoid taking your special date to those places not meeting the grade.

It’s good for business too.Valentine’s Day is a busy time for food businesses and a good food hygiene rating is something to be proud of. So make sure you reassure your customers by putting your sticker up in the window. Businesses with higher food hygiene ratings agree that can helps bring hungry customers through the door.

Thousands of food businesses displaying a 3 to 5 rating say it made a positive difference to their business.

Catriona Stewart, head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the Food Standards Agency, said: “On Valentine’s Day people are focused on making sure that special lunch or dinner goes well and that they make a good impression with their date.   We want them to factor in the food hygiene rating when deciding where to go and then enjoy their romantic meal out.”

Cllr Paul Cox, Cabinet Member for Environmental Health at Hyndburn Council, said; “When planning your special meal out, make sure you check the hygiene ratings online and choose a restaurant that takes food hygiene seriously. This is also an important time for local food businesses as a good food hygiene rating is something to be proud of. It matters to customers so we are encouraging all businesses in Hyndburn to display their rating.”

For more information, visit www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/hygieneratings

Clayton-le-Moors: Former James St Mission turned into parking

The former St. James Mission Building on Clayton Street, which was derelict and becoming a problem site, has now been demolished and the land used for providing additional parking.

County Councillor Miles Parkinson said, "I am working closely with LCC to provide additional parking on the former Nori Brick site behind Whalley Road and looking at a the former Sydney Street Methodist Church for the benefit of residents."

Oswaldtwistle: Hyndburn Labour wishes Alice Horne a Happy 108th Birthday!

Celebrated Oswaldtwistle centenarian, Alice Horne, turned 108 today.

Alice has a long history of charity work and was awarded the borough’s highest honour, the Freedom of the Borough, in 2005 in recognition of this.

The Mayor, Cllr Munsif Dad, visited Alice on the big day, 6th February, to present her with flowers and pass on best wishes from everyone at the Council.

Cllr Dad said, “Alice is a real inspiration and it was a real privilege to see Alice and share in her big day.