The Showmen's Guild Annual Luncheon 2018

Councillors Miles Parkinson, Gareth Molineux, Munsif Dad and Ken Moss recently attended the Annual Showmen's Guild Luncheon at Blackburn Rovers FC.

The Guild is based in Bury and represents the interests of showmen up and down the country. Their annual dinner is usually attended by over 35 Mayors, Members of the House of Lords and Members of Parliament as well as Councillors from across the North West.

Rishton Councillor Ken Moss said, "This was a good opportunity to find out how the Showmen operate and the strict guidelines they expect their members to adhere to. Following the event, I have written to the Guild offering them the chance to put on events in the new Town Square and use the Town Hall for their formal events."

Great Harwood: GH Rovers FC Move to new site

Members of Great Harwood Rovers Football Club are looking forward to playing matches at their new ground just off Harwood Lane in January, after plans for 217 new houses were approved for their previous home, Lyndon Playing Fields.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “This is a superb new sports facility for Great Harwood. As part of the planning gain from the new Lyndon Park housing development, Great Harwood Rovers Football Club have moved to new football pitches just off Harwood Lane, with over half a million pounds being invested in new facilities there. Phase one of the project, four new FA and Sport England standard pitches and a car parking area is already complete, with Phase two, new changing facilities, set to be constructed later this year.”

Andy Counsell, Great Harwood Football Club Trustee, said; “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. The pitches will be a lot better than what we play on at the moment so it should mean we get more games on them.”

Great Harwood: Councillors out cleaning bus shelters

The Great Harwood Labour Councillors have been out cleaning bus shelters around the ward to improve the general appearance of neglected stops.

Cllr Jenny Nedwell said, "We are undertaking the work which people will notice and improve the look of Great Harwood. Plenty of buses went past with waves from passengers who seemed to appreciate what we are doing."

The Councillors are planning more sessions to clean road signs which have grown dirty.

Great Harwood: NOT FOR SALE - The truth about Bank Mill House

You may have read literature or heard comments that the Great Harwood Labour Councillors are selling Bank Mill House and pulling the rug from under the senior citizens of Great Harwood.

Well that is simply not true.

Cllr Gareth Molineux said, "When I was elected in 2011 it seemed that there was no real responsibility being taken for the building. The former chairperson had become very unwell and due to his age was unable to continue in his role. Mr Holt had served the senior citizens for fantastically for decades. However due to poor record keeping and keys being readily handed out for the building something had to be done.

"Hyndburn Council wanted to formalise the arrangement in the same way has it had with other community buildings in its ownership as the day to day booking of rooms and hire charges and income was being kept by the committee but the maintenance of the building and the running costs totalling over £17,000 per annum was being paid for by HBC."

The committee refused to sign the same agreement that Hippings Vale (Oswaldtwistle) had signed a few years before and over a period of 4 years the Council made a number of concessions at the request of the committee.

After 4 years it became clear that no agreement could be made as the committee wanted full use of the building and to keep the income but was not prepared to take on any responsibilty of the overall upkeep of the building.

The Council had been approached by organisations such as Great Harwood Civic Society who had formed a charity to take on buildings through a leasing scheme. Other buildings include Hippings Vale Community Centre, the Civic Theatre in Oswaldtwistle to name but two.

Bank Mill House is the last such building that is not in community hands.

Cllr Molineux said, "The Committee were reluctant to move forward and all of them had concerns regarding the legal and business implications. I made them the offer that Hyndburn Council would fund them taking both independent Legal and Business advice through a provider of there choice, to set their minds at ease and to give them a greater understanding of what was involved. The Committee refused this funding, and to my understanding have taken no formal advice."

At this point Hyndburn Leisure had come forward with a proposal that grants the committee and the senior citizens of the town the same use rights has they have now with the same terms. They have also offered to protect current bookings and honour the community group's current usage.


This agreement does not involve Hyndburn Council selling Bank Mill House. 

It will be leased to Hyndburn Leisure and funded by Hyndburn Leisure.

The Senior Citizens are NOT losing their centre.

Netherton: Great Harwood Rovers FC ground one step closer to becoming reality

Great Harwood Rovers F.C are one step closer to their dream of having quality facilities delivered.

The erection of an information sign on the corner of their new ground has taken place, giving residents and visitors to The Great Harwood Show the opportunity to see the new layout.

Great Harwood Rovers have been trying to realise their dream for over 15 years but unfortunately a number of possible opportunities failed to materialise. The closest they came was in 2011 when planning permission was granted for approximately 35 houses on the Old Show Ground including the former Monroes site. This included section 106 money that was to be matched funded by the Football Assosiation and a grant from Hyndburn Borough Council with a 25 year lease for the Lyndon playing fields.

However due to difficulties encountered by the land owners the houses were never built and the Football Assosiation subsequently pulled the matched funding. This left Great Harwood Rovers with no real prospect of getting the facilities the children of the town deserve.

Currently children have to get changed in cars or in a metal cargo container. It is only right that the club's volunteers, coaches, referees and players want proper changing rooms and proper parking to eliminate congestion on Harwood Lane on match days.

Fortunately due to partnership working Hyndburn Borough Council, The Great Harwood Agricultural Society and Riley’s Developments alongside Great Harwood Rovers F.C this is now becoming a reality. Work is due to start on the new playing surfaces a few hundred yards away shortly after this year's Great Harwood Show.

These pitches will be made to Sport England specification with modern drainage installed eliminating and realistic chance of flooding. A 64-space car park will be built to ensure that congestion on Harwood Lane stops, floodlights will be installed and finally the erection of changing facilities. The Great Harwood Labour Councillors are proud to have played our part in making this dream come true

Cllr Noordad Aziz for Netherton ward in Great Harwood said, “I am delighted that work is due to start on the playing surfaces and that children have quality safe sports facilities and that we have protected the town's green belt in the process. It was important to do that. We have seen what happens in the Ribble Valley when central government get involved in local planning decisions and this why we supported Lyndon playing fields being developed.”

Cllr Gareth Molineux said, "There is currently literature being pushed through residents' doors by the Conservative party candidates Patrick McGinley and Liz McGinley suggesting that if elected they will put a stop to the development but the consequences of doing this will be dire for Great Harwood. Without a shadow of a doubt if this happens green belt will be developed on and our countryside will very quickly erode."

He added, "The leaflets also make reference to “predators” and road safety issues. These types of comments really concern me and I am not sure what he is suggesting. The area will be secure (with a designated public open space) and will be floodlit, unlike the current facilities which are dark and completely open to public access and within a few metres of one of the busiest roads in the town.
I think that it is important to deliver facts not speculation I also feel that has elected members we also have a duty to take into account the long term vision for the town.

"If Patrick McGinley and Liz McGinley don’t want to build houses then I suggest they lobby their Prime Minister who relaxed planning laws to allow developers to build in green belt if local Councils refused to allow them to build within the urban boundary."

The Labour Councilors wish Great Harwood Rovers the best of luck for the future.

Peter Britcliffe and the Tories can't seem to differentiate between District and County Councils

The Hyndburn Borough Council annual budget meeting took place on Thursday 25th February and the Labour budget was passed. The budget meeting is a chance for opposition Councillors to put forward alternative proposals and query spending by the Borough Council but none were submitted by the Conservatives.

Cllr Miles Parkinson announced a 0% council tax rise for the fifth year running but all the Conservative members abstained from the vote.

St Oswalds resident Glen Harrison was watching from the public gallery and commented, "I don't see the point of Councillors abstaining. They're there to represent the public, how can they do that by not registering their views?"
Several questions were asked during the debate relating to bus services, road surfacing and increases in the police and fire authority precepts but these were quickly shot down.

Cllr Ken Moss said, "Why are these issues being raised here? It seems that Cllr Britcliffe and his fellow Conservatives don't know the difference between District and County Councils. The only thing he has raised all night concerning HBC is a fear of rats."

Cllr Gareth Molineux said, "If County Councillor Britcliffe reported back to his own Councillors when he'd been to County Hall then perhaps these questions wouldn't be being asked."

Council Leader Miles Parkinson summed up and said, "Peter, you have had the chance to put forward your own budget but haven't done so. You've criticised County Council and the blue light services simply as a way to attack Labour. That isn't helping to protect the public. Even after another 14% cut by the government, we have set a 0% tax increase in Hyndburn and brought in a balanced budget without resorting to borrowing. What have you done?"

A full agenda and papers for the meeting can be found here.

Leader's Viewpoint - Cllr Gareth Molineux - November 2015

The Council is about to embark on its Annual Budget round. This starts each autumn and concludes in February when the Council makes its budget decisions and sets the Council Tax for the following financial year starting on the 1st April.

This year, as in previous years, we face an uphill struggle to identify further savings and improve services.

In general our costs of operating the Council are well under control and due to tight financial management and constantly driving our improvements in value for money, we expect to see costs only grow by around 1% over the coming year. However, we are expecting a large reduction in the funding we receive from Government again this year which will see the total amount of core Government funding drop by almost 45% since 2010/11. As yet we have no details on the actual reduction we face and the Government is remaining tight-lipped about telling us this, until some point in December when it will make an announcement. However, as many of our savings plans take time to identify and implement we are already on with the task of ascertaining what steps we can take to generate further savings and the monetary value that stems from these decisions.

Currently we are working on a plan that we will need to save 10% of our spend. This is a significant challenge for any organisation, whether in the public or the private sector, especially on the back of a number of years when similar savings have had to be produced.

We also recognise that the target of 10% could rapidly shoot up in December, if the Government reductions in our funding are larger than we are currently anticipating. All Managers have been asked to examine every area of spend and activity to see what savings can be found. Where possible we have asked that they avoid making savings were this would impact on the public, but after 5 years of large reductions in our funding this is becoming increasingly difficult, so we might now be entering into an era in which some service delivery has to sacrificed, as we simply don’t have the funding to keep providing services in the way that we would want.

What I can tell you is that we remain committed to not increasing council tax for the Hyndburn element of the overall council tax bill. This will be the fifth time in succession that we have ensured that local people do not have to pay anything more for local services and Council Tax has been effectively frozen since we took control of the Council in May 2011.

If you have any suggestions on how the Council could save money, I would always welcome hearing them and you can get in touch with me at gareth.molineux@hyndburnbc.gov.uk or call me on 07814 370117.

The Council’s Overview & Scrutiny will be reviewing the Budget in detail on the 16th February 2016 and everyone is welcome to come along and ask any questions that they might have at this meeting.

Great Harwood: Charter Market - August 2015

Local Councillors Jenny Nedwell, Gareth Molineux and Bernadette Parkinson attended the recent Charter Market on Towngate Square.

The Market was run to raise funds for charity and the Mayor and Mayoress were also in attendance.

Hyndburn Conservatives 10% tax cut promise is unfeasible

The recent by-election in Spring Hill resulted in a comfortable Labour victory but claims were made on Conservative election literature that they would reduce Council tax by 10% if elected into power in Hyndburn. The idea that this is financially plausible is entirely refuted by the Labour group as it would mean a reduction in the amount available to spend each year by approximately £400,000 and this would have a significant impact on services.

Cabinet member for Resources, Cllr Gareth Molineux, said, "Over the next 2 years the council needs to find additional savings of £4.6 million. This was a saving that the Council already knew about before George Osborne made his latest budget speech but a further spending review is due in the Autumn which will hit us even harder. It will be November before the Council is made aware of additional savings that it needs to make."

He added, "Clearly reducing council tax by 10 % is an attractive election tag line but unfortunately a reduction of that amount would see see all front line services reduced significantly. The local Conservatives are resorting to desperate electioneering, proving that they cannot be trusted to put the people of Hyndburn before their political careers."

Overton 2015: Labour hold

Cllr Gareth Molineux has won the Overton local election and secured a second term as one of the three ward Councillors. The count took place in the newly-refurbished Town Hall at 11.00am on 8th May 2015 and Gareth will now hold his position until 2019.

The results were as follows:

• Gareth Molineux (Labour) - 1,132
• Patrick McGinley (Conservative) - 1,093
• Ian Robinson (UKIP) - 900
• Joan West (Green) - 164

The total percentage of voters who turned out in Overton was 65.21%.

Overton: Litter on Windsor Road

Complaints have been made by residents to the local press regarding litter on Windsor Road rec in Great Harwood and local Councillors have now been informed.

Cllr Gareth Molineux said, “We have been aware over the last few years that Windsor Road has been subjected to a lot of anti-social behaviour which usually means a lot of litter. We have worked with the Community Payback team to tidy this area in the past."

He added, "Looking forward, we are hopeful that bringing a new 5-a-side football pitches to the area will not only provide the Leisure Trust with a fantastic asset but will also act as a deterrent for anti-social behaviour and irresponsible dog owners.”

The full story can be read here in the Lancashire Telegraph.

HBC: Medium term financial graph shows scale of Government cuts in Hyndburn

A graph in the latest HBC Cabinet report on the Medium Term Financial Strategy shows the steep cuts which have been imposed on Hyndburn Borough Council since 2010 and will leave the authority with around 60% less money by 2017.

Cabinet member for Resources, Cllr Gareth Molineux, said, "The figures beyond 2015/16 are estimated based on a number of assumptions regarding predicted cuts. Figures for 2010/11 to 2012/13 have been adjusted historically for Council Tax Support which was not included during these years but was added in 2013/14."

The latest report on the HBC finances can be found here:

Cabinet - Financial Position 2014-2015

HBC: Community Clear Up events start in Hyndburn

Community Clear Up Day is a 'national spring clean', taking place on the first day of spring - Saturday 21st March. Backed by the government, it aims to spruce up the country's high streets, residential and business areas, villages and parks.

Spring cleaning starts in Hyndburn with chewing gum clean ups from footpaths in each area of the borough, starting on Tuesday 17th March in Queen St Great Harwood, Accrington on 21st March, with all other townships to follow over the next few weeks.

Cllr Paul Cox, Cabinet Member for Environmental Issues, said, “Chewing gum blights footpaths as it’s difficult to remove and needs specialist jet wash equipment to tackle it.  We are tackling the issue as part of the national community clear up and the specialist removal team will be out and about across the borough over the next few weeks removing chewing gum from the borough’s footpaths.”

Cllr Gareth Molineux, added, This is a great initiative, chewing gum is unsightly and difficult to remove and we’re happy to kick start the programme of spring clean events in Great Harwood.”

Labour debunk Conservative myths of overcharging on Council tax

Hyndburn Conservative Leader, Cllr Peter Britcliffe, has repeatedly accused Labour of overcharging on Council tax as current indications show that there will be a surplus of £165,000 by the end of the financial year in 2015.

Cllr Gareth Molineux, Cabinet Member for Resources, responded by saying, "We are halfway through the financial year and it would be stupid to take any figures as guaranteed final sums so early. Cllr Britcliffe should be well aware of this but seems to be demonstrating his lack of understanding our finances yet again."

Cabinet Member for Education, Leisure and The Arts, Cllr Ken Moss, also rebuffed the accusation. He said, "A cursory look at the Council tax increases since 1999 shows that Cllr Britcliffe increased Council tax by considerable amounts nearly every year that he was in power. Labour haven't raised HBC Council tax since 2011 and still managed to deal with the cuts imposed on us by the Conservative coalition government, plus put a bit aside to deal with the £12.9m of debts you left us with in 2011. If we are overcharging, what on Earth were you doing during your decade in control?"

The table below shows the HBC portion of Council tax since 1999 when Cllr Britcliffe became Leader of the Council. The percentage figures in red show years when Labour have been in control in Hyndburn:

BAND D COUNCIL TAX

YEAR       HBC      INCREASE    TOTAL

1999/00 £151.53       6.9% £939.87

2000/01 £151.51       0.0% £982.46

2001/02 £163.41       7.8% £1,026.56

2002/03 £167.88       2.7% £1,098.32

2003/04 £174.42       3.9% £1,199.61

2004/05 £181.22       3.9% £1,258.67

2005/06 £190.28       5.0% £1,300.39

2006/07 £199.70       5.0% £1,364.35

2007/08 £209.29       4.8% £1,438.88

2008/09 £219.65       5.0% £1,492.83

2009/10 £230.52       5.0% £1,543.31

2010/11 £230.52       0.0% £1,548.74

2011/12 £230.52       0.0% £1,548.74

2012/13 £230.52       0.0% £1,552.40

2013/14 £230.52       0.0% £1,533.22

2014/15 £230.52       0.0% £1,557.87

A financial report is produced for each monthly Cabinet meeting and the latest one can be read here:

Financial Position 2014-2015 - Report to end of July 2014

HBC: Cllr Gareth Molineux promoted to Cabinet

Cllr Gareth Molineux is to be promoted to the Cabinet after the forthcoming departure of Cllr Joan Smith on 1st September. Gareth is currently vice-chair of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny committee and will now take over as Cabinet member for Finance and Resources.

Cllr Molineux said, "This is a great opportunity for me and I am excited about the new position. I am looking forward to my portfolio and ensuring that I continue Joan's work of keeping HBC on a secure financial footing."

Great Harwood: Towngate Square re-opens

Sunday August 3rd saw the official re-opening of Great Harwood’s Towngate by County Councillor Gareth Molineux. The Towngate as seen major renovations over the last 12 months with over £250,000 being spent.

Last year The Mercer clock went through a restoration project started by Councillor Molineux and finalised by a partnership with Great Harwood Area Council, Great Harwood Civic society and the national lottery heritage fund.

The market square was introduced at the same time as the the old town hall in 1901 when the Great Harwood urban district council and the towns people commissioned the square followed by the mercer clock 1903 and as seen little investment since.

Councillor Molineux said, “Over the last three years Great Harwood as seen hundreds of thousands of pounds invested in it. the new square opens up the area to create a more usable space for the Sunday farmers market, the civic society's annual charity market and the Christmas lights switch on. These are exciting times, Great Harwood is on the way again and in my opinion as become Hyndburn’s second town once again."

The Town Gate will be in use every first Sunday of the month for the local farmers market. The next event is the civic society's annual charity market on Saturday 23rd August.

Great Harwood: Cabinet member for Highways inspects roads

On Tuesday 25th February, County Councillor Gareth Molineux met with the Lancashire County Councils Cabinet Member for Highways, County Councillor John Filis and senior highway engineers, to discuss the poor condition of some of the roads in Great Harwood.  John Fillis spent a number of hours walking around Russell Place, Wordsworth Drive and Shakespeare Avenue.  Councillor Gareth Molineux, and  Councillor Fillis agreed that Russell Place was in a terrible state and confirmed that the road will be resurfaced using a method called deep-insitu recycling. This requires that the road surface be removed and churned up whilst also adding a new strengthening material which will result in the road being substantially stronger and far more durable to the heavy traffic and weather.

Further down the road, Shakespeare Avenue was discussed and the consensus was that the road was also in need of being resurfaced using the same technique that will be used on Russell place.  Again this is as a result of the high volume of traffic, in particular due to the size of the buses that use this route. Councillor Fillis has promised Councillor Molineux that he will look into the prospects of having this road resurfaced at the same time as Russell Place. However it was noted that the County Councils Highway budget has shrunk significantly and no guarantee was given. Although Councillor Molineux is  highly optimistic that the road will be resurfaced.

Councillor Fillis also visited the much debated Clinkham Road, where the road is currently set to a speed limit of 30 mph.  Councillor Fillis agreed after traveling along the route, that 30 mph is not appropriate and subject to legal requirements and checks he has agreed to include Clinkham Road into the 20 mph Zone

Councillor Molineux felt that the meeting was extremely productive and believes that some major issues with the highways will now be resolved in the coming months.

Fast Politics Event - 22nd October 2013

A ‘Fast Politics’ event is taking place in conjunction with the Lancashire County Council's Young Person’s Service on Tuesday 22nd October between 7.00pm and 9.00pm at Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre. This is an opportunity for younger people to connect directly with local politicians and have the chance to get their views across. There will be a presentation from the Hyndburn Youth Council followed by refreshments.

All HBC & Hyndburn LCC councillors have been invited and confirmed attendees so far are Labour Councillors Clare Cleary, Ken Moss, Harry Grayson, Gareth Molineux, Miles Parkinson, Bill Pinder and opposition Councillor Nick Whittaker.

Anyone wishing to find out more information should ring David Harvey-Higgins on 07766991907.

Profile: Councillor Gareth Molineux

Cllr Gareth Molineux was elected in 2011 and is a member for Overton which is one of the two wards which make up Great Harwood. Following the Labour group AGM he has been appointed to the following committees:

• Great Harwood Area Council 
• Judicial Committee (Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing)   
• Licensing Committee 
• Licensing Sub-Committee 
• Planning Committee

He also sits on the following outside bodies:

• Great Harwood (Bank Mill House) Management Committee 
• Hyndburn Community Safety Partnership Steering Group (Non-Voting Representative) 
• Local Government Association Rural Commission (Non-Voting Representative) 

Cllr Molineux said, "I am happy the the Leader has seen fit for me to continue sitting on the Planning and Judicial committees. Over the last 2 years we have had to make some significant decisions that impact on all the people of Hyndburn and help with the growth of our townships."

Anyone wishing to contact Gareth can do so by phoning 07814 370117 or emailing gareth.molineux@hyndburnbc.gov.uk 

Lancashire County Council - No Overall Control

When the county council went to the polls last Thursday, May 2, in its first election since 2009, candidates were competing for all 84 seats. However, the election count for seats on Lancashire County Council ended last Friday without any party securing a clear majority.

No party achieved the 43 seats required to take control of the council and the new political make-up is as follows:

* Labour 39 seats
* Conservative 35 seats
* Liberal Democrat 6 seats
* Independent 3 seats
* Green 1 seat

As no party has a clear majority, the main parties will now need to consider the options for the future political governance of the council. This will be taking place as a priority and an announcement will be made as soon as possible.

The Leader of Lancashire County Council is due to be formally appointed at the next meeting of the full council, which takes place at County Hall on Thursday 23 May.

Newly-elected Labour County Councillors Miles Parkinson, Clare Pritchard, Munsif Dad, Gareth Molineux and Bernard Dawson will be in attendance to help decide with Labour County group Leader, Jenny Mein.