Be a Hyndburn Apprentice

A range of apprenticeships and training places, plus the chance to win an IPAD mini, will be up for grabs at the Hyndburn Apprenticeship Event, set to take place Friday 21st June, from 4pm to 7pm, at Accrington Town Hall.

Aimed at people aged 16 to 24, attendees will be able to find out more about apprenticeships direct from employers and training providers, seek expert advice and get one-to-one support in applying for apprenticeship vacancies.  

There will be real live vacancies on offer, along with the chance to apply for apprenticeships and have an interview with potential employers on the day.

Candidates will also have the chance to get hands on and try out a range of skills and trades including dentistry, joinery, painting and decorating along with hair and beauty.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, said; “An apprentice learns on the job, and is able to gain qualifications by learning new skills, whilst earning money at the same time. The Hyndburn Apprenticeship event is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is aged 16 to 24 and is interested in becoming an apprentice.  Attendees will not only be able to try their hand at a range of skills and trades, but also apply for real vacancies and have an interview with potential employers actually on the day.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones will be opening the event, which has been organised by Hyndburn Council in association with Hyndburn Chamber of Commerce, Accrington & Rossendale College, North Lancs Training Group, Training 2000 and Lancashire County Council.

Mr Jones said; “The Council needs to be focussed on jobs and growth and I’m pleased that since Cllr Miles Parkinson became Leader that there has been an emphasis on this area. Organising this apprenticeships fair is part of the Council’s determination to focus on what really matters.   It’s a wonderful opportunity for young people to seek apprenticeships and meet employers face to face.  With so many young people unemployed, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed; getting young people into work is part of being a better society.”

The Hyndburn Apprenticeships event is free to attend and open to all 16 – 24 year olds, all attendees will also be entered into a free prize draw for the chance to win an IPAD mini.

For more information visit www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk or call Kirsten Burnett on 01254 388111.

Great Harwood landlord found guilty

A Great Harwood property owner was found guilty by magistrates recently of failing to comply with a notice issued by the Council, ordering him to bring his property at 40 Russell Place Great Harwood, back into a state of repair.

Mr Noor Hussain, of Greaves Street Great Harwood, was found guilty by Hyndburn Magistrates of non-compliance of a notice served under Section 79 of the building Act 1984 relating to 40 Russell Place, Great Harwood. The property has been in a state of disrepair for over 10 years, causing residents much distress with incidents of broken windows, open drains, rubbish dumping and antisocial behaviour around the property.

After many attempts by officers to get Mr Hussain to bring the property up to standard, the Council took him to court and stepped in to carry out repair works required by the notice.  The costs for the work will be regained through a charge placed against the property

Mr Hussain was given a 12 months conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £15 victims surcharge. Mr Hussain, has a mortgage on the property of approximately £196,000 and a debt to the court of £59,550 for a previous conviction.

Further prosecutions may also take place if the property is not brought up to standard.

Cllr Clare Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Environmental blight issues said; “This property has been a concern for residents living nearby for many years, as it’s been a magnet for anti-social behaviour.  Our officers have tried many times to get Mr Hussain to bring the property up to standard, but he’s ignored these and the notice we served on him, landing him in court. We take a tough line in cases like this, properties like this are distressing to live near and we will always take people to court where necessary.”

Councillor Walkabouts

 

Various Hyndburn Labour Councillors have been on 'walkabouts' recently in their wards to answer residents' queries and keep an eye out for any problems. In Springhill, Cllrs Pam Barton (pictured) and Munsif Dad have been doing door-to-door house calls and leaflets have been posted through doors with contact information should anyone wish to get in touch.

Similarly, Milnshaw Councillors Clare Pritchard and Paul Cox have been undertaking regular walkabouts to address any concerns that local residents may have.

The Labour Councillors in all wards are here to help all year round and if you have a question or would like something looking into then please get in touch with your local representative to raise concerns using the Your Councillors tab on the homepage of this blog.

Profile: Councillor Clare Cleary

Councillor Clare Cleary is one of the three Rishton representatives and was first elected to HBC in 2011. During her time on the Council she has worked on various panels and is currently in advanced negotiations for a large skate park in Rishton. She has an extensive background in healthcare and is passionate about facilities for younger people. Cllr Cleary is on the following committees at HBC:

• Licensing Committee (Chair)
• Judicial Committee Private Hire and Taxi Licensing (Vice Chair)
• Resources and Overview Scrutiny Committee
• Rishton Area Council

Clare has also been appointed to the following outside bodies and organisations:

• Copperhouse Children's Advisory Board
• Homeless in Hyndburn Group
• Rishton Charities
• Rishton Norden Youth Club
• Police and Communities Together

Clare recently commented, "I am delighted to be given the opportunity to Chair the Licensing Committee and be once again Vice Chair of the Private Hire and Taxi Licensing Committee.  I am also very pleased to be a member of the Resources, Overview and Scrutiny Committee with my fellow Councillor Ken Moss.  These are Committees that deal with issues in Rishton and throughout the borough. Added to this,  I am pleased to be working with the other community groups in Rishton and dealing effectively, I hope, with queries, problems and other issues that affect the residents."

Cllr Cleary can be contacted on 01254 605099 or by email at clare.cleary@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Profile: Councillor Ken Moss

Cllr Ken Moss was elected as one of the three Rishton Councillors in 2010 and is a staunch advocate of cutting wasteful spending and tackling dog fouling in the borough. Following the Council's AGM in May, Cllr Moss now sits on the following HBC committees:

• Licensing Committee 
• Licensing Sub-Committee 
• Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Chair)  
• Rishton Area Council

Ken also sits on the following outside bodies:

• Local Government Association Rural Commission (Voting Representative)
• Rishton Free Gardeners Committee (Member)
• Rishton Old People's Welfare Centre Committee (Member)
• Rishton Prospects Panel (Member)
• Rishton Festival Committee (Member)

Cllr Moss said, "I am glad that the Leader of HBC has kept me on as Chair of Resources Overview and Scrutiny. Since taking on the Chairmanship in 2011 I have made changes to the committee and tackled some larger financial issues which will take some time to investigate thoroughly, such as the ongoing land assets review across the borough. Being a Councillor is tremendously rewarding and it is great to be able to get stuck in and do some real work with the controlling Labour group."

Ken also manages the Rishton First blogspot which provide updates on village activities every day, as well as being a member of the Rishton First Facebook site, both of which can be found at these links:

Rishton First - Facebook

Rishton First

Ken can be contacted on 01254 882797 or 07789077816 or emailed at ken.moss@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Profile: Councillor Harry Grayson

Cllr Harry Grayson was first elected as one of the three Rishton Councillors in 2006 and has won two large majority elections since that time. Following the Council AGM in May, Cllr Grayson has been appointed to the following committees on HBC:

• Planning Commitee (Chair) 
• Regeneration and Housing Panel 
• Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee 
• Rishton Area Council  
• Standards Committee (Chair)  
• Standards Committee Assessment Panel 
• Standards Committee Hearing Sub-Committee 
• Standards Committee Recruitment of Independent Members 

Harry also sits on the following outside bodies as of May 2013:

• Foxhill Bank Management Committee (Substitute) 
• Hyndburn Three Tier Forum 
• Local Authority Health and Safety Forum 
• Prospects Foundation Management Committee 
• Rishton Charities  
• West Pennine Moors Area Management Committee

Conservative error leaves HBC with £210,000 bill

A report to Cabinet on 5th June 2013 demonstrated Hyndburn Borough Council's failure to meet statutory requirements to advertise variations in taxi fees starting from April 2004. This has given rise to an obligation to repay the unadvertised element of these fees paid t the Council during the 6 year statutory limitation period. Internal auditors have carried out an review to ascertain the causes of failure to advertise this and the estimated cost to HBC is thought to be £210,000.

Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of HBC, said, "We have now put new and robust procedures in place to prevent this ever happening again. We have carried out a detailed audit of our current fees and have ascertained that these are justifiable inr elation to our administrative costs. We are also introducing electronic time recording in the next few months in the Licensing section, together with a detailed procedures manual."

Cllr Pritchard welcomed the action of Council officers to remedy this situation and announced that they have been requested to look at new ways of promoting a fair taxi charging scheme, something which is likely to be the subject of public consultation.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of HBC, quipped, "A night out with Peter Britcliffe and the Conservatives would be an expensive affair. It's £700k to look at his failed Hyndburn Life website for ideas of where to go, £18 a time to use the toilet and then another £210k for a taxi home."

News articles have been run in the Accrington Observer and Lancashire Telegraph and can be found by following these links:

Accrington Observer - victory-taxi-boss-council-told

Lancashire Telegraph - Admin_blunder_means_payouts_totalling_210_000_to_Hyndburn_taxi_drivers