Cllr Britcliffe is doing things right!

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by katex

Flower Towers ... well, I love 'em.

When they're done right they do pretty up a community no end but we had a whopping slice taken out of our Area Council budget to pay for the ones in Rishton.

If we'd given the same amount to the local Prospects group they would have landscaped the whole village and most of Great Harwood as well!!

Not a good example of value for money, in my opinion, plus we aren't a market town and never will be.

[garinda]

The lovely calendars always make me smile, and like Katex, I do like the flower towers.

[Barrie Yates]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

If we'd given the same amount to the local Prospects group they would have landscaped the whole village and most of Great Harwood as well!!

Not a good example of value for money, in my opinion, plus we aren't a market town and never will be.

You have obviously done a cost comparison. Are you not going to share that with us and provide us with hard facts to support your statement?
Does a town have to be a Market Town to look attractive?

[Alan Varrechia]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

When they're done right they do pretty up a community no end but we had a whopping slice taken out of our Area Council budget to pay for the ones in Rishton.

If we'd given the same amount to the local Prospects group they would have landscaped the whole village and most of Great Harwood as well!!

Not a good example of value for money, in my opinion, plus we aren't a market town and never will be.

Ken i'm not sure Accy will be a market town for much longer

[steeljack]

To original poster , Seems to me as an 'interested outsider' an ex Arroder (Gt Harwood) who has links to Ossy (my parents got wed at Ossy Emmanual Church) my Mom being a 'West End girl' ... at one time Ossy had one of the most deprived areas in Hyndburn (Greater Accrington) any mention that you came from the "Back o Johns area " and you were immediatly labeled as lower than dirt , not sure but maybe through Councillor Britcliffes efforts I dont think the area carries the same social stigma anymore, as someone who represents the Spring st. area of Rishton , maybe , just maybe after a few years hard work and effort you can bring the same rejuvination to the areas you represent.
Methinks as a newcomer to the area , not born and bred (think you once mentioned you were from Preston or Chorley area) you should learn a bit more of the history of the Borough

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Barrie Yates

You have obviously done a cost comparison. Are you not going to share that with us and provide us with hard facts to support your statement?
Does a town have to be a Market Town to look attractive?

Bear in mind I am a landscape gardener among other things and for around £150 (£200 at most) we could have planted up all four of Rishton's towers. The towers themselves cost the money but the point is that no one was asked, the cash was just sliced off Rishton's budget and it has caused some resentment with residents because they haven't been properly installed and look cock-eyed.

If you aren't familiar with your Prospects group (most wards have one in Hyndburn) then just have a quick look online but the one in Rishton does some marvellous work and has been instrumental in making some lousy areas into places of beauty. If I had offered our group £200 and asked them to turn four small grotspots into flower beds they would have jumped at the chance and the rest of the money could have bought a new bus shelter that lower Rishton badly needs.

In terms of floral areas, Rishton already looks pretty good so no, I don't believe that anywhere needs to be a Market Town to look attractive.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by steeljack

To original poster , Seems to me as an 'interested outsider' an ex Arroder (Gt Harwood) who has links to Ossy (my parents got wed at Ossy Emmanual Church) my Mom being a 'West End girl' ... at one time Ossy had one of the most deprived areas in Hyndburn (Greater Accrington) any mention that you came from the "Back o Johns area " and you were immediatly labeled as lower than dirt , not sure but maybe through Councillor Britcliffes efforts I dont think the area carries the same social stigma anymore, as someone who represents the Spring st. area of Rishton , maybe , just maybe after a few years hard work and effort you can bring the same rejuvination to the areas you represent.
Methinks as a newcomer to the area , not born and bred (think you once mentioned you were from Preston or Chorley area) you should learn a bit more of the history of the Borough

Do you honestly think I haven't been doing research into the borough I represent? How little you must think of me.

Oswaldtwistle is an impressive sight to me once you get to Alleytroyds and there is much to look at and heap praise on but we have now had a decade where almost nothing has been spent on major projects in outer wards. Even Mercer Hall baths has now had the money pulled from it and is in danger of closing by the end of the year.

The problem as I see it is that there is no joined up thinking regarding projects which is why regeneration seems to be taking such a long time across the borough. Bits of ideas are have had money thrown at them but with no thought as to how they will be completed.

Pendle Street in Central ward is a prime example of waste. Why on Earth did the council buy those and leave them stood empty and structurally unsound when insurance payments to the original owners would have circumvented the whole problem? As I understand it, it was a quick fix election promise which has now lumbered us with a very expensive and practically useless asset that will inevitably cost us even more in future.

Project Phoenix in Springhill/Central is symptomatic of the obsession with pulling down terraced houses in favour of modern housing but if you look at what is being built they are essentially terraced houses and are even closer to the main road than before! There isn't the money around at the moment for the developers to complete the project so the area will be left with a gaping wound of open space.

You mention Spring Street, something I have now drawn up a practicable solution for, but it does rather rely on the money being allocated and I don't pull the purse strings.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Alan Varrechia

Ken i'm not sure Accy will be a market town for much longer

I sincerely hope that is not the case.

The refurbished Market Hall is fairly impressive but the management of it is a complete fudge. All it would take is a bit of common sense and all would be well but the traders and opposition councillors are tilting at windmills where that is concerned because two people have their idea of how it should be and will simply not back down in the face of overwhelming public opinion that they are wrong.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

If I had offered our group £200 and asked them to turn four small grotspots into flower beds they would have jumped at the chance and the rest of the money could have bought a new bus shelter that lower Rishton badly needs.

Last year Prospects charitable spending was £735,200 according to the Charity Commission figures here. Could they not have slipped you a couple of hundred quid for some flowers in Rishton?
Maybe when the windfarm on Oswaldtwistle Moor is up and running they will be able to spare some of the £2.5 million that they are expecting to receive, although why this money is being given to Prospects to do with what they want is a mystery to me.

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

Even Mercer Hall baths has now had the money pulled from it and is in danger of closing by the end of the year.

.

Mercer Hall baths , one of the biggest mistakes a Labour controlled HBC ever made after the amalgamation of the UDCs (but thats hindsight, sp?) a George Slynn project , the "original" Mercer Hall was a town treasure , remember going there from infants and junior school to hear musical recitals from members of the Halle orchestra (the acoustics were supposed to be superb) the dance floor was a good as Accy Con club (another place allowed to fall into rack and ruin ).
Seem to remember that a new swimming bath was proposed to be built on land between the Mercer Hall and the 'old' Library (site of the now closed oboslete Co-op), But Councillor Slynn sold out and shafted Arrod (Gt, Harwood)

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Neil

Last year Prospects charitable spending was £735,200 according to the Charity Commission figures here. Could they not have slipped you a couple of hundred quid for some flowers in Rishton?
Maybe when the windfarm on Oswaldtwistle Moor is up and running they will be able to spare some of the £2.5 million that they are expecting to receive, although why this money is being given to Prospects to do with what they want is a mystery to me.

I think the idea is that to compensate for 'defacing' Oswaldtwistle moors they are giving money back to an environmental charity that benefits the whole borough.

Although I am part of the Rishton Prospects group the actual allocation of money from the main pot is nothing to do with me and I'm not even sure whether they have had any money yet.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

I think the idea is that to compensate for 'defacing' Oswaldtwistle moors they are giving money back to an environmental charity that benefits the whole borough.

Why the whole Borough if it is only 'defacing', as you say, Oswaldtwistle?

[JCB]

The Council , under the leadership of Peter Britcliffe , allowed the tenants of Hyndburn Council houses to vote whether the stock of council houses should remain under Council ownership , or be transferred to Hyndburn Homes , thus enabling money to be spent on the upgrading of the houses . The tenants voted to transfer to Hyndburn Homes .

The Labour opposition supported this policy .

[Neil]

Originally Posted by JCB

The Council , under the leadership of Peter Britcliffe , allowed the tenants of Hyndburn Council houses to vote whether the stock of council houses should remain under Council ownership , or be transferred to Hyndburn Homes , thus enabling money to be spent on the upgrading of the houses . The tenants voted to transfer to Hyndburn Homes .

The Labour opposition supported this policy .

That was a bad move in my opinion.

I think Council houses should remain Under Council control but should be managed correctly.
Why can a private company manage upgrade the houses when the Council could not?
I also disagree with selling Council houses to tenants at reduced prices. Its like burning Council Tax payers money.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by Neil

Why the whole Borough if it is only 'defacing', as you say, Oswaldtwistle?

It wasn't asked for, it was just promised to Prospects which is borough-wide. Since Prospects aren't going to concentrate all the money they get in one ward it will be to the benefit of all.