Hyndburn to be axed.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

I have been to several meetings he has Chaired, by comparison to other critics I have witnessed, you are a pussy cat mate

I meant on Accy Web.

I'm well aware there are much bigger pussies than me in the 'real' world.

[shillelagh]

Official website, Whitworth Town Council, Lancashire

Are the town councils going to be like Whitworth's where they elect 12 members to the town council but still have councillors as well on the borough council. To me it just seems to be making another layer of government which costs money and who pays for it?

[WillowTheWhisp]

That's the sixty four thousand dollar question Jen.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

Official website, Whitworth Town Council, Lancashire

Are the town councils going to be like Whitworth's where they elect 12 members to the town council but still have councillors as well on the borough council. To me it just seems to be making another layer of government which costs money and who pays for it?

It would be the council tax payers of the town were the council was situated, by there being an extra amount for the running of the Town Council on the council tax bill for all residents in that particular town.(The correct name for this extra amount is a precept - all council tax payers, who live within the Parish of Altham are currently paying a precept on their bills - I have put a chart of the amounts payable for the current financial year for each Council Tax band. This information is from the Hyndburn Council Website).

Annual charges 2007/2008
Annual Council Tax Charges

Band Ratio Amount (except Altham) Amount for Altham
to Band D
A 6/9 £959.26 £977.98
B 7/9 £1,119.13 £1,140.97
C 8/9 £1,279.02 £1,303.98
D 9/9 £1,438.88 £1,466.96
E 11/9 £1,758.63 £1,792.95
F 13/9 £2,078.39 £2,118.95
G 15/9 £2,398.14 £2,444.94
H 18/9 £2,877.76 £2,933.92


Sorry if it looks a bit difficult to read but it is late and have tried to make it more readable

[Ianto.W.]

Originally Posted by garinda

Thank you Neil, but this issue does need more clarification.

Will the people on these town/parish councils be elected in a democratic way, or simply invited on to them.

If they are setting budgets etc., we need to know.

If it is the latter, it could be open to abuse, with individual councils being run by Quangos.

streamling the political system is it?

I thought PB were a 'QUANGO' Gary

[Gayle]

I received my Area Council meeting notice this morning and first item on it was election of Chair and Vice Chair for 2007/2008 - Peter Britcliffe and Brian Roberts. So Neil was right.

[Ianto.W.]

Originally Posted by Gayle

I received my Area Council meeting notice this morning and first item on it was election of Chair and Vice Chair for 2007/2008 - Peter Britcliffe and Brian Roberts. So Neil was right.

It's just a pity it's not the electric chair as in 'old sparky'

[garinda]

Kerry Gormley, Green party representative for Hyndburn, at least seems to be talking sense.

'Miss Gormley said: "The name change will create a huge amount of waste. Each and every household in Hyndburn has a wheelie-bin, a sack and a plastic box for re-cyclables, many even have a green wheelie bin too for compostables.

"All of these receptacles, which number in the thousands, have the name Hyndburn on them and the Hyndburn logo.

"All of these items are made of plastic and will last our life-time and beyond."

Miss Gormley pointed out that plastic licence boards on the borough's taxi cabs also bear the Hyndburn logo, and that many local voluntary groups and businesses successfully operate and trade under the name Hyndburn.

She said: "I have been informed that there will not be any help available to these voluntary groups with regard to funding their own names changes."

Council Name Change Is A Waste (from Blackburn Citizen)


Obviously a person with her head screwed on, and likely to get my vote, if the other parties don't see sense.

[claytonender]

Kerry Gormley spoke against the name change at Thursday meeting, emphasing the waste issue (especially regarding the length of time the plastic will last). She was also not convinced that the coats of arms realy had relevance to most people.

I also think that for any charities that are named Hyndburn the costs invloved in changing their name would be entirely unjustified, meaning that money that should be being channeled intot he work of the charity was having to be used to satisfy someone's whim.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I made a list early on in this debate of a number of organisations which use the 'Hyndburn' name. Changing it will affect hundreds of people. It will cost people money and benefit no-one.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Gayle

I received my Area Council meeting notice this morning and first item on it was election of Chair and Vice Chair for 2007/2008 - Peter Britcliffe and Brian Roberts. So Neil was right.

It also states that there are 5 co-optees and who they are.

[g jones]

The referendum should be held in May run alongside the local elections to reduce the cost. I posted earlier that this would make the issue political which PB did not want to do. Some pointed out that's why the naming of the Borough occurred right after the last local elections.

There should be separate questions for renamig the Borough and the proposed new tier of democracy. Whilst we are running up the cost, maybe another 1 or 2 important issues could be added.

I am now not sure what we are consulting on. The recent trumpeted Area Council Chairs meeting produced nothing clear and we seem in limbo. And now we have a new 'shock' addition to the policy.

I am very wary of Town and Parish Councils. They WILL require elections. They will add their own Council Tax charge on top to function. How services like refuse, recycling, cemeteries, leisure, parks will be divided up is difficult to see.

I am not a fan of independents. Nick Collingridge a die hard Tory who has pledged his total support against Labour, uses his independent tag to openly to con Labour voters in to voting for what they believe is a 'middle way'. I find they are good at being 'loud' and opposed to working with others constructively. Not a positive way to run a business, a council or anything else...

[garinda]

Good to hear that the issue will be put to a referendum, and yes the proposed name change, and the idea for town councils is, and should remain, two separate issues.

Graham, who will have voting rights on the new town/parish councils?

Just the councillors who are currently representing wards in that town?

If so, we could see one party towns, which seems rather frightening to me. At least with HBC there is a political balace of views, from all parties.

[Gayle]

I've just checked the Accrington Observer poll and it seems to have had a complete reversal to now being in favour of Town Councils.

[BERNADETTE]

Did anybody else get a Housing Survey to fill in? Not sure whether it is tied together with this but ours came today.