Back in the Saddle

It has been a hectic few weeks since the local elections and this week the Councol and Cabinet met to finalise committee memberships. This now enables both the Heyhouses team and the Council in general to knuckle down to the job in hand. Both Keith and Myself are continuing in our previous roles and Craig will be playing a key role on the Councils Overview and Scruting Committees. I have asked Keith and Independent Councillor Kiran Mulholland to lead a review panel of the Councils Overview and Scrutiny work to ensure that we are able to respond quickly to the ever changing demands of Governmetn Policy, especially funding!

The issue of lack of funding for Concessionary Bus travel has raised it's head again recently with Lancashire County Council asking District Councils to help fund 'susbsidised contract routes' in the Borough. These are the routes that have fewer passengers and are only made viable by subsidy. If this proposal was to go ahead Fylde Borough Council would be expected to find up to 200,000 pounds from the Council Tax payer to keep these routes running. This is the equivalent to 5% on your Council Tax bill! The question is should Council Tax payers be expected to pay this money or should it come from Government or by increasing bus fares on these routes? Your feedback would be useful.

In the Ward, residents have raised concerns about the state of some of the Wards Shop precinct forecourts, I have been chasing LCC about this issue and below is a copy of thier response. We will now have to try and approach landlords to see whether we can co-ordinate everyone working together to make these pavements safer for you.

Information from Andrew Burrows, Lancashire Highways Dept:

Substantially Singleton Avenue is private forecourt.

Whalley Place is substantially (and unusually) adopted highway almost up to the shops, the area around the shops would not normally be expected to be adopted highway; there is a 2m strip in front of the shops under a 'veranda' that is probably private, otherwise mapzone shows the area in front and to the sides of the shops as adopted. A lady fell on a pothole recently just on the highway side of the boundary in front of the Spar shop, the pothole has since been repaired. I looked at this footway last week to consider whether it would be suitable for inclusion within a footway resurfacing programme, however, I concluded that patching and a footway slurry seal, should monies ever be available, would be a more suitable option rather than wholesale resurfacing, it is generally untidy, not hazardous. I did not see that any trip hazards were present.

A problem for pedestrians here is that the large adopted area at the side of the shops is heavily parked on by cars.

With regard to approaching private landowners and individuals regarding works off the highway, may the time of the current highway staff is fully taken up managing their own networks with none to spare, and therefore, it is not currently a practical option.

So that's how we stand at present on this issue.

Finally there will soon be announcements on the new Town Hall extension and the refurbishement of the current building.

We will continue to update the blog regularly from this week and please keep in touch with us on any issues that you feel we could help the Ward.