Sun Sun Sun

Portstewart Northern Ireland

The Easter school holiday break coincided with a respite in formal council meetings so we went on a short break to Portstewart in Northern Ireland, which also turned out to be the week of the 100th anniversary that the Titanic set sail and sank. We set off early on the morning of the ferry crossing (11 April) to allow for several stops to feed Frank, these were not required as he slept all the way to the Little Chef at Collin, then again from there to Cairnryan, where we were the first to arrive at the port. The ferry crossing from Cairnryan to Belfast was uneventful and we arrived safely in Portstewart, being greeted by the Nicholl family around 8pm, after stopping off, for our evening meal, at the York.

Being April we were uncertain of what the weather would throw at us, it turned out that the weather was superb, blue sky, sunshine and little wind for the entire five night visit, still a tad chilly mind. Other than a walk through the woods at Downhill from Castlerock, where Frank enjoyed looking up into the trees, and a visit to Ballycastle, we spent all our time on White Rocks Beach and the Portstewart Strand play area, as that is what Roxanne wanted to do. Roxanne thoroughly enjoyed herself as she paddled in the sea, climbed up and slid down the large sand hill, dug holes and made sandcastles on White Rocks Beach and played on the swings and in the sand at Portstewart Strand play area, Roxanne was pleased to see Anna once again and they spent much time talking and giggling.

Roxanne and Frank at White Rocks Beach

One thing Gill commented on was the amount of dog fouling on the pavements and in public places, though people did, generally, tidy up after their dogs on White Rocks Beach. Confirmation, as if was needed, that this is a national problem and more so in Portstewart and Castlerock (Coleraine Borough) than in Charnock Richard, Heskin or Coppull West. A further issue was the parking of vehicles blocking dropped curbs, something I would probably not have noticed had we not been pushing a pram.

2012 is the 21st year that I have been going to Portstewart, staying at Chez Nous (1 Victoria Terrace), with Mervyn, Sharon, Richard, Anna and Grandad (who I think is called Tommy and I know is 89 years old), with my first trip being for the North West 200 motorcycle road races in 1991. I think this was my most enjoyable trip to date, good company, good food, with the food in The York, The Ice House and Shenanigans being as good as ever, with top of these three being The Ice House. The weather was faultless, especially considering the time of year. We would go more often were it not for the ferry cost being high and the travelling (especially home) being tiring. Portstewart has changed significantly in these 21 years, Bed and Breakfast and hotel accommodation has largely been replaced by apartments, there are several empty buildings, presumably waiting to be demolished and replaced by apartments some things do remain constant such as the Sunday promenading of cars along the front and, of course, Morelli’s Ice Cream Parlour. One thing we have always had here is, in the words of Noah and the Whale, fun, fun, fun, and we will still be going there in 5 years time.

Shot the Sheriff

Another glorious weekend; followed by a week full of weather, then the less than glorious weather of the Easter weekend. The garden is looking tidy, for now, roses pruned and only time will tell if I got a little too enthusiastic with the three older roses in the front garden.

On Monday, the week of Tom Finney’s 90th birthday, I attended a Public Health Conference, run by North West Employers held at Preston North End football stadium. Once again North West Employers organised a relevant event. Later was the group meeting in Chorley Town Hall, as always a useful forum for discussion.

Later still Charnock Richard Parish Council meeting in the Old School Room, where I provided a summary of the previous Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting, update on the Fish Salesman, information on the Tree Preservation Order on the footpath alongside Pole Green Nurseries (TPO 12) and that I had requested the presently unprotected trees and hedgerow be considered for protection. I also mentioned that I had received several complaints about the driving skills of the Dutch Flower Waggon driver, especially along Church Lane.

During the meeting residents’ requested the hedges either side of the M6 on Mill Lane be cut, I mentioned that I had contacted Lancashire County Council and nothing was seen to be being done, I agreed in public to do the job myself. Of concern was the presence of a couple of loose terrier type dogs on Delph Lane, these have been reported as having attacked other dogs and were the cause of the school having to divert a walk. I agreed to bring this up at the PACT meeting later in the week. John Taylor the deputy chairman arrived late as he had been held up by a reporter from the Chorley Guardian asking questions about him having been shot, more about this later.

Following the Parish Council meeting I made a visit to the Hinds Head to meet the new tenants. Hopefully they will be successful, as they are trying to improve the general feeling of the place and have started to offer food. The new tenants did express concern about the food hygiene rating they inherited from the previous tenant. I followed this up and have provided the new tenants with advice on what to do, which will result in a status of awaiting inspection and the existing rating being removed.

Tuesday was Full Council, nothing controversial on the agenda and had the potential to be an amenable meeting. However a notice of motion was tabled (which wasn’t actually a notice of motion as no decision was required) where the opposition questioned why Chorley Council had not supported an employment fair, even though the venue and staff on the day had been provided free of charge, which is support in itself and no advance notice had been given, had I known about it then I would have taken some time off work to attend.  The discussion was, in my opinion, pointless other than watching Pat Case, the mayor, take control. I find it difficult to imagine that the next mayor would have had the same command in that situation. Pat is standing down from local government at the elections in May; it has been a privilege to have met her and seen her in action, even for such a short time.

I took part in the Licensing and Public Safety Sub-Committee, on Wednesday, requiring deliberation on a taxi driver who misunderstood the requirements for answering a question asking whether he had ever had any convictions. On this occasion the driver was issued with a warning and a full explanation of the question.

Later on Wednesday was the monthly Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting, held at Park Hall Hotel. Reported on the night were one crime in Heskin, that being a burglary, where two people had been caught and cautioned, and 3 crimes in Charnock Richard, these being 2 burglaries and one assault. The assault, as referred to earlier, was the shooting of John Taylor on Saturday 31 March, in his garden. John is fine but now has an air gun pellet lodged in his chest, of concern was the fact that this is not the first, as a child had also been shot earlier in the week, no suggestion was made as to whether these incidents are related, or not. With John being deputy chairman of Charnock Richard Parish Council the Bob Marley Lyric springs to mind “I shot the sheriff, but I didn’t shoot no deputy”, not that the chairman has been shot, I might add! I brought up the report of loose and dangerous dogs on Delph Lane and some discussion followed, I was assured that this will be followed up by the Police.

During the week I wrote to the Pre-School accountants requesting that they review the tax position of the Pre-School. This is a follow up to the Community Futures meeting and the finding that, as the Pre-School is involved entirely in primary purpose trading it should not be liable to tax on its profits, as they are used entirely for the benefit of the Pre-School.

With no formal meetings on Thursday and the Easter weekend ahead, I looked forward to some time with Gill, Roxanne and Frank, at home, just pottering, which I did…

…On Friday I delivered election addresses on behalf of Debra Platt, along Runshaw Lane and the estates to the south side of that lane. On Saturday morning I cut the hedges either side of the M6, they do look better and now pedestrians can walk past safely. The remainder of the weekend was some general gardening, a trip to Cheshire Oaks, well TGI Friday really, which is a long way to go for Jack Daniels ribs, Gill had her usual chicken, whilst Roxanne was, once again, sleeping over at her cousins’ house. On Easter Sunday my mother came to our house for tea (that is the evening meal), an enjoyable lazy afternoon with Roxanne enjoying playing clock patience, Gill excelled with the meal. Sunday I installed some of the new Pre-School noticeboards, whilst on Monday we all had a trip to Preston, followed by dinner (that is the mid-day meal) at the Farmers Arms, Heskin. Later on Monday I had a go at revamping the appearance of this blog – let me know what you think (I have included the QR code image for access to this page).

Hubris

The Charities Act 2011 (which repeals and replaces the Recreational Charities Act 1958, the Charities Act 1993 and many of the provisions of the Charities Act 2006) is now in force and will have an impact on the Pre-School. I have been involved in commenting on potential improvements to the legal and regulatory framework for charities, as part of the consultation phase of the Charities Act 2006 review, which is being undertaken by Lord Hodgson.

Monday’s learning hour by Chorley Council on Social Media was a good overview of some of the social media that is available. The learning hour was primarily aimed at those councillors who are not using, or have concerns about using, social media. Whilst not being in this category it was, nonetheless, useful to sit in, listen and contribute.

On Tuesday the National Planning Policy Framework was published, which was timely as the Development Control Committee met that night. I attended the pre-application presentation for proposed development of Withnell Fold Mill. Development Control committee meeting was straightforward; it was however strange having no members of the public present. Tree Preservation Order Number 12, Charnock Richard, was confirmed protecting 5 trees along the path between Meadowlands and Pole Green Nurseries. I raised the question of protection of other trees and hedgerow along this path and, as a result I, will now be finding out how to raise a Tree Preservation Order.

Purdah, or the pre-election period, began on Tuesday and marks the beginning of the lead up to the local government elections on 3 May. The word originates from the Persian: پرده‎, meaning "curtain" and is the practice of concealing women from men, so might not be considered, by some, to be entirely politically correct! During the purdah period, candidates and other politicians involved directly in the election should not be involved in proactive publicity, especially that dealing with controversial issues. Chorley Council, during this period, are restricted in the publicising of issues that might identify it with individual members or groups of members, the authority can respond to events and service enquiries provided that their answers are factual and not party political. Chisnall ward is not being contested at the elections in May, so I am, possibly, affected less than some. I will still be attending public meetings, such as the one discussing Charnock Richard Community Centre on Wednesday, PACT meetings and Parish Council meetings and will continue to work with residents on existing and new issues brought to my attention.

On Wednesday I held a really useful meeting with Community Futures regarding the business set up of Charnock Richard Pre-School, I now have some work to do but at least know why I am doing what I am doing and it will all contribute to having a correct set up for the Pre-School committee in the future. Later that same day was the final meeting of the Tourism and Promoting Chorley Task Group, some good recommendations to be presented to executive cabinet. Later still was a Public meeting for the Old School Rooms restoration. I really wish I shared the optimism of the majority in the room and I genuinely hope that I am wrong about the master of Hubris.

A busy week ahead, with little chance of any rest between now and the local elections on 3 May.

Song this week was “Hubris” by “Living Syndication” opening lyric “Hey you, you're aggravating me, and I'm growin’ really tired of, all the put downs…”

Summer Time

What a weekend, glorious sunshine. Saturday was all day tidying the garden and planting the Clematis  plants that I bought at the end of the season last year, 14 of them at 50p each and every single one is now in leaf. Saturday night was a celebration of Stephen’s birthday in the Farmers Arms at Heskin. Harold joined us as he is now out of hospital, but far from well. Steve and Babs, from Chorley FM, turned up and we had a chat until late.

I have to admit that I wasn’t 100% on Sunday and spent all day pottering. I blamed it on the clocks moving to British Summer Time and losing an hour in bed! Roxanne had some homework to do which involved finding something that needed attention and identifying who was responsible for putting it right. Whilst walking for an ice cream, Roxanne noticed that a hedgerow was full of litter, so she wrote about that and not only did she identify the problem she took action and fixed it, with my help, we spent over an hour cleaning the hedgerow.

The week leading up to the glorious weekend was largely uneventful with an informal cabinet briefing on Monday, Pre-school committee meeting on Tuesday, where we need some way of encouraging more willing parents to volunteer to contribute to the committee. As already mentioned, Harold ended his three weeks in hospital on Wednesday and came home, though with a fair amount of recovery still required.

I did help out a concerned resident, of Heskin, whose neighbour applied to fell a large oak tree, which has a TPO on it. Unfortunately, for the applicant, the tree is in the garden of the concerned resident. All sorted out, the large oak remains standing and the concerned resident is happy.

What should have been a simple straightforward meeting of the Private Rented Housing Task Group, on Thursday, ended up somewhat lively, as I suppose is likely to be the case when two strong willed people have differing opinions and are not kept in check from the outset.

On Thursday I received a letter from a 13 year old from Heskin who wants to build a skate park in the village. I tried to telephone him but he was out, I sent him an e-mail, to which his mother replied. I will do all I can, starting by going and talking with him, his friends and parents about his proposals.

On Friday I helped with some (300) leaflet deliveries on behalf of Terry Cook, the candidate for Chorley South West at the Chorley Council local elections in May. I also submitted formal comment on the Boundary Commission proposals for the revised parliamentary boundaries for Chorley, which align parliamentary and borough boundaries and appear, to me, to be totally reasonable. http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/whats-proposed/north-west/lancashire/

Frank is doing well, and is sleeping through, or rather he was until he began teething.

Where Do The Children Play

A bit later than usual with the blog post this week, however here it is:

Some time concentrating on the Pre-School last week, with some superb free training provided by Community Futures on Monday, included 45 minutes with a legal professional who was kind enough to check and comment on the revised contract of employment I have written on behalf of the pre-school committee and provided some good advice on the provision of stakeholder pensions. The bulk of the day was a session on the role of trustees within a pre-school / nursery setting, presented by a lady who used to work for the Charity Commission, so good relevant advice and information. I have arranged a follow up consultation, through Lancashire County Council, as there is the possibly that we may be able to improve the way the Pre-school is established as a business.

Another strange meeting with the trustees of the Charnock Richard Old School Rooms, which is the building we currently use for Pre-School, took place on Tuesday. I really hope the expectations of the trustees are met; however I fear that I am less hopeful than they appear to be. I really want to see the building renovated, especially the old Headmasters House, however having done some research (as I do) knowing the magnitude of the bid, the amount of Heritage Lottery funds allocated to the North West and the type of bids the School Rooms restoration is competing against, makes me think a number of smaller scale schemes may be more realistic.

The highlight of my week was the Local Democracy Event in Chorley Town Hall on Thursday, where about 70, year 5 pupils from three local primary schools, asked questions on 11 topics in 5 minute bursts. My allocated topic was staying healthy, thankfully supported by two ladies from the NHS. I was encouraged by how much the children knew about exercise and eating a balanced diet. I explained about the year of Health and Wellbeing and gave out fluffy parrots and badges to the children. Main issues of concern for the children were clean streets and around having places to play, as the playgrounds are occupied by older kids. Fortunately, unlike the lyric on the song by Cat Stephen “Where do the children play?” “Well you roll on roads, over fresh green grass” play areas and open space are being provided and considered during developments, it seems the issue may be having provision for all ages.

Thursday was also the Audit committee meeting, nothing really to note. Whilst taking the day off from work to attend this and the Local Democracy Event, I used some spare time to submit an expression of interest for the renovation of the Charnock Richard primary school woodland garden. The school children have done a great deal of work and there is support for the renovation amongst parents and the wider community, so hopefully the council will be able to provide help and guidance in delivering this project.

Thursday was also the Bowel Cancer awareness presentation I set up with the Mothers’ Union. Unfortunately I could not attend but have been told the presentation went well and I will make some time to visit a future MU meeting for a brew and chat.

Friday was fairly traumatic, not for me I might add. First Frank’s baby inoculations, three of them, at least there are no more until he is one year old, then Roxanne visited the dentist. Roxanne has weak enamel on some of her teeth and needs some work.

When You Dream

What a good job, the road works at Mill Lane in Charnock Richard are now complete, with the road closing late on Saturday and opening again by 2pm on Sunday as planned, which was far from the two days (8am to 5pm) as reported in the Chorley Guardian, the reporter should have asked someone from Charnock Richard for comment and the correct details. Only eight weeks after I reported this to LCC the road is now considerably safer, thanks must go to the workmen who worked hard to minimise disruption and have delivered a superb job.

Development Control committee on Tuesday evening saw 10 applications. One of these applications was in Chisnall that being the Farm Depot, Bentley Lane, Heskin, which was approved for change of class of use, with conditions restricting opening times and not allowing outside storage of equipment or materials.

Wednesday was Licensing Committee, which approved the performing of an unmet needs survey for Hackney Carriages throughout Chorley Borough (not just High Street, in the town centre). The hackney carriage drivers were well represented, with 15 of the 36 drivers in attendance.

Following the Licensing Committee I attended part of the Community Alcohol Network event taking place in the Lancastrian Suite of the Town Hall. Some really useful information and it was also good to sit in and view what good work Lancashire County Council and Chorley Borough Council are doing to support the licensing business in Chorley.

Later still I attended the Chorley Rural South Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting. These meetings are useful contact with the Community Beat Officer and the PCSOs who work in the villages, in addition to several residents who have specific concerns. Discussion took place regarding the speed limit along Wood Lane, Heskin and the congestion along Withington Lane, Heskin, each of which I have been involved in recently. Plans are now in place for a speed reduction along Wood Lane, whilst relieving the Withington Lane congestion will be more of a challenge. Additionally, parking along Church Lane in Charnock Richard was discussed along an initiative in conjunction with St Johns School, Preston Road, Coppull aimed at restorative justice for road users caught speeding.

Of major concern at the PACT meeting this month was the doorstep fish seller who is targeting elderly and vulnerable people in Chorley and most recently Eccleston.

http://www.lancashire.police.uk/news/appeal-as-doorstep-fish-seller-targets-the-elderly-in-chorley

I took Friday off work to distribute a leaflet, containing the Police press release, to some of the homes throughout Heskin, Charnock Richard and Coppull West that are occupied by vulnerable and elderly people. Hopefully this individual will leave or, better still, be caught and brought to justice.

Thursday was a day with no formal meetings, so a full day at work, followed by family time. I did use the evening to follow up some telephone messages and reply to e-mails, in addition to preparing for a training session I am attending on Monday as Chairman of Charnock Richard Pre-School; reading the papers for the Audit Committee meeting on Thursday and continuing with preparations for the Local Democracy Event, also on Thursday, where I will be answering questions, posed by year 5 (10 year old) pupils, on staying healthy.

Frank’s christening went well, with a superb church service and follow up in Charnock Richard Football Club. Many thanks to Father Timothy for taking the service and Margaret Stewart for arrangement, it was especially good to see family who we see all too infrequently.

The father-in-law remains quite ill in hospital, the pulmonary embolism has now been dispersed however he still has a lung infection; he doesn’t seem to be getting noticeably better, however neither does he seem to be getting any worse. Many thanks, to everyone who has sent in their best wishes.

Next week, as already mentioned, I will be involved with the audit committee and the Local Democracy Event both on Thursday, as well as the Pre-School training on Monday. On Tuesday I will be attending a meeting regarding a Heritage Lottery Bid for restoration of the Charnock Richard Old School Rooms and then Coppull Parish Council on Wednesday. Friday is a double header of Frank’s next dose of baby inoculations and a visit to the dentist for Roxanne.

Title this week is from Barenaked Ladies,
"With life just begun,
my sleeping new son
has eyes that roll back in his head
They flutter and dart,
he slows down his heart
and pictures a world past his bed"

Diversion

The signs are up and Mill Lane, at its junction with Preston Road in Charnock Richard, is to be closed on Saturday and Sunday 3 and 4 March whilst the roundabout is repaired. I consider this to be good service from Lancashire County Council, as I raised the problem only about 8 weeks ago, this is a minor disruption for residents (disrupting me more than most, as I will have a 20 mile diversion, for the half mile trip to church, for Frank’s christening on Sunday) but worthwhile in the longer term as the roundabout is hazardous, especially to cyclists.

Members Support Working Group on Monday, 27 February, discussed recent members’ development activities and suggestions for future. I consider this to be an important group with a good mix of members. For those of us who want to take advantage of it, there is an excellent focus on development of elected members at Chorley Borough Council.

I attended a presentation on Monday, 27 February, arranged by Charnock Richard Football Club First Team, to discuss a potential planning application for installation of floodlights at the football ground on Charter Lane. Four residents and three of the Parish Councillors attended with the majority of attendees being members of the Football Club Committee. The proposal presented was for four, 15metre tall posts with a light cluster of four, 2kW luminaires at their top (a total of 16 luminaires, 32kW).  Discussion following the presentation covered a number of topics, though a major issue appeared to be provision of car parking, or the willingness of people to use the parking provided. Whilst of concern to all present, this was not directly related to the proposed planning application for floodlights. Floodlights are required by the first team, if they are to progress into a higher league, however there may be considered to be an impact on the rural streetscene around Charnock Richard if floodlights were to be installed. My role, whilst remaining open minded, will be to ensure that I make residents aware when the application is submitted so that they are provided with the opportunity to make their own comment on any proposal, to Chorley Borough Council.

Full Council on Tuesday was the budget meeting where we agreed to invest extra money on policing, the environment and job creation whilst cutting the Chorley Borough Council portion of the council tax by 1%. This cut contributes to the fact that the majority of people in Chorley will see a reduction in their overall Council Tax bill in 2012/13.

Heskin Village Hall - Getting Around on my Bike

Heskin Village Hall Annual General Meeting and Committee Meeting on Wednesday was, as ever, an informal meeting. The village hall is a superb facility in a small village and hopefully will continue to be successful.

My father-in-law has been complaining of a sore arm and ribs for a few days, his GP suggested he take some Nurofen, which he did, however on Monday evening he ended up in hospital and is now being treated for a pulmonary embolism. Worrying times for all concerned as he really is quite unwell, we all wish him well in his recovery.

Chorley Borough Council Development Control and Licensing meetings next week additionally I will be at the Charnock Richard Parish Council meeting and the Police and Communities Together meeting, where I will be discussing, once again, the issue of people parking their vehicles blocking the pavement especially around schools in Heskin, Charnock Richard and Coppull West.

Chisnall planning applications this week:
12/00186/FUL Variation of condition of planning permission 10/00298/FUL plot 3, 71 Charter Lane, Charnock Richard to enable the dwelling to be constructed from a different brick type to that approved.
12/00189/FUL Erection of a two storey side extension (on piers) and erection of a single storey rear extension at 2 Yew Tree Villas, Preston Road, Charnock Richard.

As I am trying to name each post with either a song title/lyric or popular phrase which is related to the post, Diversion is a short instrumental track by Mark Ronson