Minutes:
The Leader reported his attendance at the House of Lords on the 9 January 2024 by invitation of Lord Alton. He met with the Minister of State for Rail, alongside MPs Nigel Evans and Andrew Stephenson, to press for the introduction of regular weekday passenger services to and from Hellifield, which would allow Ribble Valley residents to travel to Skipton, Leeds, and Carlisle, with only one change, furthering opportunities for education, employment, and leisure. He was pleased to report that the Dalesman Service would resume in July, August, and September, adding that Lancashire would also benefit from a seven-fold increase in funding of £494 Million for local transport connections. All of the schemes would need to be signed off by Local MPs and he had requested a meeting with Nigel Evans MP and the Leader of Lancashire County Council with a view to pushing for:
· The Hellifield Connection
· Increased the services between Clitheroe and Manchester Victoria, to every 30 minutes
· More rural buses at times that people need them, and
· Improved School bus routes to cater for all of the Schools in the Borough
The Leader went onto inform the Mayor that the Council were making changes to the Council Housing Allocation to prioritise homeless families with a local connection, and also offering first-time buyer grant offers of up to £15,000 towards property renovation and energy efficiency improvements. He reported that 149 Affordable Houses had been completed in the year to July 2023 and that a report would be brought to the next Health and Housing Committee to consider what actions could be taken to bring empty properties back into use. He noted that an empty property for Council tax purposes included those empty due to ongoing renovation works, where sales were completing, where the resident had moved to a nursing home, or the property was going through probate. He had requested further work to determine the number of long-term empty homes.
The Leader also reported that car parking at Edisford had been improved by designating the car park as long stay, and the £80,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Grant for the spinning room at Roefield would contribute to improving the sustainability of the Leisure Centre. He added that the SPF had also seen investments in;
· Castle Street, working in connection with Lancashire County Council to commence work in the Spring
· Whalley Education Foundation, had been awarded £100,000
· Barrow Village Hall and Community Centre, had been awarded a total of £225,000, and
· The Pump Track in Longridge, which was being procured
The Leader reported that the Changing Places Fund would see the provision of specialist toilets to help disabled visitors in the Castle grounds and Edisford Bridge. He added that the River Ribble at Edisford Bridge may also be designated as a bathing water site, noting that the public consultation was open until 10 March 2024 and, if successful, would be designated from the 15 May to 30 September, bringing enhanced monitoring from the Environment Agency.
The Leader noted that the Ribble Valley was still in the top five healthiest places in England, and was pleased that excellent work was being recognised, including Sport England’s TaAF project. He added that the Active Villages theme was of particular importance as the Ribble Valley provided the perfect test bed for a new approach to getting people active in rural settings.
The Leader informed the Mayor that North-West Employers had received the initial 2024-25 pay claim from the trade unions requesting at least £3,000 or 10% per employee, whichever was greater. This would be dealt by the National Joint Council in the normal way for pay bargaining.
The Leader noted that the Council had responded to the Lancashire Combined Authority consultation. The response stated that the Council would like two district Council Representatives with full voting rights on the CCA Board, and that future funding rounds of UKSPF should be allocated to Districts in the same proportions as were currently received.
The Leader felt that during Ribble Valleys Golden Jubilee year, the Council could be proud of what it had delivered over the 50 years, having not only kept more money in resident’s pockets, but also delivering better services, and, featuring in the top ten in England when measuring happiness, health, prosperity, and safety. He addressed Cllr Jameson, as the new Leader of the Opposition, to continue the legacy by working together.
The Leader concluded his report by reporting that the Council were now in receipt of the official portrait of His Majesty King Charles lll, which would be placed alongside that of the late Queen and officially unveiled at the next Council meeting.