Graham Jones

An intelligent article.

Great to see the development of the bottom end of Church Kirk. A regenerated St James church is a vital part of the improvement of the area.

St Paul’s Scouts annual fun day.
PLEASE SHARE .. (it is actually the best fair of the year)
This Saturday is our 6th annual scouts free family funday we couldn’t do it without our brilliant sponsors @Ossymill @TownfieldCare @MurrayDawsonSDA & new for this year & hopefully many more @PropertyShopPM thank you all for your support #scouts

Lancashire County Council Cuts Winter Gritting
Lancashire County Council have planned risky cuts to winter gritting, by lowering the road surface temperature at which they will intervene from +1.0C to +0.5C. It is predicted that this will reduce gritting treatm
Lancashire County Council Cuts Winter Gritting
... Yet again, Lancashire County Council have cut vital services further to the bone. This time they have planned to make cuts to this year’s winter gritting. The Conservative council have proposed to lower the road surface temperature at which they will intervene and grit our roads, lowering it from +1.0C to +0.5C.
The move is predicted to reduce the number of gritting treatments by a huge 894 across Lancashire. They hope to save £110,000 per year by reducing the number of network gritting treatments during the winter period to primary and secondary routes. There is also a risk of lack of action by the council, as inaccurate forecasting is a possibility and therefore the potential for road hazards forming.
Cllr Erica Lewis, Labour Highways and Transport, said: "After what has been described as one of the worst winter on record, the Conservative administration’s response is to cut winter gritting. The gritting service is vital, for hospitals, schools, support getting to vulnerable people at home and Lancashire people getting to work."
She added: "This is a disaster waiting to happen. People in Lancashire are being asked to pay a heavy price in more than money to prop up this chaotic Conservative Council, who underspent on the Highways Budget by £5 million last year."
We’ve already faced greater road risk due to shocking pothole repairs and cuts to street lighting, and now comes the news of cuts to winter gritting. Public safety should be the number one priority, rather than making savings. ents by 894 across Lancashire. A disaster waiting to happen.
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👍 Big thanks to Church Kirk residents & County Councillor for Church Loraine Cox (with husband!) for the clean up of rubbish around the church.
Sad to see it a mess. A scandal that a Commonwealth War Grave is overgrown. These people gave their lives for our country. 🇬🇧
Gary Britland

Great Harwood Charter Fair. Well done to Peter and all the organisers. Noordad Aziz-Cllr Gareth Molineux Great Harwood

Update: Liberal Club (St Oswald's House), Oswaldtwistle.
I recently enquired as to the state of this building. I'm informed the Council have just passed a planning application for its redevelopment.
I am disappointed that not all the front elevation is being protected.
... The Heritage Statement says,
"As part of proactive discussions, Council officers have discussed with the applicant potential mitigation, which includes retaining part of the ground floor façade of Oswald House and integrating this into the development and also creating a conservation edge to the Rhyddings Street boundary of the future development site. This has informed the proposals assessed in this report."
"Removal of structures including former Liberal Club (Oswald House) and its modern annex building. The stonework to the frontage shown in red on the photo below will be stored securely on-site for reuse and integration within the forthcoming site regeneration and its landscaped setting. This will be set in a position to be agreed with the planners in due course."
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Lancashire County Council Potholes Response Collapses
We’ve all experienced the shocking state of Lancashire’s roads. Therefore it is no surprise that figures show Lancashire County Conservative Council’s response times for fixing potholes has collapsed.
Just 66% of potholes have been fixed within 20 working days (2017/18), whilst under the previous Labour administration, this figure was 97% (2016/17). Within only a year, the response has fallen by a third.
... I share the frustrations of residents. I’ve had many people get in touch about the poor state of our roads, with some facing huge car repairs costs due to the damage caused by potholes.
County Councillor Erica Lewis, Shadow Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: "The standard excuse from the current administration is to blame winter, but winter comes every year, and the rate of repairs fell again in April to 56%. Excuses are not good enough, especially when they increased council tax by 6% this year and the Conservative’s voted against the £5 million extra funding proposed by Labour specifically to provide permanent pothole repairs."
She added: “The comparison based on their figures between Labour’s 97% and the Conservatives 66% of fixing potholes in 20 working days speaks for itself. When you also consider that Labour repaired 21,601 more potholes then the Conservative excuses really are pathetic."
The county council must take responsibility for these shocking figures and take action to resolve this serious issue.
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Well done to Finch Bakery, Great Harwood on their feature in last months Lancashire Life magazine. Finch Bakery

Rossendale Free Press Hyndburn MP Graham Jones was right to say: “People discuss these issues and it is right to do so. “I think very few people would discuss this in the ...

Drugs? Vile people in a vile world.
The Channel 4 series highlights what the real drug world looks like. Murder, dismemberment, misery, frightening levels of violence.
As long as I have been the MP I’ve been involved in tackling the drugs trade locally, working with the police and residents.
... Anyone can come to me with any information and it will be treated with the strictest of confidence.
Currently we have record levels of local cocaine use - a point I re-emphasised to senior local police commanders this month.
The coroners office have reported the highest level of drug (cocaine) fatalities due in part to higher purity levels. We are seeing more OCG violence in Hyndburn too. An indication of the ease with which the drug can be sold in our pubs and streets.
The clueless idiots involved in drugs don’t realise what they are involved in.
Episode one reveals that Acapulco in just 10 years has gone from one of the worlds most popular beach resorts to a town full of empty hotels as the barbaric carnage of the 20 gang turf wars fills the streets. The cartels violence is so they can supply the streets of the USA and Europe.
Involved in drugs then you are sponsoring each and every death.
Know a drug dealer? Then let’s shop him/her. Email in confidence graham.jones.mp@parliament.uk
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Cross Party letter to transport bosses over rail chaos

Resident only car parking - I have written to LCC to ask why these are being stopped.

Haslingden Recycling Centre 👍
At the traffic lights 🚦 coming from Winfields, turn left up the hill and follow the road round.

Baxenden, St John's Primary school theft - I do not see why children and parents should lose out.
I continue to press for justice. LCC response to my letter on the recovery of the money.

St Oswald’s House. An eyesore. Does anyone know anything about this building?

Also visited today Oswaldtwistle Churches Together foodbank.
11 churches and numerous church volunteers come together on a Monday between 1-4pm to provide food parcels to those needy that turn up.
Talked about why and what sort of people were relying on food banks. Long term unemployed, people with drug and alcohol problems, people messed about with by the DWP and left without money, those sanctioned (unfairly or unfairly), this who’ve lost employment and can’t make payments... for things, those who are in work which is casualised, part-time, intermittent and can’t make ends meet.
Discussed the generous donors of food and the various collection points. What other services are provided.
These volunteers do a great job and no matter what our own judgments are, it is right that we help people.
Well done to all Involved.
https://www.neighbourly.com/project/5a5c9 1c8c7ac8e0e0083530f
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