Howard Henshaw

Yesterday , I voted to reject the Canatxx Gas Storage plans, as a member of the Development Control Committee of Lancashire County Council. This is the third time such plans have been rejected over the last ten years on the grounds of public safety and their detrimental impact on the local environment.

I spoke against the planning application at the meeting, stating that my main concerns were the company’s specific failure to provide the necessary information on  geology and migrating gas coupled with an inadequate risk assessment of their plans.

The application was rejected by 13 votes to one, with only Conservative County Councillor Michael Devaney voting in favour.

A review is presently underway to determine whether several tips across the county can be amalgamated as part of a cost cutting exercise and the fate of the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Everest Road in St.Annes  appears to be in the balance. This is depite the fact that it has one of the highest recycling and satisfaction rates in the county (70% and 86% respectively). The closure of St.Annes Tip would inevitably lead to more fly tipping in the area and a plummeting of recycling rates. Many people from St.Annes  and the South Shore and Marton districts of Blackpool, who presently use this tip, would be seriously inconvenienced and would have to endure long and unnecessary car journeys to dispose of their rubbish.  

All the Liberal Democrat councillors on Fylde and Lancashire County Council  would be opposed to such plans and will be fighting to maintain all essential public services for the benefit of local ratepayers. 

On a day when most major sports events were cancelled because of the arctic conditions, I (number 603) tackled the county cross country championships at Witton Park, Blackburn where I managed to win the Bronze Medal in the Veteran Mens - over 65 age group category. As I regularly run along St.Annes beach with my pet alsation,Suki, I found running in the snow and ice at Witton Park relatively easy and completed the hilly 10KM.course in 66 mins. 33 secs. I managed to pull away from my clubmate, Norman Greenwood on the last lap although Norman was compensated by winning the gold medal for the over 70 years category. I was particularly pleased to win another county medal as it is now six decades since I won my first Lancashire Athletics medal at Stretford in 1958 as the lead off man in Blackpool and Fylde Athletic Club’s Junior Sprint Relay Squad. 

Blackpool Transport Services Limited have announced several bus service changes to take effect next month.

The three services which directly effect Lytham St.Annes are as follows:

Line 2   Monday to Saturday. Some early morning journeys will be withdrawn prior to 08.00 leaving at least half hour frequency. No bus services on this line on Sundays.

Line 11  Monday to Saturday. Some early morning journeys will be withdrawn.  Service to be every 30 mins. 06.00 - 07.oo.     Monday to Saturday after 1900 service will be reduced to half hourly from St.Annes and hourly from Lytham.      Sunday -Some early morning journeys will be withdrawn and service reduced to half hourly after 1800 - Cleveleys to Lytham.

Line 14   Monday to Saturday -  Some early morning journeys will be withdrawn. Service every 30 mins. after 18.00 Fleetwood to Blackpool only. Sunday - Some early morning/late night journeys to be withdrawn. Service every 30 mins. - All day - Fleetwood to Blackpool only. 

Karen and I celebrated the New Year at St.Annes Old Links Golf Club with many old friends from my schooldays including Blackpool F.C’s Jim Armfield who  has just been awarded a CBE; Ron Firth,Tony Knott and the club captain,Bruce Turner.

This morning I travelled up to Lancaster with my running colleague Norman Greenwood to tackle their New Years Day 5 mile Road Race along the northern banks of the River Lune. Full marks to race organiser Billy Gardner,for clearing the paths of black ice and thus allowing the race to go ahead on a day when many sports fixtures in the county had been cancelled.

I was quite pleased to finish the race in 48 mins. 11 secs. although I couldn’t catch Norman who appeared to revel in the icy conditions. We were both rewarded with bright red New Year “T” shirts before embarking on a “bottleneck” journey back to Fylde on the M6.

In a concerted effort to run off the excess weight gained over the festive season, I entered two Road Races within the space of 8 days.

Last Sunday, I competed in the Ribble Valley 10KM. Road Race which started and finished at the Edisford Bridge in Clitheroe.

The organisers,Blackburn Harriers, had done a brilliant job in clearing the country roads between Mitton and Clitheroe as a result of which over 1000 runners completed the race without mishap, despite the sports centre car park resembling an Ice Rink.

The Mens Race was won by Bolton’s International 4 minute miler, Tom Lancashire, in 29 mins. 20 secs. whilst the winner of the Womens Race, as expected, was Preston’s Olympic runner, the aptly named Helen Clitherow.

I struggled round in 55 mins. 20 secs. suffering from a pulled hamstring in my right leg, sustained on a training run on the Wednesday before the race.

The previous weekend, I ran along side my 10 year old great neice, Katherine Johnston, in Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Athletic Club’s Christmas Handicap which consisted of one lap of Stanley Park and two laps of the running track, appropriately dressed up in a Santa outfit. Unfortunately, I was outsprinted by Katherine, in the finishing straight of the 2 1/2 mile race and had to endure the indignity, as club president, of finishing in last position for the first time since I started running competitively over fifty years ago.   

I have recently received the following message from Vince Cable MP, Liberal Democrats Shadow Chancellor

Dear Howard,

As a result of the government’s Pre-Budget Report, bankers will be breathing a sigh of relief. They are faced with a one-off tax that they can easily avoid - whilst many other people will be facing a permanent tax increase.

Alistair Darling had the chance to clamp down on bankers and set out how he intends to guide the country out of the recession. Instead, all he set out was a weak party manifesto full of gimmicks and empty gestures.

Never before has the British Government run up a deficit like this. We need a sensible and coherent plan for dealing with it, yet the Chancellor ducked the hard choices on spending and cuts. Instead of making the tax system fairer, people on middle incomes will be paying more tax while those at the top enjoy their loopholes. The hidden costs of this budget will be borne by low paid workers who face a cut in real wages because of the 1% pay rise - which is lower than inflation.

In a time of tough demands on government spending it is important we protect frontline public services and the people who work in them. This means there will have to be discipline over pay. That is why I have suggested that there should be a maximum pay rise of £400 a year throughout the public sector. That would mean that workers at the lower end of the payscale would see a real increase but not those at the top.

The Tories would freeze the salaries of millions of teachers, police officers, nurses and firemen whilst cutting taxes for millionaires. But our proposals would ensure pay rises for key frontline services that are fair and economically realistic. Many public sector workers will also benefit from our £700 income tax cut for people on low and middle incomes.

Our proposals would limit the growth of the public sector pay bill whilst ensuring fairness for teachers, nurses, police officers and other public sector workers. They will save taxpayers about £4bn. a year while reducing pressure on front line services and protecting jobs.

WE REMAIN THE ONLY PARTY THAT IS PLACING FAIRNESS AT THE HEART OF ALL IT’S PROPOSALS TO REPAIR THE ECONOMY.

Best wishes and many thanks for your support.

Vince Cable MP

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor

ps. You can learn more about our plans for the economy on www.libdems.org.uk:Fairer taxes, Public -sector pay,Jobs

On Wednesday, I attended a meeting of the Lancashire County Development Control Committee. The only controversial application in the Fylde area was the recommended extension for the continuation of landfilling on the Freckleton site until 31st.December 2015.

However it was mentioned in the order papers that concerns had been received that waste is dropping off the back of unsheeted wagons and onto the public highway.

In view of these revelations  and the fact that low level radioactive waste is to be accepted at the site - I expressed my deep concerns of these reports .

Accordingly I moved deferment of this application to enable the council’s officers to carry out a full investigation and obtain a strong resolution from the applicants to address these important issues.

My deferment was approved by 9 votes to 5. 

On Saturday evening, Karen and I attended the St.Annes Old Links Golf Club Annual Christmas Party along with about eighty other guests.

The next morning I tavelled over to the Longridge Community Centre to compete in the Village’s 7 Mile Road Race which climbs up the notorious Jeffrey Hill, round the back of Longridge Golf Club. I finished the race in a time of 65 mins. 32 secs. and was rewarded with a seasonal Asda Christmas Pudding for my efforts.

In the afternoon we attended the Arnold School Carol Service in the school hall where I was sitting just behind my old school dinner prefect, Jimmy Armfield, the Ex.England football captain who read one of the lessons in his capacity as Vice Chairman of the Governors.

Altogether, a very pleasant weekend.

Yesterday, in my capacity as a member of the Board of Lancashire County Developments Limited, I attended the Company’s AGM followed by a Meeting of the Board.

During the course of the meeting, several interesting investment proposals were sanctioned and various business development initiatives approved to assist small businesses survive and prosper during the present recession.

One particularly interesting item was a Rural/Evironmental scheme to promote a MicroFinance Pilot Extension where I was able to draw on my previous positive experience of such schemes in several  developing countries where I worked in Africa and the Far East.