Howard Henshaw

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.

St.Annes North  residents are requested to advise me of any minor Highways Maintenance matters that they would like to see included in the 2010/2011 budget.

Examples of such expenditure are :

Mobility crossings - Upgrading of lighting stock,provision of lighting - Additional signing - “H” bar road markings at town centre crossing points - Sign cleaning - Painting and maintaining fencing - Improvements to verges - Footway repairs and resurfacing - Carriageway repairs and resurfacing. 

This afternoon, Saturday 5th.December at 4 pm. will see the official switch on of the Christmas Tree Lights in King George V Playing Fields on Heeley Road,St.Annes.

The switch -on will be performed by the President of Lytham St.Annes Lions Club who will be  providing new seating for the park in the coming months.

The Chairman of KG5, Margaret Jess and her team have worked hard to make this area the centre of community activities and deserve the full support of local residents. Please do your best to attend at 4 pm. TODAY.  

Last night I was invited to attend the first ever “Celebrate Youth Awards” event  staged at the University of Central Lancashire’s 53 Degrees Centre in Preston.

The event was organised by Lancashire County Council’s Young People’s Service and was a fitting opportunity to recognise and celebrate the varied and wonderful achievements made by young people in Lancashire.

Over 700 people attended the event which was hosted by the ever popular Rock FM DJ’s Hywel and Jamie and , in addition to various musical acts, 10 Special Awards were presented to individuals and groups from across the county, chosen by young people from the Ribble Valley, Fylde and Wyre, Lancaster and Preston.

The Conservative candidate Len Davies just managed to cling on to the seat previously held by the “father” of Fylde Council Bill Thompson, (who sadly died recently,) with a greatly reduced majority. Coun.Davies polled less than half of the votes obtained by Coun.Thompson in the 2007 Elections, narrowly beating the Ratepayers candidate, Frank Murphy by 14 votes.

The full results were:

Len Davies               Conservative                  386

Frank Murphy         Ratepayers                       372

Mike Turner             Liberal Democrat           241

Janet Sherwood        Labour                              80

Hilda Speakman        Green Party                    13

This was the first time the Liberal Democrats had contested this historically strong Tory seat for many years, and Mike Turner’s 22% share of the vote (against Lib.Dems.present national opinion polls average of 17%) bodes well for the next Borough Elections in 2011.  

In all, 22 people spoke against the scheme, four of them Liberal Democrat councillors and activists. Those raising objections focussed on concerns about flooding, (SEE PICTURE) school provision, transport issues, loss of agricultural land and the negative impact that such a large development, 1,150 homes, would have on the nature and character of the area. Queensway Defenders