Progress Is Being Made

At last, I can report that there is some progress being made to improve our local roads in St. Annes. Fylde received over £300,00 from Lancashire County Council for some pothole repairs. A list of possible locations was brought before a Lancashire Locals meeeting, and happily, some of the roads I had put forward were to be considered. The list of projects was very long, and there was not enough money to complete them all, but we have gotten a share of the roadworks proposals. During this fiscal year, Albert Road, Warwick Road, Berwick Road, Hope Street, and Park Road will have resurfacing work done. This is very good news indeed. There will also be a new pedestrian crossing on Albany Road near the health centre, which hopefully will help slow traffic in that area, and make that hotspot a little safer for everyone. Traffic calming measures are also being put in place on St. Thomas Road near the school.

I will keep working to improve our roads, get rid of those potholes, and push for resurfacing. With tight budgets, it can get a bit discouraging; but I won't give up. We have made a start, but there is a long way to go; and I will continue to make our voice heard at Lancashire County Council.

County Council

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support in the recent County Council elections. As your new County Councillor for the St. Annes South Division at Lancashire County Council, I will be your voice at County Hall. Please know that I am only a phone call or e-mail away if you have concerns or issues that need to be resolved. In the near future, I hope to begin a series of "Sidewalk Surgeries", so that you will be able to speak with me in person. I will attend as many PACT meetings as possible in Heyhouses, Central and Fairhaven Wards. I have stated many times that I believe together we can make a difference...that is still true. I look forward to working with you in the next four years, so that we can see positive changes in St. Annes that will make a difference to the quality of all of our lives.

Our Roads Are Ignored!!!

On Tuesday, I met up with Sir Robert Atkins, MEP. I took him around St. Annes to show him the terrible state of many of our roads. The one pictured is Albert Road. The potholes, loose gravel, neglected paving, and bumbs and bulges make driving and cycling on these streets a very dangerous endeavour. Pedestrians trying to cross these roads are likely to take a serious tumble. Yet, nothing gets done. The roads remain a disaster, an accident waiting to happen. I have reported each and every one that I have seen, and I will keep re-reporting them, as well as personally speaking with the Area Manager North for Highways at Lancashire County Council as many times as necessary until they are repaired properly. Funding is the excuse, but after ten years of seeing the continuing decay of certain roads, I feel it is "our turn" to get some highway funding for St. Annes' roads.

St. Annes Pool

I attended the Fylde Borough Council Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 6 May, because I was giving a report to the Cabinet on the work of the Community Outlook Scrutiny Committee. We had just completed a review of hospital acquired infections; and as you know, I am chairing a review of disabled access in Fylde. At that meeting, I was thrilled to hear the Cabinet vote to re-open St. Annes Swimming Baths. It came as an amendment to an agenda item on capitalization. Seeing the baths re-open is something I've longed to see. It is such good news for everyone. I want to express my thanks to everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes to make this good news possible. As you can see from the picture, I was lucky enough to get to share our good news with Jeremy Hunt, MP, who is the Shadow Secretary for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Before our trip to the pool, we had visited Heyhouses School and spent the morning seeing all the wonderful programmes they have which encourage fitness through sport, and also the programmes which encourage a love of the arts among the students.

Should Life Mean Life?

After all the murder trials in the news, I have been doing a lot of thinking about our criminal justice system, and its sentencing policies. I hear that someone has been given life in prison. And yet, is it really life when within the same sentence you hear that someone will have to serve a minimum of ten years, or seven years, or seventeen years? It makes me think...should life mean life? For the very worst crimes, the most violent, the premeditated, should one even consider release? The victim cannot walk free in ten years, or seven years, or seventeen years. The victim's life is gone. The victim's family will not be released from the sense of loss and pain in a set number of years either. Should our sentences be more specific? I would like to know what you think. Should a true life sentence be given for the most horrific crimes, a sentence of life without the possibility of parole

And what about other criminal activity...are we getting the sentencing right today? Is prison a deterent? Should we have tougher sentencing? Do we need "zero tolerance" within our criminal justice system? Should building more prisons be a priority? Or, is there a better way for justice to be served? I look forward to hearing what you think.

Update on Highways Disabled Access Issues

Last Wednesday, I got to meet with Jim Robson who is the area manager at Lancashire County Council for North West highways issues. He is very supportive of the work that the Disabled Access task and finish group, which I chair, is doing regarding uneven pavements, potholes, and dropped kerbs. We have presented him with a Fylde Disabled Access Highways Enhancement Strategy and Action Plan. Sadly, there is not enough money in the LCC budget for Fylde to do all that we would like, but we are working to see if we can find alternative funding streams. One of the things that we must do most urgently is to prioritise the areas of greatest need, and that is where you can help. We need to know the main roads that lack dropped kerbs and lead into the places you need to access the most, like your local shops and town centres, schools, libraries, and transport links. We also would like you to tell us about the existing dropped kerbs you feel need some basic repairs to make them function adequately once again, as well as the worst pothole hotspots you've found. You can e-mail me at: cllr.fwilson@fylde.gov.uk to let me know. We all know that we can't solve the problems overnight, but we are making a start; and that is important. So, thanks for your help. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

On Patrol

I was invited to go out with the St. Annes police last night, and I was happy to accept. It turned out to be an unusually quiet Friday night, when I was there. I did ride with the officers as they toured various areas of St. Annes, paying special attention to back streets and alleyways, as well as the known "hotspots". One highlight of the evening was getting to see a drugs sniffer dog in action. The dog was walked through various pubs, and I must mention that the staff in those establishments were all very cooperative and welcomed us in. It was also interesting to see how through their patrols, the police are able to discourage anti-social behaviour. There were a few isolated incidents which mostly required just moving people on, but our very presence in the area seemed to act as a deterrent as well. I want to thank the police officers for allowing me to ride along, and I hope to join them again in the near future.

Progress on Disabled Access Review

I recently chaired a meeting of the task and finish group, which is conducting the review of disabled access highways, public open spaces, and public buildings in Fylde. I want to thank you for your responses to our survey questions. They were very helpful in showing us your immediate concerns. Highway issues were most often quoted and these included a lack of dropped kerbs, the regeneration of existing dropped kerbs, uneven pavements, and roads with potholes and paving issues. I will be preparing an improvement strategy and action plan for your highways issues, which will be given to Lancashire County Council's highways officer, when he comes before the task and finish group at its next meeting in February. We will be asking a lot of questions and seeking solutions to the massive highways issues you have brought forward. As the task and finish group continues its work, we will be looking for solutions to the problems at Kirkham Railway Station, and issues of access to buildings and shops throughout Fylde, as well as seeking ways of helping children with disabilities enjoy our parks and open spaces. I will keep you informed of progress. And, remember, I am always eager to hear from you regarding new ideas that you may have to improve disabled access.