Our Roads

I am happy to report that five of our worst roads for worn and potholed paving have been resurfaced. These are Albert Road, Warwick Road, Berwick Road, Hope Street and Park Road. Last year, the County Council allocated a certain extra amount of money for road repairs and many schemes came forward for Fylde. I requested many road repairs for our St. Annes trouble spots. The five streets listed above were approved, and I am so glad that they have received the make-overs they needed. Now, it is time to try and get some more of our worst roads taken care of. Sadly, there is no "extra" money put aside this year, but I will continue dialogue with the Area Manager for Highways North West; and, who knows, I might just get another road or to redone. I will keep trying, because there are so many which need immediate attention. Bad potholes, and cracked and crumbling paving are a danger to us all. Let's hope that we will see progress over the next year.

A Winner

This year, for the first time, St. Annes In Bloom held a Front Gardens Competition. Myself, as coordinator for St. Annes In Bloom, and Adam Nagy from the Fylde Borough Council Parks Department judged the competition. We awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates, with the winner of the Gold Award receiving a £50 National Gardens Voucher. This year's winner was Mr. Porter who had taken his very small front garden and turned it into a vibrant and colourful space, which was a wonderful addition to his neighbourhood. I am very grateful to everyone who took part this year, and hope that even more residents will join us next year.

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.