RISHTON ISSUES - 19th APRIL 2011

Clare Cleary has been canvassing lower Rishton with the Labour team and several complaints have been raised regarding the state of the footpaths on Barnmeadow Crescent. This has been a long-running debate with Lancashire County Council and a request has been made for councillors to look at the case again as the pavements have deteriorated in some parts but the council will not repair them and residents are not allowed to make their own improvements.

This image from LCC shows in red which stretches of highway are considered to be adopted and therefore under the remit of the county council's maintenance scheme.  As can be seen from this diagram, a large part of pavement to the right is unadopted and currently in poor condition.  A request has been sent to County Cllr Miles Parkinson to look into this case and suggestions have been put forward by the Rishton councillors that the unadopted sections are offered to the residents for a nominal fee to provide a quick solution.

Cllrs Harry Grayson and Ken Moss have been holding monthly meetings with Hyndburn Borough Council's Chief Executive, David Welsby, regarding the Spring Street derelicts.  Despite publications from the Conservative party stating that Cllr Horne has succeeded in getting the block demolished, this is some way from the reality of the situation and negotiations between owners have seemingly reached a stalemate.  At the meeting on 19th April, Cllr Ken Moss issued the instruction for HBC to begin a prosecution and attempt a more formal resolution as it was agreed that informal discussions are not making any progress.

Residents on Talbot Street and Burton Street have complained about the amount of litter in the area and the lack of a waste bin by the corner shop.  A small bin is mounted on a lamp post on Talbot Street but it is currently right by a resident's front door and is causing unpleasant smells in the house, particularly during warmer weather. In order to solve both problems a request has been made for HBC to install a bin by the corner shop similar to the one on Spring Street and bolt it to the pavement to prevent vandalism.