VIEWPOINT - CLLR MILES PARKINSON - MARCH 2018

We are in the process of setting the 2018/19 budget which has highlighted again the need for the Council to maintain a strong financial base with a regular income flow. In 2010 the Council’s budget was £15.5m. For 2018/19 that figure has fallen to approximately £11.1m – a 28% reduction in the money available to the Council. The Government plans to withdraw all remaining funding it pays to Hyndburn Council by 2020/21 – this will be a further reduction of approximately £2m. For this reason the Council needs to increase and maximise Council Tax and Business Rates in order to maintain services.

This new system of Local Government finance puts more emphasis on the Council’s growth plans and is designed to encourage local Council’s to encourage and benefit from economic growth. For this reason the Council is prioritising a number of growth projects.

The Eurogarages’ development at Frontier Park, Junction 6 on the M65, near Whitebirk Retail Park, is a major boost for the economy and making really good progress with the prospect of creating up to 2,000 new jobs in manufacturing, storage and distribution uses as well as jobs in the leisure industry in the proposed 150-bed hotel and conference and banqueting facility that secured planning approval last week.

It’s more good news in Great Harwood where Keepmoat Homes are making very good progress in building 217 new homes at Lyndon Park on the former Lyndon Playing fields. With demand for the houses high the first new homes will be ready by this summer providing a major boost for the town. The project also secured an important new community space at nearby Heymoor Farm, including new football pitches and facilities for Great Harwood Rovers as well as securing the site for the long term future of Great Harwood’s Agricultural Show.

It was also good news that the Cabinet was able to support the proposed sale of the key Accrington gateway site along Hyndburn Road to a private developer for commercial use.

The new Accrington Town Square is really taking shape and on track to be completed in July of this year. Over the coming months we will see the installation of new street furniture and sculptures that have been designed to celebrate our Borough’s heritage and commemorate the Accrington Pals. We’ll also be putting an architectural lighting system in place to light up the Town Hall and Market at night time, and provide a backdrop for events and special occasions in the new square. This will be a major boost for the town centre and with the potential to increase visitors and footfall and we hope it will encourage new business to the Town.

A further major step in supporting the Borough’s growth was last week’s Cabinet decision to approve the work on reviewing the Council’s local plan which will look at suitable sites to support our growth plans. The growth options consider a range of new housing ranging from 1,200 to 6,240 new homes up to 2033. One of the spatial options will be to explore the amount of new housing and employment that can be supported in the Huncoat Housing Zone, our next major growth project.