183 hours in A&E
Plus: Farage falsehood, devolution Q&A
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. As with last week, this issue includes a column from Luke Beardsworth which is only available to those with paid subscriptions - please do consider this to support the newsletter and enjoy exclusive content.
Before we dive into all things Lancs, let me direct you to the newly launched Substack page for The Lead. It’s already packed full of original writing and there’ll also be two newsletters per week full of features, investigations, recommendations and campaign-led content focused on immigration, housing and the far-right.
For more information on what will be on offer, examples of what has already been published and how you can get involved, head here.
Returning to Lancashire, it’s actually something from one the Lead’s articles where we start. As part of a look at the state of emergency care for mental health patients in the NHS, Katherine Hignett used FOI requests to find out how long patients had been left waiting during crises.
Of the 66 trusts to respond, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust had the 10th longest wait on record, when one patient was left waiting some 183 hours before being admitted. The trust pointed out that 90% of mental health patients within an hour of attendance but conceded there are sometimes delays.
The problem ties into a much wider issue of a lack of adequate services and provision for mental health support across the NHS, with a lack of beds and staffing problems meaning people all too often end up at the inappropriate last resort that is A&E.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) chief medical officer Gareth Thomas said the trust reviewed more than 90% of mental health patients within an hour of attendance.
“Unfortunately, sometimes there are delays when patients require an admission for inpatient care,” he added. “These reasons can include the need to treat a physical health condition in combination with a mental health condition. During this time we aim to keep our patients safe, offering care and support from a mental health team.”
Staying in the same area, separate research has found Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust has paid out more than £2m over poor care in mental health and psychiatry services.
According to figures obtained by Medical Negligence Assist, the trust paid that amount to deal with claims of mental health clinical negligence in the five year period ending April 2024. It was the fourth highest of all NHS trusts across the county.
A total of 82 claims and incidents of mental health negligence at the trust have been reported to NHS Resolution which handles negligence cases on behalf of the health service.
Ursula Martin, Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer at the trust told The Lancashire Lead that safety of colleagues, patients and visitors is taken extremely seriously and robust investigations taken into safety incidents.
She added: “Where we have do have claims which are upheld due to sub optimal care of practice, we apologise to those affected, accept responsibility and again, take action, ensuring that any learning is shared throughout the Trust accordingly.”
Moving on to a different of Lancashire’s emergency services, police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw proudly announced this week that he’d been able to claw back a portion of the pension which had been owed to a disgraced officer.
Darren Coathup used his position to gain access to vulnerable crime victims, contacting them illicitly before sending flirtatious messages and and sexual images. He had sex with one of the women before detectives from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) identified him as posing a risk to vulnerable victims.
He would go on to plead guilty to counts of being a holder of a public office who wilfully neglected to perform his duty/wilfully misconducted himself and was handed a two year jail sentence.
Now, Mr Grunshaw has enacted a pension forfeiture decision following discussions with legal experts and the Anti-Corruption Unit and as a result Coathup will lose 65% of his pension for the first five years he is eligible to receive it. The PCC said:
"This decision sends a clear message that any form of misconduct, especially those that exploit the vulnerable, will not be tolerated within Lancashire. Pension forfeiture is a significant step and shows how those who are entrusted with the duty to serve and protect are held to the highest standards of integrity and accountability and where they fall short of these standards, will be tackled with every tool we have."
Ahead of the Reform UK conference which took place in recent days, Nigel Farage made an appearance on BBC Lancashire during which he was challenged by host Graham Liver on his attitude to immigrant communities.
Farage, who has faced strong criticism over his inflammatory comments in the wake of the Southport stabbings, insisted his issues were with “culture, not colour”. He continued:
“Well, come on, you and I both know there are parts of Burnley, parts of Blackburn, we could go to where we walk down a street [and] we wouldn’t hear English spoken, and we’d say ‘what on earth’s happened here’.”
When questioned pushed on this, he replied, “Well it’s called England” and when it was put to him that the people in question would describe themselves as English, he continued:
“Well if they do that’s fantastic, but the worry is that an increasing number of young men, in particular, from those communities are adopting a set of values that are very, very un-English indeed.
“You know, we were told that as long as we managed immigration on a level that gave us integration in society, there wouldn’t be a problem, and that’s true. But that certainly has failed in some of those Lancashire towns.”
Farage also had to be corrected by a different Lancashire figure this week - Chorley MP and Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle. Hoyle was forced to respond after the Clacton MP claimed it was on his security advice that he had not held any surgeries in his constituency since being elected.
But both the Parliamentary security team and the Speaker himself said no such advice had been given. Hoyle said:
"As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents - and whenever a Member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department - and do so safely."
This week’s Blackpool Lead focused on two very important subjects. First up, Michael Holmes brought news of the number of medics at Blackpool Victoria Hospital being accused of sex attacks over the last year.
Eight cases of staff-on-patient “sexual safety incidents” were noted at the Whinney Heys Road hospital in 2023/24, up from “fewer than five” the year before. You can read more here.
Gillian Oliver from the charity told The Blackpool Lead:
"We felt there's a misconception about who is within the Metropole. We kept hearing it's just people from Afghanistan, Iraq, but when you walk by and see young children in the windows there's so many families who are in there and it is intimidating for them.
"You come into a new country and you're often coming here in distress. We thought there needed to be something done for people so they can get out beyond the hotel and experience Blackpool.
"So we have been working with the hotel, and the council, and other agencies to put on some trips.
"We aren't going far but the delight we see from people who are stunned at what there is in Blackpool when all they may have seen is the inside of a hotel room and a hotel lobby for weeks."
You can read the full article here. Also published on the site this week are an update on the long-delayed Sands Hotel development, news of a planned exhibition showcasing the voices of young people in Blackpool and beyond experiencing poverty and homelessness, and a family’s tribute to a man who died after being attacked in his own home.
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💻 Schools across the Fylde Coast have been hit badly by a cyber attack (Blackpool Gazette).
❌ An appeal to have the sentence of murderous childminder Karen Foster extended has failed (Lancashire Telegraph).
🚓 Two men have been arrested after an 85-year-old cyclist died following a collision in Morecambe (Beyond Radio).
🌊 A flood scheme in Burnley will go ahead after it secured additional funding and planning permission (Ground Engineering).
🛑 A teacher who kissed a student on an unauthorised camping trip has been banned from the profession (BBC).
As Ed mentioned in an extra edition of this newsletter on Thursday, the reaction to Lancashire’s Devolution deal being pushed through by the Labour government has been somewhat muted.
It’s fair to say there’s been little in the way of ringing endorsements other than by those central to the agreement, while those who wanted the deal to be revisited have largely kept quiet so far.
Over in Burnley though, the council’s leader and opposition leader have been scathing about the announcement. Independent councillor Afrasiab Anwar, who heads the authority, slammed the lack of consultation with district leaders. He told the Burnley Express:
“It is alarming that the Minister for Local Government and the three upper-tier authorities in Lancashire have decided to move forward with a non-mayoral county combined authority behind closed doors, without consulting their fellow Labour district leaders. This action undermines the core principles of local democracy and transparency.
“What was the point of inviting expressions of interest by the end of September if the existing deal was to be ratified regardless? Labelling this as a ‘transitional’ arrangement is merely a facade, wasting millions of taxpayers’ money at a time when pensioners and hardworking families are struggling with daily essentials.
“I did not expect this, even from this Government, especially after we were invited to submit Expressions of Interest. Announcing this before the submission deadline is a betrayal. To say this is disappointing is an understatement.
Meanwhile the council’s Labour leader Cllr Mark Townsend was equally unimpressed, accusing Lancashire leaders of missing an opportunity due to being “consumed by self interest and turf wars”. He said:
“It is unacceptable Burnley has no seat at the table in these new arrangements with residents now relying on councillors elected in Preston, Blackburn and Blackpool to make the big decisions for the town.
“The one crumb of comfort in this shambles is that the Government wants to see further proposals from Lancashire in 2025 that would enable it to devolve more power and resources to the county.”
You can read the full article here.
Local democracy reporter Paul Faulkner continues to be the oracle on all things devolution (and a fair few other subjects too). He’s prepared a very helpful Q&A to answer some of the key issues and misunderstandings people have about the subject.
I’ve included a small section below, but click here for the full version which includes more information on the mayor issue and how that could play out in future.
What is devolution?
Devolution is the transfer of powers and responsibilities, historically held by central government, to local areas of England or entire nations like Scotland and Wales – giving the people and politicians in those places more control over the decisions that affect them.
Has Lancashire been missing out by not having devolution?
It looks like it. An independent report last year estimated that the county’s economy was £1bn a year worse off for not yet having a deal.
Whatever their opinion on how devolution for Lancashire should look, most local politicians agree the county has been at a disadvantage without it.
Not only do devolved areas get more control over their own destiny and receive government funding that would otherwise be spent by Whitehall, they are also increasingly getting preferential access to other pots of funding – especially when it comes to transport.
What will Lancashire get out of devolution?
The county has been given a ‘level 2’ deal – the mid-range of three types of devolution agreement on offer. With it comes:
***Control over the adult education budget for the county and new powers to better shape local skills provision to ensure that it meets the needs of the local economy.
***Up to £20 million capital funding to support “innovation-led growth”, including by maximising the benefits of the forthcoming arrival of the National Cyber Force headquarters in Samlesbury and the push towards a net-zero carbon economy.
***Compulsory purchase powers to acquire land that will be used to help drive the regeneration of the area and build more affordable homes.
***New powers to improve and better integrate local transport – including the ability to control bus services via franchising, subject to separate approval from the government (although since the Lancashire deal was announced, the new government has promised bus franchising powers to any area that wants them). Lancashire would also have to draw up an area-wide local transport plan.
***Potential for closer partnership working with government bodies to strengthen the local visitor and tourist economy.
How will devolution work?
A new combined county authority (CCA) will be established early in the new year to oversee Lancashire’s newly-devolved powers and the funding that goes with them. Its membership will be made up of representatives of the three upper-tier authorities that did the deal with the government – Lancashire County Council and Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils.
The county council will hold two votes and Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen one each.
Two representatives from Lancashire’s 12 district authorities will sit on the CCA as ‘non-constituent’ members – meaning they won’t have a vote. Figures from the business and the academic world will also likely get a place at the table to provide input and advice from their sectors.
The three constituent council members will have to come to unanimous decisions on key matters like the CCA’s budget and approval of its policy framework. Other issues can be decided by a simple majority.
Does devolution mean my council tax bill will go up?
No. Unlike the mayoral combined authorities in places like Greater Manchester, Lancashire’s new combined county authority will not have the power to raise revenue by adding a charge to council tax bills. Although it will receive £1m from the government spread over the first three years of its operation, the CCA’s ongoing costs will be met by its three constituent local authority members.
Is my local council going to be abolished?
No. Lancashire County Council, the standalone authorities of Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council and the district councils covering Preston, Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Fylde, Wyre, Lancaster, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Hyndbuirn, Rossendale and Pendle will all remain in place. They will continue to deliver exactly the same services as they do now.
However, there is concern amongst some district leaders that if Lancashire does eventually get a mayor, the government will insist on radical reduction in the number of councils in the county – most likely by scrapping all 15 of them and putting three new ‘unitary’ authorities in their place, covering Central Lancashire, the Fylde coast and North Lancashire, and East Lancashire.
A very quick ‘Lancashire recommends’ section this week which you could be forgiven for interpreting as me just mentioning as nice day out I’ve had - because that’s true really.
On Saturday, I took my two boys to Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park for the first time - if you like animals, play areas and big portions of homemade ice cream then you really can’t go wrong here.
Devolution deal is progress but the public needs to be engaged
By Luke Beardsworth
£1bn every year.
That’s the hit that Lancashire’s economy has taken every year as a result of not having a devolution deal, per an independent report.
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