Cruel death of woman failed by mum and professionals
Pool closure moves closer and travellers win 15 year battle
Hello and welcome to Edition 62 of The Lancashire Lead. In a day in which strong winds and rain have battered so much of the region, we’ve seen events cancelled, travel disrupted and a lot of plans ruined.
Hopefully you’ve managed to avoid being too badly affected by it - or were even lucky enough to enjoy some afternoon sun - and can now enjoy a cosy evening in so why not spend 10 minutes of it reading about all things Lancashire?
But before that we get to the main newsletter let me point you towards the new look Blackpool Lead which has made the move to Substack.
The first edition on this platform took a look at the life of a disabled pensioner fears she will die before she gets to enjoy the sea view from her Promenade home - because of large blue hoardings that have been there for a decade.
Speaking to Michael Holmes, retired hotelier Doreen Jackson, 86, explained she has to live on the ground floor since having her leg amputated and has been told the solid wooden fencing opposite her flat will be there for at least another four years, despite the council car park-cum-compound it surrounds currently sitting empty.
You can read the full story here.
Debbie, who had Down’s Syndrome, was aged just 24 when her life was cut short in unfathomably cruel and painful circumstances as she starved to death while covered in extensive scabies skin infection.
Such was the extent of her neglect, when emergency service workers found her in her Blackpool bedroom, they described her as being as not being immediately "recognisable as a woman", with her face crusted as she lay in room which was strewn with dried faeces and maggots.
Debbie’s inquest took place this week, covered by reporters including the BBC’s Phil Cunliffe and LancsLive’s Rachel Smith. Along with a series of difficult to read details, Phil’s report notes that Clarke was invited to take part in the inquest but refused to do so.
And in Rachel’s summary of the final day of the hearing, the spotlight is shone on "notable failings" by professionals in the lead up to Debbie’s death. This included a lack of curiosity from her GP about her weight loss and sudden incontinence and the failures of other professionals to ask why she didn’t leave her house or bedroom.
Per Rachel’s report, senior coroner Alan Wilson recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing, explaining:
"Deborah and her siblings had care and support needs and a range of professionals and carers would attend the home. Unbeknown to them, the standard of care provided by Deborah's mother was at times inappropriate and she would take care to mask how she was treating Deborah.
"At other times she used disguised compliance to convince professionals that she was doing what she could to safeguard Deborah when it wasn't the case.
"Many people who have Down Syndrome go on to have a joyful and productive life but whether this is how things pan out is largely down to the family and environment in which they live. In Deborah's case it is evident her life was far from joyful and productive.
"This is a particularly sad and tragic case and it appears no-one comes away with any credit. However there is no doubt the person responsible for Deborah's death is her mother, Elaine Clarke."
In Wednesday’s edition, I discussed the planned protests which were due to take place outside West Lancs’ full council meeting where councillors were to be asked to launch a consultation on closing swimming pools in Ormskirk and Skelmersdale to free up funding towards replacement facilities.
Despite heavy rain making for deeply unpleasant conditions, a large crowd estimated to be in excess of 200 turned out to make their voices heard. Anger had been sparked by the proposed closures after years of reassurance that this would only ever happen once new facilities were completed - with council leaders saying rising costs now make this unviable and raising the risk of not being able to present a balanced budget next year.
Among the protesters who attended, one told Local Democracy Reporter Robbie MacDonald:
“I live near Appley Bridge and East Quarry, where three young people have died jumping into the water there. I was there when Miracle Godson died. I cannot understand why the council would want to close swimming pools when swimming is such an essential skills for kids. This shouldn’t be happening in this day and age. Kids need to learn to swim and also lean how to save lives. Swimming pools are where you learn these important skills.”
Others pointed to the need for affordable facilities as an alternative to privately owned ones, especially during a cost of living crisis. Inside the chamber, a heated meeting saw the Labour administration take heavy criticism, while attempting to justify its decision and apportion blame for the factors behind it.
Cllr Carl Coughlin, who has been active in promoting the use of the pools among young people, said:
“I understand the public are concerned about losing community facilities. However, this is about taking action to get modern facilities rather than propping-up existing ones. There has also been a decline in adult swimming numbers in the past decade. Without taking action, we will be unable to address the funding issues which will then make it impossible to get the modern facilities people want.
“The original plan was to have a seamless change between old and new facilities. But factors are diverse and an extra £13million is now needed. We hope you will support these recommendations to move forward. We will hear talk tonight from Conservatives and Our West Lancashire councillors, condemning this new proposal. But it represents nothing but political shame.”
Ultimately, the vote in favour of the consultation narrowly passed by 23-22 despite three Labour councillors defying the whip to vote against it. The consultation will go ahead but don’t expect to see any the opposition reduce.
As if efforts to cut budgets at West Lancs weren’t proving difficult enough, a campaign has also been launched against proposals to cut the budgets of the much appreciated Park and Countryside Ranger Service. More than 600 people have so far signed the online petition and were also among those present at Wednesday’s meeting.
A report prepared for councillors was light on detail but indicated a proposed review of the ranger service could result in savings of £140,000 in each of the next two financial years. My reading of the proposals in that document show that staff can expected to be impacted too - suggested savings include £170k by reducing agency staff use, £4k by cutting overtime budgets, and £8k by removing water coolers.
West Lancashire Borough Council was approached for comment but did not respond before publication.
In Chorley, a 15 year saga was finally resolved this week as planning permission was granted for a site used by a traveller community on a permanent basis.
Paul Faulkner reports from a planning committee meeting which heard that land on Hut Lane Lane in Heath Charnock had been occupied by the community since 2009, with much of that time spent battling over the validity of the use. Paul writes:
The Linfoot family say it is “better than winning the lottery” to have been told they can finally call the site their forever home.
Chorley Council’s planning committee has granted permanent permission for use of the plot as a residential gypsy and traveller facility after acknowledging the authority had failed to provide suitable accommodation elsewhere.
The decision brings to an end an at times bitter wrangle between the family, the council and some of the Linfoot’s neighbours over the future of the secluded site, close to the M61.
After caravans first arrived at the location in June 2009, the borough authority attempted to use its planning powers over several years to end the unauthorised occupation of the land.
However, in 2013, the council approved the first of a series of temporary permissions – with others following in 2015, 2018 and 2021 – each of which allowed the travellers to stay put for around three years.
At the same time, the authority was exploring the possibility of creating a permanent gypsy and traveller site as part of a wider housing and commercial development at Cowling Farm. But that scheme never materialised – amid rising costs and logistical complications – and a report presented to the planning committee this week revealed there was no “credible prospect” of it doing so.
Principal planning officer Iain Crossland said the “settled” status of the traveller community on the site and the lack of any alternative accommodation for them amounted to the “very special circumstances” needed to justify the harm to the greenbelt caused by the development.
Patty Linfoot told the committee that her family had spent 15 years trying to secure “a safe place to live” for members including her elderly parents and her now adult children – as well as for future generations.
“Contrary to belief, we are council taxpayers and have been since day one. This is the opportunity for Chorley to recognise – finally – that gypsies are part of the community. We just want a normal life for our family and somewhere decent to live,” Mrs. Linfoot said.
🚨 An 82-year-old woman has died in hospital two months after being injured in a crash on the M6 (Beyond Radio).
💌 An HMP Kirkham prison officer who received love letters from a prisoner was jailed for four months (Liverpool Echo).
💃 Tributes have been paid to a former county councillor and dance school leader who spent decades teaching hundreds and organising shows (Lancaster Guardian).
❗ An undertaker who posed next with naked corpses and encouraged another man to have sex with one of them has been highlighted at an inquiry into better protecting the dignity of the dead (Lancashire Post).
🌟 Morecambe Bay Oysters have been awarded “one of the most highly-sought-after accreditation in the food industry” (Blackpool Gazette).
🏡 A new housing scheme for Poulton will see 300 homes built in 2025 after planners gave the full scheme the green light (LancsLive).
🦜 Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle has spoken about his unusual habit of naming his pets after famous politicians (LancsLive).
One of the major selling points to Morecambe of having its own Eden Project site is the effect on the wider economy. With an estimated 750,000 visitors each year, the attraction is to provide an influx of customers at hotels, bars, restaurants and shops which have endured as difficult a time as anyone else based in a British seaside resort.
That impact - or its potential - can already be seen in the resort and it's affecting the decision making of business people in the town. Beyond Radio’s Greg Lambert reports on the planned sale of a town centre pub which had been delayed until Eden develops further.
Phil Simpson, director of Lancaster Brewery, listed the Palatine earlier this year but has now lined up new landlords to take over in the interim. He told Greg:
"After a few months of marketing the Palatine for a freehold sale and quite a few viewings, we realised that until the Eden Project is fully sorted and confirmed we wouldn’t be able to sell the venue for anything like the price it’s worth.
"I do get the feeling that the entire economic future of Morecambe is currently riding on the confirmation of one solitary project!”
You can read the full story here.
Finally, there’s a bumper list of What’s On stories from the past week to sink your teeth into:
Loungers to open new restaurant Trevino Lounge in Lytham town centre
Two Lancashire fish and chip shops named among best in the UK
Coyote Ugly Saloon bar has extended Blackpool auditions all this week
Full list of where free Preston Christmas shopping parking will be
The Black Horse reaches CAMRA’s final four for UK pub of the year
Refurb plans on the menu for Lancaster city centre hotel and pub
Christmas lights to return to Morecambe for extended period of time
Preston Christmas Lights Switch On set to welcome in festive season on the Flag Market
Thanks for reading edition 62 of The Lancashire Lead. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Wednesday morning.
