Dodgy graphs, NHS payouts, and The Lead to host Preston hustings
The Lancashire Lead - June 12, 2024
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. In April, we at The Lead, alongside the Blackpool Gazette, were able to organise and host a hustings event for the Blackpool South by-election and it proved to be a very enlightening evening with a packed audience.
Little did we know the General Election would roll around quite so soon but even with the short notice, we’ve been able to announce the next such event - this time working alongside Blog Preston and the Lancashire Post.
All ten (yes, ten) candidates for Preston have been invited to the event which takes place at UCLan and will be chaired by local democracy reporter Paul Faulkner. You can check out the full details here and if you would like to attend and ask a question on local or national issues, you need to register via this link.
Speaking of elections, I mentioned a few editions ago that you could expect to see national titles taking an interest in Burnley and that has already proved to be the case. The town is seen as particularly noteworthy as the combination of 2019 voting and boundary changes mean it considered the most marginal in the country.
While you might expect that the current polling and forecasts mean it is going to be an easy one for Labour to win back from Conservative Antony Higginbotham, it’s not necessarily that straight forward. The Guardian’s Josh Halliday paid a visit to the East Lancs town and produced this piece about what people here really think and the huge wave of support which could be going to the Liberal Democrat candidate.
“And yet, a series of confounding factors – ranging from the Pennines to Palestine – mean Labour’s path to victory is far less straightforward than the polls suggest.”
Josh Halliday, The Guardian
“Lies, damned lies and statistics”
There’s still some dispute over the true origins of that phrase but it’s still as useful as ever and it certainly came to mind when I saw this graphic from Jake Berry’s campaign to be re-elected as Rossendale and Darwen MP.
The eagle eyed among you will have noticed that those numbers add up to well more than 100%. The small print explains the figures come from different sources but putting them all together in one graphic makes for the latest example of shoddy bar charts in election campaigns (a practice normally dominated by the Lib Dems).
The other thing that struck me as interesting was the absence of the words ‘Conservative Party’. This seems to be an increasingly common tactic among MPs hoping to be re-elected as they back their own record while distancing themselves from the Government’s. Berry is a particularly interesting example in this regard - he proudly backed Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, even serving as party chair, but has not had such love for Rishi Sunak. This line in a recent Facebook post spoke volumes:
“I’ve always been an independent local voice fighting for Conservative values.”
In other Lancashire news, NHS Trusts across Lancashire have paid out a combined total more than £600,000 in staff assault claims in the last five years.
Date obtained by LegalExpert.co.uk showed 103 claims and incidents of NHS staff being assaulted have been logged across four trusts in the county since 2019, with 39 claims being settled with damages
The biggest damages payouts in the county came from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, which amounted to £500,853 for a total of 33 staff assault claims. Meanwhile, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust paid out a total of £101,590 for six staff assault claims, recording 10 claims and incidents.
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded a combined 14 claims and incidents of staff assault but none that resulted in damages being paid out. .
In response, Ursula Martin, Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft), told me: “We take the safety of our colleagues, patients and visitors extremely seriously and where safety incidents including assaults are reported, we undertake robust investigations and seek to learn from what has happened so we can ensure a safe environment for all on our wards, buildings and in our care.”
Subscribe to The Blackpool Lead | Subscribe to The Hyndburn Lead
Before finishing this edition with some of the headlines of the last few days, let me first present you with a business opportunity. South Ribble Borough Council is on the hunt for someone to run its brand new Clocktower Bar at Worden Hall in Leyland.
The search comes as a result of a £2.8 million investment in the Grade II listed building which is set in the award-winning Worden Park (well worth a visit if you haven’t been already).
The successful bar company will operate during weddings and other functions and a site visit is taking place on June 18 at 10am. To attend, email Cultural Services Manager David Tetlow on wordenhall@southribble.gov.uk before Friday.
Tender submissions must be made via The Chest, with a deadline of 12pm on Monday, July 8. Supplier help guides are also available on via The Chest.
🐕 Dog walkers are being warned to take extra caution after palm oil was found washed up at Squires Gate beach. The substance is harmless to humans but can be fatal if eaten by dogs (Blackpool Gazette).
🚪 More problems in Pendle politics with the council’s deputy leader facing investigation over reports he shouted in another councillor’s face and kicked a town hall door (LancsLive).
🎺 A brass band was forced to stop playing mid-performance during a D-Day event at a Wetherspoons pub in Blackburn (Lancashire Telegraph).
🗳️ A 95-year-old woman could be left unable to vote in the General Election due to a mix-up involving her National Insurance number (LancsLive).
"I've had no problems up until now. I worked from the age of 14 and they never had any problems taking tax from me!"
Jean Hughes
🔍 An investigation has been launched after a council roadsweeping vehicle was seen emptying onto a slipway near Morecambe Bay (Beyond Radio).
🚌 Late night bus services in Preston have been saved thanks to intervention from Lancashire County Council - but other services will now be changed (Lancashire Post).
🏗️ Meanwhile, the city’s residents have been told they can benefit from a new public square as part of approved plans to build a 19-storey apartment block (Blog Preston).
🩺 As GPs from across the country spoke out, one Haslingden medic has opened up on the stress and financial peril being experienced at his practice (Lancashire Telegraph).
🛩️ A planned Armed Forces Day air display over Morecambe Promenade by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has been cancelled as investigations continue to a recent fatal crash involving one of the jets (Beyond Radio).
🦧 Zookeepers have welcomed the birth of a critically endangered orangutan at Blackpool Zoo (BBC).
Thanks for reading today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. Please share it so others can find it too and subscribe to help support my work.
 | A guest post by
|