Election updates, Eden Project Morecambe latest and news roundup
The Lancashire Lead - May 26, 2024
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. As you may expect, the General Election has taken up a lot of focus in newsrooms and, for me at least, there’s been a lot more phone calls to politicians than in a normal week. There’s also been a visit to Lancashire from Labour leader Keir Starmer.
One thing is for sure - very few people from any party expected the election to be announced when it was. Most assumed it was still months away and the timing means there is still plenty of uncertainty in relation to candidates.
Hyndburn is perhaps the most interesting one - Labour’s initial prospective candidate, and former MP, Graham Jones has been suspended by the party since February and last week the local party called for him to be reinstated.
By Thursday, a party spokesperson told me no decision had been made but just a day later confirmed Jones had been dropped and a new candidate was being sought.
Elsewhere, I’ve now had confirmation that all but two of Lancashire’s current MPs are standing for re-election. Mark Menzies withdrew earlier this month amid a scandal over misusing party money to pay off “big men” and Ben Wallace had announced his plans to step down last year.
In other political news, the Lancashire Telegraph has dived into the donor lists of its MPs and found big payments and sports and music tickets among the list.
On Friday, departing MPs were given the chance to deliver a Valedictory speech and Wallace’s, which reflected on 19 years as an MP and contained caution over future threats, is well worth a watch.
Spare a thought too for Chris Webb Just 18 days after he was announced as the newly elected Blackpool South MP, Rishi Sunak called the election. Before other MPs gave their Valedictory speeches, Webb stood up to deliver his maiden speech.
He paid tribute to the teachers who forged his path to the House, to his family and mentors, to the late MP Tony Lloyd, and somehow fitted in references to both Henry VIII and Blackpool’s legendary Notarianni ice cream shop.
It’s been another busy week at The Lead and it’s about to get busier as next week sees the publication of the first edition of our dedicated Warrington newsletter. Back in Lancashire, I’ve explored the issues surrounding controversial plans from the Issa brothers to build a new cemetery in Hyndburn.
Meanwhile, Antonia Charlesworth Stack has taken a closer look at the Great Harwood Agricultural Show. And in Blackpool, Laura Davis; piece on Nålbinding is unlike anything you’ll read anywhere else.
🚨 A Lancashire teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed on Bournemouth beach (Sky News).
🗳️ Preston City Council will hold a by-election in July after a senior councillor and former MP announced his resignation (Blog Preston).
📱 Two Blackburn pensioners who do not speak the same language have become TikTok famous thanks to their unlikely friendship (Lancashire Telegraph)
💐 Tributes have been paid to a man who died in a crash on the M58 in Skelmersdale (Liverpool Echo).
✖️ Conservative councillors in Pendle have been accused of a “dereliction of duty” after quitting scrutiny roles (Lancashire Telegraph). ↪️ Meanwhile, Labour councillors in Hyndburn face “revenge” accusations after blocking a veteran member’s bid to be mayor (Lancashire Telegraph).
✉️ A Fleetwood man is among postmasters to be exonerated after being wrongly convicted thanks to the Post Office Horizon scandal (Lancashire Telegraph).
⛔ Preston’s Caribbean Carnival takes place today but a row has broken out over the causes of financial restrictions which led to the route being reduced (Blog Preston)
🍹 Plans to open a seafront Tiki bar have been refused by Blackpool Council (Blackpool Gazette).
📚 A prison librarian who had an illegal sexual relationship with an inmate has been spared jail (LancsLive).
Earlier this week, I revealed the government had released £5m of funding to accelerate construction work at the Eden Project Morecambe site. Since then, a new programme of community conversations has been announced to give people a chance to find out more about the plans.
As previously, there will be a chance for attendees to hear directly from the Eden team and the other partners involved in the project, along with the opportunity to ask questions.
The conversations will take place on the first Tuesday of every month and be a mixture of online via Microsoft Teams and in-person events, with dates in the diary right through to January 2025.
Si Bellamy, the Eden Project’s Chief Transformation Officer, added: “We’re very pleased to be welcoming people back to Community Conversations as we embark on an exciting chapter for Eden Project Morecambe. These regular sessions will build on the success of our recent Rhythm Makers event and provide an ongoing open forum for discussion around the project.”
This week marked the 40th anniversary of a tragedy which devastated the village of Abbeystead, near Lancaster. On May 23, 1984, 44 people were assembled in a valve house at Abbeystead, there to attend a presentation which was supposed to ease fears that Lune/Wyre Transfer Scheme would cause flooding in the lower Wyre Valley.
The presentation involved water being pumped over the weir regulating the flow of water into the Wyre but soon after it began, a methane leak in the building sparked an a deadly explosion. Sixteen people were killed and no one escaped without injury.
The tragedy was recounted in more detail by Michelle Blade in the Lancaster Guardian this week.
I’ve got a couple of recommendations from my own recent visits to share with you this week. On Friday, I stopped by the excellent Tour De Frank’s cafe in Burscough. As you may have guessed, there’s plenty of cycling memorabilia - and evidence of owner Frank’s Iron Man completion - and I’ve no doubt it’s popular with riders on the weekend. But more importantly, it’s got great service and genuinely delicious food. Do check it out if you’re nearby.
And last night, I enjoyed a visit to Chorley Theatre to watch the latest iteration of Manford’s Comedy Club. The volunteer run venue - previously known as Chorley Little Theatre - is a real gem located in the town centre. On a week in which the Bonnie & Clyde musical tour was cancelled - and will therefore not come to Blackpool as planned - t’s a valuable reminder that if you are able to get out and support these venues and shows, it’s really important to do so.
Once again, we finish on some What’s On stories from the week but first let me say thanks for reading and politely ask you to share this newsletter so others can enjoy it.
Get ready – Darwen Live is back this weekend for its 25th year!
Burnley vintage car show returning to town centre as 2024 date set
Lancashire's new aqua park with inflatable obstacle course opens next week
