Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
We’ve been reporting on Lancashire County Council’s decision to cease administering the refugee resettlement schemes in Lancashire for most of this month in various forms.
It was mid-month when we exclusively reported the contents of a confidential document that placed the risks of the move into clear terms. The authority remains confident it can mitigate against those risks.
Lancashire County Council is investigating how we got a hold of that report, we have learned. We remain steadfast that our reporting was in the public interest and we were right to do so.
But, subject to any legal challenge, the decision has been made and other authorities will need to pick up the responsibilities that Reform-led County no longer wants to shoulder.
That won’t mean fewer refugees - Reform UK will need form a national government for that - but will mean less funding and less oversight.
Preston City Council - where the leading Labour group regularly refers to itself as ‘radical’ - is the first to raise its hand to take on that funding and oversight. They did so with the backing of the Lib Dems, the Greens and even the Conservatives.
That is the topic of today’s edition.
Lancashire briefing
⛴️ The Fleetwood to Knott End ferry will sail on for at least another year after a funding deal was reached – just 24 hours before the service was set to end.
The operator of the boat has also announced a smaller and faster vessel will soon be introduced, which will improve reliability.
It comes after Lancashire County Council agreed to increase its subsidy for the operation in a move that will keep the ferry on the water until next September.
Wyre Council had already pledged to double the financial backing it provided for the crossing – but the county authority initially said it would be unable to do the same without having an impact on other local services.
However, County Hall has now declared it will also increase its contribution to the ferry in order to offer “reassurance for passengers while longer-term discussions about the future of the service continue” – ending a long-running dispute between the two authorities.
🩺 An ‘outstanding’ care home - ranked among the best in the UK - has had its skilled worker sponsor licence revoked by the Home Office.
Bridgeway Care Home, on Gamull Lane in Ribbleton, is rated outstanding by the CQC and was one of two businesses operated by the Holywell Care Group to have its licence revoked.
But the Home Office has already admitted fault in relation to the other part of their business - meaning the care home is hopeful the same decision will be reached in relation to Bridgeway.
🛼 A landmark Blackburn town centre building which has served as a roller-skating rink, theatre, cinema, ballroom, bingo hall and nightclub over the past century could be transformed again under new plans submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council.
The application seeks permission to convert the former Q Lounge building on St Peter Street into a bazaar of 14 small retail units inside the distinctive premises. The proposals would also include new first-floor windows to the front and rear of the property.
According to planning documents, the building is currently vacant and the applicant says the scheme would bring it back into active use while creating jobs and increasing consumer choice.
The history of the site stretches back more than 100 years. Planning documents state the building was constructed on the site of the Old Bull Hotel livery stables and originally opened as a roller-skating rink in 1909.
Preston puts itself forward to manage refugees after Lancashire County Council’s ‘financially inept’ approach
By Luke Beardsworth
Preston has become the first local authority to put itself forward to manage the support services for refugees in Lancashire.
Lancashire County Council controversially became the first local authority to announce it would be withdrawing from the role - and intends to do so by the end of March 2027.
That has been the source of much criticism for a number of reasons that have been well-covered on The Lancashire Lead - not least that it affects individuals who have a track record of supporting British armed forces abroad.
The move ultimately means that Lancashire County Council will receive less funds for its services, runs the risk of a judicial review which would be costly to contest and puts jobs at risk while not actually affecting the placement of refugees in Lancashire. The only way it would affect the support refugees - all of whom arrived legally - receive is if the changeover to a new provider is disruptive.
But it has generated national headlines for Reform UK at strategic points across the year - first before the May local elections when the policy was announced and this month ahead of the Reform UK national party conference.
All of the costs of running the scheme are covered by the Home Office - and those funds are used to bolster services that are accessed by non-refugees.
The Home Office is expected to turn to the other authorities - the 14 councils made up of districts and unitary authorities - to ask them to take responsibility.
That being said, it has also been suggested that a council in Manchester has volunteered to take on the responsibilities - and the funding.
The county council says the shift makes sense, because those authorities have responsibility for housing, which is a part - though not the only part - of the schemes.
But the words shared by Reform UK at Preston Town Hall last week suggest that this is not the primary motivation of the scheme.