What has your MP been doing this week?
The Lancashire Lead - May 15, 2024
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Lancashire Lead. You can expect this to land in your inbox each Wednesday with a shorter news digest in addition to the full Sunday edition.
There’s been plenty going on in Lancashire’s newsrooms this week and it was tough not to let this newsletter running far too long. Among those catching my eye are an extraordinary legal row involving former Blackpool FC Owen Oyston and the local council, a community’s fight to stop a landfill from stinking the entire town out, and the tragic story of a Preston man who was stabbed to death in Spain, with no-one yet held accountable.
I’m also very pleased and grateful to be able to include the insights of Zoë Grünewald, who has been keeping an eye on the activities of our MPs. Zoë was recently announced as The Lead’s Westminster editor and you can check out her work here.
Among Zoe’s observations this week are:
Blackburn MP Kate Hollern passionately urged the government to build upon the precedent set by the Homes for Ukraine scheme and extending it to displaced Palestinians. You can watch her contribution here.
A slight change of pace from Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans, who has enjoyed a spot of bird watching.
Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham brought Health and Social Care Minister Helen Whately MP to Royal Blackburn Hospital to visit its A&E wards and hear from staff.
Lancaster MP Cat Smith is pushing for justice for the WASPI women. She stood up in parliament to ask the Work and Pensions secretary when those impacted will be compensated.
The government has designated a record number of wild swimming spots as bathing sites in England. The Environment Agency has said it will immediately start monitoring the water quality at 27 sites, including the River Ribble at Edisford Bridge and several spots in the surrounding counties.
New Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who wrote for The Lead last week, is recruiting for two caseworkers for his Blackpool office.
Hyndburn’s Conservative MP Sara Britcliffe has welcomed a £500k injection of funding for high street improvements.
Elsewhere on The Lead, you can look forward to your local issues tomorrow - be sure to subscribe to our dedicated titles for Blackpool and Hyndburn to ensure you receive them. The Lead continues to grow and in addition to those in Lancashire, you can now sign up for newsletters offering in-depth and agenda setting reporting on Altrincham & Sale, Bolton, Stoke-on-Trent, Teesside and Warrington.
For those who want to report the news as well as read it, this newsletter ends with a couple of job vacancies which will no doubt be of interest.
🏠 Homeowners already feeling aggrieved over issues with cavity wall insulation face financial ruin after the no win, no fee firm representing them collapsed (BBC).
🤝 The three party coalition in charge of Burnley Council has confirmed it will continue to lead the authority following the recent local elections (LancsLive).
🪖 Brendan West, an ex-soldier from Colne who lost a leg while serving his country only found out he had been given infected blood four days later. He is among those demanding justice for fellow victims (Lancashire Telegraph).
“I think the galling aspect for me is the way multiple governments, but particularly this government, have reacted (to the infected blood scandal). Having served my country, and trying to have faith in the government, but all I see publicly is that they’re kicking me while I’m down.”
Brendan West
🌊 A group of jet skiers acted quickly to help rescue three men who jumped into the sea from Blackpool’s Central Pier (BBC).
🔦 Nurse by day, urban explorer by night - that’s the unusual lifestyle enjoyed by Mark ‘Marko’ Antony who recently ventured inside the former La Parisienne Hotel on Blackpool’s Promenade (Blackpool Gazette).
🍔 The idea of anywhere receiving a zero star food hygiene rating is a deeply unpleasant thought. Blog Preston obtained details and pictures of one such example and the reality was grimmer than you may have imagined.
🚌 As one stretch of a Preston road is set to be made bus-only, Lancashire County Council has announced plans to create a bus lane on another of the city’s roads (Lancashire Post).
🏥 Amy Fenton has been reporting on the inquest of a Burnley woman who died after undergoing treatment as two Lancashire hospitals. Now a coroner has demanded change in response to major issues highlighted during the hearing (LancsLive).
👻 Richard Hunt has the story of a Blackpool Pleasure Beach visitor who was injured when his arm was dragged against a wall on the Ghost Train (Blackpool Gazette).
🎛️ A Drum & Bass-loving 10-year-old boy is plotting a Glastonbury appearance after making his debut at Lancaster’s Highest Point festival last weekend (Beyond Radio).
And finally… I mentioned earlier that newsrooms in Lancashire are recruiting for reporters. In East Lancs, the Lancashire Telegraph is looking for an “ambitious, digitally skilled and versatile journalist” to work from its Blackburn office. Over in Blackpool, the Gazette is taking applications for a trainee reporter vacancy in what would be a fantastic patch to start out in.
 | A guest post by
|