Years of agony - and the wait goes on

Plus: MP's FA Cup final ticket freebie

Hello and welcome to edition 58 of The Lancashire Lead. I’m very pleased to be able to share the work of Tommy Greene in the premium section of this issue as he examines the hospital errors which left a man in long term agony and out of work for six months.

Paying subscribers can also once again read Luke Beardsworth’s regular column which this week takes a look at a genuine phenomenon which has grown from something very small into a something very significant to huge numbers of people.

If you have already taken a paid subscription then thank you once again for supporting my work and supporting original, independent journalism. If you’ve thought about it but haven’t done so, today is a great place to start to read Tommy’s piece which also looks at deeper issues at Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and hears from those who’ve experienced it from the inside.

First though, we start with a look at a tragic few days on Lancashire’s roads. In the space of just four days last week, two serious crashes left a teenage girl dead, a pregnant woman in critical condition as her unborn baby lost its life.

As a result, families and friends are left trying to come to terms with losses that would have seemed unimaginable this time last week, family liaison officers are tasked with supporting them and emergency service workers face up to living in the aftermath of yet another tragedy experienced in their line of work.

All the while, investigations into the cause of the crashes continue and Lancashire Police is appealing for witnesses and footage to help find answers.

On Sunday evening, a pregnant woman in her 30s was struck by a car as she attempted to cross Station Road in Bamber Bridge. The car fled the scene while the woman was left fighting for her life and tragically emergency surgery could not save her unborn baby. So far, seven arrests have been made in connection with the collision and the investigation continues.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, tragedy struck again as 17-year-old Demi-Leigh Davies died when the car she was a passenger in crashed at Junction 9 eastbound on the M65 at Burnley.

The crash also left three others - the 17-year-old boy driving and two girls aged 17 and 19 - seriously injured and again an investigation is ongoing. In a tribute, Demi’s family said:

“Our beautiful angel has been taken from us far too soon. Demi’s smile lit up any room she entered and left a lasting impression. Once you met Demi, you didn't forget Demi.

“A sweet soul who laughed and danced her way through life. Her happy, bubbly, caring nature shone through to anyone she met and lifted their spirits immediately.

“Words cannot truly express the pain we are all going through knowing we will never see her beautiful face or hearing her infectious laugh again.

“Although Demi has been taken from us, the memories we all have will live forever. A daughter, big sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece and cousin who will be loved and greatly missed.

“Dance your way to heaven Demz. Forever 17 xoxo”

If you can help police with these investigations, be it through information or dashcam footage, please do not hesitate to do so by calling 101 and quoting 101 log 1163 of September 29 for the Bamber Bridge crash and log 0123 of October 2 for the M65 crash.

---

Sir Keir Starmer’s willingness to accept a freebie has dominated a lot of the news agenda recently, with designers clothes and tickets among the expensive goods he’s accepted. While the Prime Minister has paid back much of the goods he was given, he has not demanded his MPs do the same

Having spent some time looking through the declarations of Lancashire’s MPs this week I can report that one of those members who have accepted an expensive free ticket is Preston’s Mark Hendrick. The long serving MP was given a ticket by Manchester City to watch the FA Cup Final in a private box in May.

The day likely proved to be a disappointment for Hendrick as he saw his side fall to a surprise 2-1 defeat to neighbours Manchester United. However, it seems he won’t be encouraged by his boss to repay the £1,400 value of the ticket given by City.

Ahead of this edition, I approached Hendrick’s office to ask why he accepted the ticket, if he planned to repay it and whether he would accept such a ticket again in the future.

No response was received.

---

Lancashire saw two by-elections contested on Thursday and it was two defeats for Labour - with very differing replacements elected. One of those votes was held in Blackpool as a result of the departure of Sarah Smith who was elected as Hyndburn MP in May, while the other occurred in Lancaster following the resignation of Sophie Maddocks for personal reasons.

In Blackpool, Reform UK won their first seat as former Conservative Jim O’Neill won a race which saw a little over 1,000 votes cast. Cllr O’Neill was previously selected as a Tory candidate in 2023 before instead standing as an independent. He said:

“Quite early on we were getting the message from some people that they felt betrayed by Labour and they were looking for an alternative. I was just straight talking with people on the doorstep.

“I was asking them what they wanted to see happen in the ward, rather than making promises which may never be fulfilled. But some issues did come up such as rat runs around the Mere Park pub.

“I’m the first councillor for Reform UK to take a Labour seat and that’s a big thing for the party nationally. But on a local level I’m now looking forward to representing the residents of Marton ward on the council.”

In Lancaster, the Green Party further strengthened their grip on the city council as Andrew Robert Otway picked up around 60% of another vote which only just reached four figures in total.

It means the council now has 23 Green councillors, 21 Labour representatives, seven Lib Dems, five Conservatives, three Morecambe Bay Independents and two other Independents.

---

I’m always happy to bore people about the need to improve public transport services and make it a more affordable option to encourage people out of their own cars and reduce both congestion and pollution. While I’ll spare you that today, I’ll share one piece of relevant news which is the announcement of plans from Lancashire County Council to create a single ticket which can be used on all bus services in the county.

Local democracy reporter Paul Faulkner notes he ‘Any Bus’ smart card scheme would enable travellers to hop hassle-free between buses of any provider and potentially cut the cost of more lengthy and complex journeys.

Transport bosses at Lancashire County Council are planning to roll out the initiative in phases, with the Fylde coast set to be the first to receive the full Any Bus service. It will involve the single tickets also being valid for use on Blackpool’s trams, allowing passengers to make an easy shift between the two different modes of transport. 

No date has been revealed for its introduction but there is a wider aim of the whole county being covered by 2029, subject to funding being available. I can’t help but feel this target it somewhat unambitious and devolution advocates must be looking over at Greater Manchester - where the publicly owned Bee Network managed to make such an offer much more quickly - with a pang of envy.

You can read about the plan in more detail here.

---

In this week’s Blackpool Lead, Ed Walker took a look at the unhappiness of the town’s taxi drivers amid the threat on their livelihoods caused by Uber’s activity. Last week it was confirmed Blackpool Council had taken the decision to grant licences to Uber but uneasiness and opposition remains, with some drivers continue to battling against it. One said:

"We're seeing our takings down by more than a third because of Uber. The way they operate and the pricing means it is just impossible to compete. It's a race to the bottom.

"You have to be concerned too about safety. How do the councils know who these drivers are? How can there be hundreds of thousands set to Wolverhampton Council and operating not just here in Blackpool but up and down the country.

"There's no way they can be checking those cars and drivers to ensure they are safe."

You can read the full piece online here and subscribe below to receive future editions directly in your inbox.

See The Blackpool Lead | Subscribe to receive it each week in your inbox

By Robbie McDonald

Eden Project Morecambe bosses say all the signs are positive that the government will back their business case for the £100million attraction, as a new £2.5million instalment has been provided for detailed design work.

The new Labour government’s autumn budget is due in a few weeks and many people in Morecambe and Lancaster, and involved in the Eden Project proposal, will be keeping a close eye on that and a decision on the business case. The hope is that £50million will come from the government and a further £50million from private finance.

Representatives of the Eden Project, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University were at the latest community conversation along with new Morecambe Labour MP Lizzi Collinge. Topics discussed in the on-line meeting included finance, transport, future music events, community spaces, health and education ideas for the proposed seafront attraction.

Si Bellamy, Eden’s chief transformation officer, said:

“A lot of the Eden team are in Morecambe this week. This new government funding is highly significant. This is an incredible and tangible moment when money can start to directly procure services. We will allocate it to things with a big focus on design and then we get into building. We are looking forward to telling people about our world-class design team soon. They will include architects, mechanical engineers, landscape designers and theatrical designers.

“We want to get building as quickly as possible and know the public wants this too.  But we also ask for patience. This needs world-class design for a world class attraction.

“We’ve presented a compelling business case to the government. But it’s a competitive environment. Schemes have got to stand out. But this is one of the best anywhere. It’s about many things including the environment, jobs and regeneration. We can’t say what the final government decision but we think it ticks all the boxes.”

Asked if the Eden Project has an alternative ‘plan B’ if the government decides not to fund the full scheme,  Morecambe MP Lizzie Collinge said:

“I am very hopeful we will not need a plan B. I think this latest funding instalment is a very strong message from the ministry. We cannot pre-empt the budget but I think the Eden Project’s aims and infrastructure ideas are entirely in-line with the government. I’ve spoken to the chancellor Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and a minister at the treasury. All are very aware of what the Eden Project could bring.”

🎡 Lancaster City Council is now meeting with developers interesting regenerating Morecambe's former Frontierland theme park site (LancsLive).

🛬 Blackpool Airport’s managing director has ruled out the return of commercial holiday flights (Blackpool Lead).

✝️ Tributes have been paid to a retired vicar who served in five parishes across the Manchester and Blackburn dioceses (Lancashire Telegraph).

📷 Average speed cameras will be installed on accident-plagued roads in Kirkham and Colne (Blog Preston).

😡 Almost 1,200 complaints - a record high - were made to Lancashire County Council in the space of a year about its services for SEND children and young people (Blog Preston).

😭 A Blackpool woman has spoke out about her daily battle with drug use, fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour outside her home (Blackpool Gazette).

🦷 More than 650 patients with tooth decay issues have been in hospitals in Morecambe Bay over the past three years (Beyond Radio).

---

Nightmares, flashbacks and trauma - price of blunders for a patient of troubled NHS department

By Tommy Greene

A 64-year-old man has been left in “near constant pain” and uncompensated for six months out of work, after a series of care errors at a North Lancashire hospital trust.

David Hindson, from Sedbergh, says he has been languishing in daily “agony” for three and a half years, after the standard of care he received at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) prompted trust bosses to apologise to him personally.

The trust’s legal representatives, however, now say UHMBT was not at fault for Hindson’s poor care outcome and the trust is set to contest a negligence case.