Mayoral Viewpoint: Cllr Josh Allen February 2026
Mayoral Viewpoint: Cllr Josh Allen February 2026
This month has become a particularly difficult time, with the sudden loss of Cllr Marlene Haworth. Marlene not only served St Oswalds ward with passion and dedication but also served the borough as Mayor and as Leader of the Council. She was well respected across the council chamber and throughout the borough, which echoes the fantastic work she has done over the years. Marlene was not “just” a councillor or a colleague, she was a friend, mentor and surrogate mother to me, having supported me through the loss of my own mother.
At our next full council meeting I will be calling on all councillors to honour Marlene with a minutes silence, and although a minute isn’t enough, it’s a minute to remember the woman she was, the work she achieved and the loss of a community champion. My deepest thoughts go out to her family, her friends, her colleagues and to all those who knew and loved her. She will be truly missed.
Now on with my usual civic duties as Mayor of Hyndburn. I recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to my old stomping ground, Rhyddings. My family has a long connection with the school as my parents and grandfather also attended. It was difficult to know whether it had gotten smaller, or I bigger, but either way it was great to be given a tour and see the hard work and dedication being put in by the teachers and staff. Not much has changed in that respect and I see a bright future for the children attending today, and all the rest across the borough.
I had the pleasure of attending several events throughout the borough this month, including meeting HRH The Princess Royal during a visit to James Dewhurst Ltd in Altham. Her Royal Highness was an absolute delight, and it was great to show her first-hand what Hyndburn businesses have to offer. Alongside this I was also able to attend an open evening at Bank Mill House, an exhibition opening at Haworth Art Gallery and a NSPCC fundraiser concert in Accrington. If I wasn’t already aware of how much culture was on our doorstep, then serving this term as Mayor would have opened my eyes. It truly reminds me how lucky we are to call Hyndburn our home.
Throughout my time as a Councillor and especially so this year as Mayor, I have been a champion for young people. I was delighted this week to attend the Hyndburn Jobs Fair at Accrington Town Hall and welcome so many inspiring young people searching for job vacancies, training opportunities or the next step in their career. A big thank you to all the businesses who were involved in the event and I hope they managed to recruit some of the many residents of Hyndburn who attended to their job vacancies.
Finally, my Mayor’s Charity Ball will be taking place April 10th at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Accrington. Every Mayor holds a charity ball to raise money for their chosen, local charities and it is one of my favourite parts the job.
The charities that we will be striving to raise funds for with the upcoming event will be: Accrington Community Events, who dedicate their time to hosting free/affordable local events around the borough; Andy’s Man Club, who are a men’s suicide prevention charity; Church & Oswaldtwistle Royal British Legion, who work tirelessly to raise money for our servicemen and women; and Oswaldtwistle Cadet and Scout Youth Zone, who do fantastic work supporting our young people.
Tickets are £50 per person and now on sale. These are available to book directly through myself by emailing josh.allen@hyndburnbc.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can book online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/mayorofhyndburn.
I hope to see many of you there, for an evening of entertainment and fundraising for very worthy causes.