Leader’s Viewpoint: Councillor Munsif Dad October 20206
I’ll be starting this month’s column with an update on our major town centre projects. Work at Burtons Chambers is all but complete. Contractors Krol Corlett will be handing the completed site back to the council in the next few days. If you’ve visited Accrington over the last few days, you may have noticed that most of the perimeter hoarding has been removed and the buildings new occupiers, 2-Work have put up their main sign. I’m excited to see this fantastic flexible office space which will soon be available for businesses to use.
Work continues to progress across the square at Accrington Market. The ground floor units are now full with the majority of our current traders returning alongside some new stalls, including a new butchers and a new florist. We’re now focussing on filling stalls on the first floor, which are available from as little as £99 per month. Anyone interested can contact our Town Centre Venues Manager Paul Fox by email on paul.fox@hyndburnbc.gov.uk
We’ll also be announcing our three new hot food traders soon who will compliment the bar and café which will be run by our in house team. Speaking of our market team, we’re recruiting for a number of exciting roles including duty managers, venue crew members and even a sous chef. If you’d like to be part of our team, you can find more info at https://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/working-at-the-council/
The new-look market will be much more than a place to shop. Alongside traditional traders, it will offer food and drink, events, entertainment and opportunities for people to come together in the heart of the town centre. I look forward to the opening in November.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of projects and initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to creating opportunities for residents, businesses and communities across the borough.
Our recent Tech Lancashire event saw businesses from across Lancashire come together to hear from industry experts, explore emerging technologies and discuss how innovation can help businesses grow and adapt for the future. There was a great turn out from local businesses and more workshops on a variety of different business-related topics have been scheduled. Alongside these workshops, our Economic Development Team continue to support businesses from across Hyndburn, from new start-ups to those looking to grow.
We are continuing to invest in opportunities for local people to achieve their full potential through sport and physical activity.
At this year’s Active Hyndburn Awards, we proudly launched the new Hyndburn Talent Fund, which will provide grants of up to £500 to help talented local athletes with the costs associated with competing and progressing in their chosen sport. We know that travel, equipment and competition costs can quickly become a barrier, and this fund is designed to help ensure talent and determination are not held back by financial pressures. You can find more information on this fund at www.hyndburnleisure.co.uk
We are also supporting plans to create what will become the North West’s first Olympic-standard modern pentathlon obstacle course at Cath Thom Leisure Centre. Led by the North West Modern Pentathlon Hub who have raised over £20k, were providing match funding for this exciting new facility that will give aspiring athletes access to elite-level training opportunities much closer to home.
At grassroots level, it was also fantastic to see Huncoat United Junior Football Club celebrate the opening of its newly completed pitch. Delivered through partnership working between United Utilities and the Council, the new facility ensures local young people will continue to have access to high-quality football provision for years to come.
Whether it’s supporting businesses, creating jobs, regenerating our town centre or investing in sporting opportunities for future generations, these projects all share a common goal: building a stronger, more ambitious Hyndburn. I look forward to seeing the positive impact they continue to have in the months and years ahead.