Leader’s Viewpoint: Councillor Munsif Dad January 2025
Leader’s Viewpoint: Councillor Munsif Dad January 2025
I’ll start this week’s viewpoint by announcing that work has now recommenced at Wilson Sports Village, thanks to the swift appointment of a new contractor.
Residents will remember that work was progressing well at the site, but came to a halt on 20th September 2024 when the lead contractor ISG went into administration, affecting many construction projects across the UK. Through our partnership with Alliance Leisure, a new contractor has now been appointed. Universal Civils and Build were appointed by Alliance Leisure and took control of the site in early January, with work beginning this week.
The appointment was vital to ensure that this project is seen through to completion with minimal delay. You can follow progress on the construction of Wilson Sports Village at: www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/wilsonsportsvillage
We will shortly be announcing the local organisations that will receive community cohesion grants, totalling £75,000. At the end of last year, local organisations were invited to bid for funding to deliver local community cohesion related projects. We were significantly oversubscribed, but I am confident we have chosen a range of projects which will benefit many residents across the borough. We’ll announce all the grant awards when they are finalised.
We’re also at the final stages of evaluating our event bids. We made over £100,000 available to run events on high streets and green spaces across Hyndburn, and we have received many exciting applications. I’m looking forward to another exciting event programme in Hyndburn this year.
We are immensely proud of the outcome of the recent Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Review. The Council received widespread praise for its efforts and achievements, highlighting our dedication to serving the community effectively. The review also gave us recommendations in several areas we can improve, and I’ve committed to creating a cross-party working group to develop and deliver an action plan.
I am pleased to report the success of the Council’s first Skip Day last month, which saw a fantastic turnout and enthusiastic participation from Huncoat residents. This initiative has proven to be an effective way to help residents dispose of unwanted items responsibly. Building on this success, we have scheduled three more Skip Days: 1st February in Barnfield, and the 8th and 15th in Great Harwood. There will be more information on skip days on our social media pages.
Finally, I would like to address the topic of local government reorganisation. The Government has set out plans for the reorganisation of local government in two-tier areas, aiming to create unitary authorities by April 2027 or 2028. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to simplify local government structures, making it clearer for residents to know who to approach on local issues and enabling more strategic decision-making to unlock growth and deliver better services.
On 16th January, Hyndburn’s Full Council agreed to support the planned reorganisation, with our preferred approach being a Pennine Lancashire authority. This is driven by our commitment to ensuring that Hyndburn remains at the heart of any potential new organisational structure, and we will be encouraging the Government to consider Hyndburn as the administrative centre for any new East Lancashire based authority.
We will continue to fight to keep jobs and services here, ensuring that our community remains vibrant and well-supported. The reorganisation presents an opportunity for growth and development, and we are determined to make the most of it for the benefit of all our residents.
We will keep residents informed as and when we receive more information on this topic.