Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen s1

PENWORTHAM TOWN COUNCIL

ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17

The Caring Council – Putting People First 2 FOREWORD BY THE TOWN MAYOR COUNCILLOR TIM YOUNG

I would like, first of all, to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Jim Patten, my fellow councillors and my friends in the community for all their support and assistance during my year of office. My charities – Penwortham Foodbank, Junior Autism Group (JAG) and Railway Children – Fighting for Street Children will all benefit enormously from their efforts.

As is the case with everyone fortunate enough to be elected mayor, this year has provided me with a unique insight into the huge amount of voluntary work that is undertaken by people throughout the community and I must say I have been heartened by their infectious energy and enthusiasm.

EVENTS

I have had the privilege of attending a variety of Town Council events in Penwortham since May 2016 and these are set out below in chronological order. I would, however, like to start with the gala.

The two-day Penwortham Town Gala is always the highlight of the year and the 2016 event proved no different despite the amount of rainfall! The rain started to fall at precisely 12.30pm as the procession started and continued to rain into the evening however, it didn’t dampen spirits and it was great to see so many community groups and organisations walking in the procession. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of the wonderful groups that took part in the procession, performed on stage or ran a stall on Hurst Grange Park. I am thrilled to say that the weekend was a great success despite the weather and was well supported by the residents of Penwortham.

On Saturday afternoon we were entertained by a variety of talented performers including Double R Arts Theatre Group, Amanda Rogers School of Dance and the Whelan-Joyce School of Irish Dance. The entertainment continued into the evening, with music by local singer Sarah Beattie, Peter Young’s amazing Meatloaf show and the excellent party band, Rangatang.

Penwortham Churches Together opened the second day of the gala with an open air Church service in Hurst Grange Park, followed by a Teddy Bears Picnic with music, a teddy parade and lots of games for younger children and their families to take part in.

The Queen’s 90th birthday was also celebrated during the gala with a visit by the queen, all be it a cardboard cut out! a live music performance by Lostock Hall Memorial Brass Band and performances by 1940’s singer and performer, Miss Jane Francis. The two day event is the highlight of Penwortham’s year attracting up to 5,000 visitors over the whole event and it was fantastic to see so many families and people of all ages come out to support the weekend. The gala goes from strength to strength and I would recommend you all go along on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June 2017 for a thoroughly enjoyable family day out.

Summarised below are some of the many other events I have had the privilege of attending during my Mayoral Year:

The Caring Council – Putting People First 3

Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 June 2016 – Penwortham Gala. I would like to thank all the councillors that supported and attended the weekend. I would especially like to thank the Town Council staff, Steve, Marie, Madeline, Michael, Ian, Councillor Robert Taylor and former employee Gary Tiffen for all of their hard work and commitment in making the gala such a success. I would also like to thank the 9th Penwortham Scouts and my fellow councillors for the excellent work they did in clearing the park after the Saturday evening concert in preparation for Sunday’s events.

South Ribble Mayoral Civic Banquet on Friday 13 May 2016 at the South Ribble Banqueting Suite, Leyland.

Tuesday 24 May 2016 – The Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

26 May 2016 a wreath laying ceremony at the grave of Gunner William Greenwood, who was the first Penwortham casualty of the Great War at St. Mary’s Churchyard, Penwortham.

St. Leonard’s Gilbert and Sullivan Group production of ‘HMS Pinafore’ spliced with ‘The Grand Duke’ on Saturday 28 May 2016.

South Ribble Borough Council Mayoral Civic Sunday on Sunday 5 June 2016.

South Ribble District Scouts Annual General Meeting on 28 June 2016 at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Leyland.

A short service to mark the Centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme at Penwortham War Memorial on 1 July 2016.

Judging of ‘Penwortham in Bloom’ on Monday 4 and 5 July 2016.

The Mayor of Penwortham’s Civic Service at Kings Church at Penwortham Girl’s High School on Sunday 17 July 2016.

A service of Remembrance for those ‘Preston Pals’ who lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme at Preston Railway Station on Saturday 23 July 2016.

Penwortham in Bloom Presentation Evening at Penwortham Community Centre on Tuesday 2 August 2016.

Home Start Fun Day at Penwortham Community Centre on Wednesday 17 August 2016.

Judging of ‘Paint Penwortham Pink’ week, Monday 17 October - Friday 21 October 2016.

The annual firework display on Thursday 5th November was once again a huge success and hundreds of local people came along to enjoy the annual event. The weather was dry and the event resulted in excellent contributions to my charities. Grateful thanks go to those who donated and to all those involved in organising the event.

The Caring Council – Putting People First 4 The Laying of a wreath at Penwortham War Memorial on Remembrance Day, Friday 11 November 2016 at 11am. A minutes silence was observed to remember the members of the armed forces that had died in the line of duty.

The annual Penwortham Town Remembrance Day Parade began at St Leonard’s Parish Church and ended at Penwortham War Memorial followed by an outdoor Service on Sunday 13 November 2016. The event was extremely well organised by the Town Council, Harry Benson and the Middleforth Branch of the Royal British Legion.

South Ribble Mayor’s Charity Banquet on Friday 2 December 2016.

The Scouts Annual Carol Service on Monday 5 December 2016 at St. Mary’s RC Church, Leyland.

Kingsfold Christmas Market took place on Monday 5 December 2016.

Middleforth CofE Primary School Christmas Nativity Performances – 9th December 2016.

The annual Liverpool Road Christmas Market took place on Wednesday 14 December 2016.

South Ribble Borough Council Mayoral Ladies of Achievement Luncheon on Friday 27 January 2017.

Sequence of Words and Music from Epiphany to Candlemas at Blackburn Cathedral on Sunday 5 February 2017.

South Ribble Mayoral Curry Night on Monday 27 February 2017.

‘Fly a Flag’ for the Commonwealth 2017 at the Civic Centre, Leyland on Monday 13 March 2017.

Installation of the Rev’d Canon Peter Howell-Jones as Dean of Blackburn on Saturday 25 March 2017.

South Ribble Borough Council Thanksgiving Service at St. Leonard’s Church, Penwortham on Sunday 23 April 2017.

South Ribble Scout Association, St George’s Day Service on Sunday 23 April 2017.

Middleforth CofE Primary School May Day Celebration 2016 – Thursday 5 May 2017

Mayoral Quiz Night on Thursday 20 April 2017. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all.

A date for your diaries for 2017 Penwortham Gala on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June 2017.

The Caring Council – Putting People First 5 SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES IN THE TOWN COUNCIL’S YEAR

Highlighted below are some of the more significant issues of 2016/17. i) Penwortham Town Council Staff

In May 2017 the Town Council welcomed new members of staff, Ben Clayton and Marie Townsend on a temporary, casual basis to a youth coordinator and cleaning post, based at Priory Young People’s Centre. It is anticipated that once the contracts have been exchanged between Lancashire County Council and the Town Council to complete the takeover of the running of the Young People’s Centre, staffing arrangements can then be agreed and made permanent.

The Town Council congratulated Marie Dardis for successfully completing the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) earlier in the year.

Steve Caswell continues to do an excellent job in managing the direction of the council and I would like to thank him and Marie for their continued support during my mayoral year.

I would like to mention, Ian Pickard, Michael Stokes and Madeline Gooch for their hard work in helping to organise and maintain the Community Centre. I would also like to thank Louise Wright for doing an excellent job guiding our young people and our lengthsman Paul Fletcher for the work he does at Hill Road Cemetery and in Penwortham to improve the appearance of our town.

ii) Hill Road Cemetery and Woodland Burial Site

The purchase of memorial trees and benches continued to be very popular at Hill Road Cemetery as well as kerb stone memorials in the Woodland Burial Site. Hill Road Cemetery is maintained to a high standard throughout the year by the Town Council and local volunteers. Extra volunteers are always needed and if anyone would like to offer their time to volunteer at the cemetery, please contact Steve or Marie at the Town Council office. iii) War Memorial Maintenance

The Friends of Penwortham War Memorial have continued to maintain the monument and the surrounding area on Liverpool Road to an exceptionally high standard. On the 1st July 2016, the volunteer group arranged a candle lit vigil at the war memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme and to remember the Penwortham victims.

We are enormously grateful to the Friends for the voluntary work they undertake which is of benefit to the whole community.

The Caring Council – Putting People First 6 iv) Penwortham Community Centre

Penwortham Community Centre continues to thrive and is utilised by a number of groups and organisations including: Moor Hey School, the Alzheimer’s Society, Slimming World, ‘Lay-Zee Day-Zee’ Lunch and Friendship Club, Baby Sensory, Kings Church Job Club, Lancashire County Council Welfare Rights Service, South Ribble Borough Council, Penwortham Foodbank, The Women’s Institute (WI) amongst others.

Two Youth Clubs continue to run each week at Penwortham Community Centre for children aged between 8 and 11 (primary school age) from 6.30pm and 8pm each Tuesday and 11 to 16 years of age (high school age) from 6.30pm to 9pm each Friday.

Although the arrangements have yet to be made permanent, our new employee, Ben Clayton is running two youth clubs at Priory Young People’s Centre from 7pm until 9pm each Tuesday and Thursday for young people aged from 13 upwards. v) Penwortham Neighbourhood Development Plan

Thank you to everyone that voted in the local referendum earlier this year.

An overwhelming 90.2% voted in favour of adopting the Neighbourhood Plan for Penwortham. South Ribble Borough Council has now brought the plan into legal force and it has formed part of the statutory development plan for Penwortham. Consequently, decisions on whether or not to grant planning permission in Penwortham will now need to be made in accordance with the Neighbourhood Development Plan.

If you would like more information on the NDP, please contact the Town Council. vi) Newsletter/Communication

The Town Council has fully emerged itself in the use of social media through Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the residents of Penwortham.

The Town Council has recently had a revamp and continues to be delivered to every home in Penwortham. We are always looking for news stories and helpful information to share so please let us know if you have any ideas! vii) Representing Local People – Come Along to our Meetings!

We continue to raise the concerns of local residents on a huge variety of issues.

During 2016, the Town Council was consulted on the proposal by the City Deal to build a Penwortham Bypass and regenerate the A59 shopping district of Penwortham. Members of the public were able to view the plans at Penwortham Community Centre and raise their views at meetings of the Town Council.

The Town Council objected to the planning application to build a bypass from the A582 Broad Oak Roundabout connecting to A59 between Howick CofE Primary School and Blackhurst Cottages on the grounds that it would be built on a flood plain and on protected, green belt land. Other reasons included an inadequate amount of parking spaces for users of the facility, loss of multi- user tacks, cycle paths and bridleways and an increase in pollution in close proximity to the neighbouring schools. The planning application is currently waiting to go to the Development Control Committee Meeting which may take place in July 2017.

As a statutory consultee on all planning applications in Penwortham, the Town Council was consulted on Tesco’s plans to erect a new foodstore, two non-food retail units and petrol station together with car parking, the Borough Council have now received responses from the statutory consultees and residents and are preparing for the planning application to go before the Planning Committee at South Ribble Borough Council to consider. It is anticipated that this will take place in June 2017. Once a decision has been made, the Borough Council will issue a decision notice.

We liaise closely with the Borough Council’s planning and other officers to seek the best deal for local people. You are all urged to come along to our council meetings at the Community Centre on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.00pm to make your views known. viii) Lancashire County Council Property Strategy

Penwortham Town Council is currently in the process of taking over the running of Priory Young People’s Centre and the former library building on Liverpool Road from Lancashire County Council. This take-over will ensure that these public buildings remain in the community and open to the residents of Penwortham.

The Town Council plans to run the youth centre as a community centre with the introduction of advice surgeries. The centre does have a café area which can be utilised as a volunteer lead library service. There is a grant available from LCC of £5000.00 and a £1000.00 per annum supporting grant to create the library and assist with the running of the service. Room hire at this centre will be as it is at Penwortham Community Centre.

The Town Council plans to convert the Penwortham Library Building into a small arts centre with theatre type productions. The venue will need to be extended to provide space for a stage, seating, toilets, bar and entrance and funding for this will be sought from a number of sources.

Further information on the progress of this process will be reported by the Town Manager at monthly meetings of the Town Council.

ix) Finance and Precept

With regard to expenditure proposals, approval was given to increase the Town Council precept (a form of council tax from Penwortham residents) for the financial year 2017/18 to £170,000.00. This was the first time to increase the precept in 9 years.

This increase would allow the Town Council to run the additional buildings and provide extra services following the asset transfer from Lancashire County Council to Penwortham Town Council.

Please see the charts below for a percentage breakdown of the income and expenditure of the Town Council during the last 12 months.

Penwortham Town Council trading for 2016 – 2017

Income

Precept 59% Cemetery 30% Community Centre 8% Other 2% Inteterst >1% CIL Monies 1%

Please note: 1. Other income includes the income from Penwortham Gala 2. CIL Monies is income from Community Infrastructure Levy that is ring-fenced and must be spent on infrastructure within the Town.

Expenditure

General Administration 40%

Penw ortham Community Centre 28% Hill Road Cemetery 23%

Events 9%

Please note: 1. General Administration includes all the associated costs of running the Town Council 2. Events costs includes the Penwortham Gala, Firework Display and the Remembrance Day Parade. x) Paint Penwortham Pink

Penwortham was painted pink again for a week in October 2016 during Breast Cancer Awareness month. The whole community of Penwortham got involved to raise a whopping figure of £13,450 for Breast Cancer Now (The UK’s largest breast cancer research charity)

The campaign was led by local Breast Cancer Now volunteers, Linda Baldwin and Joan Marshall with support from the Town Council. Businesses made a donation to take part and created pink themed window displays to raise awareness of Breast Cancer in men and women and to raise vital funds for the charity. xi) Penwortham in Bloom

Penwortham Town Council is a member of the Penwortham in Bloom Committee and entered Penwortham into the 2016 North West in Bloom competition for the second year. Penwortham was awarded Gold in the North West in Bloom event and also won a trophy for the most improved area.

As well as regular meetings, the group has held a Gardeners' Question Time style event with a team of experts to answer gardening queries, and a demonstration by a local horticulturalist; a ‘big British Spring Clean’ event where volunteers and school children picked up litter in the town and a children’s workshop to build bug hotels!

If you would like to join the Penwortham in Bloom Committee or enter the Penwortham in Bloom 2017 competition, you can find out more information on the Penwortham in Bloom Facebook page or contact Steve and Marie at the Town Council Offices.

CONCLUSION

As a Town Council we play a vital role in acting on behalf of our Community. We achieve this by giving views on planning applications that affect Penwortham, undertaking projects that benefit the local community, working in partnership with other bodies to achieve benefits for Penwortham and assisting Lancashire County Council and South Ribble Borough Council to keep in touch with people in Penwortham.

As a Council I believe we have achieved a great deal this year. As well as the Gala weekend, Fireworks Display, Remembrance Day Service and Parade, Liverpool Road and Kingsfold Christmas markets, Penwortham in Bloom and Paint Penwortham Pink; we have completed the Neighbourhood Development Plan, which has involved significant commitment in terms of time and energy since we started the process in December 2013.

I believe as a Town Council we continue to provide an excellent service for the residents of Penwortham and I look forward to the benefits that developments such as the City Deal project will bring to our town.

I look forward with optimism. Thank you once again to all who have contributed in any way to the Town Council’s efforts.

COUNCILLOR TIM YOUNG MAYOR OF PENWORTHAM

CONTACT: Website: www.penworthamtowncouncil.gov.uk Email: [email protected] Phone: 01772 750533 Address: Penwortham Community Centre, Kingsfold Drive, Penwortham, Preston. PR1 9EQ Twitter: @ Penwortham1 Facebook: Penwortham Town Council

Penwortham Town Council 2016 – 2017 Annual Report

Penwortham Town Council Penwortham Community Centre Kingsfold Drive Penwortham PR1 9EQ

The Caring Council – Putting People First www.penworthamtowncouncil.gov.uk

The Caring Council – Putting People First