Tedd Talks
The roads of the Ribble Valley are blighted with potholes and there is litter everywhere. What is being done to remedy this, asks Live Magazines’ Tedd Walmsley
It’s been nearly three months since our last deadline, with no magazine in February, so let’s start with a quick update. The fundraising at Waddow Hall continues to gather pace, but the clock is ticking if they are to get enough money to mount a serious bid. The plan, I’m told, is to try and get involved and source much bigger potential donors – are you listening RVBC?
Their aim is to build a new Waddow community and not resurrect the old one, the scope for our young people in the Ribble Valley and beyond is in our hands – please help if you can.
We finally have a date for work to start on the Mumbai streets of Clitheroe. May will see work commence on Castle Street and whilst I congratulate those whose perseverance has paid off, I can’t help but reflect on what might have been. The council’s prevarication meant a loss of match funding from LCC and has ended with us having a large patio rather than a full renovation such as can be seen in Padiham, Rawtenstall and Whalley.
Keeping on the theme of roads, I’ve recently had a lot of contact about the diabolical state of the roads in the Ribble Valley. There are potholes everywhere causing damage to cars and the potential to injure passers-by and cyclists. I want to make the distinction that the responsibility lies with LCC and not for once, with RVBC. I’m sure the Ribble Valley isn’t the only area with problems in Lancashire, but I fear it might be a case of ‘he who shouts loudest’ – we have some very active county councillors who you should lobby about this.
The road signage across the valley is filthy and hardly in keeping with our rural status and similarly, the amount of litter on the roadsides and verges is disgusting in places. Putting to one side the despicable behaviour of the culprits, who is responsible for keeping both these in good order? I applaud the volunteers I saw recently on the A59 doing their very best to maintain standards.
Sadly, the latest headcount of empty shops in Clitheroe is now more than 17. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to meet with those responsible at the council for the health of our high streets and the economic development team. There doesn’t appear to be a plan in place to turn this situation around, but what incentives are there to open a shop? Have we any grants available to encourage entrepreneurs to choose Clitheroe or are we going to continue with our ‘sales prevention’ approach to this historic market town?
One new shining light I met recently was Anita from Apricot Meringue, who has taken on the role of President of the Chamber of Trade. She’s energetic and passionate about the town and I sincerely hope she can get support from both shopkeepers and councils to help fill the town with visitors and create a host of new events. We hope to interview Anita in the next issue of the magazine.
It’s general election year and it’s going to be a long and drawn-out campaign for what are now two constituencies that cover the Ribble Valley after the boundary changes. I met up recently with Nigel Evans in his new Longridge surgery and we have agreed to interview him in for the April magazine so he can map out the year ahead in Parliament and reflect on his 32 years as a local MP. If you have any questions you’d like us to ask him, feel free to contact me. If the current predictions via Electoral Calculus are to be believed, none of our local incumbent MPs can rest on their laurels – it’s going to be a big year in politics that’s for sure.
As predicted, the hung council at RVBC have too many ‘chiefs’ with one leader and three other leaders of opposition parties. There also appears to be more plots than an Agatha Christie novel – all this culminates in very little being agreed with politics constantly in the way of sensible macro decision making. It’s so frustrating to talk to so many disheartened residents and businesses as this lack of initiative stalls our growth. Some examples are: How do you charge an electric car in Longridge? Have decisions been made on the improvements to Clitheroe Market after spending thousands of pounds on a report? What is the future of Roefield after yet another survey? It’s time to stop the rhetoric and be judged by your deeds.
Make a difference and be kind to each other.
The views above are my own and I’d be delighted to get some replies to my questions and will report back on any progress and positive outcomes.
tedd.walmsley@live-magazines.co.uk
X@TeddWalmsley
