10 August 2009, 09/167
Improving West Lancashire – local solutions to local
priorities
Eight
ideas put forward by local people for ways of improving West
Lancashire are being sent to the Local Government Association
(LGA).
The proposals have been endorsed by West Lancashire Borough
Council and will now be considered, along with suggestions from
councils all over the country, by the LGA who will draw up a
shortlist. This will be presented to the Secretary of State
who will agree which, if any, of the ideas will be implemented.
The West Lancs ideas are:
1. Provide funding to improve train and bus services to and
from Skelmersdale
2. To extend the funding that local authorities receive for
the collection of recyclables to all category of non-business
premises
3. Re-direction of funding for training contracts to local
authorities, to ensure locality-specific training needs can be
addressed and enable the establishment of practical
learning/training and social enterprise business hubs
4. Local authorities to keep a greater proportion of Right
to Buy receipts to enable house building and estate remodelling
5. New Town regeneration through a dedicated government
budget
6. Lobbying for changes to the Treaty of Rome to encourage
local economic stimulus
7. Changes to the funding formula for local authorities to
facilitate public realm maintenance in New Town Areas
8. Allow local authorities to participate in more than one
Local Authority Area
Local people were invited to put forward suggestions in May when
West Lancs decided to take part in a new national scheme
under the Sustainable Communities Act (SCA) which encourages local
people to generate ideas for consideration by the Secretary of
State.
The ideas were assessed in June by a representative panel drawn
from the local community. The panel recommended eight proposals and
Council agreed to endorse all eight proposals at its meeting in
July.
Cllr Adrian Owens, deputy leader of the Council, said: “I was
delighted by the response to this scheme. The Council chose to
adopt this legislation because we know that communities often
generate innovative ideas for improvements in their areas, but can
then find their ideas can’t go ahead unless changes are made at a
national level. This new scheme provides the opportunity to promote
suggestions that cannot currently be implemented and the Council
fully supports the proposals put forward.
“I would like to thank everyone who either submitted a proposal
or was directly involved in the panel process. I was very impressed
with the panel of local representatives that came and gave their
time and views at the meeting in June. The panel meeting was an
important step in the process and through their comments and
discussion gave a grounded community perspective.”
Jan Fitzsimons of Lathom, a resident who put
forward the idea for learning/training and social enterprise
business hubs, said: “I’m pleased that the Council decided to take
part in this scheme and invited local people to put forard their
ideas for how to improve West Lancashire. The Sustainable
Communities Act is a great way of getting local people involved in
what their community might benefit from. I’m delighted to have my
idea progress, with the potential of making a difference in my
local area.”
Suggestions had to meet criteria set by Government which meant
that they had to:
Related
information