From Original Website Article  http://www.lancashire.police.uk/news/jail-for-burglar-after-rural-crime-spree
A PROLIFIC burglar, who targeted farm houses in rural parts of East Lancashire, has been jailed for three and a half years. Hamza Akram, 19, of Colne Road, Burnley, appeared at Burnley Crown Court on Monday 13 February after pleading guilty to burglary. Akram targeted homes and vehicles in rural parts of Briercliffe. He was arrested on 2 January after being discovered by officers hiding in a hedge at a farm. The sentence comes during a countywide crackdown on burglary. Over the next two months, officers will be visiting the county’s most prolific burglars to warn them they are being watched. Patrols will be stepped up across hot spot areas and police will be speaking to residents about the importance of keeping their homes locked and secure.
DI Stuart Dixon said: “Akram is a prolific burglar who deliberately targeted rural and isolated areas of East Lancashire on the assumption that rural residents were less security conscious. I hope this case acts as a reminder to people living in the countryside about the importance of keeping their homes and property locked and secure."
“Akram had a number of other similar offences taken into consideration and he must now serve a 12 month suspended sentence
before his new three and a half year jail term begins. This means he will be behind bars until the summer of 2015 and I have no doubt that this sentence will have a major impact on the prevention of burglaries and help to keep rural residents safe from harm."
”We know the impact burglary can have on communities and we will continue to do all we can to identify those responsible
and bring them to justice. I urge residents to work with the police by keeping their property secure and reporting anything
suspicious.”

A Parish Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer is required by Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood Parish Council. 
The post is part-time - averaging 26 hours per month to be worked flexibly over the year, and includes evening meetings on the first
Tuesday of the month.   
The Clerk manages all the Parish Council administration and financial affairs. Good literacy, numeracy and computer skills, and knowledge of Local Government are essential. The salary is based on the National Joint Council scale LC1 between points 18-22 (currently £17,161 - £19,621 pro rata or £8.92 -£10.20 per hour).  The postholder will work from home and evening meetings will take place in Worsthorne.  
The closing date for applications is Monday 5thMarch and interviews will take place from 7pm on Tuesday 27th March in Worsthorne Reading Rooms.
For further information and an informal discussion about the position please ring the current Clerk, Carole Galbraith on 01282 416947.  Application packs are available by email: worsthornewithhurstwoodpc@yahoo.co.uk
Information on the Parish Council can be found: www.e-voice.org.uk/worsthorne-with-hurstwoodparishcouncil

The new financial budget for 2012 /13 for the Parish Council has now been resolved, with the Borough Council grant remaining the same the Parish Council has not asked for an increase in the precept which it receives from the people of the Parish. With close management of the budget set, there will be no adverse effects on the areas that are controlled by the Parish Council. Within the budget the Chair of the Parish Council, Cllr Roger Frostwill not be taking any expenses (that are associated with this role) out of the budget and will be self funded.

Blaze and Brighter Sound are working together to present a major new festival, produced and programmed by young people for WE PLAY Expo, the North West’s closing event for London 2012, as part of Preston Guild 2012 – 7th to 9th September.
This is an exciting project that is part of the cultural programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Would you like to be part of producing the first ever youth led festival in the North West?
Do you enjoy working in a team? Are you aged 16 to 19 and currently living in the North West? If so, this could be the opportunity for you! 
We are looking for young people from across the North West to be a part of the Blaze Festival Team. As a festival producer, you
will play a lead role working alongside other young people and industry professionals to together an exciting festival programme that could range from the best in art, dance, music, technology, fashion, urban sport, performance, spoken word and more.
For more information visit:  www.blazeonline.org.uk/news/young-producers-wanted-for-blaze-festival/

Inspector Andy Cartwright, the senior Police officer responsible for neighbourhood policing in Burnley, will be open to questions, points and ideas from local people in Briercliffe at a public meeting on Monday evening, 6thFebruary. 
The Inspector will take his place alongside Town Hall decision makers as residents raise their issues and questions at an event organised by Burnley Council.
The meeting takes place at Haggate Baptist Church, Burnley Road, Briercliffe. 
From 6.15 pm, there’s chance to come along and talk about any individual issues and specific questions in an informal ‘surgery’. 
The meeting itself begins at 7 pm, and will include a presentation about the Council’s work across the borough.
Councillor Linda White, Burnley Council’s Executive Member for Community Engagement, says‘these events are a chance for us to take on board peoples’ feelings and views in the way we run our services and speak up for Burnley. Everybody is welcome to come
along’. 
Further meetings are planned in Padiham and different parts of Burnley. For more information email communityengagement@burnley.gov.ukor 01282 425011 ext 3119.

The “Big Jubilee Lunch” is one of the official celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations over the Jubilee Weekend 2- 5 June 2012. 
The initiative was started by the Eden Project in 2009 believing that the world can be a better place through people working together. 
Holding an event such as a lunch (big or small), a street party, a picnic, a barbeque –anything where people can get together, with a common theme of having fun, sharing interests collectively celebrating and building friendships with neighbours, community and faith groups and others, is an excellent way of achieving this.  It could be a charity event or just a reason to celebrate 60 years of our Queen’s reign and to share friendship and fun. 
The day for the “Big Jubilee Lunch” is Sunday 3 June 2012 and groups from all over Lancashireare taking part.  Rotary International, amongst many others, is a key supporter. 
For all further information, visit www.thebiglunch.com or call 08458508181. The “Big Jubilee Lunch” is also on Facebook and Twitter.  Free Big Jubilee Lunch Packs, full of hints, tips and information are available through the website. 
Information about all of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Lancashire can be found on the following website:
www.diamondjubileelancashire.com

The 25th to the 31st August is National Family Week, further details can be found at nationalfamilyweek.co.uk
Should the Parish Council be doing anything to celebrate, please send your suggestions via our contact from which can be accessed by clicking here.

Do you have an open log fire and live in an area that can burn logs, does an
open log fire chase away the winter blues. If so, the Parish Council is doing
some tree work and logs will be available at £40 a load and can be be delivered
to your door. Please contact Councillor Bailey on 01282 435672 for further
details on how to get your logs.

The Police report and PACT priorities from the January Parish Council meeting can be viewed here.

Football Training Sessions are now being run for Primary School Children from Burnley at the Spirit Of Sport Centre, Omerod Road, Burnley every Thursday between 7pm and 8pm. All sessions are run by qualified CRB cleared coaches and only cost £2.00 a session.
Sessions are open to children of all abilities without the need to commit to coming every week or playing for the team.
For further information please call Burnley 715400 or email contact@brunshawactiongroup.com
or message Brunshaw Action Group on Facebook.

Pendle Green Line subsidised bus services 94 & 95 which operate throughout Burnley & Pendle were recently revised, from 30 October 2011, to incorporate Marsden Park into the route, using the opportunity to revise the route, improve bus service access and restoring a number of links which had previously been withdrawn. 
Revisions to the timetables were also introduced to improve overall service reliability without incurring additional resources. 

Service 94 Brierfield – Nelson – Cravendale Avenue – Marsden Park  
This service has been revised to operate hourly during Monday to Saturday daytime between Brierfield and Marsden Park via Hibson Road, Nelson Town Centre and Cravendale Avenue. The service will additionally extend serve the western side of Brierfield around Chatburn Park Drive / Clitheroe Road (a link much requested by local residents). 
Service 95 Colne – Nelson – General Hospital – Lower Manor – Burnley  
This service has been revised to standardise the single service number 95 and the revised service continued to operate every half hour during Monday to Saturday daytime from Colne to Nelson Regent Street then has been rerouted across the A56 around the Marsden Park circle to Barkerhouse Road to Nelson Interchange. Then via the unchanged route to Burnley Town Centre, half hourly to Nelson Chapel House Road and extending hourly to Burnley via Burnley via Casterton Avenue (for Burnley General Hospital), Lower Manor Estate and Stoneyholme. 
Almost immediately the railway bridge on Walton Lane, Nelson, was closed for emergency works which has resulted in restricting the overall service reliability due to the lengthy temporary diversion. Whilst Service 95 has been able to absorb the diversion within existing resources, Service 94 has been unable to fully serve Marsden Park.
Since the service revisions, Lancashire County Council and the Service Provider have received positive feedback on the new travelling opportunities provided by the service revisions. However, there have been a number of complaints from customers now unable to access the North West part of Nelson Town Centre, particularly Morrisons store and the Health Centre off Carr Road. 
Proposal 
After several customer requests to review the situation with regard to Service 95 being reinstated to serve the North West part of Nelson Town Centre, it is proposed to make a minor route and timetable revision to between Nelson Interchange and Marsden Park to additionally serve this area. 
The general service frequencies and operation days would be unaffected and there would be no change to the new travelling opportunities created as part of the main review of the services. 
This route change is unable to be accommodated until the Nelson Walton Lane bridge works have been completed, previously notified to be, in mid January 2012 and Walton Lane has been reopened. It was therefore proposed to implement these
changes from 29 January 2012, which would have allowed sufficient time to publicise the changes locally. 
Delay 
Unfortunately, Network Rail's closure of the Walton Lane bridge has been extended until mid March; therefore the implementation of these changes will be postponed and introduced from 25 March 2012. 
Lancashire County Council would like to apologise for the delay in introducing these revisions.

The winners of the Best Dressed Christmas Window Competition are due to be revealed at the next meeting of the Parish Council which is due to be held on Monday 19th December 2011, 7:30pm at the Community Centre on Jubilee Street. The agenda can be downloaded here.

The long awaited repairs to the Harrison Street pathway have proved to be a major success following heavy rain recently. The pathway has been repaired for a fraction of the multiple thousands of pounds quoted thanks to the hard work and dedication of local Councillors and the Parish Lengsthman. Councillor Simon Dack has volunteered both his time and equipment to provide a much improved surface at a price the Parish could afford. Allotment tenants can now access the site without running the 'pot-hole' gauntlet and due to the new drainage system the pathway will last for a number of years.
The next meeting of the Allotment Committee is due to be held at 8:15pm on Wednesday 14th December at the Community Centre on Jubilee Street and the agenda can be downloaded here.

HIGHWAYS ISSUES
I have confirmed with the Area  Manager that the crossing and parking situation outside St.James School  is on the Highways agenda for consideration.
Consultation with residents has taken place about the introduction of double yellow lines at Netherwood St./ Briercliffe Rd. I understand there were about 4 objections, however a TRO is  being processed to carry out the proposals. The requests for other Burnley Rd /  side junctions double yellow lines were passed to Duncan Reeve on 31st  October for his consideration - I have received no feed back as  yet.  
Highways Winter Briefing - This report sets out  the preparedness of the services in the event of bad  winter weather.
Briefly the headings are:-
What is the winter service?
How much does it cost?
Rock Salt
Salt Supply,
Monitoring and Resilience
Weather Forecasting
Resources (Developments for winter 2011/12)
The Priority Network Hierarchy
Priority footway networks and self help
Dealing with snow
Availability of additional resources during severe winter conditions
Communications Strategy and key contacts.
 
The Briefing contains some useful information.(approx.10  sides of A4).
Also, I understand all grit bins have been filled, and there are adequate amounts of salt and grit for refills and road use. If there are any issues with grit bins or requests for new sitings for grit bins please let me know.
I have passed on the complimentary remarks about  the drainage work carried out on Todmorden Road, and asked that all those  involved be thanked for the standard of work they carried  out.

OTHER MATTERS
 
I have received a request from Lee Stott of the  Briercliffe Residents Association for funding from the Local Members  Grant Scheme towards a Christmas event at Royal Court.  Monies still available - but going fast! 
I am also exploring other funding sources and  eligibility under the Rural Development Programme for England, primarily aimed  at improving the rural economy. I will keep you updated.
If there are any issues you wish me to take forward, please drop me an e-mail with details.

The Parish Council currently precepts for £8,000 each year, this has to fund all the activites of the Parish Council not funded by the garage or allotment income. For the Parish to provide additional activities it would need additional funding and a Poll is currently being run on our Polls Page, visit here to place your votes on whether the Precept should be increased. If you have any further suggestions for the Parish these can be sent to the Clerk via email at briercliffeparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk

Please fill in the strategic planning questionnaire by following the link, Click Here.

Successful field's can now apply for funding of up to £5,000 for local improvements, click the link below to vote for Lane Bottom Playing Area. 

Planning applications that affect the Parish can now be viewed on the Parish Website, please visit the Planning Applications page, or Click Here.

The first stage of the Harrison Street Garage site has now been completed and all 8 garages have been let to residents in the Parish. A second phase to include up to a further 8 garages is now being considered by the Parish Council. There is already a waiting list for the garages, however the Parish is still happy to receive further names for the list. Garages are owned and rented by the Parish, who also maintain them, at a cost of £10 per week. If you would like to put your name down for a garage please send your details to the Clerk at briercliffeparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk

Each County Councillor has a budget of £3,000 per year under the Local Member Grants scheme. They can award funding to groups that benefit residents from within their electoral division. In order to be considered for such a grant, the applicant must meet some very basic criteria. Applications for any amount from a minimum amount of £100 can be made once the group has checked their eligibility.
If you're a group working with local people then local member grants could be for you. As a group you will need to;
·have a constitution, set of rules, or articles of association in place;
·have a group bank account; and
·be 'not for profit'.
If you meet these simple criteria and follow the guidelines below then you  are eligible to apply for a local member grant.
Application forms can be downloaded by visiting the County Website here or typing in the link below.
http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/view.asp?siteid=3851&pageid=30333&e=e

The County Councillor provided figures of children receiving pupil premiums in the Parish which were low in comparison to other areas. It was noted that the County Council is about to start a campaign around adoption and fostering. There was no further feedback with regards to ongoing issues and the Councillor has still not received any grant applications for Briercliffe. It was suggested that the Allotment Society are to be encouraged to make an application for a contribution towards the Harrison Street pathway.
The Strategic Planning decision on double yellow lines was reported to the County Councillor.
County Councillor Brindle also reported that she has been appointed as the Champion for better relations between the County, the Borough and the Parish and offered shadowing opportunities to all Councillors

Today is the start of your chance to protect outdoor spaces near you.  This morning Fields in Trust launched the Save a Space for Me campaign with events in London and Cardiff and screened a special video message from their Patron The Duke of Cambridge.

For the next 4 weeks you can get involved in permanently protecting 2012 parks, playing fields and playgrounds as  part of the next phase of The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge to mark HM The  Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Kate Humble and Olympic silver  medallist Roger Black along with local school children were on hand in Charlton  Park, Greenwich along with the principal partner Asda to show their support for  the Challenge.  

In Cardiff Non Evans MBE visited Penarth Athletic Fields one of the 7 sites nominated by the Vale of Glamorgan  Council.

As well as being safeguarded for future generations Queen Elizabeth II Fields in England and Wales can apply for a grant from the
£1  million SITA Trust fund to make these spaces even better.

Voting is now  open so please tell your friends and family all about it and get voting!
How?
Visit www.qe2fields.com, put in the postcode BB10 3QN and vote for Lane Bottom Play area and click to  show your support!
If you'd like to get more involved in your local outdoor space then why not also sign up to be a volunteer?

We're looking forward to seeing all your  votes!

The Allotments waiting list has now been published click here to view where you are on the waiting list. If you would like a Parish Council Allotment please complete an application form and return it to the Parish Clerk. There are also waiting lists for the Harrison Street garage colony and the Turning Circle garage colony, again send an application to join these lists as plots do become available quite often.

The October Police report can now be viewed on our Police Pages, crimes of note are listed and include the theft of two buses within a single month. This month there were numerous opportunity thefts of valuables from vehicles, often by the perpetrator smashing the window. These are hard crimes to solve due to their very nature and the Police again stressed that valuables should not be left on display in vehicles.

The minutes of the Parish Council meeting of the 19th September 2011 and the Allotments Committee of the 15th September 2011 are now available on the meetings page. Click here to download the minutes.
The September Police Report is also available to view here.

The Parish Council is in the process of applying for external funding grants to provide a Multi Use Games area in the Parish. In order to achieve this we need local residents to complete the polls below, please take a few seconds to click on the polls and help us in our achievements.

Every Parish Council meeting starts with a public question time, where residents can raise any issues of concern to the Parish Council. At the July meeting three issues were raised, these included hedges on Burnley Road that are overhanging the pavement, blocking both usage of the pavement and car sightlines. County Councillor Brindle agreed to take the issue forward and would get the County to approach the residents about trimming the hedges.  The verges on Harrison Street are overgrown and Councillor Frost agreed to contact the District Council and have these cut. An issue of noise nuisance was also raised and it was agreed that the parties would try mediation to resolve the problem.
If you have a question for the Parish Council, please join us at a meeting, they are held on the third Monday of every month, 7:30pm at the Community Centre.

At the July Parish Council meeting, County Councillor Margaret Bindle reported that the grit
bin on Talbot Street is still on the list which is being worked through. The resurfacing of Halifax Road has resolved the pot hole complaints but has exacerbated the speeding complaints again. Residents affected were notified of the road closure and any further work will use a ‘stop and go’ system. The  County Council have offered up to £800 towards the purchase of a Speed Indicator (SPiD) sign which costs around £2,200 with the brackets, training and technical backup. County Councillor Mike Potter has a funding pot for applications and Councillor Kelly agreed to investigate this further.
It was also reported that only one property in Burnley is affected by the closure of Southern Cross and this property is in Hapton.
 
The County Councillor reminded the meeting about grants available to community groups and updated that one application has been
received. 
Due to resident complaints, Todmorden Road before the bridge at Cockden will have temporary repairs with a full repair in the autumn. This will need a road closure and affected residents will be notified.

The Allotments have seen four new tenants take up plots this month, a further two plots may be available soon. The Allotments have a waiting list but there has never been a better time to get your name down for an allotment. A new process has been developed and it is now very easy to complete an allotment application form. You can request a small plot as a trial area to see if 'the good life' is for you and move onto a large plot when one is available or just jump in and take on a full plot and start growing those fruits and veggies.

PC Liz Bedford and PCSO Rachel Lonsdale gave a Police update report at the last Parish Council meeting, the full report can be found on the Police Report page. Your local Community Policing Team attend the Parish Council meetings, providing a report on the local police activities.
That the PACT Priorities for this month will be:
1.   The parking area opposite the Police house at Lane Bottom is being
used for irregular activities in the early hours.
2.   HGVs accessing Talbot Street
3.   Youth nuisance on Recreation Ground and in the woods during school holidays.

2012 marks Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Fields in Trust want to ensure that it is celebrated in fitting style. The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, operated by Fields in Trust, is a fantastic new campaign to protect 2012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities all across the country as a permanent living legacy of this great event.
From sports pitches to woodlands, children's play areas to gardens and bicycle trails to parks, the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge will protect a diverse range of outdoor spaces ensuring that there is something to appeal to everyone.

The Parish Council has nominated Lane Bottom Children's Play Area for the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge. The area is in the small hamlet of Lane Bottom (population 700 including an estate of 90 houses). The site is a former cotton weaving shed which was demolished in the late 1960s and the space grassed over. A small play area has been created at one side with swings etc intended for children under 7. The rest of the space is just grass area on which local children can play. There is 1 picnic table. The area is surrounded on 2 sides with fields. Access is from the unadopted Walverden Rd, through a gate and onto a tarmac path. There is easy disabled access. The nearest green space is over a mile away. It is well used by local children and by a footpath regularly used by walkers.
The Council will keep you updated on our nomination.

Duke Street Garden has been planted up with annual bedding plants donated by the Borough Council, this has much improved the area and created a local focal point for the Parish. All we need now is to have a nice summer to allow these flowers to grow. The Parish Council hopes to provide bedding plants each year for the Duke Street Gardens if this can be done at little or no cost, otherwise hardy perennials may be considered.

The area needs to be regularly maintained with weeding and tidying and if any local group or even individuals would be willing to volunteer, the Parish would welcome this. If you are interested in becoming a Friend of the Duke Street Gardens please contact the Parish Clerk or any Parish Councillor.

Do you have any further suggestions for our Duke Street Garden area, for example, would you like spring bulbs to be planted, please let us know.

The Armed Forces Day flag and the new flag pole were offically opened on Saturday 25th June when the Parish unvield the Support the Armed Forces Day flag. Though the morning wasn't the sunniest for June, Clllr Frost, the Chair of the Parish Council raised the flag with Cllrs Kelly, Prince, Royle and Thomas and the Parish Allotment Manager, John Greenwood who had worked around the clock to ensure that the flag pole was installed in time for the opening.
The Parish also now has a Union Flag which will be flown to commemorate special occassions such as the Queen's Jubilee next year.

To celebrate and recognise the great work and commitment provided by those in the services, Armed Forces Day is held on the 25th June each year. The Parish Council has agreed to provide a flag pole to commemerate the day and this will be erected at the Duke Street corner later this month. The pole will be used to fly the armed forces flag on the 27th and will fly other flags throughout the year.

YOU will see new parish signs going up around the area in the coming months that are in memory of a Local Councillor Michael Holsgrove. Michael worked for the firm Aircelle who he had asked advice for on making the signs, and they agreed to carry on making the signs and donated the signs for free in Michael’s memory.
The parish council wish to thank the directors for donating the signs, also Paul and Liz Atkinson for donating the stones on which some of the signs will be placed, and Simon Dak for his time at siting the stones. A ceremony took place with Michaels wife Rita and family, along with the Mayor of Burnley and the Directors of Aircelle on June 3rd with refreshments afterwards at the Queen St Mill.
The first sign was officially unvield by the Worshipful the Mayor of Burnley Councillor  David Heginbotham on Friday 3rd June 2011.
The Parish Council will be installing over 20 signs throughout the Parish, however, due to costs, only a few signs will be installed each year so this will be a long term project. A close friend of Michael's has asked if he could sponsor one of the new signs for which the Parish is extremely grateful. If you would like to sponsor a sign to help us instal the signs quicker please contact the Parish Clerk who has a list of locations and costs for all the signs.

The website now contains two new sections, Download Forms that allows individuals or organisations to download allotment or funding application forms. It also contains a Police Report section that details crime over the last month.

Added: 18 March 2011
Following on from our request for people to ring up if they see anything suspicious, we can report that this is working. Two youths were caught and were each dealt an £80 fixed penalty for setting fires in the woods. One youth was also fined £80 for racial abuse at the Eastern Delight. Large amounts of alcohol have also been confiscated and disposed of, with serveral youths having to be taken home. As a result of this, 30 youth referrals were issued, 29 to youths living outside the Parish.
                                         Keep up the good work!