Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. Before diving into things I’ll give another prompt for Sunday’s issue which for the first time included content only available to paying subscribers.
That was Kevin Gopal’s long read on the rise and fall of the far right in Burnley - it has received fantastic feedback you can check it out here if you missed it. I’ll also say a big thanks to those who took a paid subscription to read the piece and to support the work of The Lancashire Lead.
As I said on Sunday, the traditional business model for journalism no longer works and alternatives such as the offering here at Substack will be needed to allow reporters to give proper time and attention to the issues that matter.
For today’s issue, we start with the decision to remove Winter Fuel Payments from millions of pensioners - and the divided response it’s caused within the governing party.
Defending the move, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was necessary to introduce means testings for the payment due to the state of the finances inherited from the Conservatives. As a result only those who receive pension credit will be eligible.
This has caused the first major backlash against Keir Starmer’s government, with warnings that pensioners will be pushed into poverty and that the wrong people are being targeted for savings.
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb was the lone Lancashire Labour MP willing to speak out against the plan as he stressed that he would put his constituents ahead of his party. Pointing to Age UK research which showed almost 15,000 constituents would lose payments, he warned that some of those eligible would “slip through the cracks” while many of those no longer qualifying would not be able to cope without the payment. He said:
"I am a proud Labour MP but ultimately, I am the Member of Parliament for Blackpool South, the place I was born and raised. I was elected by you and I promised I would never do anything to make my constituents poorer. Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment, without considering those who fall just above the threshold, will do just that.
"Pensioners in Blackpool South have recognised that the £22 billion black hole left by the last government will mean changes and they are happy to play their part. There are pensioners in receipt of the allowance who do not need it, as the government rightly points out. But I believe there should be a more nuanced decision by government on who should receive Winter Fuel Payments so that no pensioner will suffer hardship this winter – as I believe many in Blackpool would. I have also outlined to the government that many of my constituents, who are disabled or have illnesses, have higher fuel costs and their circumstances need to be factored in too.
In the end, Webb was one of five of the county’s Labour MPs who had no vote recorded against their name and, per The Blackpool Lead, it is understood he chose to abstain. As for the others with no vote noted, Sir Lindsay Hoyle was unable to vote due to his role as speaker and it is not yet clear whether Cat Smith, Lorraine Beavers and Sarah Smith had permission to miss the vote or chose to abstain.
Meanwhile, those to vote against it - and support the government - were Lizzi Collinge, Maya Ellis, Jonathan Hinder, Oliver Ryan, Mark Hendrick, Ashley Dalton, Andy McNae and Paul Foster.
Defending his vote, South Ribble representative Foster said his decision was based on evidence provided by the Chancellor, adding that “we must make these critical decisions correctly to bring about the economic stability and growth we all need”. He said:
“I understand that this change may cause concern and uncertainty. Please know that my constituency team and I are already working on several critical initiatives to ensure that those who qualify for Pension Credit but currently don’t receive it get their applications in and approved.
“Additionally, both local councils within the constituency (South Ribble & Chorley) are already processing applications for those missing out on the Winter Fuel Payment this year. The opportunity to apply to the Household Support Fund has just been announced, and we will share details as soon as they are known.
“The pension triple lock is secured, and following a £900 increase earlier this year to state pensions, there will be a further increase of £400 next year.”
The county’s two non-Labour MPs - Conservative Andrew Snowden and independent Adnan Hussain - both voted in favour of the opposition motion calling for the decision to be scrapped. Snowden described the decision as “cruel” and later warned free bus passes could also be under threat.
Another subject where the new government finds itself facing pressure - albeit in a much lower profile way - is the issue of social housing. West Lancashire Borough Council (WLBC) has joined more than 100 other local authorities landlords in calling for the new government “to take urgent action to fix England’s broken council housing system”.
It it backing a report which argues an “unsustainable financial model and erratic national policy changes have squeezed council’s housing budgets and sent costs soaring”. The changes councils want to see are:
A new fair and sustainable Housing Revenue Accounts model – including an urgent £644 million one-off rescue injection and long-term, certain rent and debt agreements.
Reforms to unsustainable Right to Buy policies
Removing red tape on existing funding
A new, long-term Green & Decent Homes Programme
Urgent action to restart stalled building projects, avoiding the loss of construction sector capacity and a market downturn
Councillor Nicola Pryce-Roberts, leader of Housing at WLBC, said:
“The housing crisis facing our residents is unprecedented and this coalition of councils is testament to the urgency of reform needed.
“It is of paramount importance to us as a council that we deliver quality, affordable, green homes for our residents. Although we have big ambitions to continue to build new council homes for the future, the same broken system that holds us back allows private developers to mothball projects and fail to deliver on their promises.
“The housing crisis is continuing to grow and we urge the government to act now so we can ensure that those residents who need and deserve housing support the most will get it.”
Looking at a happier subject, BBC Radio 2 in the Park came to Preston last weekend, with hundreds of thousands watching acts including Travis, Sting and Pet Shop Boys.
If should come as no surprise to anyone who has spent time in Preston that rain was very present throughout the final day but spirits remained high throughout.
As well as those headline acts, the festival included a DJ stage where the station’s hosts could perform to crowds and have the rare opportunity to meet and greet listeners. Blog Preston spoke with four of those hosts - Rylan, Scott Mills, Jeremy Vine and Owain Wyn Evans - to get their thoughts on the city.
A personal highlight of those chats is Scott Mills’ reminiscence of being at Tokyo Jo’s nightclub:
“I’ve been to Preston a lot, both as a DJ but also when it was the Radio 1 Big Weekend.
“DJ wise then we’d always play at the nightclub Tokyo Jo’s and it sticks in my mind about that ‘free until you pee’ event.
“They used to put tin foil over the toilet doors? And yeah, it was free drinks until someone went to the toilet and broke through the foil. Mad. That wouldn’t happen now would it?”
I also have to wish very good luck to the teams tasked with restoring the park to its former glory after the rain caused some pretty significant mudbaths.
There hasn’t been another edition of The Blackpool Lead since I last published (subscribe to receive tomorrow’s edition) but the site keeps on publishing news through the week and there’s a couple to direct your attention to this week.
First, there’s news of the former pro boxer jailed for the manslaughter of Daniel Allsop. On October 2 last year, Mali Wright launched an unprovoked attack on the 28-year-old, punching him so hard his ribs were broken and his spleen ruptured.
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The victim managed to run away but collapsed a short time later and although he was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, he died 48-hours later from his injuries. Wright was this week jailed for nine years for the killing and another five-and-a-half years for an unrelated drug dealing offence.
In a statement issued through Lancashire Constabulary, Daniel’s family described him as a quick-witted cheeky chap with a heart of gold. They continued:
“We as Daniel’s family have been devastated by the actions of Mali Wright on the 2nd October 2023. We have lost our son and brother and we will never get over that. Daniel was ours and we will always love and remember him. We are now grateful that justice has been served for Daniel and he can now rest in peace. We can now as a family grieve, move forward and remember him.”
Also published on the site is news of the arrest of a man who was wanted in connection with the Blackpool riots and renewed appeal to trace another, and the approval of plans which will see South Shore Library transformed into an eco hub.
Lastly in this section is a mention of World Suicide Prevention Day, which took place yesterday. It comes as suicide rates in England and Wales have reached their highest level since 1999 and Samaritans have now called on the Government to treat suicide as a public health crisis and make a commitment to prevention schemes.
Among those lending their voice to those calls is Sam Southern. Sam lost her husband to suicide and now works as a suicide prevention bereavement manager at the Empowerment Charity in Blackpool and campaigns with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Orange Button Scheme. She said:
“We all need to be confident enough to say the word 'suicide' and ask directly if we think someone is struggling. Despite having worked in the NHS for 17 years, I never truly grasped the prevalence of suicide or the deep ripple effect it has.
“Suicide doesn’t just affect one person; it 'injures' about 15 people directly, leaving scars that never fully heal, and impacts a wider 135 people in total.
“As a mother to six children between us, I felt compelled to dedicate my future to saving the next person, along with their families and communities. Now, I am a manager of a suicide prevention project and I’m a tutor in suicide first aid. Everyone should be trained in suicide first aid, no matter their walk of life.”
The Orange Button scheme is backed by the NHS and trains people and communities to be able to listen to those who are having thoughts of suicide and signpost them to the relevant services.
It now has 4,000 members across Lancashire and South Cumbria and uses training from Lancashire Mind, Every Life Matters and other local organisations to give people skills to identify when those around them are showing signs of mental health concerns and be able to support a person before they have further thoughts of harm.
You can find out more about the scheme and training opportunities here.
To contact Samaritans, call 116 123 or use the charity’s online chat service.
🚓 A PC who had sex with an off-duty colleague in a police vehicle has been told he’d have been sacked had he not already quit (Liverpool Echo).
🚨 A killer who murdered his house mate had been placed in the house following his release from prison weeks earlier (LancsLive).
🚧 The multi-million pound restoration of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery could be further delayed by the collapse of a key contractor (Blog Preston).
🏁 63-year-old Mark Donohue, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 14-years-ago, completed the Great North Run (Lancaster Guardian).
🐢 And finally… meet the giant tortoise used as a therapy pet who is taken for regular walks on Morecambe beach (Lancaster Guardian).
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