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2014
Fiddling Fylde's Figures
Oh Lordy!
Blackfield Green Inquiry
David Eaves Resigns
Fracking in the Lords
Minority 2 at Council
Fyldes Fracking Marathon
Obituary: Alfred Jealous
Governance Consultation
Fracking Interest
A Long Division?
MG: Ombudsman Reports
Plan Re-Consultation
Planning Update
Reclaim the Power?
Testing the Water
Another Shambles
Obituary Miss Procopides
Only 5 More Cabinets
July14: Fracking Update
Moss Road
Boles'd Out
Planning Debate
Fracking Squatters
Warton Planning Update
Fracking Applications
Water Set to Fail
Not Fit For Purpose
22 May 2014: D Day
ASA Chide Wimpey
Jun14 Fracking Update
Obituary: Eric Bamber
A Bad DMC Meeting
Committees Referendum
Bathing Water Update
Planning Catchup
No Special Measures
Newton Residents AGM
Humble Pie Distribution
Committees Campaign
St Johns By-Election Res.
Water Water Everywhere
Out of Europe?
Snippets March 2014
Status Storm
Back to Committees
Just A Minute!
Feb14 Fracking Update
Planning in Private
Bin discounting?
We're On The Move
Considering Committees
No Night Service
80 All Out
Bus Background
1 Week and 3 Meetings

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The Archive: 2014

Fiddling Fylde's FiguresFiddling Fylde's Figures  10 Nov 2014  
St Annes Bathing Waters were set to fail under more stringent classifications to be introduced next year, but now they are predicted to pass. That's because the figures have been fiddled to exclude half the samples that were taken. Blackpool, and points north, are still set to fail....

Breaking NewsOh Lordy!  1 Nov 2014  
Oh Lordy!On Monday, the House of Lords will begin the Report Stage of their debate on the 'Infrastructure Bill' that will give fracking companies the right to drill under our land and homes. We look at what happened during the debate at the Committee stage and  where this Bill is going next.....

Hot Topic Blackfield Green Inquiry  17 Oct 2014  
Blackfield Green InquiryWe have reports of the first week of proceedings at the  Inquiry at Ribby Hall, and hope to add a summary of the second week's proceedings shortly....

Significant News David Eaves Resigns  17 Oct 2014  
David Eaves ResignsTuesday's surprise resignation of David Eaves as Fylde's Leader heralds at least a change of style and tone for FBC. We review his tenure of the leadership over the last five years, and speculate about who might be ready to fill his shoes.....

Breaking NewsFracking in the Lords  12 Oct 2014  
Fracking in the LordsOn Tuesday, the Government will alter the Infrastructure Bill to allow fracking under your property without your consent, and without getting a court order. If this measure is approved, it will disapply centuries of established property law in a stroke....

Exclusive detailsMinority 2 At Council 8 Oct 2014  
Minority 2 At CouncilFylde Conservatives are running scared and refuse to take a decision on a Minority Report highlighting flaws in their emerging Local Plan. The issue is Employment Land but the effects are much wider. We have all the details - and the background.....

Exclusive detailsFylde's Fracking Marathon 30 Sept 2014  
Fylde's Fracking MarathonA very long article recording the debates on six planning applications concerning shale gas. Lancashire County will make the final decision, but this meeting was about Fylde's views - on probably the most important planning issue in Fylde Council's history .....

Obituary: Alfred JealousObituary: Alfred Jealous 24 Sept 2014  
We record the passing of one of Fylde's most colourful and long serving members. An Alderman, former Councillor, former Mayor and Committee Chairman, he had seen civic life from a very early age and dedicated a great part of his life to Civic affairs. He will be sadly missed .....

Governance ConsultationGovernance Consultation  16 August 2014  
We look at the arrangements the Council says are needed to operate satisfactorily when it introduces the new Committee System, and we contrast that with what the Fylde Civic Awareness Group says should happen, and we add our own view as to how the Council should organise itself.....

Significant NewsFracking Interest  25 Aug 2014  
Fracking InterestCouncillors Fiddler and Threlfall received payments from Cuadrilla but failed to disclose them as interests for over two years. Did they do anything wrong?   We think they did, and we publish the evidence. We also wonder whether it's appropriate for a criminal investigation to be considered.....

Hot Topic A Long Division  17 Aug 2014  
A Long DivisonSomething  very odd is going on in the Division Lane and Wild Lane area of Fylde. Part of Division Lane road was going to be closed for 18 months, then 6 weeks, then not closed at all, then it was to be closed again, now it's all been postponed. Residents threaten a Judicial Review. What's going on?.....

Breaking news  Melton Grove: The Ombudsman Reports  14 Aug 2014  
Melton Grove: The Ombudsman ReportsThe Local Government Ombudsman has, after about a year of investigation, published her report into Fylde Council's handling of the matter. We provide her report, statements from: Melton Grove Resident's Association and Fylde Borough Council, and our own analysis of what has been said .....

Exclusive news  Fylde Local Plan: Re-Consultation  13 Aug 2014  
Fylde Local Plan: Re-ConsultationAfter the Minority Report and the Declaration of Unsound Consultation, Fylde has decided to re-consult the public on the latest version of its local plan. We know they'll say this was planned all along - but if that's the case why wasn't re-consultation a step in their timetable. What's going on .....

Planning Update: August 2014Planning Update  13 Aug 2014  
We have a long delayed update on the main planning stories in Fylde since our last report in June. We visit Warton, Wesham and Wrea Green. We have news of neighbourhood planning, plans for Garden Cities (or maybe not), and a good idea from CPRE to change national policy.....

Breaking news  Reclaim the Power?  7 Aug 2014  
Reclaim the PowerOn the day that 25 grannies occupied a field near Cuadrilla's prospective drill site on Preston New Road, we bring news of the camp that will be established for about a thousand people from 'Reclaim the Power' next Thursday. We went to the pre-camp meeting - at the Hilton, no less.....

  Testing the Water  5 Aug 2014  
Testing the WaterThe drilling rig off Harrowside isn't Cuadrilla's latest fracking rig, it's testing the sea bed for cables and geology. Then it goes to Anchorsholme where it will stay for about three months. We know what it's doing, but why's it there?  What's it testing for? We have the answers....

Hot TopicAnother Shambles  3 Aug 2014  
Another ShamblesA long, in-depth report and analysis of a dreadful Council meeting where calls for a fracking moratorium were procedurally sidestepped and eleven councillors declared interests, having received money from Cuadrilla. Public anger boiled over.  Exciting, but  not edifying. We have the details....

Obituary: Margaret ProcopidesObituary: Margaret Procopides  2 Aug 2014  
We note with sadness and respect, the passing of Honorary Alderman and former Ratepayer Councillor Margaret Procopides - known to her friends as 'Miss Proc'. A stalwart of the community, she was an able councillor with a keen interest in people, and rose to be deputy Leader and Mayor....

Only Five More CabinetsOnly Five More Cabinets  25 Jul 2014  
There are only five more Cabinet meetings to go before Fylde Council returns to conducting its business using the Committee system. They've been looking at how to start. We've all the griff and some thoughts of our own, plus news from friends following Fylde's path elsewhere in the UK.....

Hot TopicJuly 2014: Fracking Update 24 Jul 2014  
July 2014: Fracking UpdateSeventeen different topic headings in this long fracking update, with bulletpoint headings at the start so you can skip around at will. Planning; Questions at Council and in The House; Proposals for a moratorium; Threats over signs and all the latest developments in the Fylde Fracking saga.....

Hot TopicMoss Road  18 Jul 2014  
Moss RoadThere has been deep joy in the fundemold of late, with lots of coverage about the Moss road being replaced with the M55 Link Road and a start being made next year. Sadly, we're less sure that all the ducks are in line on this project, and we hear that a 'plan B' is being readied - just in case.....

Breaking newsBoles'd Out 17 Jul 2014  
Boles'd OutThe anti-planning Minister- who has done so much to destroy town and country planning in the UK - the Rt Hon Nick Boles MP is moved from planning to oversee gender equality legislation. The new man is Brandon Lewis MP who few have heard of. We have the lowdown on the change.....

ExclusivePlanning Debate  11 Jul 2014  
Planning Debate: Westminster HallMP's - including our own MP Mark Menzies - take part in a debate designed to hold Planning Minister Nick Boles to account, and don't they just. Warton residents are singled out as 'exemplary' by our MP whose support for them is far better than anything FBC can offer. But Nick Boles, on the other hand.....

ExclusiveFracking Squatters  4 Jul 2014  
Fracking SquattersSquatters take up residence on the fracking sites, but they seem to be working for Cuadrilla.  Strange.  We also report some new signage on the A583 "Frack and Toxic Waste Creation Site Ahead - 800 yards on the left" and other strongly worded claims against fracking. What's going on?....

Hot topicWarton Planning Update  1 Jul 2014  
Warton Planning UpdateWarton is under siege from developers. We look at why this has happened - the Assisted Area Status, an update on the main planning applications, a report of the Riversleigh Farm debate at FBC, a letter from an angry resident, and news of a second Parish Meeting tomorrow night....

Hot topicFracking Applications  25 Jun 2014  
Fracking ApplicationsAs Cuadrilla move from exploration to the pilot development phase, we report the first planning applications for fracking, and the £2m fund for business. We also look in some detail at Cuadrilla's Environmental Permit application that isn't getting the attention it deserves....

ExclusiveBathing Waters Set to Fail  19 Jun 2014  
Bathing Waters Set to FailWe break news that most Fylde Coast Bathing Waters are due to have signs erected warning against bathing next year. All but one are (officially) predicted to fail. Having given the technical details previously, we now look at the effect, and at the great con trick being played on us.....

ExclusiveNot Fit For Purpose  15 Jun 2014  
Not Fit For PurposeWe chronicle a Policy Development Scrutiny Meeting with the  most incompetent chairing we have ever seen and an outcome that was pure bigoted, logic defying party-politics. The decision will have disastrous and long lasting implications for Fylde and its residents.....

Hot Topic22 May 2014: Democracy Day  8 Jun 2014  
24 May 2014 Democracy Day for FyldeThe Commissar can rein no more. Democracy was not dead in Fylde, it was only sleeping, Now it will return, thanks to a unique vote by Fylde residents that has changed their Council back to the Committee system of operation. Fylde is the first community in the UK to do this.....

ASA chide Taylor Wimpey for misleading advertASA Chide Wimpey for Advert  5 Jun 2014  
The Advertising Standards Authority criticise Taylor Wimpey for a misleading advertisement where a picture of Wrea Green was used in an advert for homes Wimpey were offering for sale in Warton. The Advert must not be used again....

Hot TopicJune 2014 Fracking Update   2 Jun 2014  
June 2104 Fracking UpdateWe report: LCC's Environmental Statement scoping. A big public meeting about fracking. Some waste questions. A Ministerial address in Blackpool. Unsatisfactory moves in Canada. Proposals to change the UK trespass law to make fracking easier, and the first full Cuadrilla application.....

Obituary: Eric BamberObituary Eric Bamber 30 May 2014  
We mourn the passing of one of nature's true gentlemen and the age to which he belonged. He served his electorate with respect, honesty and diligence for 38 years....

A Bad DMC MeetingA Bad Development Management Meeting 28 May 2014  
We report an awful meeting of Fylde's Development Management Committee. The top table consistently tried to circumvent the will of the Committee. Chicanery and shenanigans abounded. It was always going to end in tears - especially with Queen Elizabeth in Boadicea mode....

Hot TopicCommittees Referendum 20 May 2014  
Committees ReferendumWith the Local Referendum vote to decide how Fylde Council should conduct its business looming on Thursday, we take a look at why Mr Eaves and his Cabinet want things to stay as they are and why FCAG say they should change....

Significant newsBathing Water Update 13 May 2014  
Bathing Waters UpdateWe update readers on the current position with the Revised Bathing Waters Directive and how it will impact on the Fylde coast. We're very pessimistic, and can see no outcome other than signs appearing on some of our beaches next year - warning people not to bathe or paddle here....

Planning CatchupPlanning Catchup  5 May 2014  
Our catch-up on Fylde's planning stories - an awful Individual Member Decision; updates on Warton, Wesham and Wrea Green, plus some National issues, emerging Labour Party planning policy, Questions in the House, and an update on Fylde's Local Plan Steering Group....

No Special Measures for FyldeNo Special Measures for FBC  24 April 2014  
In the shifting ground that measures planning efficiency, the Government lets Fylde retrospectively adjust figures for the time it has taken to decide planning applications, and so Fylde has narrowly avoided being placed in Special Measures for its Planning service....

Newton Residents Association AGMNewton Residents Association AGM 18 April 2014  
Following our 'Humble Pie' article about the Newton Call-in, we bring you the story from the NRA.  How can Fylde's Conservative councillors be so unpopular, in Newton when Fylde's Conservative MP's enjoys such strong and warm support?  We think we have the answer....

Humble Pie DistributionHumble Pie Distribution  17 April 2014  
We run a reprise of the story to date, before dishing out slices of Humble Pie to those who got it wrong when they were'minded to approve' the planning application for the Newton Gypsy Site. St Eric has now taken the decision out of Fylde's incompetent hands and will decide it himself.

Breaking NewsCommittees Campaign  2 April 2014  
Campaign for CommitteesFour stories in one. FBC approve arrangements for Committees, Canterbury follows Fylde with a petition. St Annes Town Councillor Carol Lanyon highlights failure in FBC governance options, and how our readers can get involved in the campaign to restore democracy...

St Johns By-election ResultSt Johns By-election Result  29 March 2014  
Our analysis of the result of the 2014 St John's Ward by-election that saw a landslide victory for Mark Bamforth and disaster for most of the other parties. We look at the results and the implications to assess the political temperature with next year's Borough-wide election in mind....

Significant new InformationWater, Water, Everywhere.  17 March 2014  
Water, Water, Everywhere.We bring news of new arrangements for drainage and watercourse management due to start in April. It will bring big changes for developers, landowners, and for everyone buying a new house. In essence the system of drainage management in the UK is about to be 'nationalised'....

Out of Europe?Out of Europe?  14 March 2014  
We return to St Margaret's - for another thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining Shrove Tuesday debate on the proposition that 'This house believes the UK should withdraw from the EU'. So - having heard the arguments -  what did the good people of St Annes decide?....

Snippets March 2014Snippets March 2014  10 March 2014  
A round-up of news including the Lytham By-election, Helicopters, Streetscene rumblings, Flooding, the Living Wage, Mortgage news, Changes in Fylde's charges, planning in Wrea Green, Warton and Staining, and a brief introduction to Nick Boles' new Planning Guidance...

Hot TopicStatus Storm  6 March 2014  
Status StormA European inspired plan to designate parts of Fylde as being 'economically deprived' begins a storm of protest and threatens Warton with the prospect of more housing development. Strong words are used and calls for censure abound.. What's it all about?...

Back to Committes?Back to Committees  19 February 2014  
Monday sees Fylde Council debating the arrangements it will put in place to run again by Committees if there is a 'yes' vote in May's referendum to change away from the Leader and Cabinet and a return to the tried and tested Committee system. So what are they planning to do?....

Just a MinuteJust a Minute!  14 February 2014  
A spat about the accuracy of the minutes (ie who was responsible for fulfilling a condition to improve the highway on Thames Street, Newton if the proposed Traveller site is approved) took up the first hour of business at Fylde's next Development Management Committee meeting.....

Fracking update Feb 2014Fracking Update Feb 2014  9 February 2014  
Our catch up on the main fracking news since last summer, including Anna's Road,  MPs questions, Regulators working together, Resumption of fracking, Cash for fracks, Issues of land trespass, Fracking in Freckleton, Town Hall fracking meeting and news of a public meeting.....

Planning in PrivatePlanning in Private  3 February 2014  
Fylde's Local Plan Steering Group looks and smells like a committee - but it isn't.  In this awful Leader and Cabinet system we have, it isn't allowed to decide where to steer. Fylde has agreed to publish its agenda and minutes, but they voted to keep the public out of its meetings.....

Bin Discounting?Bin Discounting?  24 January 2014  
Warton's Cllr Julie Brickles lands Fylde's Scrutiny Committee with a problem.  Looks like some folk might be asking for £25 refunds if they bought a green bin recently. A few bin policy issues were aired, but little in the way of scrutiny was applied to them. However, the fat lady ain't singing yet.....

We're on the MoveWe're on the Move  23 January 2014  
After ten years of publishing counterbalance we're moving to 'bigger premises' - So we're asking our readers to bear with us if there are any - issues - as they say these days. We're also asking for your comments and suggestions for counterbalance in the future....

Fylde Considers CommitteesConsidering Committees  20 January 2014  
After its decision to hold a local governance referendum in May, Fylde councillors are mulling over the pros and cons of changing to the committee system. We bring readers the inside track into what's going on behind the scenes and what needs to be decided before May's referendum....

No Night ServiceNo Night Service  16 January 2014  
Bus Trilogy Part 3.  A look at changes that will see evening, weekend and bank-holiday bus services disappear across Lancashire after April as Lancashire County Council makes huge budget and bus subsidy cuts. We assess the options and implications for Fylde residents....

Hot Topic80 All Out  16 January 2014  
80 All OutBus Trilogy Part 2. We look in-depth at the 11 day wonder rise and fall of the No 80 service that caused so much disruption in December We get very confused about who was running the service, and we call for a Public Inquiry into what went wrong and left so many people stranded....

Bus BackgroundBus Background  16 January 2014  
Bus Trilogy Part 1. We set out some background showing how what were once 'corporation' bus services run by local councils, have become de-regulated bus business opportunities. We look at who regulates and licenses buses, and how you can set up as a bus company....

One Week and Three MeetingsOne Week and Three Meetings  10 January 2014  
We've a reader update on a resident's meeting about the Newton Gypsy Site.  Four reader reports from the Freckleton Fracking Meeting, and our own take on a meeting at Wrea Green that echoes what's happening right across the country. When Wrea Green takes up arms, its serious....

Dated:  31 December 2014


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