Opinion

University of Central Lancashire Media Factory

UCLan announces £9000 fees

5th, April 2011 by

The University of Central Lancashire has just announced its tuition fees for the academic year 2012/13; £9000. The news comes after other universities in the north west including Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores universities, Lancaster University and the University of Manchester all confirmed their move to higher fees. UCLan now joins 29 other universities across the country in announcing the maximum possible fees for its [...]

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skatepark

New indoor skate park opening delayed

31st, March 2011 by

Untitled from Arc Skatepark on Vimeo. Anger is growing as teens are ‘left in the dark’ over plans for a new skate park in Preston. It was announced at the beginning of the year that the city’s only indoor skating park would be ready this month. The plans will see a 15,000 ft warehouse on School Street converted, which will also include a café, indoor [...]

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Cuadrilla drill

Environment vs. jobs: Lancashire’s shale gas drilling investigated

12th, February 2011 by

Just outside a leafy village, not far from Preston, the horizon is broken by a chunk of towering white plastic – a façade for one of Europe’s first shale gas drills. With the decline of natural gas reserves, shale has become big business across the Atlantic. It now accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the United States’ annual gas supply. The West Bowland shale [...]

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libdem-logo

Opinion: Why I want Preston Council to be more open and accountable

11th, February 2011 by

John Potter was elected as councillor of the Cadley ward in the 2010 election. He is a Liberal Democrat. Thursday 3rd February saw Preston City Council (PCC) take the first steps towards becoming more open and accountable to it’s citizens. At the full council meeting I put forward my first notice of motion (NOM) since I was elected as a Liberal Democrat Councillor on September [...]

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beers

Struggling pubs at risk as beer sales slide

6th, February 2011 by

Pulling the perfect pint may soon be a lost art if beer sales continue to slide. The humble pub is losing out to supermarkets who can sell booze cheaply and according to experts at the British Beer and Pub Association, overall beer sales fell by four per cent in 2010. Beer sales in pubs have dropped by more than seven per cent, yet supermarket sales [...]

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nacro

Councillors: Youth cuts are ‘disgusting’

5th, February 2011 by

Plans to cut the funding of a youth crime prevention programme have been met with anger by Preston councillors. The area’s Youth Inclusion Project (YIP) is to lose £82,000 in funding from the Youth Justice Board and now faces closure as government cutbacks take their toll on local services. But Labour councillors in the east of Preston, where the scheme operates, have branded the plans [...]

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The usual scene on the street.

BBC programme falls foul of controversy

2nd, February 2011 by

The BBC have been heavily criticised for using 20 dogs to foul on a street in Preston as part of a new television series. The programme called ‘The Street That Cut Everything’ shows 21 families trying to cope with no council services. The series is currently being filmed in the Beacon Avenue cul-de-sac in the suburb of Cadley and will cost close to £1 million [...]

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A Virgin Train Class 390 Pendolino on the west coast main line (c)Ingy the Wingy on Flickr

Opinion: What do you want from your new train operator?

31st, January 2011 by

The time has come for Blog Preston readers to have some input into the new West Coast Franchise arriving in April 2012. As passengers, you are paying for the privilege of getting from A to B. In many cases the premium you pay covers the cost of a seat. If you are unfortunate, you are standing but thanks to the delayed, over budget, multi-billion pound [...]

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Meet the Leaders

Traders get opportunity to ask council key questions

26th, January 2011 by

Preston North End’s Deepdale Stadium saw a coming together of more than 100 traders, to fire questions at some of the main players at Preston City Council. The event, organised by the Chamber of Commerce, saw Preston Council Leader Ken Hudson, chief executive Lorraine Norris, deputy leader Eric Fazackerley and finance director Bernard Hayes asked questions by business traders from across Preston. Hot topics included [...]

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vegan-month

Vegan month: ‘I finally gave in’

21st, January 2011 by

This week has been tough – no doubt about it. Maybe it’s different when you’ve been vegan from birth, but when you’ve completely changed your diet in the space of two weeks, it’s incredibly hard. Fake cheese, fake milk, fake butter – it all tastes vile. My normal breakfast of cereal or porridge has been replaced by toast; my lunchtime sandwiches have been replaced by [...]

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