Preston’s “progressive” council budget passed, Lib Dem and Tory amendments rejected

preston politics

Preston’s “progressive” council budget passed, Lib Dem and Tory amendments rejected

24th, February 2012 by Joseph Stashko

Preston Council’s budget proposals have been passed, with both Conservative and Liberal Democrat amendments rejected. The council will see its budget reduced by £5.5m (46%), a figure that Councillor Peter Rankin called an “astronomical” drop in funding. Key plans to save money include a council tax rise of 3.5%, an increase in city parking charges and many council staff redundancies. Described as a “progressive budget”, [...]

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Preston’s councillors criticised for “embarrassing” emails

6th, December 2011 by Jack Gaughan

City councillors have been attacked by a colleague for “embarrassing” political debates via email. Private discussions had been had between Labour and Conservative members surrounding the proposed 20mph speed limit across Preston. Plans have been put in place for the whole of the city’s residential roads to be 20mph – a move that is costing £9m. Cllr John Potter, of Cadley, said members of the [...]

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Ribble Valley MP brands idea to move Fishwick out of Preston as a “glaring anomaly”

24th, October 2011 by Joseph Stashko

The proposition to move Fishwick out of the Preston constituency and into the Ribble Valley is a “glaring anomaly”, according to Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans. Speaking at today’s Boundary Commission public hearing at the Tickled Trout hotel, Evans agreed with Labour’s Mark Hendrick that making Fishwick part of the Ribble Valley would be an ill-advised move. “It would be the only ward of Preston [...]

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Fishwick would be an “orphan ward” under boundary changes, says Preston MP

20th, October 2011 by Joseph Stashko

Fishwick would become an “orphan ward” under changes proposed to the Preston constituency by the Boundary Commission, according to MP Mark Hendrick. The move, which would see Fishwick become part of the neighbouring Ribble Valley constituency, was opposed by Hendrick as well as councillors Marytn Rawlinson and Tom Burns. Speaking at a public meeting held yesterday at Fishwick Ramblers Working Men’s Club, Hendrick said: “It [...]

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Lancashire MPs: How often is yours absent from Parliament?

12th, September 2011 by Joseph Stashko

The Guardian have written an interesting post on their data blog entitled “MPs and Lords attendance and voting: who’s most active?” “Polly Curtis writes today on Reality Check about The Independent’s frontpage which asks: “Is this Britain’s laziest MP?” naming Sir Stuart Bell, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough, who has not held a surgery in his constituency since 1997.” Curtis writes: “It’s impossible to quantify and [...]

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Council’s ‘Social Media Toolkit’ debated on BBC Lancashire

2nd, August 2011 by Joseph Stashko

If you’d read the post on Preston Council’s ‘Social Media Toolkit’ yesterday, you may have heard me popping up on BBC Lancashire‘s drivetime show to discuss the issue. Below I’ve attached some recorded audio of me talking about the Council’s strategy, as well as a response from Stephen Parkinson, Preston Council’s Head of Communications (who was very active in the comment threads yesterday). As always, [...]

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Councillor calls for tougher packaging policy

24th, June 2011 by Joseph Stashko

Preston City Councillor John Potter has submitted a notice of motion that would force new retail shops over a certain size to have an excess packaging bin so customers can discard excess packaging they don’t want or need. Liberal Democrat Potter’s motion states that any new retail applications over 350m2 (including the Tesco Metro planned for Tulketh Mill) will have to have the packaging bin [...]

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The best of Blog Preston in May

1st, June 2011 by Joseph Stashko

[View the story "Best of Blog Preston in May" on Storify]

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Conservative victories across Lancashire so far, but Labour take Preston

6th, May 2011 by Chris McBriarty

The Conservatives held onto Ribble Valley and South Ribble last night setting the Tories up for election success around Lancashire. Labour however have fought back today with victories in Chorley and Preston. In Chorley the result meant there is no overall control, but Labour took nine of the 15 seats available; defeating the Conservative majority. Preston was taken by a 29-seat sweep across the city [...]

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Candidate Focus – A reflection on local politics in Preston

4th, May 2011 by Joseph Stashko

If you’re a regular reader of Blog Preston, you may have seen a few articles related to candidates standing in the forthcoming local election. The series was called Candidate Focus and was designed to tell voters a little more about candidates who were standing in their local area. A few weeks ago I sent a letter out to all 55 candidates. At the time of [...]

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Candidate Focus: Sam Gardiner, Labour – Larches

3rd, May 2011 by Joseph Stashko

This is another candidate featuring in our Candidate Focus series, designed to tell you a bit more about who’s standing in your area for the local elections. You can read more about the series here. Full name Sam Gardiner Party Labour Ward Larches Occupation In second year studying BA Hons Politics at UCLan What has made you decide to stand for election? In the first year of cuts, [...]

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Candidate Focus: John Swindells, Labour – University

1st, May 2011 by Joseph Stashko

This is another candidate featuring in our Candidate Focus series, designed to tell you a bit more about who’s standing in your area for the local elections. You can read more about the series here. Full name John Swindells Party Labour Ward University Occupation Retired What has made you decide to stand for election? I wish to be re elected again. I am deputy leader of the Labour [...]

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Candidate Focus: Mark Cotterill, England First – Ribbleton

30th, April 2011 by Joseph Stashko

This is the another candidate featuring in our Candidate Focus series, designed to tell you a bit more about who’s standing in your area for the local elections. You can read more about the series here. Full name Mark Cotterill Party England First Ward Ribbleton Occupation Self-employed, sales. What has made you decide to stand for election? I would like to help the people of Preston in general [...]

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