Agenda item
Announcements
a) Mayor
b) Leader of the Council
c) Chief Executive
Minutes:
The Mayor made the following announcements:
1) The King’s New Year’s Honours List
Councillor Josh Allen, Mayor, remarked that although no Hyndburn residents had been mentioned in the King’s New Year’s Honours List, he was very pleased to highlight two awards to Lancashire citizens with a strong Hyndburn connection.
Firstly, Lisa O'Loughlin had received the CBE award. Lisa was Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the East Lancashire Learning Group, which was the umbrella organisation for Accrington and Rossendale College. The award had been granted for her services to Further Education.
Secondly, Lorraine Peake, Director of the Super Slow Way, had been awarded the MBE, for services to the community in Lancashire. Members were reminded that this organisation provided an arts programme shaped by the local community working alongside artists, which was based in East Lancashire along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal corridor.
The Council expressed its congratulations to both recipients.
2) International Conflict and Civil Unrest
The Mayor asked councillors to remember those ordinary people throughout the world who were suffering as a result of conflict, including those had lost their lives due to recent protests and civil unrest in Iran.
3) Alderman Janet Storey
The Mayor mentioned the sad passing of Aldermen and former Mayor Janet Storey, in December 2025. Councillors Dave Parkins, Melissa Fisher, Noordad Aziz and Munsif Dad all spoke of their affection and respect for Janet, who had served as a Conservative councillor for Calyton-le-Moors for eleven years and had latterly joined the Labour party. All present conveyed their deepest condolences to her friends and family.
Councillor Dave Parkins asked and was granted permission from the Mayor to make some brief announcements, as follows:
4) Councillor Marlene Haworth
Councillor Parkins indicated that he had recently spoken on the telephone to Councillor Haworth, who was currently in hospital. She had talked candidly about her recent surgery and hoped to be allowed home next week. Prior to Christmas Councillor Parkins had visited her and presented her with some flowers. She was now in good spirits and was hoping to get back to some home cooking.
5) Personal Thanks
Councillor Parkins thanked councillors for their concern and well-wishes regarding his own health issues. He expressed his appreciation to those who had been able to visit him while in hospital in Blackburn. His consultant at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital had referred him to a specialist in Birmingham and he had attended there recently for a scan. He was now awaiting a letter from the specialist about the next steps and would hope to know more by next week.
Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP then made the following announcements:
6) Food Waste Collection
Councillor Dad indicated that the Council was due to commence its weekly food waste collection service form 1st April 2026. The scheme would make recycling simpler and improve local recycling rates, leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The Council had now taken delivery of the caddies and councillors were being asked to participate in a pilot scheme to test the new service. The caddies would be delivered to households from March onwards starting in Rishton, then in Oswaldtwistle and across the rest of the Borough over a 4-5 week period. Residents were being advised to mark their house number on their collection caddy. Households would normally receive a 23 litre caddy (outdoors), 7 litre caddy (indoors), bin liners, a calendar with collection dates and some general information. However, flats and sheltered accommodation would not be supplied with the large caddy.
Residents were reminded not to put the caddy out for waste collection until after 1st April 2026.
7) Freedom of the Borough
Councillor Dad commented that Councllors Haworth and Parkins had been in everyone’s thoughts and prayers in recent weeks due to their health issues. He added that, with the support of Councillor Khan, it had been decided to offer the awards of Freedmen to both, in recognition of their eminent and long service to the Borough. It was proposed to confirm the awards at the Council meeting on 26th March 2026.
8) Fair Funding Settlement
In October 2025, the Council had heard that it would be adversely affected by the planned introduction of the Fair Funding Review 2.0. Following a constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and lobbying by Sarah Smith MP the final financial settlement had been better than initially expected. There were still pressures within the settlement, but the position was significantly better. The Budget currently being developed would reflect this position and further details would be available next month.
9) Waste Transfer Station
Councillor Dad had met recently with Lancashire County Council and other district council leaders to discuss the issue of transferring collected waste from East Lancashire to the County Council as waste disposal authority. A solution had now been agreed. The Leader, Councillor Stewart Eaves, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services and relevant officers had been actively involved in this process and the award of the contract was now in its final stages. Further details would be available in the next few weeks.
10) Houses in Multiple Occupation – Article 4 Direction
Members were reminded that over the last 12 months the Council had considered the introduction of an Article 4 Direction, which would be enacted with effect from March 2026. Other wards not included in the original decision had been monitored carefully, following which the Head of Planning and Transportation had been requested to look at increasing the Article 4 Direction coverage to the whole of the Borough. A report on this work was expected in the next few months.
David Welsby, Chief Executive, announced the following:
11) One Minute’s Silence
The Chief Executive commented that he had known Janet Storey well and had spoken personally to her sister, Lyn, after her passing to express condolences on behalf of the Council. He added that it was customary for the Council to hold one minute’s silence following the death of a former councillor.
The Mayor, councillors, officers and members of the public present then stood to observe one minute’s silence, as a mark of respect.