Public Meeting 24 September 2024
Our fourth public meeting, held at St Bede’s School on Tuesday 24 September 2024, was a huge success and once again well attended with around 150 filling the school hall. The atmosphere generated throughout the meeting demonstrated a very strong feelings of support and encouragement though applause, comments and post event feedback.
We were delighted to welcome representatives from LSA Civic Society, Lytham Town Trust, Friends of Lytham Institute, the Heritage Group along with the recently formed Ansdell and Fairhaven Voice, who are all partners with Lytham Voice to collaboratively build a stronger community. Many other groups who work tirelessly for our town and community were also present, including Lytham in Bloom, Lytham Club Day, St Annes in Bloom, Park View, Toolshed, choir, Friends of the Estuary, together all demonstrating a powerful community voice. A huge thank you to everyone who attended.
Following a warm welcome, the meeting was briefed on Lytham Voices focus on community and the various successes that have now been achieved by residents, including securing the establishment of parish councils for Lytham and Ansdell, a commitment to a public consultation on the Clifton Street tree and lighting replacement project and improvements to the festival arrangements supported and implemented by Live Nation.
The brief continued, providing an insight into the efforts aimed at securing, for the community, a specific and visible ‘dividend’ for allowing our Green and town to be utilised by Live Nation to host their festival.
Questions raised by Lytham Voice at a full Fylde council meeting and follow up Freedom of Information requests looking for transparency of the councils’ profit or loss from the festival, confirmed that Fylde Council receive around £100,000 as a fee from Live Nation for taking control of the whole Green. They receive nothing additional from the car parking or any other fees.
Fylde council say that this festival income is included within the council’s general expenditure and supports services across the Fylde.
The meeting learnt that most surprisingly, Fylde council have not provided any information on their costs, stating that they do not record the expenses they incur in supporting the festival and do not therefore know how much they spend. A cursory examination of Fylde Council payments by Lytham Voice quickly identified over £20,000 spent on just two sub-contractors working on minor side issues for the festival.
Lytham Voice asks ‘Are Fylde rate payers actually subsidising Live Nation to host their festival on Lytham Green?’ IE Are the councils total costs more than £100,000?
And ‘are Fylde Council utilising staff and resources on the festival that otherwise would be working to provide the services to Fylde residents and businesses?’
Community feedback raised through social media and directly to Lytham Voice was briefed, including: how wonderful it is to live in Lytham, a town awash with local volunteers looking after the town and community, with the extensive events calendar and wide choice of hospitality venues; whilst from the opposite perspective issues caused by the increasing number of events in Lytham and the surrounding area, problems car parking, inadequate coordination between event organisers or Blackpool and Fylde councils, and the clear focus on tourism but not the impact on residents.
‘Alcohol tourism’ in Lytham, with more of our shops being converted to licenced premises, has become a threat to our town; for an insight into where this may lead, it was suggested residents google ‘Whalley Guardian article’. Lytham Voice continues to push Fylde council to introduce a cumulative impact policy to facilitate alcohol licence applications to be positively managed rather than approved by default.
Two detailed and excellent presentations followed covering the extensive work that has taken place over the summer:
- The ongoing licencing and planning issues in Clifton Square including enforcement legal action that is being taken by Fylde council. The presentation highlighted the historic lack of enforcement has encouraged inappropriate developments which are now also evident in St. Annes and Ansdell. An extract from Fylde councils’ licencing policy highlighting the ’peace and quiet’ was read out along with an observation that whoever wrote this ‘has not been in Lytham on a Saturday night.’
- The background to the judicial review which prevented Fylde council proceeding with their plans to build a kiosk café on our open green sea front space at Granny’s Bay. Project Vento, as it was known, was eventually withdrawn by the council on ‘financial grounds’. However, it is noted that Fylde Councils’ planning officers’ in recommending Project Vento proceeds failed to apply National Planning law. It was clear at the planning hearing on 6th March that many, but not all councillors, had not read and understood the specific documents and planning policy re: taking green open land from the community. It took legal action by Lytham Voice and the Civic Society to stop this development. Karen Buckley, Leader of Fylde council, did promptly ‘put it to bed’ confirming the council had no longer any plans for building on Granny’s Bay or Lytham Green.
The presentation explained the importance of this action in ensuring Lytham Green is protected from future similar developments, and highlighted the need to ensure Lytham Green Charity status is legally established and formally recognised by Fylde Council.
Work continues to encourage Fylde council to engage on this critical issue.
The meeting was briefed on the recent success in securing charity status for Lytham Institute and the resultant confirmation by Fylde council that the Institute is a charity not a council asset. This has lead to the requirement for new trustees to be appointed and Fylde council contracting with Capita consultancy, an outside agency with no knowledge of our area and needs, to undertake a feasibility study at a cost of up to £40,000.
The Stretford Public Hall case study was offered as a vision of the possibilities achievable by a community led project.
A residents’ survey was then launched, as the initial engagement to foster a sense of local pride, belonging and empowerment, ensuring Lytham Institute becomes a community led project from the outset. This initial short survey is aimed at gathering ideas and community solutions. It was explained that this initial survey will be followed by further surveys and polls to develop a community led vision, feasibility and delivery plan in support of the future Institute trustees, and aimed at ensuring a sustainable community trust. This work is being undertaken by our community, by locals who have an intimate knowledge and understanding of our neighbourhood, and at nil cost.
The presentations were followed by a very interesting open dialogue.
The frustrating lack of progress on resolving significant safety issues on Skew Bridge in Ansdell was highlighted in a heart-felt address to the meeting. It seems this issue could be easily resolved via the introduction of ‘motorway style’ crash barriers. However, the dangers and risks are not deemed significant enough by the responsible authority, Lancashire County Council, who have specific criteria to meet before taking action – there needs to be 6 deaths within a 5 year period. Support from the community, including pressing for a solution and fund raising, has been strong and needs to continue.
Concerns raised included:
Liggards Brook where the meeting was advised funding has very recently been confirmed; although significant it may not be sufficient to completely resolve the issues
Wind farm cable routing where it was confirmed that alternative routes both to Stanner (Fleetwood) and along the Ribble Estuary are being explored
Park View bridge where, with thanks to the perseverance of residents, rotting safety fences have recently been replaced
Clifton Street Tree and lighting replacement. ‘Investigation works’ utilising ground penetrating radar have taken place over the past week. The results are to be used to ‘inform’ the proposed plans, which will be the subject of a public consultation by the council. All residents are encouraged to respond to Fylde Councils consultation and more importantly, make their views known now, to prevent all the plan options being developed taking for granted the felling and replacement of all existing trees.
A lack of a Vision for Lytham. It is expected this important aspect of effective and focused town planning would need to be addressed, along with the strategy for Lytham, by the new parish councils when established
Unsightly Telegraph poles which are being installed in numerous locations across the Fylde. A plea for anyone with telecoms expertise to research this matter before it starts to impact Lytham and other areas was made
The establishment of the new Parish Councils and associated councillor election process. The importance of establishing strong parish councils in Lytham and Ansdell, with community minded, non-political councillors to represent the views and feelings of residents was highlighted. Lytham Voice confirmed they will be nominating members for election and encouraged others to nominate themselves. Everyone eligible should ensure they vote when the election is held in May 2025 to enable a strong democratic result and ensure the new Parish Councils do not merely become a further layer of bureaucracy mirroring the Fylde council constitution.
More details will be available from Lytham Voice over the coming months
Summing up, recognition was given to our strong community, everyone thanked for attending and for the constructive discussion throughout. Residents were encouraged to follow the Lytham Voice website and Facebook pages which are updated with the latest news and contains links to the surveys and consultations.
The meeting closed at 8:40
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