Munsif Dad

Cabinet member for health and communities

THESE days we can all expect to live longer than ever before, thanks to improvements in health care and living standards.

An ageing population provides both opportunities and challenges for the Council and, as Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, I want to make sure that we deliver services which support the needs of this community.

Last month I presented a report to all Councillors which looked in detail at Hyndburn’s community of older people, the significant contribution they make to the Borough and the services that support them.

The report brought together the invaluable expertise and experience of a number of national and local organisations who represent older people and not only challenged the negative stereotypes of older people, but also highlighted the positive impact, support and benefit older people bring to the Borough. The report will help strengthen Hyndburn’s approach to supporting communities so they can increase opportunities for older people and let them know what services are out there.

We are working in partnership to raise awareness of dementia, which affects around 800,000 people in the UK.

One in three people over 65 will develop dementia and the number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer. It is estimated that by 2021, the number of people with dementia in the UK will have increased to around 1 million.

We’re working hard to make our services and facilities easier to access for residents and customers who are living with dementia, and Councillors and staff have been trained by experts to help us get a better understanding of the specific needs of those living with dementia.

In other areas of my portfolio I have been keeping a close eye on developments with the walk in centre at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital.

We know residents value this facility so we have been closely involved in the recent consultation exercise about the future of the centre.

I know that over 2,000 consultation responses were received and these are currently being considered and that the Clinical Commissioning Group will be looking at the consultation results in September.

Continuing financial pressure means that the Council needs to consider innovative and more cost effective ways of delivering our services. Town Centre CCTV is one such service where we are part of an innovative partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner and a number of other district councils across Lancashire.

In the coming months we will be opening a new state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring hub which will merge a number of existing monitoring centres to help deliver service improvements whilst reducing costs.

And finally, I want to pay tribute to former Councillor Wendy Dwyer, who recently passed away. Wendy was not only a wonderful colleague and friend but also a dedicated and passionate advocate for the many voluntary groups of which she was an integral part, making a difference to the lives of many local people.

Wendy served the people of Hyndburn tirelessly during her many years as a Hyndburn Councillor and County Councillor; she was a great character and lovely person who will be sadly missed by all who knew her. Our thoughts and condolences are with Wendy’s family.