Graham Jones

Hyndburn MP

IN Parliament I continue to bang on about small towns and Hyndburn.

The minster for roads has agreed to meet Hyndburn and Lancashire Councils over congestion with Accrington being the most congested town in the country.

I recently met separately with two government minsters over the M65 extension and the corresponding rail link and had very positive meetings. It looks like the rail link is going ahead which means the service to Colne won’t end at Colne, it will go to Newcastle or North Yorkshire.

However I have received disappointing news on connecting Accrington to the airport which is much needed. There is some pushback and the argument is going to have to made more forcibly. I have also raised the issues of poor housing, empty homes and private landlords. I want the government to do something about these issues - at least give local councils the powers. I continue to campaign right across Hyndburn. I have been in Oswaldtwistle working with our two fantastic councillors, Glen Harrison and Stewart Eaves, and I’ve agreed to do surgeries across the town. The first was in Belthorn, the next in Knuzden.

In Great Harwood I again met with the police and asked that they increase their presence in the town.

● Ninety-five per cent of the buildings in Accrington are owned by private landlords and many have been underinvested and left in a terrible state.

Landlords who probably couldn’t place Accrington on a UK map.

The council has done up all its buildings and the new square, its about time private landlords stepped up to the plate, improved buildings and lower rents or sell up.

● I have been out and about on various other projects. Saving St James Church in Church is going well-ish.

I am impressed with what Hyndburn Leisure are trying to do and they are going to take forward both their and my ideas that we need a sports and leisure revolution across Hyndburn, better coordination, more grants, more participation, better information through new sports development officers.

It is an issue I have always been passionate about. I have also had involvement with DWP and the NHS, two services under duress.

● Finally I go to many events but I attended AA recently. I was pleased that to see that their approach to the issue is not about somebody else’s fault or clinical answers. Pills for all ills. AA’s approach is about accepting personal responsibility, it is about community and from those two owning the problem and developing resilience to it.

An approach to challenges that we could all learn from.