Anger at council’s decision

A DECISION by Lancashire County Council to refuse the offer of free professional grounds maintenance of the roundabout near Ormskirk’s fire station has been branded “crazy” by one of the town’s borough councillors.

Chris Bentley, who runs the popular Ormskirk Bygone Times site, is also a professional landscape gardener.

He offered to maintain the roundabout using his professional machinery only to receive no reply at all from the county council, at which point Chris raised it with Our West Lancashire.

Jane Thompson from Our West Lancashire said: “We pursued the matter with the county council only for them to claim health and safety as a reason for refusing Chris’s generous offer.

“Even when we pointed out that Chris held the full range of necessary insurances as he carries out this work professionally, they persisted with their stance.

“This is a major gateway roundabout to the town.

“If the county council are going to refuse generous offers from the community, then they need to maintain it properly themselves.

“Sadly, West Lancashire is being neglected by the powers that be in Preston.”

Our West Lancashire borough councillor Adrian Owens said decision: “This is crazy.

“The county council should be encouraging the support of active people in the community, not turning it away.”