Coun Peter Steen
Conservative group leader
IT would appear, hopefully, life is returning to something like we considered normality, but we must not submit to complacency.
I would like to take this opportunity to pass on the admiration of the Conservative group to the small business owners and single person operatives in the Valley who have experienced a torrid time, but thanks to their perseverance and Government support swiftly distributed by the magnificent work carried out by staff at RBC they are starting to come back to life.
It is great to see local residents supporting those businesses on reopening and in supporting all local businesses, we are also supporting the lifeblood of our Valley.
Several weeks ago the leaders of all the Lancashire Local Authorities, including the Unitary Authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool met and agreed to devolve the responsibility to Lancashire County Council to decide what form it should take.
At last week’s County Council meeting it was agreed that Central Government be advised that a Combined Authority in Lancashire with an Elected Mayor. It is expected that this will be the subject of a White Paper in Westminster no later than the Autumn and it is anticipated that changes will follow quite quickly.
Whilst the changes envisaged should mean a big financial uplift for services in the County there is only scant information of what it will mean for grass roots politics. One major change could see Rossendale being subsumed into an East Lancashire Unitary. My big hope is that Councillors and residents in Rossendale get a say in their political future, unlike the last attempt in which the now departed RBC Chief Exec found out about the proposal via a press release.
At last week’s RBC council meeting I had the privilege, supported by my colleague Cllr Jimmy
Eaton of proposing a Notice of Motion requesting that on completion of the proposed new Market Square in Bacup it be named the Sir Everton Weekes Square.
In early 1949 Bacup Cricket Club were searching for a professional and had set their sights on a spin bowler, whilst he declined the invitation he suggested they talk to a young batsman from Barbados and what a wonderful twist of fate.
For the next nine years, with the exception of 1950 and ‘57 when he toured England with the West Indies, he scored in excess of 1,000 runs per season making a sporting icon to Bacup people he was a magnificent ambassador for the Caribbean nations; at a time when race relations in England were not very good he could so easily have played cricket and retreated during the week.
However, he chose not to do so and lived locally and even opened a business.
He continued to regularly visit Bacup to see old friends and go to the Cricket Club - his final visit was in 2014 just before his 90th birthday.
It is hoped that by naming the square in this way it would be Bacup’s way of honouring a sporting icon and could help make Bacup a tourist destination for cricket buffs.