I AM writing in relation to a local community website I run out of my own pocket for Burnley and Pendle on www.burnley-pendle.co.uk

I have been running this site for a number of years with funding out of my own pocket. I work full time, have a mortgage, have a child and hopefully have another on the way. My aim was for people to be able to speak to other local people in a fun, safe and friendly way as I found people generally want somewhere to have a good natter and moan without fear of reprisals. Having worked as a Community Warden in Hyndburn some years ago I found e-mail and web information was the best way for someone to talk about something in private!

What annoys me, however, is the fact that the local council and organisations associated with the council don't want to know. They would rather fund and support community websites that are run by businesses as obviously this brings more money to the council.

Why don't they assist those who have done something good for the community using their own personal time and money? It just seems that these days, those who want to make a difference and help out have no say unless the money is flowing....

I started the website to help the community and I had no interest in funding until recently as the cost of running the site due to the size is quite expensive. I'm trying to find local businesses willing to make a payment in return for an advert as trying to secure Government funding for "People who help the communities" has resulted in no help whatsoever and e-mails to the council are just ignored.

MR NEAL PARRY, Burnley & Pendle Online, neal.parry@burnley-pendle.co.uk
www.burnley-pendle.co.uk

This website has linked to Mr Parry's. It is an excellent site. 

WE recently received the latest Elevate update for the area. Included in the letter was the latest on the next blocks to come down, including two blocks on the even side of Branch Road, the block from Kirkgate to Clarence Street we can understand, there are a number of empty and vandalised on this block.

On the other hand the block from Brunswick Street to Kirkgate is in reasonable condition with almost all the houses lived in.

Just a few yards down the road the blocks odd and even between Springfield Road and Brunswick Street have about half the houses on either side boarded up and vandalised.

The Elevate programme is supposed to be about getting rid of "unfit" houses so why is Elevate demolishing homes in a reasonable, liveable state, but leaving up (for now) homes that do need to go. The residents I have spoken to cannot understand why the planners have gone down this particular road.

Could someone from the council or Elevate please inform the puzzled residents just what is going on!

Conservative candidate for Burnley Wood, D. J. TIERNEY, Parkinson Street, Burnley

IN response to the continuing controversy concerning the new Hameldon College.

The amalgamation of Ivy Bank and Habergham High schools to form the new super school, is nothing short of a hair-brained socialist experiment which has back-fired in spectacular fashion.

Habergham, which was formerly Burnley Grammar School, had an excellent history of exam results and was rated by many people in the town as the place to send your children for a brilliant education. So popular was the school that every summer intake of new pupils was over-subscribed.
This often resulted in parents who couldn't get their offspring in, falling out with the Education Authority and refusing to send their children anywhere else.

In contrast look at the situation now. Hameldon College has just recevied a damning Ofsted report.and has been put under special measures. Parents are keeping their children away in fear of their safety.

I know how good the school used to be run as I sent my own son there. The former headmaster, who is now retired, Mr David Clayton, ran the school with pride and had an interest in every single pupil. He must be shaking his head in disbelief at the situation now.

MR ANTHONY DICKINSON, Ribblesdale Street, Burnley

This blogger can confirm Mr Dickinson's comments regarding Habergham and Mr Clayton.

www.burnleytoday.co.uk

-Ex-BNP member S. Smith

'Beware of impostors!

There is only one British National Party' (emphasis his).

Could this be a reference to Mr Smith's England First Party?

Contrast Hapton's Labour candidate Jean Cunningham's claim about Hapton BNP councillor Mr Starr:

'How can Len Starr with a 33% attendance record at council meetings 2005-2006 say he is speaking up for you?'

...with Mr Starr's apparent response:

Official attendance records: May 2006 to March 2007 show BNP councillors at 85%. Better than Labour or Lib Dem.

Assuming that both have actually done their research, it just goes to show that you can make statistics say whatever you want.

Tories seem to forget apostrophes.

The BNP seem over-fond of beginning common nouns with capital letters and forgetting punctuation.

Labour seem to rely on short phrases rather than proper sentences, as though they were writing a series of newspaper headlines or are trying to communicate with the very thick.

I haven't seen any Lib Dem, Independent or EFP literature yet, so cannot comment on their mistakes- for I'm sure there are many.

·       Labour are only contesting 60.6 per cent (6,360) of all the seats up for election (5% down on last time). There is no nomination fee for local elections and just 10 local signatures are needed to sponsor a candidate.

·       Conservatives are contesting 88 per cent of seats (9,264) - the best ever performance in these seats.

·       Liberal Democrats are contesting just 64 per cent (6,667) - only marginally better than Labour (only a tiny improvement on last time).

·       The BNP are running 717 candidates and UKIP 805 candidates (less than the 1,000+ they claimed earlier this week).

·       Disappointingly, the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats have not met the challenge posed by the BNP at these elections. Conservatives are contesting 96.7 per cent of town hall seats against the BNP, with Labour failing to run candidates against the BNP in 47 wards (6.6 per cent) and Liberal Democrats giving the BNP a free run in 129 wards (18 per cent).

Conservatives are the party of local government

Eric Pickles, Shadow Minister for Local Government, has said: 'Labour activists are turning their backs on Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. It is a sure sign that a political party is in deep trouble when it cannot find candidates for almost half the seats up for election. This is the clearest proof of Labour's unpopularity caused by hiking up council tax bills and making councils cut local services like weekly rubbish collections and public libraries.

'In this major set of elections, Conservatives are fielding over 2,500 more council candidates than either of our opponents. Under David Cameron's leadership, our Party organisation across the country, crucial to our prospects at the next general election, is in better shape than Labour's or the Liberal Democrats'. And Conservatives are now the party of local government for a reason - our councils deliver better quality local services and lower council taxes.'