Category Archives: Political

Politics affecting the north west of England.

Parliament debates BAE redundancies

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Pete of MIP

On November 24th a debate was held in parliament on the redundancies at BAE SYSTEMS primarily at the Warton and Samlesbury plants in Lancashire and the closure of the Brough site in Yorkshire. The prime mover was David Davis, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Made in Preston, Political, Technology, Uncategorized | Comments Off

20mph Speed Limit in Lancashire

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Pete of MIP

Lancashire County Council popped a leaflet through our door today announcing that our road will have a 20mph speed limit to improve safety and improve the local environment. The leaflet says that the objective is to make driving at 20mph … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Road, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Goodbye Tithebarn Project

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Pete of MIP

This week John Lewis pulled out of being an anchor store in the proposed Preston major development, Tithebarn. The state of the economy and job losses at BAE Systems were quoted as contributing to the decision.  Although one national paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Preston’s Old Buildings Departing

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Pete of MIP

This week Preston Council granted planning permission for houses to be built on the land now occupied by the Park School on Moor Park. This school educated generations of Preston females who passed their 11+ exam, including my mother and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

High Speed Rail consultation period ends

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Pete of MIP

The High Speed Rail consultation period concluded at the end of July and decision making will take until the end of the year. At present the line is planned to extend as far as Manchester in the north-west but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Rail, Technology | 1 Comment

Tithebarn another step forward

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Pete of MIP

The appeal by Blackburn against the Tithebarn project has been rejected.  Blackburn are now considering whether to make a further appeal although most think it’s throwing good money after bad. Whether the Blackburn appeal has already done its job might … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

The Street That Cut Everything

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Pete of MIP

Out of thousands of streets in the UK the BBC selected a street in Preston for ‘The Street That Cut Everything’ broadcast last week.  Meant to highlight the difficulty of providing public services with a limited budget it seemed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

University of Central Lancashire £9,000 fee ripples

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Pete of MIP

Following the announcement last month that UCLan will charge £9,000 a year for students enrolling in 2012, Blackburn FEC is to break its association with UCLan as it has proposed to charge £7,000. UCLan is well down the performance tables of universities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Preston Council May 2011 Labour Gain Control

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Pete of MIP

On May 5th the local elections were contested in 19 out of a total of 57 council seats in Preston.  Of these 4 changed hands giving Labour a narrow gain with an overall majority of 1 councillor. The full council now comprises: Labour … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Residential Speed limits to be 20mph – ridiculous!

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Pete of MIP

Lancashire County Council announced that all residential roads will have a speed limit of 20mph by 2013 to create a new attitude towards speeding and reduce road deaths. There is some merit in the proposal but how many deaths will … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Road | Comments Off

The Strange Story of the Secret Park and Ride

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Pete of MIP

Down in Bluebell Way, east of Preston in Lancashire lies a secret Park and Ride.  No-one knew why it was there or what it was for.  It seems someone had a good idea and then there it was. If only other plans … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Road | Comments Off

Manchester to Blackpool rail electrification by 2016

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Pete of MIP

Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Transport, stated in Parliament on the 25th November 2010: ‘The Chancellor also announced on 20 October the electrification of the lines between Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Blackpool, representing an investment of up to £300 … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Rail, Technology | 5 Comments

Manchester to Blackpool Rail Electrification

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Pete of MIP

It was a surprise to discover the good news announced in the governments spending review on 21st October 2010 seemed to have no coverage.  Here is what the chancellor said: ‘In the North West, we will invest in rail electrification between Manchester, … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Rail, Technology | Comments Off

Anyone for strawberry picking?

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Pete of MIP

Reading in the paper today that David Cameron is taking a business delegation to China to follow on from his Indian visit.  A bit further down an article that Jaguar – Land Rover might build a factory in China to … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political | Comments Off

Liam Fox in Saudi Arabia supporting local industry

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Pete of MIP

It is reported the UK Minister of Defence Liam Fox is meeting the King of Saudi Arabia and will discuss potential arms sales.  The US has recently announced the sale of $100bn of arms to the region and the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

3rd degree vulnerability in Preston

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Pete of MIP

The data research company Experian has published an analysis that shows the areas around Preston to be more vulnerable than average to government cut-backs.  Out of 324 areas Preston and its surroundings are generally in the third quartile 0r positioned around 250th.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

BAE trims its cloth

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Pete of MIP

Around 450 jobs are to go at BAE SYSTEMS Warton and Samlesbury plants out of a total of 950 that will be shed nationally.  In such a large company it could be expected that there will be a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Made in Preston, Political, Technology | Comments Off

Industrial Revolutionaries in Preston

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Pete of MIP

The Industrial Revolutionaries is a display at the Harris Museum in Preston.  The revolutionaries are the people who made an impact in Preston and include cotton magnates and reformers, mill workers and inventors.  The display was funded by a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cotton, History, Made in Preston, Political, Technology | Comments Off

Blackpool 11, Preston 3*

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Pete of MIP

A wake up call. The elected Preston council is struggling to get its projects put into place. Tithebarn, Winckley Square, Flag Market are being thwarted. On transport the bus sale has been done and redone, and light rail proposals seem uncertain.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Made in Preston, Political, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Broughton Roundabout No Change

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Pete of MIP

Today the council announced that widening the M55 / Broughton roundabout and associated work wouldn’t go ahead.   The previous plan to by-pass Broughton with a  road from the roundabout east to Whittingham Lane and back to the A6 has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Political, Road | Comments Off