We could be singing the bin-day-blues in Pendle if Lancashire County Council add millions of pounds to district council-tax bills by shunting waste transfer costs onto borough councils.

LCC is threatening to make district councils pay to transport domestic rubbish and recycling across the county. In Pendle Council's case the change would add between £560,000 and £2.6m to the district council's costs.

These are costs currently paid by the county council. It's a cynical move to shunt waste transfer costs onto the districts. East Lancashire councils are most badly affected because of historic patterns of waste disposal and the location of the county council's food waste plant at Farrington, in the west of the county.

Up to now, bin wagons in Pendle have tipped their loads at a waste transfer station on Regent Street in Colne. LCC has then paid for the transfer of the bulked up rubbish to its disposal point. The county council is threatening to make us meet the costs of moving rubbish across Lancashire.

The LEAST costly option is for Pendle bin wagons to continue to tip at Regent Street, at a cost of over half-a-million pounds, but if the waste has to be taken to the county council's plant near Leyland it would be a £2.6 million bill. The threat of extra costs comes at the same time as councils like Pendle are having to bring in weekly food waste collections, so it's a double whammy for local council tax payers.

Pendle Council's Executive is considering a report on the waste transfer costs at its meeting on Thursday evening. Lancashire County Council's Cabinet is due to discuss the issue on 4th September.

PBC Leader - (David Whipp) has asked to meet with Lancashire Reform leader, County Councillor Atkinson, to ask him not to impose these costs on local council tax payers.

A meeting has been secured with LINK in October

With the closure of the last remaining bank in Colne, Liberal Democrat run Colne Town Council is pushing for a dedicated Banking Hub in our town. Council Leader Mary Thomas says: “Not everyone can or wants to bank online. Local businesses and local people rely on cash and in-person banking. We want a Banking Hub for Colne”. Everyone's pitching in with effort including Colne Business Improvement District, Pendle's MP along with businessman and celebrity Dave Fishwick.

Santander Bank Latest

With the bank now closed and the building up for sale Santander have arranged with Colne Town Council to have a banking service advice sessions in the town hall each Wednesday, beginning on 30th July.

Councillors have worked to get a Banking Hub in Colne, but the organisation running such hubs says one planned for Nelson will serve residents in the area.

Town Council Chair, Councillor Mary Thomas said, "The town council has negotiated weekly Santander sessions to salvage the best service we can for the people of Colne. We would all have liked a full banking service, but this is better than nothing."

Councillor Andy Bell, who sits on Pendle as well as the Town Council, said, “We will continue to press for a banking hub, as that would provide a much better service, including over the counter cash handling, but that looks to be a remote possibility at present.”

In the House of Commons at PM Question Time, ED Davey demands the PM's support of Gaza.

 Ed Davey's Gaza Question to the PM

The world is looking on in horror as Netanyahu's Government plots to lock Gaza's entire population into effectively a giant prison.

The Prime Minister should make it clear that the UK won't stand idly by, starting by sanctioning Netanyahu himself.