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Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) ____________ —


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Local campaigner claims blunder meant missed election chance


by Tim Procter


AIR quality campaign­ er Mr J. D. Mortimer claims that council inef­ ficiency robbed him of the chance to stand in


May's local elections. Now he is keen to publi­


cise the fact far and wide - and has even sent a dossier on the subject to satirical magazine "Private Eye". Mr Mortimer’s anger is


compounded by the discov­ ery that any mistake made by council staff when deal­ ing with elections is exclud­ ed from the Parliamentary Ombudsman scheme which covers normal duties. "So I have no means of


official redress, although the council has apologised to me," says Mr Mortimer. "The only consolation is


that I could have demanded a new election in the ward if the result there could have affected the overall balance of power on the council. It's


useful to know that." Mr Mortimer, a retired


civil engineer, has had bitter arguments with the council and some councillors over air quality. He alleges all­ round lack of action, and considered standing in the Grammar School Ward as


an independent. A neighbour collected


some papers from the town hall in January. But they referred to an earlier elec­ tion, and the nomination date for the May one had been written in by hand as


noon on Friday, April 9th. When Mr Mortimer rang to check the date on Tuesday, April 6th, he was told that, if he had a form \vith a wit- ten date, that would be cor-


"I t is quite incredible


because I only made the check after another Inde­ pendent candidate had mentioned th a t the date was the Thursday," says Mr


Mortimer." He obtained the neces­


sary number of nomina­ tion signatures on Thurs­ day, April 8th, and th a t afternoon went to the town hall with them. He was told that nomination time had been at noon, and he


Roller-skaters make a plea to businesses for skate park funding by Ben Carlish


and drug-taking. ,


A GROUP of y o u n g ro l le r - sk a te r s is ap p e a l in g to local businesses to help th em an ambitious Clitheroe-based s k a te p a rk p r o je c t , w h ich y o u th w o rk e r s , p o l ic e a n d councillors say will be a major boon for Ribble Valley youth a n d th e c om m u n i ty a s a


whole.


the backing of both town and bor­ ough councillors, will be built on part of the all-weather surface in the Castle grounds and wll feature a ramp complex to be made avail­ able to roller-skaters, skate-board­ ers and BMX enthusiasts. ^ Its state-of-the art design has


The project, which has received . Activate peer educator bteve „


Procter, who has been working on the project since November, 1997,


said: "It will help take kids off the street by providing them with a place of their own where they can


hang out.." PC Whiteoak added: We need


to be positive in providing diver­ sionary activities from crime and delinquency. This is just the sort of facility young people need around here. I t will be a pilot project because there isn't anything like


this in any other rural area." The group reckons there are


been put together by Ribble Valley youngsters under their own initia­ tive and with the guidance of the Activate Drug Awareness project, the Trinity Community Centre, Ribble Valley Borough Council Engineering Manager Graham dag­ ger and Hyndburn and Ribble Val­ iev Youth and Community Police


about 100 local roller-skaters, who have travelled previously to skate parks in Preston, Blackpool and beyond, but believes this number would increase significantly with the establishment of the skate park and with basic instruction on all aspects of roller-skating, biking and skateboarding, including safety,


under its direction. The estimated cost of the project .


is put at £24,000, but the group h ^ already managed to raise £8,50U


from donations sources, including Ribble Valley


Liaison Officer PC Gail Whiteoak. Architects of the project, calling itself the "Roller-skaters X.L.


ents.


Group, say it will provide a much- needed recreational facility for


youngsters in the area and could help reduce teenage delinquency


widening the net by sending out funding packs to local businesses and individuals appealing for|lur-


Now,- Roller-skaters X.L. is ^ ^


Borough Council, and through var­ ious sponsored events including a three-legged skate event for par­


ther funding to help it reach its tar-


^^In the packs, other members of the group s tate the case for the skate park. One of them, phris Taylor (13), writes: "I think it


To obtain a copy of the Roller-


skaters X.L. funding pack, contact the Trin ity Centre on 01200


427886. Our pictures show (below) mem­


would be good because it would encourage a lot of new kids to stort skating, which would give them something to do instead of wreck­ ing their lives and other people s


along with them." bers of the Skaters X.L. Group


with copies of the funding pack (100699/12/5) and (above) Low Moor roller-skater Tom Fisher (16) performing some high jinks outside the Trinity Centre. (100699/12/15)


From ..'v, ’ ’ '•" i'- " h \ f-^r. \incc i f < j , '1 ¥ ( I L j f J v k y F W g P — r- -T-m-i, . ----------------------------- -----------------------------------------


ftison threatl^man who shoplifted from store and brought shame on his family


A G R IN D L E TO N man who had brought further shame on h is fam i ly w as to ld th a t he h ad come per ilously close to g o in g to p r is o n w h en he a p p e a re d b efo re B la c k b u rn


magistrates. Dylan Robert Morris was told


th a t if he appeared again before stipendiary magistrate Jonathon Finestein for shoplifting he would


"go straight downstairs. Morris (31) of Balderstone


House, Grindleton, pleaded guilty to stealing sun lotion worth £55 from Boots. He was put on proba­ tion for 12 months with a condition that he attend the STOP offending programme as directed by the pro­


bation service. Mr Paul Schofield (defending)


said the offence was totally inex­ plicable. Morris had been sent to


prison five years ago and since then had tried to get himself sorted out. "He is acutely aware of the fur­


nrknn five vears ago and since then help,' said Mr Schofield.


ther shame he has brought on his very respectable family," said Mr Schofield. "His father is here toda.y


and he has the full support of his family, despite his record. "He recognises the fact that this


cannot go on. There is no re^on at all for him to behave in this way, and this offence has brought home to him th a t he really does need


stairs," he said. €


help," said Mr Schofield. Mr Finestein said Morris had


come very close to going to prison. "You have got an appalling record and there is absolutely no reason for you committing this offence. I will give you the benefit of the vei y considerable doubt I have and put you on probation, but if you ever appear before me again for shoplift­ ing, you will go s tia ig h t down­


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was too late. "The other candidates


must have got their paper­ work later than me and so were given the form for this election, where the date was correct, rather than my hand-altered incorrect one," says Mr Mortimer. He spec­ ulates that the computation for his date overlooked a Bank Holiday, which affect­


ed it. When the mistake was


discovered, council officials contacted the Home Office, but were told that nothing


could be done. Mr Mortimer is careful


to make no claims that the error was anything other than completely random, or


th a t he would have been elected, or how strong any support for him would have been. In any case, he says, none of that is relevant. "The point is th a t we


have an inefficient council which does not even know something as crucial as a nomination date, and in effect twice gave the wrong one, once in writing, once by telephone," he argues. "I hope 'Private Eye' features


this saga." e A council spokesman


pointed out that there were nearly 300 candidates in the borough and parish council elections and no one else encountered any problems from the large amount of publicity about the various dates. "But we have certain­ ly apologised to Mr Mor­ timer for our part in what happened," he said.


UP to a dozen p a t ien ts from th e forensic u n i t a t Cald e rs to n es H o sp ita l, Whalley, could soon be living in th e community - although they will only


be a sh o r t distance from th e main complex. Whalley residents are interests of anyone to put


viewing th e id e a w ith c a u t io n , b u t th e t r u s t which runs the hospital insists th a t the patients chosen will pose no risk. T h ey will be ca refu lly


1 selected and supervised 24 h o u rs a day by an appropriate team of staff. Two large houses in Mit-


ton Road, Whalley, origi­ nally staff accommodation, will be used. One has been occupied by Calderstones patients for well over a


decade. The forensic unit has


been developed by Calder­ stones NHS Trust as num­ bers of long-stay patients with problems, but no crim­ inal background, have declined due to Govern­


ment policy. Many of the men and


f t


women in the unit are sub­ ject to orders of various courts or medical authori­ ties and some have to live in specially designed accom­ modation offering medium secure conditions. "The behaviour of some inside the hospital gives cause for concern and in the past there have been union com­ plaints th a t not enough staff were employed. These


were later resolved. However, some forensic


patients can quite legally have their homes in the community because profes­ sional clinical assessment has shown that they pose no risk now, whatever may or may not have happened in


the past. "It would not be in the


patients in the community if they were not suitable and local people can be assured we are being very careful," says Mr Graham Jowett, deputy chief execu­ tive of the Calderstones NHS Trus t. "We will be happy to discuss concerns


with anyone." The tru s t is non-profit


making, but has to be run on business lines to retain its effectiveness. Moving the patients who can go in the community out, if only a short distance geographi­ cally, will free beds in the actual complex. This means that they can be occupied by new patients needing closer supervision and therefore generating higher payments from whichever health authority sends


them. Charges range up


towards £100 a day. Accom­ modation such as th a t offered at Calderstones - which recently increased its professional staff and which has at tracted several awards in recent times — is keenly sought after. Patients are admitted, after going through a carefully controlled procedure, from all over the country and there is a waiting list. Whalley's Coun. Mrs


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Joyce Holgate took up local concerns as soon as the plan became public. "People -will want to be quite sure there is no risk — it is sometimes hard to understand how the doctors can be so sure some­ one is not likely to pose a problem," she said.


Roof to be lifted to make offices


t h e roof of Gee-Co Precast Ltd, Up Brooks Mill, 'Taylor Street, Clitheroe, can be lifted to form offices, say officials 1 of Ribble Valley Borough Council. They have


delegated powers to allow the firm's planning application. thei /I .1 / i i ri


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