T h u r s d a y /M a y 6 th , 2 0 0 4 No. 6 ,1 4 8
n ew s a n d v iew s^ f rom t h e C e n t re ,o f th e k i i ^ a d n r |
Ten s-'S-f,.- v : r ;S B t by Faiza Afzaal
AROUND 200 Ribble Valley tenants face losing the roof over their heads after their landlord announced plans to sell up, claiming that Government
rents were not enough to cover costs. The announcement has been made by
Great Harwood-based Liberty Property Group, which says it has a substantial number of properties across the pic turesque borough and houses up to 50 families - all on housing benefit. The group now says it is no longer prof
itable to continue to rent out properties across the district as it is losing money every day due to the low rents paid out every month by the Government. The firm’s managing director, Mr Mark
Greenwood, says that for quite some time he has been working closely with Ribble Valley Borough Council’s housing depart ment in a bid
to.increase the rents, but to
no avail. “Around 95% of my tenants are on
housing benefit," said Mr Greenwood. “The Government pays only £350 a
month, however, nearly every month I am having to pay out an extra £50 to cover the mortgage repayments and cost of repairs and improvements. “I am helping the council by housing
these tenants, otherwise they would have nowhere to go and if that happens, it will certainly cause real problems for the council and the Ribble Valley itself.” Mr Greenwood says he is only losing
money in the Valley due to the spiralling property prices. In other towns across Lancashire, he is making a profit. “In Accrington I can buy a house for
£30,000 and still get the same amount of rent from the Government as I do for a property in the Ribble Valley. It is just
not fair.” But according to the council’s housing
manager, Mrs Christine Grimshaw, the council’s hands are tied and if rents were increased this would result in local tax payers footing the bill. “Rents are assessed independently by the Government and we have no power to
change them. “Even if we were able to, the burden on
local council taxpayers from the payment of increased housing benefits would be
unfair. “Other landlords in the Ribble Valley
are making a profit and we work with sev eral housing associations which would be only too happy to acquire new properties
for rent.” Soaring accommodation costs in the
rural borough have been a cause for con cern for quite some time. Recently the council’s Housing Forum
held its twice-yearly meeting where offi cials said that more than 500 prospective council tenants were chasing just 26 prop erties during the course of a year. I t was also reported that the plans were
afoot to tackle the housing crisis, which is making it impossible for first-time buyers to get their foot on the property ladder.
Village festival get the thumbs up
HUNDREDS of visitors flocked to Waddington’s scarecrow festival and May Day Bank Holiday celebra tions at the weekend. The villagers of Waddington real
ly got behind the event displaying all kinds of weird and wonderful scarecrow creations. , Other attractions over the week
end included a flower display in St Helen’s Church, craft fair, car boot sale and music by Slaidburn Brass Band as well as the Bank Holiday Monday May Fair with stalls, face
painting, children’s entertainers, a bouncy castle and games. Visitors were also treated to the
May Queen procession and the crowning of the new May Queen Eleanor Kay by retiring May Queen Charlotte Colley. The duck race on Bank Holiday
Monday rounded off the fun week end, which raised about £7,500 for church funds. - • A special feature on Wadding-
ton's Scarecrow Festival will appear in June's edition of the Valley.
. ... , '*
Police seek supermarket
theft pair POLICE are hunting two thieves who stole hundreds of pounds in cash from the Kwik Save store in
Clitheroe. The offenders entered the
premises in Station Road as prospective customers and one of them used a tool, similar to a screwdriver, to force open the store’s office door. He then broke into the safe, sit
uated in the office, and made off with £915 in cash. Police believe that the second
offender, described as about 30, around 5ft. 6in. tall, with short hair and wearing dark clothes, dis tracted the store manager while the theft took place. Anyone with information about
the incident, which took place on Monday between 1-15 p.m. and 1- 25 p.m., should call Clitheroe police on 01200 443344, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
A millionaire in our midst?
ONE of Clitheroe’s best known businessmen will appear on ITV’s “Who Wants to be a Mil lionaire?” on Saturday. The programme’s production
company was remaining tight- lipped this week about the local personality’s performance, only revealing that he competes as a “fastest fingers first” contestant. The programme will be
screened a t 8 p.m. For a full report with pictures see next week’s Advertiser and Times.
FAMILY NOTICES... PAGES 3A, 35 ■ AT YOUR SERVICE... PAGES 12,13 ■ VILLAGE NEWS... PAGES16,17
nil!
HOWARTH & JEPSON Trade tteiutf and contemporary fine, fmnhhings
, complement your home • Pendle Mill, Pendle Road, Clitheroe Telephone 01200 425522
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312 |
Page 313 |
Page 314 |
Page 315 |
Page 316 |
Page 317 |
Page 318 |
Page 319 |
Page 320 |
Page 321 |
Page 322 |
Page 323 |
Page 324 |
Page 325 |
Page 326 |
Page 327 |
Page 328 |
Page 329 |
Page 330 |
Page 331 |
Page 332 |
Page 333 |
Page 334 |
Page 335 |
Page 336 |
Page 337 |
Page 338 |
Page 339 |
Page 340 |
Page 341 |
Page 342 |
Page 343 |
Page 344 |
Page 345 |
Page 346 |
Page 347 |
Page 348 |
Page 349 |
Page 350 |
Page 351 |
Page 352 |
Page 353 |
Page 354 |
Page 355 |
Page 356 |
Page 357 |
Page 358 |
Page 359 |
Page 360 |
Page 361 |
Page 362 |
Page 363 |
Page 364 |
Page 365 |
Page 366 |
Page 367 |
Page 368 |
Page 369 |
Page 370 |
Page 371 |
Page 372 |
Page 373 |
Page 374 |
Page 375 |
Page 376 |
Page 377 |
Page 378 |
Page 379 |
Page 380 |
Page 381 |
Page 382 |
Page 383 |
Page 384 |
Page 385 |
Page 386 |
Page 387 |
Page 388 |
Page 389 |
Page 390 |
Page 391 |
Page 392 |
Page 393 |
Page 394 |
Page 395 |
Page 396 |
Page 397 |
Page 398 |
Page 399 |
Page 400 |
Page 401 |
Page 402 |
Page 403 |
Page 404 |
Page 405 |
Page 406 |
Page 407 |
Page 408 |
Page 409 |
Page 410 |
Page 411 |
Page 412 |
Page 413 |
Page 414 |
Page 415 |
Page 416 |
Page 417 |
Page 418 |
Page 419 |
Page 420 |
Page 421 |
Page 422 |
Page 423 |
Page 424 |
Page 425 |
Page 426 |
Page 427 |
Page 428 |
Page 429 |
Page 430 |
Page 431 |
Page 432 |
Page 433 |
Page 434 |
Page 435 |
Page 436 |
Page 437 |
Page 438 |
Page 439 |
Page 440 |
Page 441 |
Page 442 |
Page 443 |
Page 444 |
Page 445 |
Page 446 |
Page 447 |
Page 448 |
Page 449 |
Page 450 |
Page 451 |
Page 452 |
Page 453 |
Page 454 |
Page 455 |
Page 456 |
Page 457 |
Page 458 |
Page 459 |
Page 460 |
Page 461 |
Page 462
