Cllr Ben Ward - Ingol and Cottam

31/08/2026

With the summer holidays coming to an end and the day job starting again tomorrow, here’s a quick round‑up of recent ward work.

🚴‍♂️I’ve asked Preston City Council to look at options for secure, weather‑protected cycle storage in the city centre — including whether Avenham Car Park could be adapted. With the city’s cycle infrastructure expanding, it’s essential that we match this investment with appropriate end‑of‑journey facilities so that cycling becomes a practical option for commuters, shoppers and visitors alike.

🌱I’ve also written to Rowland Homes about the south side of The Green off Tom Benson Way. The approved plans promised wetland planting, woodlands, and maintained walkways, but a year on it’s mostly weeds and stressed saplings. I’ve asked for action to bring it up to the standard residents were promised.

🏡In the last two weeks, four more planning applications for children’s homes have been submitted. I’ve shared examples with PCC from other councils who now reject new applications due to lack of demand — something Lancashire themselves highlighted. I’ve also contacted LCC for updates on how they plan to reduce their use of illegal unregistered homes, an issue raised by Ofsted.

And, as ever, there’s been the steady flow of day‑to‑day casework: the ongoing faded road markings, potholes, poor repairs; supporting residents with housing issues and planning concerns; as well as closed, inaccessible and poorly maintained footpaths.

Plus, of course, thousands of steps delivering surveys!

P.S. I'm still waiting for a reply on the removal of the sunken boat from the Lancaster Canal and the fitting of a safety Barrier on Edith Rigby Way.

30/08/2026

I’ve been out across Tanterton and Ingol this weekend delivering resident surveys to registered voters. If one lands through your letterbox, please do take a few minutes to complete and return. Your feedback genuinely shapes our priorities and areas for action, and the more responses we receive, the stronger and more focused our campaigning can be.

While out, I also reported (again!) the frankly ridiculous road markings on Tanterton Hall Road. It’s good to see the potholes finally repaired, but less impressive that only the patched sections have been given fresh markings. Their inclusion on the new tarmac proves exactly why they should be present along the entire length of this key road. Partial fixes aren’t good enough — residents deserve consistent, safe road markings, not a stop‑start approach.

29/08/2026

Wow! That was noisy and a lot of fun!!!

By chance caught Fat Cat Brass at Preston Market. Truly something different - a blast of energy and noise. I've never seen a brass ban play Eye of the Tiger, Insomnia, or Bad Romance before. Accompanied with a pint from the Orchard - a very enjoyable hour!

28/08/2026

It’s great to see one of our new Liberal Democrat colleagues in North Lancashire shining a light on an issue that should concern every resident: Lancashire Constabulary sharing personal data with a controversial American AI company.

The revelations about Palantir’s involvement in police data processing — and the lack of basic transparency around how these tools were procured — raise serious questions about privacy, accountability, and public trust. When local campaigners have to ask why no minutes were kept, what data is being shared, and how a US “spy‑tech” giant became embedded in Lancashire policing, it’s clear something has gone badly wrong.

The Lib Dems have always stood up for people’s rights, and it’s reassuring to see our team in North Lancashire leading the charge to protect residents’ data and demand proper scrutiny.

The North Lancashire Liberal Democrats are calling for Lancashire Police to reveal the full extent of its dealings with controversial US tech firm Palantir.

28/08/2026

Traffic chaos and dangerous roads are the inevitable consequence of failing to build a local Cottam Secondary. Asking hundreds of families to commute across the city for a school place was always going to add pressure to existing congestion and accident hotspots. The Lancashire Post article, on the refusal of expansion plans due to significant traffic issues, simply confirms what residents have been warning for years: expanding already‑strained schools is not a solution, it’s a catalyst for further issues.

Instead of delivering the long‑promised secondary for Cottam and NW Preston, LCC — under both the Tories and Reform — pursued a strategy of pushing more pupils into existing schools. That decision has now hit a brick wall. With expansions blocked due to unsafe traffic levels, the council will be forced into new, almost certainly more expensive plans, all while families continue to face long, stressful journeys across Preston.

If only this investment had gone into our local school when it should have, we would now be approaching an opening date. Children could walk or cycle with their friends to a community secondary in their own neighbourhood. Roads would be safer, congestion lower, and families better supported.

The consequence of LCC’s failure to follow the plan has wide‑reaching impacts far beyond Cottam.

An extra 275 pupils are being admitted.👇

27/08/2026

Reform UK’s Summer of Distraction

Reform UK have spent the summer lurching from one headline-grabbing stunt to the next, seemingly determined to keep attention away from the awkward questions surrounding Nigel Farage — from his by-election fiasco, where he famously lost the spotlight to a bin, to questions about his relationships with convicted fraudster George Cottrell and the mysterious £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.

Instead of providing answers, Reform have offered a succession of policies that appear designed more to generate outrage than to deliver workable solutions.

First came the proposal to use the Royal Navy to intercept migrants crossing the Channel and return them to France. It sounded dramatic, but it wasn't new. The Conservatives previously explored putting the military at the heart of the Channel response through Operation Isotrope, only for serious concerns to emerge about its objectives, costs, personnel and impact on the Navy’s existing commitments.

Reform simply ignored the practical reality: the Navy does not have spare vessels waiting to become a floating Border Force, and a 24/7 interception operation would require patrol ships, rotation crews, aviation cover and command infrastructure costing hundreds of millions a year. It would also undermine actual defence commitments. Reform know this; they just hope nobody looks too closely.

Then came their welfare proposals, including plans to restrict scrape PIP for most British claimants while also removing all benefits from non-UK citizens, including migrants with legal residency. It was classic hard-right politics: divisive policies dressed up as reform. Any savings would be negligible and likely offset by reciprocal action abroad. This is not serious policymaking; it is ideological posturing.

Their latest offering, a discriminatory housing policy, is even more chaotic. By placing British-born, under-35, married couples with children at the front of the queue, Reform would push single parents, pensioners, long-term residents, mixed-nationality families and British citizens born abroad to the back. In Preston alone, up to 2000 households could be forced out of social housing, driving up homelessness and pushing private rents even higher. Councils would be overwhelmed, and courts would strike down the discriminatory elements within weeks.

None of these policies are workable. All are designed to inflame division. And still the central question remains unanswered: why was Farage given £5 million, and what role does “Posh George,” the convicted fraudster, play in Reform UK? Governing is about more than headlines. It is about workable policies, proper scrutiny, financial responsibility - and answering legitimate questions.

27/08/2026

Nepal’s Tragedy Is a Climate Warning

The scenes emerging from Nepal and Tibet are heartbreaking. Communities have been devastated, homes destroyed, families separated and hundreds of people killed, with many more still missing.

It is a human tragedy that demands compassion, solidarity and honesty. It is a reminder that we cannot afford to ignore the changing environment around us.

The immediate cause of this disaster appears to have been the catastrophic collapse of a glacier, sending huge quantities of ice and rock into the valley and triggering a devastating flash flood. But there is a much bigger picture.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya is warming rapidly. Glaciers across the region are losing ice at an accelerating rate, with ICIMOD reporting this year that the rate of ice loss has doubled since 2000. A typical Himalayan glacier is receding by 30m to 40m each year. Retreating glaciers increase the risks of unstable slopes, glacial lakes and catastrophic flooding.

That does not mean we can simply say, “climate change caused this disaster.” We cannot. But neither should we pretend that a rapidly warming Nepal didn't significantly increase the risk of such a disaster.

This year, the Met Office estimates that more than 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves. It estimates that around 42% of those deaths were attributable to the additional heat caused by human-induced climate change. We have also seen record-breaking temperatures, wildfires and droughts across all of Western Europe.

Against this backdrop, it is unfathomable that Richard Tice - Reform UK’s deputy leader - recently told people to stop being “doom and gloom” about climate change and suggested we should “enjoy” the heat because it could mean better English wine!

I'm sometimes asked, “What do the LibDems stand for? How are they different from the other parties?” Well, for one, we're stronger than the rest on sustainability and environmental policy.

The Liberal Democrats have consistently argued that tackling climate change, protecting nature and cutting pollution should be a key feature of all government activity. We believe that our climate emergency requires immediate and effective action now. Our current policies include accelerating renewable energy, improving the energy efficiency of homes, restoring nature and giving local communities more powers to act on climate issues.

That isn't about being alarmist. It is about being responsible.

We cannot prevent every flood, wildfire, landslide or heatwave. Nor should we pretend that every extreme weather event is caused by climate change. But we can reduce the amount of warming we cause, prepare communities for the risks that we can no longer avoid, and make our homes, infrastructure and economy more resilient.

The tragedy unfolding in Nepal is a reminder that climate change isn't some distant problem for another generation. It is happening now. And that is why being serious about climate change isn't acting all 'doom and gloom'; it is necessary for people and nature.

26/08/2026

A few updates on ongoing work across Ingol and Cottam — plus a request for your help.

📬 Resident Surveys: Along with colleagues, we’re currently delivering resident surveys to registered voters. Your feedback genuinely shapes what we push for, so please take a moment to fill one in when it arrives. The more responses we receive, the stronger our case when arguing for local priorities.

🏫 School Applications: We’re heading into the school application period, when the lack of a local secondary becomes painfully clear for many families. If you’ve hit a wall, been left with no realistic options, or received unhelpful advice from the council, please get in touch. The claim that there’s “no demand” for a local school simply doesn’t match what parents are experiencing — and real examples help us push harder for proper provision.

🚤 Abandoned Boat - Haslam Park / Ingol Dip: I’ve contacted the Canal & Rivers Trust again regarding the half‑sunken boat that’s been left for months. It’s an eyesore, a safety hazard for children who climb onto it, and a magnet for anti‑social behaviour. There’s a legal process, but five months on, action is overdue — and I’ll keep pushing until it’s removed.

🚧 Pedestrian Barrier – The deceptively steep footpath between Sidgreaves Lane & Edith Rigby Way was raised by residents in January. I’ve contacted Lancashire Highways six times requesting a site assessment and have now submitted a formal complaint after receiving no meaningful reply. This spot is unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians, and I’ll keep going until a barrier is installed.

🌿 Nursery Hedgerow – Residents have raised concerns about the removal of the hedgerow behind the nursery. Planning permission required it to be maintained, so I requested an enforcement review. PCC investigated, and the project manager explained the original hedge (mainly hawthorn and holly) wasn’t suitable for a play site. A more appropriate replacement hedge will be planted.

The new nursery looks excellent and will be a real asset to the area. I know many families are looking forward to using the nursery for their children. I hope the hedgerow can be suitably replaced quickly to ensure a positive start for the centre with the wider community.

If you need support with any issue, please get in touch.

24/08/2026

North Lancs Unitary - Bringing Decisions Closer to Home

Whenever local government reorganisation comes up, the same concerns appear: “The area is too big” or “Why should Lancaster interfere in Preston?”

It’s understandable that people want decisions made close to home. But much of the criticism comes from misunderstanding how the current system already works.

Today, Preston has a small district council, but the majority of local government funding (74%) and the services residents rely on — highways, public transport, school places, SEND, social care, youth services and major infrastructure — are controlled by Lancashire County Council.

That means decisions affecting Preston are currently made at County Hall by councillors representing communities across the whole county, from Fleetwood to Burnley, Pendle to Skelmersdale.

Reorganisation changes that. The new unitary authority brings district and county responsibilities together under one council, one budget and one set of elected councillors. For the first time, Preston residents will directly elect councillors who are responsible for the full range of local government services.

And importantly, the new authority will be considerably smaller than the existing Lancashire County Council. Preston will no longer be one of twelve districts within a county of around 1.2 million people. Instead, it will be one of three main areas within a new authority of around 350,000.

It should also make local government more efficient. Instead of two tiers of councils, with overlapping administration, separate budgets and different priorities, there will be one authority. Residents should no longer be passed from one council to another while each argues that the problem is someone else’s responsibility. There is one organisation to make the decision, one budget to deliver it and one group of councillors to hold accountable.

No system is perfect, but this is a significant shift in democratic accountability. Rather than making local government more distant, reorganisation will bring responsibility closer residents.

21/08/2026

North Lancashire Needs Strategy, Not Small‑Minded Squabbles

The debate over what to call the new unitary authority has already eaten up far too much energy. The simple truth is this: North Lancashire is fine, and there is no need to waste valuable time arguing over names when far bigger challenges lie ahead.

Some claim Preston will somehow “lose out” if its name isn’t included. That idea is absurd. Preston will remain a proud, historic, culturally distinct city regardless of local government reorganisation. A nameplate on a council building won’t change its identity, its heritage, or its future.

If the new authority is going to reap the benefits of a single unitary — greater efficiency, clearer accountability, and economies of scale — then we need to break free from small‑minded patch defending. This is the moment to think strategically, not parochially.

Our leaders should be focused on ensuring a smooth transition to improved public services, not culture‑war skirmishes over branding. Let’s stick with North Lancashire, adopt a simple red rose logo, and move on to the issues that actually matter.

The name game is on...