[WalkOnBRFC]

Originally Posted by g jones

This is the old policy last year we worked up come to fruition, except in Blackburn. Personally I am really pleased for Blackburn. It's a great idea. We discussed with Hyndburn Officers and the Blackburn Chief Exec who works on contract for Hyndburn on strategic policy. Graham Burgess is an excellent officer btw.

The original Sports Pitches idea was the first 5% of this initiative. This is another 75% of that Policy. The press got all caught up in Clr Britcliffe's claims that it was his idea and the really important story/initiative got dropped. Virtually the whole policy was thrown out by Clr Britcliffe and Conservatives. Only the Sports Pitches etc.. was adopted. The argument against it 12 months ago was the PCT would not help fund it. Since then the policy has moved to Blackburn and they have got the PCT to help fund it. You win some you lose some.

Graham Burgess is always confident things can happen if you want them enough, and clearly he has gone out done it for Blackburn ovr the last 12 months after it didn't get off the ground here in Hyndburn. Good luck, he's a good guy. I am sure he would have like to have seen it taken it further at Hyndburn.

As part of it's launch (which the press didn't want to cover), Greg Pope got Richard Caborn (Sports Minister) to come up and talk it through with Labour Councillors. Richard's view was that Hyndburn District Council was talking rubbish and that PCT's had been given huge Sports Funding to partnership work this scheme, and that it was ridiculous what the District Council were saying.

I put this to Clr Britcliffe to try and get the scheme going and he just didn't want to know unless it was a 'Government short changing Hyndburn' story. It's why I get frustrated because ordinary people suffer. Richard Caborn went off telling all sorts of people what an exciting scheme Councillors had come up with here so it's no surprise it surfaced in Blackburn.

I notice Graham Burgess has suggested that Sports Development Officers should come out of Town Halls and work in Neighbourhood Office's. A key point in our plan. I was down Church last week banging this drum again. With all the red tape and insurance, time and effort, we have to help set up sports teams, recreational activities, particularly youngsters and those at risk of ill health through local neighbourhood office's if these things are to exist. If we are paying staff, we should be working with other agencies, and working in neighbourhoods and not central office's

This should have happened here in Hyndburn. There was another 20% of that Policy still out there that took it much further.

Well done.. does that mean I can go swimming free in Blackburn too or do you have to prove I'm a resident