The Co-operative has launched Plan Bee, a campaign and 10-point plan to help save the bee. Worried about the disappearance of bee colonies in recent years the campaign aims to get research going on the causes of the losses and to get people involved in saving bees.

As part of the Campaign the Dukes Cinema is showing the film The Vanishing of Bees on Thursday 21st of Jan at 6.30pm

The Plan BEE website has suggestions on what people can do to help including:

Over a hundred people turned out to the annual wassail of the Fairfield community orchard on saturday despite the recent bad weather. After a procession to scare away bad spirits and weclome the new year the crowd were treated to a mummers play by Stone the Crows Morris team – with such new characters as Sir Ivor Duckhouse & Mr Evil Banker.

After a toast to the trees the Gladley Solemn singers sang seasonal songs round the fire.

Green councillors have called on the County Council to prioritise gritting of pavements rather than just major roads.  John O’Gaunt ward Councillor Jude Towers said: “Many people, including me, have fallen over in the last few weeks and there seems virtually no gritting of pavements outside the town centre. Lots of old people have been rendered virtually housebound – especially in hilly areas such as Moorlands.”

Cllr John Whitelegg who has seen problems on steep roads and icy pavements in his area said: “Residents in Bulk Ward are happy to lend a hand themselves – however, the County Council has refused my request to re-fill the grit-bins on the Bath Mill estate. Surely, pedestrians should be a priority in this sort of weather.”

Green councillor Jon Barry has contacted County Council officers and asked for a change in policy so that pavements as well as roads are gritted. Green County councillors Sam Riches and Chris Coates will be formally asking for this change in policy at the February County Council meeting.

North Lancashire Green Party has welcomed the rejection of the Centros planning applications for Lancaster’s Canal Corridor, describing it as “a very fine Christmas present.”

Yesterday, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government John Denham has accepted the report of the Inspector at last summer’s planning inquiry into the Centros scheme and rejected all the planning applications.

“This is fantastic news and vindicates what hundreds of my constituents have been saying for the last two years,” commented local Bulk Ward and Green Councillor John Whitelegg.

“We now need to move on and produce a plan that delivers a community vision for this site, celebrates our distinctive buildings and places and does not set out to make us a carbon copy of Basingstoke, Preston or Slough. This work starts today.”

For further details on this story see the Virtual Lancaster News Blog

Following yet another round of ‘consultation’ on inpatient mental health services in Lancaster and Morecambe  Lancashire Care have issued a statement saying that it is there intention to develop the existing Oaklands Unit in Lancaster as a functional inpatient service and close Ridge Lea. It also says that  “…the Trust is no longer pursuing plans to develop a new inpatient unit on Royal Albert Fields and has formally notified North Lancashire PCT that this land is no longer required.”

County Cllr Chris Coates said ” This brings to an end months of speculation as to the Trusts intentions. It is still not clear to me exactly what is planned for the Ashton Road site or whether this will provide adequate mental health facilities for the district.”

Green County Councillor Chris Coates has called for ‘Green Jobs’ to be a priority for Lancashire. The call came as North Lancashire Green Party launched a report on what a Green New Deal for the County could look like.

The report includes suggestions for a County wide Green Skills Network, help to improve energy efficiency in the areas housing stock and help for those in fuel poverty as well as measures to support local business.

The local report is based on the national document published last year by the New Economic Foundation.

Green Cllr Chris Coates (pictured) said: “The NHS prefers Option 3, but concentrating more services on Ashton Road could make it easier for them to develop Royal Albert fields later on. I will push for Option 1, and I urge residents to do the same.”

For more info, see: http://www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/consultations.php . The deadline for responses is 21 Sept.  A consultation event will take place at the Trust’s Lancaster HQ (Moor Lane Mill) on Monday 7th Sept, 6-8pm.

Local Organic Farmer Alan Schofield pushed the Labour Party into third place in the Wyreside County Division at the recent June elections for Lancashire County Council. Alan, who runs the Growing with Nature Organic farm at Pilling with his wife Debra, got 1147 votes nearly double the vote for the Labour party candidate. The seat was retained by the sitting Conservative Councillor.  Alan Said ” We are very encouraged by the result. This is the first time people in this area have had a chance to vote Green at local elections.”

The Green Party held Lancaster Central and gained Lancaster East in the Elections for Lancashire County Council on June 4th – congratulations to Chris Coates and Sam Riches and their teams! There was also a Lancaster City Council by-election in our strongest Green ward (Castle) as Catriona Stamp stepped down after a 6 year stint on the Council – Melanie Forrest won it by a long way and joins the 11 other Greens on the City Council for the next 2 years – congratulations Melanie, and thanks to Catriona for all her work over the last few years.

Unfortunately we missed out on other hoped-for wins in Lancaster South East and Skerton – but Jane Fletcher and Ian Chamberlain both came within 300 votes of winning.

The Conservatives now have a big majority on the County Council (51 out of 84 seats), with Labour on 16, Lib Dems on 10, Independents 3, Greens 2, Idle Toad 1, BNP 1 (in Padiham & Burnley West). Overall turnout was 38%.
Results for Lancashire County elections can be viewed at http://www.lancashire.gov.uk

He explained, “I get the basic allowance which each County Councillor receives. This is essentially a part-time wage to cover the time I spend at meetings and on sorting out problems for local residents, which takes up about three days each week. The only expenses I claim are the occasional train fare for meetings not held at County Hall; these amount to only £44.13 in total over four years.”

Money received by all Councillors for allowances and expenses are available on the Lancashire County Council & Lancaster City Council websites. As the relevant pages are not always easy to find, North Lancashire Green Councillors have decided to publish their own figures on an annual basis

A list of allowances and expense claims for all Lancashire County Councillors for 2008/2009 can be seen here.