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:

Aurora Trujillo, one of the protestors, said “We’ve been acquitted, but we’ve still got the real battle ahead, to stop Centros turning Lancaster into one more Clone Town.”

All four had been involved in the formal planning process and the Carnival of Culture, but felt increasingly disempowered. The protesters were being prosecuted under a law introduced in 1994 as part of the Criminal Justice Act, which was directed at stopping various forms of direct action, such as hunt sabotage and anti-roads protesting. Since then, even more laws have been introduced to control and define protest.

Green Cllr Chris Coates was due to speak in court in defence of the protestors, but the case was dismissed before he was called to give evidence.

For more info on the trial, go to http://virtual-lancaster.blogspot.com/

The meeting saw proposals from Labour, Conservatives and Liberal-Democrats to rejig the cuts proposed by cabinet replacing cuts to the Dukes Theatre and Citizens Advice Bureau with cuts that are likely to fall on Summer playschemes and Youth Sports Activities.
Commenting after the meeting Cllr Jane Fletcher said “These cuts to areas of my portfolio are cuts to invaluable services that play a crucial role in supporting and improving both the physical and emotional health of people across the district. These services enrich the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, from disabled people, young people at risk from offending, looked after children, and those in rural areas. This work also helps to pull in well over a million pounds in external funding. Except for Green Party Councillors, political groups were eager to cut these services despite my repeated calls to reconsider in light of the serious implications of their actions”

The Green Party had proposed that the grant to the CAB’s be reinstated by a 10% reduction in management subscriptions to professional journals and organisations. This was rejected by other councillors who preferred to take the money from the Arts and Leisure development budget that funds the playschemes and sports activities.

To reinstate funding for Mayoral expenses, public  toilets, The Dome and the Dukes other councillors voted for cuts to playground maintenance, Community Cohesion and the councils Your District Matters Magazine. Cllr Coates added “Whilst some groups have ended up winners, this really has been a case of robbing Janet & John to pay Peter & Paul. Whatever way you look at it this was a bad day for the district.”

County Councillor Chris Coates said after the meeting ” As I understand it, is that the Care Trust intend to submit a planning application for the Royal Albert fields site - this may be anytime in the next 2 years. This leaves local residents in the awful situation of not knowing what is going to happen. I still believe that the consultation was so poor that the whole process should started again.”

For more information on this story see our Royal Albert Campaign page.

Councillor Trolinger said “This event has been cancelled in Preston, Blackpool and Bolton due to health and safety risks and public safety issues. Pubs and clubs have a responsibility to promote responsible drinking and I don’t see how they are doing that by taking part in this event.” The event called ‘Dirty Porn Star Fancy Dress’, organised by a private company called Carnage UK and is set to take place in Lancaster on the 20th November 2008. 

The University Councillors have submitted an emergency motion to Lancaster City Council calling on the participating licensed premises, including Hustle, The Lounge, Revolution, Litten Tree, Varsity, Walkabout and Elements Nightclub to cancel the event.

Similar events in other cities have been criticised for causing public disorder and increasing drink related hospital admissions. The National Union of Students (NUS) and Lancaster’s two universities are trying to encourage ‘responsible drinking’, notably University of Lancaster’s ‘Easy Tiger’ campaign, and to help shed the image of students doing nothing but downing drink after drink.  The NUS feels that events such as this one run by Carnage puts hurdles in their way of achieving this goal, as it is at events like these that people feel under more peer pressure to drink and are therefore putting themselves at risk of sexual diseases and crime.

Councillor McCulloch added “This seems to be simply a ‘binge-drinking event’ that could put students in danger. I don’t understand why the police are letting it go ahead when it has been stopped in other towns.”

City Centre Councillor Anne Chapman also expressed her concerns about the event she said “ I will be writing to the venues that are hosting the Carnage event and asking them to explain how this sort of event fits with their obligations to promote responsible drinking.”

If the Government does not award the contract to the Post Office, the network will go into further decline The NFSP estimates that the loss of POCA income and associated footfall will force 3,000 more post offices to close.

The NFSP has supplied subpostmasters across the UK with posters to display in their offices; postcards for customers to complete for return to local MPs; and guidance on how to contact their local MP and newspaper Editor.