Latest news with #LancashireCountyCouncil
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Lancashire in grip of 'ketamine crisis' amid A&E influx
Parts of Lancashire are in the grip of a "ketamine crisis" with the drug causing a surge in visits to A&E amongst those using it, councillors have been Councillor Daniel Matchett, who works as a mental health nurse, said he had witnessed a "massive influx of ketamine users" in A& comes after a £10.6m grant was given to Lancashire County Council to prevent drug and alcohol-related deaths and help those with addiction said young people were "becoming dependant" on ketamine, a powerful horse tranquiliser and anaesthetic. Ketamine is a licensed drug and can be prescribed medically. However, when misused, it can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to the bladder, along with other health problems. The disturbing rise of ketamine abuse among young peopleMatchett told Lancashire County Council's cabinet meeting: "It's prevalent in festivals and everyday life – young people [are] becoming dependent on ketamine and it's a very sad thing to see."He agreed to meet with Progressive Lancashire opposition group leader Azhar Ali and other representatives from East Lancashire to discuss the issue, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said."[There is a] ketamine crisis in places like Burnley…and there is a real need to learn from people who have gone through that experience," Lancashire County Councillor Ali said. Who will get funding? The funding from the £10.6m grant aims to cut crime associated with drugs and save the lives of users. It will also be used to help those dependent on alcohol, the council Lancashire, the lion's share of the cash – £8.1m – will go to the Change Grow Live charity to deliver improvements in both drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation, including individual other organisations, Red Rose Recovery, The Well Communities, Lancashire Women, Active Lancashire and The Foxton, will receive grants of between £79,000 and £443,000 for their specialist in-patient detox placements will be given £430,000 as part of a consortium with neighbouring local council said the overall grant would be used to:Increase "peer support" to encourage uptake of the harm reduction services on offer in the countyEnhance the out-of-hours support available to recovering addicts, including at weekendsSupport those in or at risk of entering the criminal justice system by providing "improved care pathways" to drug treatment services Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Council gets £10m boost for drug and alcohol support
Lancashire County Council has been handed more than £10m by the government to prevent drug and alcohol-related deaths and help those with addiction issues. The authority said the cash, which has been put together by consolidating other grants for services like recovery programs and housing schemes for vulnerable people, was one of the largest amounts allocated across England. A council spokesperson said it would be used to pay for services like mental health support for those with substance abuse problems and drug education in schools. County Councillor Daniel Matchett, who works as a mental health nurse, said the funding was welcome as he had seen the "devastation" caused by drugs first-hand. Councillors have approved the allocation of the £10m grant by the Department of Health and Social Care. It is aimed at funding improved treatment, cutting crime and preventing drug and alcohol-related deaths. Matchett said: "It is a significant amount of funding. "There is a real focus on improving the quality of treatment and making sure more people can access this, which will help prevent drug and alcohol-related deaths in the county." Among the services that will be supported by the grant are addiction recovery help out-of-hours as well as additional weekend support, and inpatient detox placements. It also includes funding for training to professionals in schools and improved support for those in the criminal justice system. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Lancashire County Council
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform UK cost-cutting unit to scrutinise council
Lancashire County Council is being scrutinised by a team from Reform UK which has modelled itself on Elon Musk's controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the US. Council leader Stephen Atkinson said the group - made up of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors - will help to root out wasteful spending so they can reinvest in frontline services. Reform UK said the work will be carried out free of charge and will not be a drain on the council's budget. However, Unions have warned the cost-cutting unit it will face a fight if it suggests sacking staff at the Reform-controlled authority. The party, which took control in May, hopes the DOGE-style audit will revitalise the council, which employs 32,500 people. Atkinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It's important that we work collaboratively with our officers to look at the efficiencies that can be achieved and we are committed to doing this. "We are confident we can deliver the savings and are well underway with the analysis. We expect the initial findings to be available over the next few weeks. "We have been clear that we will be focusing our policies on what is most important to residents so we can make a real difference." Party leader Nigel Farage has said people working within Reform-controlled councils on climate change and diversity projects should should seek "alternative careers". Asked if such staff in Lancashire should fear for their jobs, Atkinson said: "Staff know what our policies are – we will follow process, we will be respectful and we will be dignified, but we have an electoral mandate to deliver what we said we would do." Union leaders said they were sceptical of the plan. Mike Short, head of local government at UNISON, said: "Reform's auditors will find the cupboards are bare. "People living in Reform-controlled local authorities want to know the vital services they rely upon will continue. That should be new councillors' top priority." Pete Billington, secretary of the Lancashire Association of Trades Union Councils, said the hundreds of millions of pounds saved during more than a decade of austerity rendered the DOGE process in Lancashire "meaningless". He added: "The only way they're going to [achieve their aim] is by sacking people and cutting services. "I just can't see the unions taking any attempt to cut employment without a massive fight." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Reform UK to give council Musk-style audit Lancashire County Council
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'I use trauma of my dad's death to help children'
A woman whose father died when she was 10 said it inspired her to help children who found themselves in foster care. Sheena, from Lancashire, lost her husband in a crash when her children were aged 10 and 12. Foster carer Sheena said enduring personal tragedies means she has been able to help others though trauma. Lancashire County Council said despite being a foster care for only a year she has transformed the life of a young girl. The 57-year-old said: "We have come through some tough times as a family and this is why l wanted to foster to give hope, love and happiness to another child." Sheena added: "It was hard for my children, but l was able to help them through it by talking about it and not keeping feelings inside. "We have photos up all over the house of both my dad and my husband. "We have come through some tough times as a family and this is why l wanted to foster to give hope, love and happiness to another child. "l have had enough trauma to help children through theirs." The county council she has made a "huge difference" to an eight-year-old in her care. Emily - not the girl's real name - had lived in several different homes before living with Sheena. She has now settled in school and has gone from being unable to read or write to enjoying reading books and practising her spellings. Sheena said: "What Emily really needed was stability and a family to be there for her. "She has needed one-on-one time and support to help her at school and it's made a world of difference. "Her behaviour has also improved, and I think having rules, boundaries and a structure has been the making of her." Sheena added: "What she's really craved is love and affection, which we've showered her with. "Emily tells us she loves being part of a family of her own, and as a tomboy she enjoys playing football with my son. "This older-brother relationship is a great benefit." She said her daughter and her daughter's partner would look after Emily to give Sheena a break so she could see her friends. Her daughter also does extra tutoring with Emily. Last year, Lancashire became one of nine regions across the UK to open the Foster With Us Hub, with the aim of local authorities working together to help recruit, share resources and provide more support for foster carers. In turn, it is hoped more people will be willing and able to foster. According to the latest government data, there was a 4% drop in foster carers in north-west England in the last year. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. 'We thought we were too young to be foster carers' Council to increase fostering cash incentive 'My foster kids had never celebrated Christmas' Super foster mum says she will never stop 'Becoming a foster parent made me a better person' Lancashire County Council
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reform UK prepares for real power on a council it now dominates
In a conference suite on the fourth floor of Lancashire County Council's headquarters, Joshua Roberts smiles as he is handed his new badge. The 27-year-old's photo ID includes his name and new title – Lancashire County Councillor – and hangs off a lanyard that's coincidentally in the trademark turquoise of Reform UK. Roberts runs a website and social media business and has never held elected office before, but now he's one of 53 Reform councillors responsible for running services on behalf of more than 1.2 million people across Lancashire. "I am new, but we've got experienced people too," he said. "I'm glad we're not all new because it would be very intimidating. "We've had really good officers who have helped us. We've got experienced county councillors who've helped us as well. I feel at ease, I feel like we're going to make real good change." Roberts and his colleagues were attending an induction day organised by council staff for newly elected councillors to get to grips with their roles. As well as collecting their lanyards and being assigned IT login details, there were officers on hand to talk through some aspects of council services and how the authority works. Reform UK makes big gains in English local elections Sir John Curtice: The map that shows Reform's triumph was much more than a protest vote Having taken 53 of the council's 84 seats the party has a significant majority. It marks a big change for a council which had been led by the Conservatives since 2017, and which had been dominated by the Tories and Labour for decades before that. While most of the newly elected have never been councillors before, there are some who bring experience – like Ged Mirfin, a Conservative councillor who switched to Reform UK six weeks before the elections. "We're getting very badly criticised at the moment for lacking political experience," he said. "But I've never seen a group of people who've had such a large amount of experience from the real world, the world of work." Lancashire County Council is one of 10 local authorities that Reform UK won outright control of at the local elections. Its performance in running the councils it now controls is being seen as a test of the party's ability to govern. The relatively new party has grown quickly, and there's been a push to put infrastructure in place. Following the local elections, more than 500 newly-elected councillors attended an event in London where a party source said they were "trained by hardened council veterans on how they can be the most effective champions for their local communities". Reform UK has been criticised for a lack of clarity about its plans for the councils it now runs. The party's leadership has signalled priorities will include reversing net zero initiatives and opposing diversity and inclusion policies. Local authorities have little control over immigration, but Reform's chairman Zia Yusuf has pledged to challenge the use of hotels to house migrants, while Nigel Farage has spoken of a "DOGE" for every council, referring to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, set up in the US to root out waste. In Lancashire, Cllr Stephen Atkinson is the council leader. He's one of Reform's new councillors who does come with experience, having previously been the Conservative leader of Ribble Valley council before defecting. Sitting in his office at the council's headquarters in Preston, he said the party wanted to "look at every line in the budget" before making decisions. "We need to look at the finances and understand what's happening," he said. "We're determined that this council will have a balanced budget. It will address some of the legacy issues such as special educational needs and development and adult social care. "But we don't want to get into how we are going to do that until we see how the money is." Lancashire County Council, like many authorities across England, has faced budget pressures with growing demand for adults and children services in particular. These services are often statutory, which means a council has to provide them by law, and they make up a significant proportion of the council's budget. Cllr Atkinson said: "Two thirds of the budget are on these legal services that you have to provide. That means there is one third that can be looked at… we've got to look at it and say if it helps residents great – if doesn't, why are we doing it? "That's the advantage of Reform – it's a fresh pair of eyes. We have 53 councillors of which 50 are new councillors. "They can see the wood from the trees, they bring that challenge. We do that professionally and in a collaborative manner – but that is a mandate we have to do that." The party is conscious of the scrutiny it will face as the new kids on the political block, who've talked up their own chances of getting the keys to Downing Street in a matter of years. Outside the first full meeting of Lancashire's new-look council there were protests, with trade unionists among those holding banners and placards reading "refugees welcome" and "say no to Reform UK", with speakers saying cutting "waste" would mean cutting services and jobs. Asked about people who are worried about cuts, Cllr Atkinson said: "If it affects residents, we'll try not to do it. It's some of the other things that don't affect residents. "But this is all conditional on the spending review in June. I hope the government will treat Reform councils fairly." Inside the council chamber, the block of Reform councillors vastly outnumbered the other parties as they took their seats to go through the official process of appointing the leader and cabinet - which is made up of all men. The Conservatives – who ran the council up until the elections in May – said so far there's little policy detail about Reform's plans. Group leader Aidy Riggott said: "Businesses will be sat waiting and wondering, especially those in maybe the clean energy sector or the renewable sector, wondering if Lancashire's a place where I can still invest my money." The independent and Green councillors who now make up the official opposition said they wanted to "hold Reform to account". Independent councillor Almas Razakazi added: "My ward is very impoverished. It's full of different nationalities, and lots of people who are immigrants and they put a lot into the economy, so I want to make sure they are properly represented and treated fairly." It is early days for Reform in power, and in Lancashire the party is keen to stress they want to work with officers from the council to take time before making policy decisions. The challenge is now whether the party can deliver on what they've promised - something many political parties have found is easier said than done.
