Latest news with #StephenAtkinson
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
12-foot ‘prehistoric' canoe found floating in NC river by sportsman, state says
A dugout canoe found bobbing in one of eastern North Carolina's blackwater rivers could prove to be centuries old, state archaeologists say. Made from a single log, the 12-foot, 4-inch 'prehistoric' canoe was 'quite sound and in very good condition,' officials with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources told McClatchy News. The canoe was discovered in the South River near Autryville and it's likely the canoe was sitting at the spot where it was abandoned by the original owner, according to deputy state underwater archaeologist Stephen Atkinson. Autryville is about a 70-mile drive south from Raleigh. Carbon dating has not been done, so archaeologists haven't settled on an age for the canoe. 'In most circumstances, these canoes predate modern memory and current indigenous holdings by hundreds if not thousands of years,' Atkinson told McClatchy News in an email. 'As a state agency we do not presume judgment over what tribes determine to be a part of or representative of their cultural heritage, but rather work to support their goals and do right by all involved to make sure our state's archaeological resources are preserved. In that regard, the tribe we have worked with most closely on this recovery has been the Coharie.' The discovery was made by 'an avid sportsman' who notified the Coharie Tribe, officials said. Tribal representatives visited the site and reported their findings to the N.C. Office of State Archaeology's Underwater Archaeology Branch in June 2024, officials said. State archaeologists say the canoe 'had become dislodged from the bank and was neutrally buoyant.' It was recovered June 10, with experts working together to lift the canoe out of the river with straps to tow it up river to a waiting truck, state officials said. It is currently being kept wet in 'a secure pond for safe keeping.' The canoe will next be taken to the Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Lab in Greenville for stabilization, a process that could take five to 10 years, according to Kim Kenyon, head conservator and assistant state archaeologist with the Underwater Archaeology Branch. Careful preservation is needed, because 'waterlogged wood of this age will twist, crack, and crumble away' if allowed to dry in an uncontrolled environment, she said. 'Preservation is very dependent on the environmental conditions of the body of water where an object was deposited. Waterlogged wood submerged in silty, less oxygenated, fresh water, that is tannin-rich thanks to the trees surrounding the body of water (like many of the rivers and lakes in N.C.), has a better chance of remaining in good condition for very long periods of time,' Kenyon said. 'Fresh bodies of water in N.C. seem to be ideal for the preservation of dugout canoes, since 79 have now been found and recorded.' Archaeologists suspect 'there is potential for these canoes to exist in all bodies of water in North Carolina,' she said. Among the 79 canoes was another found in the South River near Autryville, state officials said. It was made of pine, 12 feet, 9 inches long and dated to the period between 1340-1396, Atkinson said. Twenty-three of the canoes were found in Lake Phelps in eastern North Carolina, with the oldest being 'carbon dated to 2430 BC,' officials said. The lake is about a 75-mile drive northeast from Greenville, in Washington and Tyrrell counties. 'The canoes from the South River seem to be unique in that they are quite short compared to the canoes found in lake environments, which can reach up to 27 feet in length or more,' Atkinson said. Details of how the sportsman spotted the canoe were not released, but state archaeologists say it 'was 'in situ,' or deposited exactly where it was last used.' Once preserved and stabilized, the canoe will go on display 'where it can help to tell the story of North Carolina's rich cultural heritage,' Atkinson said. That display site has yet to be determined. The canoe previously found in the South River is on loan at the Coharie Tribal Center in Clinton.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Lancashire councils urged by government to work together
Lancashire's 15 main councils have been urged to work together in order to agree a vision for what will replace them when they are leaders had been given a March deadline to submit initial plans for how they will reorganise themselves into new authorities, but failed to reach an Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to council leaders and said "effective collaboration" would be "crucial" ahead of a November letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, went on to say that "we would encourage you to continue to build strong relationships and agree ways of working". The shake-up being demanded by the government, as part of a nationwide overhaul, would see Lancashire County Council and the 12 district authorities in Preston, South Ribble, Chorley, West Lancashire, Fylde, Wyre, Lancaster, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Pendle – along with the standalone councils in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen – all would be replaced by a handful of new unitary authorities covering much larger areas, which will each be responsible for delivering all council services in their new Reform UK leader of Lancashire County Council, Stephen Atkinson, wants to hold a referendum on the future of the county and is believed to favour the status quo of holding on to its 15 met with Local Government Minister Jim McMahon in London on Thursday for a private discussion. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Council leader seeks referendum on Lancashire elected mayor
The leader of Lancashire County Council is to ask the government for permission to hold a referendum on an elected mayor and the scrapping of the county's local UK's Stephen Atkinson, who is also chair of the county's combined authority, is scheduled to meet Local Government Minister Jim McMahon on is calling for a "legally binding referendum", saying the views of the people of Lancashire "need to be listened to".The government wants to scrap all 15 of Lancashire's councils and replace them with three or four larger unitary authorities, which would provide all services under an elected mayor. The BBC has asked the department of local government and communities for a response. McMahon had previously asked Lancashire local authorities to set out a shared vision for the county after the councils they control are abolished, but so far no consensus has been year, political leaders from Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool councils signed a devolution deal with the government to create a Combined County has some powers devolved to it from the government, but not as many as areas with an elected mayor. Atkinson has been a long standing critic of the mayoral model of government, but said: "Reform's position is that people need to be consulted, so it's not about personal thoughts and beliefs on these big issues that have a profound impact on Lancashire families, they really need to have their say."He has already written to McMahon in a formal letter on this subject, but said he had not had a response so far. 'Widest consultation' If the government was to allow a referendum to go ahead, Atkinson estimated it could cost about £2.5m to hold the said: "We can only really do that if the government is going to listen to the result of it." If the government said no to holding a referendum, Atkinson said the council would have to have the "widest consultation possible"."There's 1.5 million people and we've really got to reach into all areas of the population to make sure people's views are listened to," he was made chair of the combined authority at the first meeting since Reform UK won control of Lancashire County Council from the Conservatives in May's local election. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Reform UK cost-cutting unit to scrutinise Lancashire County 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 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 UK said the work will be carried out free of charge and will not be a drain on the council's 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 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". 'Cupboards are bare' 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.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Lancashire County Council's all-male cabinet 'a retrograde step'
The appointment of an all-male cabinet to Lancashire County Council by Reform UK has been described as "retrograde step" by opposition councillors. The new group was unveiled at the council's annual general meeting with all seven positions filled by Dowding of the Green Party said this was "disappointing" and the "first time since we moved to the cabinet system that there's been no women at that top table".But the move has been defended by Reform UK's newly ratified leader of the council, Stephen Atkinson, who said the cabinet line-up was chosen based on the "best people" available. Atkinson said: "Three of the councillors have experience so we had to have them."We had a blind process in terms of selection of the cabinet, where an academic looked at all the skills, qualifications, experiences and then looked at who were the best people."I don't think it should matter what your sex is, it should matter what your ability is."But Dowding said: "There's no single definition of merit, we know that women bring really important skills and experience and a different view." Reform UK took control of the council from Labour following local elections earlier this is the first time the party has been in charge at County Hall and the first time many of its councillors have been elected to has not ruled out women joining the cabinet in the said: "I'm sure that some of the ladies of the group will be useful in the future at the cabinet level, but when the skills are the right skills."
