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LATER LIBRARIES?
15/11/02: The County Council is planning to open Lancaster and Morecambe libraries on two evenings per week (they currently only open on Thursday evenings).
You can vote on-line to say what additional evening you would prefer here on the county councils web site.

Street Theatre Festival: Cancelled

STREET THEATRE FESTIVAL CANCELLED

15/11/02: Councillors have axed the popular Street Festival because of the rising costs of performers - even though street theatre has become ever more popular in recent years.
The decision to cancel the Festival and reallocate its budget to Lancaster's Market Festival came at a meeting of the council's Regeneration Board on Wednesday, as part of a major shake-up of the district's events programme. A report to the meeting proposed the end of the festival because of the rising cost of performers. The popularity of street entertainers has grown significantly in the past few years, which means acts' fees have also increased significantly because of demand.
Councillors also agreed to move the Festival of Light and Water to the first weekend in July and consider extending Morecambe's Heritage Gala Festival to two days. The Easter Maritime Festival, Worldbeat and Lancaster's Jazz festival were also assured at the meeting.
The decision to end the Street Theatre Festival will have to be ratified by the council's cabinet which next meets on 26 November.

CHAMBER OF SECRETS OPENS
15/11/02: The second Harry Potter film -- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- is in local cinemas now and again features the world famous "Hogwarts Express", which is based owned by the West Coast Rail Company who are based at Carnforth.

COUNCIL LEADER REJECTS "BIG BOX" PLANS
15/11/02: Council leader Tricia Heath has told campaigners that the city council's cabinet will not agree to city centre, council-owned land being sold for "big box retail" development.
Heath made the announcement at a packed Real Planning for Lancaster (RPfL) meeting at the Gregson this week, reports Sue Paylor. Along with Coun Geoff Wilson she said she wanted developers to stick to a 'design brief' for Lancaster's canal side and Mitchells Brewery area, a plan agreed by full council which includes an Arts Quarter for the city.
This is in stark contrast to retail plans by Chelverton Properties which include a giant supermarket and a new road which will cut the city in two.
Andrew Dobson, Head of Planning and Building Control, one of the speakers at the meeting, was delighted to learn more about Real Planning for Lancaster's community plan for the area. He believes the way forward is through co-operation between community and council and that antagonism is divisive.
Coun Geoff Wilson also indicated the Council is in good financial shape - it currently has a cash surplus of some £200 - 300,000 in its reserves -- and as a result is in no rush to sell any more land.
Real Planning for Lancaster continues to consult, fundraise and plan against Chelverton's proposals. They are networking with business, organisations, City Councillors/Officers and MPs to promote and get support for the community's plan.
The group are holding a fund raising cabaret on 20 November at the Gregson to raise funds for their planning application, which will cost some £5,500 to submit. That event starts at 8.00pm.
The next full meeting of RPfL is on Thursday 21 November at the Gregson at 8.00pm, the same day Chelverton are scheduled to meet with a small group of councillors, Hilton Dawson MP and the Real Planning group.
Every Saturday in November the group will have a stall outside British Home Stores in Market Street - join the campaign, donate money and give us your ideas for the plan.

• Any donations for the campaign can also be posted to Sue Paylor at 14 Ambleside Road, Lancaster. LA1,3HY. Tel. 01524 65167. Cheques made payable to Real Planning for Lancaster.

GET YOUR SKATES ON
15/11/02: Both the Morecambe Visitor and the Lancaster Guardian newpapers are backing a campaign for new skate parks in Lancaster and Morecambe. Donations toward the building cost can be made at Lancaster Town Hall. Cheques should be made payable to Lancaster City Council.
For more info call David Owen or mayor Eleen Blamire on 01524 582000. More info from the papers' web sites.

Councillor Ian Barker

OPEN UP!

15/11/02: The local Labour group has called for a review of the City Council Policy on confidential "exempt" reports, calling for more decision which affect the whole area to be out in the open.
Speaking at the Internal Affairs Review Board, Councillor Ian Barker said that the recent decision about the power station £1.7 million rates concession was an example of a decision that should never have been taken in private.
Green councillor Gina Dowding has been referred to the National Standards Board for revealing the decision, which was a breach of councillors' code of conduct. Ian Barker also faces disciplinary action for a separate matter.
Labour recently won a concession that Council Task Groups as well as Committees and Cabinet should have their minutes and agendas published.

LEE MACK LIVE
15/11/02: Lee Mack, award-winning star of ITV's The Sketch Show, is appearing at Morecambe's Platform on Thursday 28 November. The series won a BAFTA Award this year and was the only British Comedy show invited to perform at both the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen and at the Rose d'Or Festival in Montreux earlier this year.This is Lee's first national tour and is a completely new show following on from the success of his previous live shows. Lee Mack Live will start at 8.00pm and tickets priced at £10 are available from the Box Office on 01524 582803.

BIRDS OVER MORECAMBE BAY
15//11/02: A partnership between local guest house owners and Lancaster City Council's Economic Development and Tourism Service is welcoming two groups of birdwatchers to stay in Morecambe this weekend hoping to see lots of wintering birds.
One group has travelled from the Richmond and Twickenham area and a second group from Sheffield. This group had previously been bird watching in Northern Mallorca but are looking forward to viewing quantities of wintering waders in Morecambe Bay and especially to visiting Leighton Moss.
The Birdwatching Holidays have been packaged and marketed by the Tourism Service. The holiday includes two nights Bed and Breakfast, a welcome meeting, picnic lunches, and all transport. Local guides, Tom Walkington and Pete Marsh, are looking forward to sharing their expertise and sharing their local knowledge with the visitors.
"These special interest holidays are now bringing visitors to Morecambe and the Bay in what was a very quiet part of the year, commented Lancaster City Council Leader, Councillor Tricia Heath. "It's really good to see hotels being filled with visitors from across the country in mid November."

ART DECO MILESTONE
13/11/02: The 1000th copy of the booklet Echoes of Art Deco is now on sale around Lancaster and Morecambe -- and there's a special prize for the lucky person who buys it.
The prize includes a selection of items provided by Lancaster City Council's Morecambe Tourist Information Centre and a year's free membership of the Friends of the Midland Hotel.
Echoes of Art Deco first appeared three years ago as a companion to Morecambe's popular Art Deco tours and soon established itself as a best seller at Morecambe's Tourist Information Centre. It also proved popular too at the Midland Hotel Visitor Centre which sadly closed earlier this year.
"I never imagined when I put the booklet together just how popular is would be," says author Peter Wade, who leads the Art Deco tours around Morecambe. "It's nice to know that it's become a success story for Morecambe and I hope it opens people's eyes to some of the things the town still has to offer."
The booklet has acted as a silent ambassador for Morecambe too. A couple of years ago, when a Cadogon Guide to the UK was being prepared for a pre-September 11th US market, compiler Guy McDonald visited Morecambe on a wet autumn day only to leave again thinking that Morecambe had nothing to offer. But among the things he picked up on his visit was a copy of Echoes of Art Deco which prompted him to think again, return to the town and find out more - a visit which left a lasting impression.

• To find out more about Morecambe's Art Deco heritage and stand a chance of being the lucky thousandth purchaser, copies of "Echoes of Art Deco" priced at £1.50 can be found at Morecambe Library, Lancaster City Museum as well as Morecambe Tourist Information Centre.

PUPPETS STRINGS CUT?
See update, above: Go
13/11/02: The Morecambe Visitor reports that Lancaster and Morecambe's popular street theatre festival looks destined for the scrapheap in a major shake-up of the district's events programme.
Instead a report for the Regeneration Review Board, due to meet this afternoon, proposes they allocate the funds for the festival - £13,000 - to a market festival in Lancaster.
The report says the rising cost of performers is the reason for removing the popular festival from the 2003/04 events programme. The popularity of street entertainers has grown significantly in the past few years and that means acts' fees have also increased significantly because of demand.
The Visitor reports that this year's budget was set at £14,200 with just £1,000 of income generated by selling tickets for shows at the Platform.
Other recommendations include moving the Festival of Light and Water to the first weekend in July and looking to extend the Heritage Gala Festival to two days. The Easter Maritime Festival could get a £21,000 this year if the reports recommendations are accepted, while the continued future of Worldbeat and Lancaster's Jazz festival also seem assured.
Whatever decision the Board makes today will have to be ratified by the council's cabinet.
• See update, above: Go

WHINNEY CARR: COUNTY COUNCIL JOINS OBJECTORS
13/11/02: The public inquiry into plans for 500 odd houses at Whinney Carr farm, on the south side of Lancaster, re-opened for two days last week. Lancashire County Council is now among the objectors to the scheme.
It is nearly two years since Lancaster City Council decided to approve this application, because they say they need these greenfield houses to be built to meet the housing requirement in the local plan. But then the government, after thinking about it for eight months, decided to call in the application, so a public inquiry was held last January. North Lancashire Friends of the Earth was a major objector, arguing that since the housing figures in the local plan were decided in 1996 it has become clear that there is an oversupply of housing in the north west, and there is now no need for the Whinney Carr development. The group's arguments were based on the policies of the draft Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) and the new draft Structure plan for Lancashire.
Unfortunately the inspector chose to ignore these arguments on the grounds that the Regional Planning Guidance has not yet been finalised. However, when it published the inspectorÕs report in May the government asked for the inquiry to be re-opened to consider whether the application is in accordance with the RPG policies.
One advantage over last time was that Lancashire County Council is now objecting, because housing at Whinney Carr is contrary to their new draft Structure Plan Ð which says, for example, that there is no need for any more greenfield housing in Lancashire, except in Skelmersdale. They sent along a good barrister, who asked all the right questions, so there was less for the local objectors to do.
The argument is basically between common sense and a strict interpretation of the workings of the planning system. LetÕs hope that common sense wins.

• Report courtesy of North Lancashire Friends of the Earth. To contact or join the group call Anne Chapman on 01524 846628. NLFOE will be holding their next monthly meeting at the Friends Meeting House, 7.45pm on Thursday 19 November. All welcome.
• More about the Whinney Carr development: Go

COMMUNITY OR CASH?
12/11/02: The next public meeting to discuss the hopes and fears for the Canal Corridor development is at the Gregson Centre tonight (Tuesday 12 November) at 8.00pm. For more details about how to join Real Planning for Lancaster call Sue Paylor on 01524 65167 or Paul Speight (01524 65173) or Alistair Kirkbride (01524 847938).

HAIR-RAISING!
12/11/02: The Chief Executive and Directors of Lancaster City Council are adopting a 'no pain, no gain' attitude to raise money for this year's Children in Need Appeal.
On Thursday, 14 November, screams of agony will be heard coming from within the chambers of Lancaster Town Hall when the Members of the Management Team, Mark Cullinan, Chief Executive and Directors, Peter Loker, John Donnellon and Roger Muckle will be rolling up their trouser legs for a painful leg waxing session.
"We're a little bit anxious to say the least," said the volunteers (can we hear the sound of grinding teeth?). But the team will be giving each other moral support on the day.
"If it raises a few quid for the appeal, it will be well worth it."
Toni Butt and Angie Rowlands from Lancaster Town Hall Reception who have organised the event are to do the waxing and for just one pound, staff have been invited to come along and witness the event.
They said "I think they are all really brave but at the same time obviously don't realise how painful it's going to be. We are sure this particular event will attract a large gathering of very eager staff willing to pay just for the privilege of watching".
Toni and Angie are no strangers to raising money for children in need and over the past three years have raised over £3,000 for the cause.
Events they have organised for Friday 15 November, 2002 include a tea and coffee making trolley dash around the offices of Lancaster Town Hall, a raffle and the day being designated a "wear your jeans to work" day.
All reception staff will be donning United Nations attire for the day and anyone visiting the Town Hall may just catch a glimpse of Her Majesty the Queen!
Added 15/11/02: There were screams of agony from Lancaster Town Hall yesterday - and it wasn't because someone had just heard they had to justify another possible rates rise. Members of the Management Team, Mark Cullinan, Chief Executive and Directors, Peter Loker, John Donnellon and Roger Muckle rolled up their trouser legs for a painful leg waxing session in aid of the BBC's Children in Need. "It was well worth seeing senior members of council staff in excruciating agony," says our on the spot reporter, "But I'm sure they're used to that when they deal with they're dealing with councillors..."

ARE YOU IN A BAD STATE?
12/11/02: Are You in a Bad State? Don't worry, you're not alone. Superjoy and Kinematograph are setting up a series of nights showing you the best underground videos plus diverse and excellent dance music. The first event takes place on 16 November at Korners Bar (in the Farmers Arms) Lancaster.
This month's video is Are You in a Bad State? by the (in)famous and very witty Larry Law, author of the legendary Spectacular Times series of pamphlets which used selected press cuttings to highlight the absurdity of consumer culture and modern life. It's a roller-coaster ride from the dawn of time to the present day and will blow your mind with its humour and clarity.
And of course this is followed by dance sets from DJs Cockney, Brains and Smorgasbord, playing Afrobeat, Funk, Reggae, Digital Dub, Breaks, Drum n' Bass, plus visuals by A.Lo + the Rambler.

• Doors open at 8.30pm and the film starts at 9.15pm. Free beers for the first 50 people to arrive, £3 on door.