Your Rawtenstall Labour Team

05/06/2026

Your Mayoral update & Longholme Newsletter 📰

May 2026

From your local Labour🌹 Councillors Liz McInnes, Matt Norton and Samantha Harrison.

"May has been a very busy month with Liz being elected as the new Mayor of Rossendale.

As ever, we've helped many residents with problems and queries.

We're always here to help so please don't hesitate to contact us. You'll find our contact details at the end of this newsletter.

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A new Mayor for Rossendale:

Councillor Liz McInnes was elected as the new Mayor of Rossendale for the 2026/27 municipal year. Liz's partner, Steve Duxbury, will serve as her consort.

Liz takes over from Councillor Michelle Smith, who in her turn has taken over Liz's previous Cabinet role as lead member for Communities, Housing, Health & Well Being.

Liz wishes Michelle well in her new role and thanks her for her year of exemplary service.

Liz has already attended several Mayoral events and is settling into the role as Rossendale's Ambassador.

Alongside the new Mayor for Hyndburn, Noordad Aziz, Liz ran the Manchester 10K last weekend, raising over £1000 for one of her chosen charities, Rossendale Hospice. Thank you to everyone who donated.

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Local Government Reorganisation:

Many of you will be aware of plans to reorganise our two tier council system in Lancashire and many of you will have taken part in the consultation around the make-up of the new Unitary Authorities.

Following the public consultation, the decision is now being made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

We should hear in July how we will be working in the future and elections to the new Unitary Authority are planned to take place in May 2027.

Rossendale Borough Council will run alongside the new Unitary Authority for one year and the plan is that it will be dissolved in 2028.

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Rawtenstall Library:

A major programme of refurbishment work is continuing at Rawtenstall Library, with work on the roof and upper floors.

During this period, the main lending library on the ground floor will remain open although some areas, including the community history service, will be temporarily unavailable.

The second phase of work is expected to begin in July and will involve significant restoration of the ground floor which will mean that the library has to be closed for up to 14 weeks.

We'll share further information as we receive it. Details of alternative library provision will be available and library accounts can be managed online as usual.

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Refurbishment of Whitaker Park play area:

Rossendale Borough Council, in conjunction with Friends of Whitaker Park and Civic Pride Rossendale, has secured funding to improve, refurbish and replace play equipment for younger children in Whitaker Park.

The work will be done by Kompan, who installed the very successful and popular play area for older children.

As local councillors we have received very many complaints about the younger children's play area so we're delighted to work with Rossendale Borough Council on bringing about these improvements in line with the Whitaker Park Masterplan.

The work commences on June 8th and the play area should be ready in time for the school holidays, making Whitaker Park a fantastic destination for children of all ages.

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Coffee with a Councillor

The Unity Hub, Bank St, Rawtenstall (former Unitarian Church) are hosting a pop up market on the first Saturday of every month. At this event, there will be a regular "Coffee with a Councillor" session from 10am to 11am where you can meet with your Rawtenstall councillors from Longholme, Hareholme & Waterfoot and Cribden Wards.

The next surgery is on 6th June and the pop up market is also well worth a visit😊.

Thank you

Liz, Matt & Samantha"

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Liz, Matt and Samantha are your elected representatives for the Longholme area of Rawtenstall, which covers the areas around Bury Rd, Haslingden Road and Haslingden Old Road, plus parts of the Town Centre and the Rawtenstall end of Burnley Road.

You can contact us on:

Councillor Liz McInnes 07817 363462
[email protected]

Councillor Samantha Harrison 07971 637081
[email protected]

Councillor Matt Norton 07703 832169
[email protected]

If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter please do share it with your local groups. We hope that you’ll share the newsletter in its entirety but if for some reason you choose to use screenshots then you must credit the source as follows - “Longholme Councillors Newsletter/May 2026.”
Thank you 🙏

04/05/2026

Your Longholme Newsletter 📰

April 2026

From your local Labour🌹 Councillors Liz McInnes, Matt Norton and Samantha Harrison.

"April has been a busy month so this newsletter might be slightly longer than usual. As ever, we've helped many residents with problems and queries.

We're always here to help so please don't hesitate to contact us. You'll find our contact details at the end of this newsletter.

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Update on Food Waste Recycling:

Food waste collections have been in full swing since the beginning of April and the majority of households seem to have adapted well to the new system. We're now collecting large amounts of waste food which would have previously gone into landfill, and converting it into energy and fertiliser. Collections are every week, and don't forget that when you get to your last caddy liner, simply tie it round the handle of your bin and you'll receive a new roll.

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Local Government Reorganisation:

Many of you will be aware of plans to reorganise our two tier council system in Lancashire and many of you will have taken part in the consultation around the make-up of the new Unitary Authorities.
Following the public consultation, the decision is now being made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
We should hear in June/July how we will be working in the future and elections to the new Unitary Authority are planned to take place in May 2027.
Rossendale Borough Council will run alongside the new Unitary Authority for one year and the plan is that it will be dissolved in 2028.
Please note that due to a decision to move to four yearly elections for councillors on Rossendale Borough Council, that Rossendale is not holding local elections this May.

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Rawtenstall Library:

A major programme of refurbishment work is set to begin at Rawtenstall Library. Work has already begun on the roof and upper floors.
During this period, the main lending library on the ground floor will remain open although some areas, including the community history service, will be temporarily unavailable.

The second phase of work is expected to begin in July and will involve significant restoration of the ground floor which will mean that the library has to be closed for up to 14 weeks.

We'll share further information as we receive it. Details of alternative library provision will be available and library accounts can be managed online as usual.

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Leisure Review/The Hill:

Rossendale Borough Council has commissioned an independent review of leisure services which will be discussed at Full Council on 6th May.

The report makes recommendations for the future of our leisure services, including The Hill (Ski Rossendale) which is recommended to be retained under Rossendale Leisure Trust operation.

Some of you may have seen scare stories that The Hill is to be closed. This is not the Council's intention. The Review acknowledges that decisions about this aging facility are genuinely difficult and recommends a further detailed options analysis for the future of The Hill.

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Planning application for HMO:

Under the new Article 4 regulations adopted by Rossendale Borough Council, change of use of dwelling houses to small HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation) must now go through the full planning procedure.

This enables the planning committee to ensure that HMOs are appropriately sited and that the conversion work is done to a high standard. It also ensures that the Council will be able to map HMOs to ensure diversity of housing.

An application has come in for a 5 bedroomed HMO on Burnley Rd, Rawtenstall, which we believe is the first one to come in since we adopted Article 4. The application number is 2026/0084 and it can be viewed on the Planning section of the Council's website and is currently still open for comments.

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Coffee with a Councillor

The Unity Hub, Bank St, Rawtenstall (former Unitarian Church) are hosting a pop up market on the first Saturday of every month. At this event, there will be a regular "Coffee with a Councillor" session from 10am to 11am where you can meet with your Rawtenstall councillors from Longholme, Hareholme & Waterfoot and Cribden Wards.

Our surgery on 2nd May was very successful and the pop up market is also well worth a visit😊. Please look out for announcements of further surgeries.

Thank you

Liz, Matt & Samantha"

🌹🌹🌹

Liz, Matt and Samantha are your elected representatives for the Longholme area of Rawtenstall, which covers the areas around Bury Rd, Haslingden Road and Haslingden Old Road, plus parts of the Town Centre and the Rawtenstall end of Burnley Road.

You can contact us on:

Councillor Liz McInnes 07817 363462
[email protected]

Councillor Samantha Harrison 07971 637081
[email protected]

Councillor Matt Norton 07703 832169
[email protected]

If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter please do share it with your local groups. We hope that you’ll share the newsletter in its entirety but if for some reason you choose to use screenshots then you must credit the source as follows - “Longholme Councillors Newsletter/April 2026.”
Thank you 🙏

02/04/2026

Your Longholme Newsletter 📰

March 2026

From your local Labour🌹 Councillors Liz McInnes, Matt Norton and Samantha Harrison.

"A quarter of the way through 2026 already! Where does the time go? As ever, we've helped many residents with problems and queries and there is a lot going on in Rossendale at the moment.

We're always here to help so please don't hesitate to contact us. You'll find our contact details at the end of this newsletter.

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Update from February's newsletter on Rawtenstall Market:

Refurbishment work is now in full swing at the old Rawtenstall Market and the area is fully fenced off and secured. The traders seem very happy in the new temporary market on Rawtenstall Town Square and it's good to see the town centre so busy, particularly on our rare days of sunny weather.

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Thanks to Rossendale Borough Council's waste collection team:

We noticed last Saturday morning that a large quantity of waste had been left uncollected at the Haslingden Old Road/Oakenhead Wood Old Road junction, Rawtenstall. This is the usual collection point for local residents but it is usually collected on Fridays.

We asked Rossendale Borough Council's waste collection team if they'd remove the rubbish as soon as possible and we were really pleased and surprised to see that they removed it on the Sunday morning. We're very grateful to the team for doing this and would like to say a big thank you for acting so quickly.

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Damaged kerb at Bocholt Way:

Rawtenstall drivers, walkers and cyclists will have noticed the damaged kerb at the exit from the Gyratory onto Bocholt Way.

We reported this problem to Lancashire County Council, who are responsible for highways, over a month ago. When we chased it up we were informed that Lancashire County Council had no record of the complaint.

The complaint has now been resubmitted and we are hopeful for some action soon as this area is becoming more and more of a hazard.

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Update on recycling:

New leaflets on recycling are being distributed to every household by Rossendale Borough Council. The leaflet gives full details of which items go in which bin and also of how to use the new food waste caddies.

Most residents should have received their Food Waste Caddies by now. The weekly collections will start next week, commencing 6th April. Simply put your kerbside caddy out at your usual collection point, starting from next week.

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Coffee with a Councillor

The Unity Hub, Bank St, Rawtenstall (former Unitarian Church) are hosting a pop up market on the first Saturday of every month. At this event, there will be a regular "Coffee with a Councillor" session from 10am to 11am where you can meet with your Rawtenstall councillors from Longholme, Hareholme & Waterfoot and Cribden Wards.

We look forward to seeing you there on Saturday 4th April 😊

Thank you

Liz, Matt & Samantha"

🌹🌹🌹

Liz, Matt and Samantha are your elected representatives for the Longholme area of Rawtenstall, which covers the areas around Bury Rd, Haslingden Road and Haslingden Old Road, plus parts of the Town Centre and the Rawtenstall end of Burnley Road.

You can contact us on:

Councillor Liz McInnes 07817 363462
[email protected]

Councillor Samantha Harrison 07971 637081
[email protected]

Councillor Matt Norton 07703 832169
[email protected]

If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter please do share it with your local groups. We hope that you’ll share the newsletter in its entirety but if for some reason you choose to use screenshots then you must credit the source as follows - “Longholme Councillors Newsletter/March 2026.”
Thank you 🙏

23/03/2026

Your Labour 🌹 team out campaigning today for Cathy Tinston for Hareholme and Waterfoot. Lots of support for Cathy on the doors 🌹

Thanks to our Labour 🌹 team for their help today, campaigning in Waterfoot. We seem to have lost the sunshine now but still a warm welcome on the doors 🌹

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15/03/2026

Happy 🌹

07/03/2026

Our super candidate, Cathy, now has her own campaign page. Please give her a follow 👇

05/03/2026

Your Longholme Newsletter 📰

February 2026

From your local Labour🌹 Councillors Liz McInnes, Matt Norton and Samantha Harrison.

"This is our second newsletter of 2026 and it's been a very busy month. We've helped many residents with problems and queries and there is a lot going on in Rossendale at the moment.

We're always here to help so please don't hesitate to contact us. You'll find our contact details at the end of this newsletter.

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Update from January's newsletter on Rawtenstall Market and the school crossing patrol:

The Market Traders now seem settled in the temporary market site on Rawtenstall Town Square. Canopies are going up to protect customers from our usual Rossendale weather and the old market hall has now been fenced off ready for the refurbishment work to commence.

We're pleased to report that the School Crossing Patrol on Haslingden Old Road has now returned to normal. We're grateful to County Councillor Joanne Ash for her intervention in ensuring that some cover was provided prior to the half-term holidays.

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Cleaning of Haslingden Old Road:

Regular users of Haslingden Old Road, Rawtenstall will have noticed how overgrown the left hand side of the road going uphill had become.

We asked Rossendale Borough Council's street cleansing team if they'd clear the overgrown ivy and leaf mulch from the pavement and they did! We're very grateful to the team for doing this and pleased to see that the pavement is now safe again for pedestrians to use.

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Footpath by the side of St Mary's School:

There's been a problem on this footpath recently caused by people not clearing up after their dogs. This is unacceptable, especially so near to the two primary schools.

We've made sure that parents know how to report dog fouling, which can be done easily via Rossendale Borough Council's website.

Additionally, the Council's street cleaning team have cleaned the footpath so it is now debris and litter free. We'd like to keep it that way so please, for everyone's safety, do clean up after your dog.

Liz has also borrowed Civic Pride Rossendale's "Bag it, bin it" stencil to encourage people to clean up after their dogs. Thanks to Civic Pride Rossendale for their help.

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Delivery of Food Waste Caddies:

Many of you will be aware that Rossendale Borough Council has a legal obligation to collect food waste as from April 2026. This will enable food waste to be recycled into fertiliser or energy rather than going into disposal.

Most residents should have received their Food Waste Caddies by now.The weekly collections will start week commencing 6th April. You will receive a small kitchen caddy and a larger kerbside caddy with a lockable lid, plus a roll of caddy liners and an information leaflet.

The information leaflet and the link below should answer all your questions about food waste collections. Your kerbside bin should be presented on your usual collection day. Please do not present your bin for collection prior to week commencing 6th April.

https://www.rossendale.gov.uk/bins-rubbish-recycling/food-waste/2

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Coffee with a Councillor

The Unity Hub, Bank St, Rawtenstall (former Unitarian Church) are hosting a pop up market on the first Saturday of every month. At this event, there will be a regular "Coffee with a Councillor" session from 10am to 11am where you can meet with your Rawtenstall councillors from Longholme, Hareholme & Waterfoot and Cribden Wards.

We look forward to seeing you there on Saturday 7th March 😊

Thank you

Liz, Matt & Samantha"

🌹🌹🌹

Liz, Matt and Samantha are your elected representatives for the Longholme area of Rawtenstall, which covers the areas around Bury Rd, Haslingden Road and Haslingden Old Road, plus parts of the Town Centre and the Rawtenstall end of Burnley Road.

You can contact us on:

Councillor Liz McInnes 07817 363462
[email protected]

Councillor Samantha Harrison 07971 637081
[email protected]

Councillor Matt Norton 07703 832169
[email protected]

If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter please do share it with your local groups. We hope that you’ll share the newsletter in its entirety but if for some reason you choose to use screenshots then you must credit the source as follows - “Longholme Councillors Newsletter/February 2026.”
Thank you 🙏

05/03/2026

Our were out today with our fantastic Labour 🌹 candidate, Cathy Tinston. Lots of doors knocked on, lots of conversations and lots of support for Cathy.

Cathy works really hard for her community already as a school governor and a volunteer and people know that as a councillor she will be active, approachable and hardworking.




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04/03/2026

A for campaigning! Beautiful sunshine for our fantastic Labour🌹candidate, Cathy Tinston.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to talk with our team of campaigners and thanks for your support for Cathy.




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03/03/2026

campaigning with our fantastic and candidate, Cathy Tinston. A sunny day 🌞 and a warm welcome on the doors!

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