Cllr Ben Ward - Ingol and Cottam

07/09/2026

Perhaps We Need to Rewire the Whole System

Today’s announcement that local government reorganisation in Lancashire is paused was extremely frustrating. But perhaps there is another way of looking at it.

The Government says the pause is connected to a much bigger ambition to “rewire” the way the state works — devolving power away from Westminster and giving regions greater control over their own affairs.

If that really is the plan, perhaps we should go much further than simply drawing new council boundaries, because the way we organise public services in Britain is, frankly, a mess.

Take Lancashire. We currently have a county council, two unitary councils and twelve district councils, alongside numerous town and parish councils — plus a combined authority on top. Then there’s the Police and Crime Commissioner, and Lancashire Police, which operates across the entire county, while the same area is divided into five NHS trusts. Multi‑Academy Trusts add a further educational dimension. Then there are housing associations, fire and rescue services, regional utilities and numerous other public bodies, all with their own boundaries, areas of operation and responsibilities.

For residents, it can be almost impossible to work out who is responsible for what. And that matters. When something goes wrong, organisations can point towards one another while residents are left wondering who actually has the power to solve their problem. Sadly, too often the answer appears to be no one, as our fragmented system has divided and weakened the authority and means to get things done.

So, while I remain frustrated by the delay in Lancashire, I am prepared to give the Government the benefit of the doubt — if this really is the beginning of something more ambitious. There is an opportunity to align boundaries, simplify responsibilities, remove duplication and give regions genuine power to make decisions closer to the communities they serve.

If we are genuinely going to rewire the state, let’s not just move the wires around. Let’s finally make the system work for the people it is supposed to serve.

07/09/2026

A Pause We Didn’t Need

Today’s announcement that the Government is pausing local government reorganisation in Lancashire is deeply frustrating.

For years, we have known that Lancashire’s two-tier system needs to change. Responsibilities are divided between the county and district councils, creating unnecessary complexity, duplication and confusion about who is actually accountable.

LGR offered an opportunity to change that.

Lancashire has already spent long enough debating its future. Time wasted while other regions have acquired more powers, funding, and control. If the Government has a better plan, then let’s see it. If there is a compelling reason for the delay, then let’s hear it. But a pause cannot simply become another word for delay.

Lancashire has waited long enough. We need reform, not another round of uncertainty.

06/09/2026

Some Positive Momentum (at last!)

One of the great things about being a councillor is that you get the opportunity to support and promote genuinely positive change for our city. Last week’s Planning Committee meeting was exactly one of those moments.

I was pleased to support the next phase of Cottam’s development, with a new scheme that secured land for a new primary school on William Young Way (the plot is now safeguarded for educational use), as well as one of the largest sections of land needed for the masterplan’s Linear Park, which will provide a green corridor from Sidgreaves Lane to Sandy Lane.

We also approved plans to replace a tired 1970s student accommodation block with modern private residential flats. Although contemporary in design, the new building will be a clear visual improvement within the Moor Park conservation zone.

Perhaps the most personally meaningful item was the application for Arkwright’s House, the Grade II* listed property where Richard Arkwright designed the waterframe — one of the inventions that helped spearhead the Industrial Revolution. The building has stood empty for too long, slipping into neglect and dereliction. The approved plans will sympathetically convert a key part of Preston’s heritage into a mixed‑use development with residential flats and ground‑floor retail, securing its future while respecting its historical significance.

After granting permission for the Miller Arcade redevelopment at our last meeting and the Park Hotel restoration earlier in the year, it genuinely feels like Preston is gathering positive momentum. It’s great to have even a small role in helping these projects move forward and contribute to the city’s long‑term renewal.

04/09/2026

Ideological Posturing and the Politics of Division.

Reform's decision to withdraw Lancashire County Council from the Government’s refugee resettlement schemes is being sold as a bold, resident‑first intervention. In reality, it is little more than ideological posturing.

The facts are straightforward. These resettlement schemes are fully funded by national government, not by Lancashire’s budget. Ending the council’s administrative role does not reduce the number of refugees who come to Lancashire. It simply means that other organisations - district councils, charities, or the Home Office - will take over the coordination. The families who arrive will still arrive, because they already have the legal right to remain.

Yet Reform‑aligned posts have tried to spin this into something it is not: a supposed boost to housing supply, a crackdown on migration, even a response to small‑boat crossings. None of this is true. The scheme deals with refugees, not asylum seekers. And the people supported through it are overwhelmingly Afghans who worked alongside British forces, often at great personal risk, before being forced to flee during the chaotic withdrawal of Western troops. They are here because they were promised safety and security.

To suggest that ending an administrative contract will somehow “put Lancashire residents first” is misleading. To imply that these refugees are the cause of housing shortages is divisive. And to frame Afghans who worked side-by-side with British soldiers as a threat is a revealing choice from a party that calls itself nationalist while turning its fire on those who have served this country.

This decision doesn’t solve a problem. It doesn’t save a penny. It doesn’t free a single home. It is politics designed to divide — and Lancashire deserves better than that.

The move has polarised opinion amongst the county’s politicians.

04/09/2026

Our children deserve the school they were promised. We need to show Reform and Lancashire County Council that nothing else is acceptable.

For more than a decade, families in North West Preston have been promised a new secondary school. The need is clear — even Reform’s own documents acknowledge it. The land is secured, neighbouring development is underway, millions in developer contributions have been collected, and additional capital funding is available without borrowing.

Now is the time to act. Lancashire County Council is about to enter a period of transition through local government reorganisation. We cannot allow that transition to become an excuse for further delay, potentially forcing children across the area to face lengthy daily journeys across Preston and to neighbouring towns for years to come.

Stuart has done a fantastic job through his page and campaigning to keep this vital issue firmly on the agenda. Please back Stuart’s survey, follow his page, and join the 100s of parents demanding action.

Our children deserve a school they can walk to, socialise with their classmates outside school, and a school that can help make Cottam and Bartle a real community.

In 2017, Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council approved a masterplan for 5,322 new homes in North West Preston, on the promise of a new secondary school alongside them. Nine years on, the homes are here. The school is not. There is still no secondary school anywhere in Cottam, Lea, Ingo...

04/09/2026

The reported agreement granting a private firm — partly owned by the U.S. government — 100‑year rights over roughly 20% of Venezuela’s known oil reserves deserves far greater scrutiny. At a moment when Venezuela is emerging from political crisis and economic collapse, the transfer of control over 65 billion barrels of crude raises serious questions about legitimacy, sovereignty, and the balance of power between nations.

Supporters frame the deal as investment and stabilisation. Yet investment does not require century‑long concessions, governance influence, or preferential access to production. When one of the world’s wealthiest nations secures long-term strategic control over a weaker country’s most valuable resource, the dynamic begins to resemble something far older and more troubling.

This arrangement echoes the resource politics of the 20th century, when powerful states shaped the futures of weaker ones through extraction and dependency. The mechanisms today may be contractual rather than coercive, but the effect is similar: a nation’s economic destiny placed under the influence of another’s interests.

Economist Francisco Rodríguez says no Venezuelan government would enter such a deal unless they were “held at gunpoint.”…

03/09/2026

Enough is enough. The latest Channel 4 News undercover footage should alarm anyone who cares about the integrity of British democracy. While Nigel Farage was busy defending his “record” in the frankly ridiculous Clacton by-election, he was caught discussing actions, financial arrangements, and tactics that sit miles outside of our electoral rules.

This isn’t a one‑off lapse. It’s part of a pattern: a party that rails against the establishment while exploiting every grey area it can find. Britain’s political system only works when everyone plays by the same rules. If Reform UK cannot operate within those rules, they should not be allowed to stand. Full stop.

Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.

31/08/2026

With the summer holidays coming to an end and the day job starting again tomorrow, here’s a quick round‑up of recent ward work.

🚴‍♂️I’ve asked Preston City Council to look at options for secure, weather‑protected cycle storage in the city centre — including whether Avenham Car Park could be adapted. With the city’s cycle infrastructure expanding, it’s essential that we match this investment with appropriate end‑of‑journey facilities so that cycling becomes a practical option for commuters, shoppers and visitors alike.

🌱I’ve also written to Rowland Homes about the south side of The Green off Tom Benson Way. The approved plans promised wetland planting, woodlands, and maintained walkways, but a year on it’s mostly weeds and stressed saplings. I’ve asked for action to bring it up to the standard residents were promised.

🏡In the last two weeks, four more planning applications for children’s homes have been submitted. I’ve shared examples with PCC from other councils who now reject new applications due to lack of demand — something Lancashire themselves highlighted. I’ve also contacted LCC for updates on how they plan to reduce their use of illegal unregistered homes, an issue raised by Ofsted.

And, as ever, there’s been the steady flow of day‑to‑day casework: the ongoing faded road markings, potholes, poor repairs; supporting residents with housing issues and planning concerns; as well as closed, inaccessible and poorly maintained footpaths.

Plus, of course, thousands of steps delivering surveys!

P.S. I'm still waiting for a reply on the removal of the sunken boat from the Lancaster Canal and the fitting of a safety Barrier on Edith Rigby Way.

30/08/2026

I’ve been out across Tanterton and Ingol this weekend delivering resident surveys to registered voters. If one lands through your letterbox, please do take a few minutes to complete and return. Your feedback genuinely shapes our priorities and areas for action, and the more responses we receive, the stronger and more focused our campaigning can be.

While out, I also reported (again!) the frankly ridiculous road markings on Tanterton Hall Road. It’s good to see the potholes finally repaired, but less impressive that only the patched sections have been given fresh markings. Their inclusion on the new tarmac proves exactly why they should be present along the entire length of this key road. Partial fixes aren’t good enough — residents deserve consistent, safe road markings, not a stop‑start approach.

29/08/2026

Wow! That was noisy and a lot of fun!!!

By chance caught Fat Cat Brass at Preston Market. Truly something different - a blast of energy and noise. I've never seen a brass ban play Eye of the Tiger, Insomnia, or Bad Romance before. Accompanied with a pint from the Orchard - a very enjoyable hour!