The roadworks in Warton have been going on for far too long. Countless residents have contacted me to me to express their frustration and, having been caught on numerous occasions in heavy traffic at the lights around Church Road, I am more than aware of the impact the prolonged disruption is having.
It is simply not good enough that contractors have far exceeded their initially proposed completion date. I have contacted Lancashire County Council to urge them to ensure there are no further delays and that access for residents and businesses is improved.
I dropped into Oliver’s Chippy to hear more about the impact this has had on footfall but also, on a more positive note, to congratulate them on some of the recent recognition they have received for the fantastic food and service they offer.
Lytham Gin is another wonderful local business and I visited Sara Dewhurst at her distillery on Friday to discuss the upcoming budget and the implications of recent alcohol duty reforms for her and other spirit producers. Small scale alcohol production, be it gin distilling or microbreweries, has been an area of huge growth and is something I keen to support. Helping these businesses thrive is vital to supporting local economies and I have raised her suggestions around tax reforms for small producers with the Treasury.
The Fylde Ice Festival was back this weekend, although in a new location as the festival moved from Lytham to Kirkham. Fylde Borough Council’s Tourism & Events team did a fantastic job in arranging this free event, bringing in visitors from far and wide at the start of the school half term. With Kirkham Futures due to be completed in the coming weeks, this is another example of the town’s upward trajectory, and it was great to see the event’s popularity continue at its new home.
Sculptures on display included a replica windmill in the style found across the Fylde and another featuring Party Ring biscuits, paying tribute to the Fox’s factory in Kirkham, one of our major local employers.
Lastly, I wanted to thank St Albans Church for hosting me on Saturday for another signing session for my Morgan & Morecambe Parliamentary Petition. There was a brilliant turnout for what is likely to be my final signing event and my thoughts now turn to presenting the petition before Parliament, likely in early March.
There are still a few opportunities to sign the petition at local businesses, located right across Fylde, details of which are listed on my website: https://www.markmenzies.org.uk/campaigns/renewables-planning?fbclid=IwAR3MFUDl4Oo9UdCdrY8eoLBftdXFs1TKs6BbQ4HaLb2jE8yvgO2im2wjOMI