Weekly Update from Councillor Ben Shirley
It’s been another busy week serving as one of your representatives on Westmorland and Furness Council.
This week, local councillors met at Barrow Town Hall to set out our priorities for the Furness area and agree our budget. People rightly question where council tax goes, and I’m proud to say it’s funding vital services that make a real difference. Initiatives like 20p swims with lunch for kids at Dalton Leisure Centre during school holiday time; the Green Doctor scheme, which supports residents struggling with energy costs, and purchasing groceries during times of hardship; the holiday activity and food programme for young people and families; family hubs; are all good examples of money well spent.
It was great to see my excellent ward colleague, Daniel Edwards, return to his role at the meeting after six weeks out with illness. Daniel is a brilliant local councillor, and we work together well, so it's great to have him back.
Road improvements continue across Dalton North, with Ulverston Road in Dalton being resurfaced and due for completion on Friday. We’ve also had the gulleys cleared on Ireleth Road to prevent flooding and are assessing speeding concerns on Dalton Road in Askam.
It was a pleasure to visit Askam Town Band’s Academy, on Wednesday evening, along with Cllr Edwards. The council's support has helped provide uniforms for the academy. The young musicians are making fantastic progress, with the youngest member just four years old! Look them up and Facebook and don't hesitate to get involved - it's never too early (or late!)
We also attended the Askam and Ireleth Parish Council meeting, on Tuesday night, at the community centre in Askam. The meeting room was packed. It's great to see many local people take a keen interest in local government. We work closely with the parish council and we are very fortunate to have such a well run and dedicated Parish council delivering lots of great things for local people, and standing up for Askam and Ireleth.
Finally, fantastic news that Barrow has been recognised as the Royal Port of Barrow—a well-deserved honour for the town’s contributions to the Royal Navy. Congratulations to everyone involved in securing this recognition! This status matters because it’s about addressing the negative perceptions of Barrow, and the town and its people receiving the recognition it rightly deserves, in a positive light, at long last.
I had the pleasure of working alongside Simon Fell when he campaigned for this, and I remember the first time Brian Boyd and Jonny Williams walked into our office to ask him to support them with this campaign and Simon was on board immediately. Despite all the nay-sayers and doubters, he stuck to it and now we have it! It will be nice to see His Majesty the King visit this part of the world too
As always, I’m grateful for the hard work of our local teams in council, and the progress we’re making together. There’s more to do, and I’ll keep pushing for the best for our communities. If you require my help with a local issue, or would like to make a suggestion as to how we can improve our area then please don't hesitate to get in contact with me in the usual way.
