Our West Lancashire

03/11/2026

Councillor-Resident Drop-ins

OWL Councillors will be hosting drop in sessions in Ormskirk and Bickerstaffe on Saturday 7th November.

If you have any queries or concerns to raise, drop by and say hello! 🦉

02/11/2026

29/10/2026

Thinking about raising investment?

Join us for 'Ready to Raise', an evening designed to connect Lancashire businesses with investors, funding experts and fellow founders.

Whether you're building a new idea, planning your next stage of growth, or simply want to understand how investment works, you'll hear directly from the people making investment decisions across Lancashire.

✅ Meet investors and business leaders
✅ Gain practical insight into funding opportunities
✅ Understand what investors look for
✅ Build valuable connections

📅 11 November 2026
⏰ 5.00pm - 7.00pm
📍 West Lancashire Investment Centre, Skelmersdale
🍕 Pizza and refreshments included

Book your place here: https://bit.ly/4zFJr0p

26/10/2026

It’s been a very busy 36 hours.

Councillor Crompton was just one of the OWL councillors out in the community, doing everything possible to support residents with flooding and fallen tree matters.

The weather this weekend was horrendous, causing widespread disruption. From flooding in people’s homes and trees falling across driveways, to traffic management measures and footpath closures failing to keep people safe, it’s been an incredibly challenging time for many residents which extended to one of our councillors who has suffered a prolonged power cut.

We want residents to know that we’re here and we’re listening and we continue to work to turn resident concerns into practical support from local bureaucracies.

22/10/2026

𝗢𝗿𝗺𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁:

The Council Deputy Leader, Adrian Owens has been pressing the Post Office this week on opening at a new town centre location, given that the existing post office has now closed.

Cllr Owens commented: "I have had a response from the Post Office today which says that they continue to work actively to identify suitable candidates to operate a Post Office branch in Ormskirk. The Post Office further say that they have a number of promising locations but that they need to undertake a thorough due diligence process before any appointment is made.

It's clearly important that any new location and operator provides a stable, reliable and sustainable service for the long term. However, I have stressed to the Post Office that I and residents are keen to see services restored as quickly as possible. The Post Office say that they share that ambition and recognise the strength of feeling regarding the need to restore services. I will continue to hold them to their undertaking."

21/10/2026

News about the Old Toby Inn site:

An outline planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the former Old Toby Inn site to provide a 100-bedroom residential care home. The applicant describes it as "including reconstruction of the former Old Toby Inn and associated new-build care accommodation, communal and wellbeing spaces,
GP/consultation facilities, café, staff and support accommodation, and vehicular and pedestrian access, parking, servicing, drainage infrastructure and landscaping." Access, layout, scale and appearance are submitted for approval with landscaping reserved for subsequent approval.

What do you think?

19/10/2026

Dial a Ride Latest as OWL raise the service at LCC's council meeting.

18/10/2026

🚨 𝗣 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 & 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 🚨
The County Council finally released the pothole repair figures they tried to sit on — and no wonder.

🔹 In March: Only 10% of potholes due within 20 days were actually fixed.
🔹 This one in Westhead took 100+ days to repair.
🔹 Jan–Mar: Fewer than 1 in 5 were repaired on time.

And while the in‑house teams did better on the urgent ones, many are just quick, temporary patches that fall apart again within weeks.

Residents deserve better.

17/10/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀!

🏋️ Try the facilities - gym; swim; sauna; spin; dance; racket sports and more
🤝 Meet the teams
💳 Explore membership options
🎉 Take advantage of special Open Day offers

15/10/2026

From 31 October the Government has removed the right of residents to ask their councillors to put many planning applications before the Planning Committee for a decision. 𝗢𝗪𝗟 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. 𝗪𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝘀.

Andy Burnham talks about localism and devolution yet at the first opportunity he takes powers away from residents and locally elected councillors. Residents and their councillors have the local knowledge to understand the local factors at play in a planning proposal, something that a planning officer not familiar with a location and its history, however diligent they are, might miss.

Worse, these Government changes try to address a problem that doesn’t exist. More than 90% of planning decisions are already delegated. Instead this change undermines local democracy and risks increasing public disengagement from the political process. Ask Ashley Dalton to justify this damaging change, she'll struggle.