Parish News

The Annual Parish meeting attracted 40 residents in May and there were presentations from the Women’s Institution (Sue Statham), the Village Hall (Tom Cosway), the Chapel (Rosemary Connor) and me on behalf of the Parish Council. All contributors were able to reflect on some of the key events over the last year and their plans for the coming year; it is always fascinating to hear of things you had no idea about.

The Council presented an update on parking management in Barley over the last four years to address congestion and inconsiderate parking (with associated hazards) including the recent introduction on parking enforcement on Cross Lane above the Village Hall, which might be the last piece in the jigsaw but a 20mph speed limit might yet come. An update on projects to improve the village was covered by a slide show along with a finance report, updates on planning issues and the Council outlined future projects for 2026/27 including works on the Turning Area.

The WI reported on various successful events held and a healthy membership number and plans for the WI garden. The Village Hall outlined recent and future improvement projects and requested volunteers to join the committee. The Chapel reported that they now had sufficient membership to keep the chapel open, successful fund-raising events and the plans for resolving the dry rot problem in the roof.

We were also pleased to host the Mayor, the Borough and the County Councillor. After the presentations were complete, we had a social event until late in the evening catching up with neighbours, tucking into a good buffet from the Cabin and free drinks. The attendance was down a bit on previous years but it was a hot day; that said, it is disappointing that those who were available could not find the time to come and join in and show their support for four groups that put such a lot of voluntary time into our village.

The toilet block improvement project has just been completed with the pointing of the gable walls and painting of the shelter, the finishing touches.

Planning Matters – The planning inspectorate have approved planning permission for an extension to Bollard Barn in Whitehough. I anticipate this has been a struggle for Barry and Denise Tombs since 2023 and they have had to adjust their plans along the way, including de-listing their home and amending designs to get approval in the Conservation Area.

Within the PC we allocate some responsibilities between members to try and share the workload. For the coming year, I have summarised how some key responsibilities are allocated for your information; each responsibility is shared with another councillor (seconder) to provide support. The main point of contact remains the clerk of the PC who administers and keeps records for the Council, she passes queries on to the relevant Councillor and chases up responses.

Events to be aware of – Pendle Pub Walk 2026 will be held on 13 June 2026.