DARWEN TOWN COUNCIL

THE NEXT MEETING OF DARWEN TOWN COUNCIL WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7^TH, 2012, IN DARWEN TOWN HALL AT 7 P.M.

AGENDA

• Welcome and introduction
• Apologies for absence
• Declarations of interest
• Minutes of the last meeting
• Mayor's Update
• Deputy Chairman's Update
• Phone bill (Clerk)
• Town crier agreement and form for website (Clerk)
• Finance
• Correspondence
• Updates (Finance, development and communities committees.)
• Any other business
• Public forum
• Date of next meeting (March 6th)

The biggest drive to encourage firms to take on apprentices is due to begin, with more than 500 events across the UK and pledges of hundreds of new training places.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said the Government was prioritising investment in apprenticeships, leading to record numbers of places combined with tough new standards to drive up quality.

Today (6 Feb) sees the opening of Blackburn with Darwen's Youth Zone. It will be opened this afternoon by Prince Edward. It is a state of the art Youth Centre The centre should be fully open in April and will be holding a series of "soft openings" to test the facilities during March. Check out what is on here. The Youth Zone was the brainchild of the previous administration when the Liberal Democrats shared control with the Conservatives.

Darwen Town Centre was in chaos on Saturday evening following the afternoon snowfall. At 7:00 pm traffic in the centre was barely moving as cars struggled to get up Bolton Rd. Some cars did not move for almost 20 minutes as traffic ground to a standstill. A number of cars suffered minor collisions during the chaos as they struggled to cope with the dangerous conditions.

Your application for a new Postal Vote (or the be pu onto the electoral register to vote on May 3) has to be in at the Electoral Registration Office by 5:00 pm.

For details of how to apply contact: Electoral Registration, Town Hall, Blackburn BB1 7DY

There will be elections for councillors in the vast majority of wards in Blackburn with Darwen

This if for residents of Whitehall Ward to come and raise any issues with their local councillors and local police will also be present.

The Mayor's Ball is one of the highlights of the social season in Blackburn. Come and have a great night out with a 3 course meal, lots of live entertainment with a mixture of Eastern and Western music.

Tickets are £25 and can be obtained from the Mayor's Office at Balckburn Town Hall mayorsparlour@blackburn.gov.uk

Come along and test how much you know about the Borough.

The quiz is only £5 per person and includes supper.

Enter a team of up to 6 people (contact davidfosterld@btinternet.com to book a place)

The Agenda is available here and the reports can be accessed here.

The meetings are opne to the public and the public can ask questions of any of the Execuitve Board by submitting the question, in writing, 24 hours in advance to: Chief Executive, Town Hall, Blackburn BB1 7DY.