Follow Julian at www.fb.com/CllrJulianFinch

Julian Finch is your Labour and Co-operative council candidate for Skelmersdale South ward, which includes the Digmoor, Moorside and Yewdale areas. He is a lifelong trade unionist and currently a member of Unite the Union. A retired Youth and Community Worker, he began his career in Skelmersdale in the 1970s. Julian was also the Chief Executive of a Lancashire based charity, working with disadvantaged young people, the homeless, unemployed and other people with complex needs. Through his work, he has helped to develop community organisations, tenants’ associations and youth and community centres across the North-West.

Having served as a West Lancashire Councillor since 2019, Julian still works tirelessly towards improving the lives of young people and the communities in which they live. He is keen to help organise residents forums in Skelmersdale and to be a clear and strong voice for residents of all ages abilities and backgrounds.

Julian says:

In the past year I’ve been doing lots of work with

·        Skelmersdale charities,

·        homeless and dementia support,

·        uniformed youth groups,

·        primary schools including Little Digmoor,

·        supporting many groups and projects in the Ecumenical Centre,

·        setting up Skelmersdale Rotary to support Skelmersdale community groups,

·        voluntary work with “Friends of Tawd Valley”

·        and deputising for the Mayor of West Lancashire and leading the fundraising for her charities.

I have also focussed constantly on casework support for residents in my own ward who I have represented on the Borough Council for the last four years.

I dedicate my time to resolving casework and queries from residents, relating to household and financial struggles, access to health services, and connecting residents with education, social or financial advice. This, on top of the day-to-day ward work reporting potholes to Lancashire County Council, tackling fly-tipping and litter grot spots, getting footpaths cleaned up, trees and vegetation cutback, pressing services to deal with flooding, broken fences, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.

Over the years I’ve learned about how the Council works and can now advise or point in the right direction on planning  matters or benefits or car parking issues etc.

I’m very proud of some of the Council’s achievements in my area and have been on all the committees responsible for building new Council Houses such as the Beechtrees Revival where 36 new family homes were built, the massive maintenance programme in Blakehall and the current Digmoor Regeneration plan where old blocks of flats are being replaced by new apartments in Blythewood.

As Chair of the Cabinet Working Group on Community Wealth Building I also influenced development of the Council’s economic policies in these very challenging years. Community Wealth Building is a policy which promotes local employment and fairer distribution of wealth, opportunity and jobs among local residents and businesses, and local profit is re-invested locally and ethically and not creamed off into large national and international companies.

My councillor surgery continues 10.30am to 11.30am every Thursday at Skelmersdale Ecumenical Centre, Northway, Skelmersdale. Please get in touch if I can help with anything.

I look forward to continuing to serve you and hope I can have your support to be your voice on local issues on the council.