We're one of the best places in Lancashire for recycling so we want you to help us keep it that way.

It can be difficult to remember what item goes in which bin so we've put together this handy guide to help.

Here is your essential guide to Christmas in Chorley including all of the events and attractions happening this year plus some important and useful information to help you through the festive period.

Please find attached a briefing note which explains how LCC have prepared, what the public can do to prepare for winter, advice on keeping warm and well, and looking out for elderly and vulnerable people during the winter.

LCC work hard to keep traffic moving on main roads and to minimise delays and accidents caused by ice or snow throughout the winter. LCC have stockpiled over 30,000 tonnes of salt and deploy 49 gritters from nine operational depots across the county. Ideally, LCC would grit every road in Lancashire, but in reality this is just not possible. Instead LCC identify priority roads and footpaths for gritting and snow clearing to keep the county moving.

As usual, LCC are working closely with partners, businesses and local organisations to deliver a consistent message to the public about what they can do to prepare for winter and how LCC have prepared.

The Mayor, Councillor Marion Lowe, has a number of upcoming events in aid of her chosen charities – St Catherine’s Hospice, Derian House Children Hospice and Home-Start Central Lancashire.

Chorley’s Got Christmas Soul – Friday, 18 December
The hugely popular soul night returns to the Lancastrian at Chorley Town Hall. Tickets £8 available from the Town Hall, Marshall’s Florist and eventbrite.co.uk.

Charity Ball – Friday, 5 February
The Mayor’s Black and White themed Charity Ball takes place at Shaw Hill Golf Resort and Spa Hotel. Tickets are £30 which includes a three course dinner, disco and live music from James Franklyn and the Soul Machine.

For tickets and information about any of the Mayor’s events please contact the Mayor’s Secretary on 01257 515113 / mayors.secretary@chorley.gov.uk

NALC has been chosen by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to administer a £4.7m fund to support the Transparency Legislation, which is now in effect for Town and Parish Councils.

The transparency code sets out what information smaller authorities should be publishing. Examples of what you may be able to claim a grant for include computer, scanner, broadband access and training. If your turn over is greater than £25k this does not apply to you, If you are a parish meeting this does not apply to you.

We believe Chorley is a great place to do business and we are here to help and make sure that you get all the support you need, whether it's realising your start up, location, expansion or new investment.

We have a dedicated economic development team for the Borough. From developing economic strategy to guiding people through the process of starting up a new business, we have a wealth of experience in all aspects of business.

If you are looking for funding to start up or develop a business, your first point of contact should be one of our business advisors. They will be able to discuss your funding needs, which may be to buy new equipment, take on new staff, or develop your business in other ways. The support provided by the advisors is free and impartial so they can work with you to identify the best way forward for your business needs.

Chorley has a wide range of opportunities to get active and stay active, from leisure centres, fantastic parks to open spaces on our doorstep.

Our pro-active teams are out and about in the community across the Borough helping to deliver, develop and sustain a wide range of community activity along with encouraging the district to adopt a healthy and positive lifestyle.

Neighbourhood plans allow local people to get the right type of development for their community, but the plans must still meet the needs of the wider area. Developers, parish and town councils, landowners and local businesses may all be interested in sponsoring and taking a leading role in neighbourhood planning. In fact, in many areas, local businesses are working alongside local residents, local government and others with an interest in the neighbourhood’s future development and growth.

This update from DCLG provides information about the first 100 Referendums held on the adoption of Neighbourhood Plans. As well as information about other Neighbourhood Plans which have been adopted it details the support available to groups interested in progressing their own.

The next meeting of the Chorley Liaison will be held on Wednesday, 20 January at 6.30pm at the Town Hall, Chorley. If you would like to request an agenda item please email ruth.rimmington@chorley.gov.uk by Friday, 18 December.

The Neighbourhood Area Meetings are scheduled as follows:
Southern Parishes on Wednesday, 13 January
Chorley Town West on Tuesday, 26 January
Western Parishes on Wednesday, 27 January
Clayton and Whittle on Tuesday, 2 February
Chorley Town East on Thursday, 4 February
Eastern Parishes on Wednesday, 10 February
Euxton, Astley and Buckshaw on Monday, 15 February
Southeast Parishes on Tuesday, 16 February

Network Rail are pleased to announce that services on the route between Manchester and Bolton will return to a full timetable from Monday 14 December. Attached for your information is a press release which has been issued to the local media.

You will be aware that as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, Farnworth Tunnel, near Bolton, is being enlarged to enable it to house two electrified lines. Following the breakthrough on 25 October, Network Rail has continued to work with train operators to reinstate normal passenger services as soon as possible.

A weekend closure of the route – on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December – will see the new tracks brought in to use through the new tunnel. There will initially be a speed restriction on this new section of railway, which will be removed after some further work in the New Year. This will require an additional closure of the railway in January. Full details will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Network Rail have worked very closely with Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express to plan the work to cause the least amount of disruption to passengers.

Farnworth Tunnel is an extremely complex engineering challenging being delivered as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan. Breaking through to complete the tunnel was a key milestone for the project, but the priority has always been to restore full rail services for passengers as soon as possible. Most importantly, Network Rail would like to express their sincere gratitude to passengers and local residents for their patience so far.

Canal and River Trust winter tree work

The Council has received notification that the Canal and Rivers Trust will be undertaking routine annual work to keep the waterways clear and navigable along the length of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

All works shall be carried out to BS3998 standards, and are scheduled to be completed before the onset of the bird breeding season (1 March 2016).

If you have visited the Council's website recently, you may have noticed that the homepage looks different. We have updated the website in a bid to try and encourage more people to do things online.

A strip of icons now appear on the homepage and the layout of the existing images will alter slightly. These changes will improve compatibility with mobile devices and also make the icons more prominent.

You can still find all the information you need by using the search facility