Councillors spread Christmas cheer at Longfield Centre

Local Councillors were out in force spreading Christmas cheer at the Longfield Centre on Saturday 18th December, as the regular Liberal Democrat Saturday Surgery took on a decidedly Christmassy flavour.

Councillors from all three Prestwich wards were on hand as usual on Saturday morning, but donned Santa hats and handed out free mince pies to shoppers and local people who came down to take part. Richard Baum, Liberal Democrat Councillor for St Mary’s ward, said “We have a surgery at the Longfield Centre every Saturday morning from 10.45 – 11.45 come rain or shine. The snow didn’t deter us on Saturday and we were in the festive spirit with our hats and pies. There was even some mulled wine to keep us warm.”

Richard continued “There’s a serious purpose to these Saturday Surgeries. We are here to listen to local people and try to help with any problems they’ve got. We’ve also got the “Scrap Prestwich Parking Charges” petition for people to sign, and over 2,000 people have done so far. We’re also asking people their priorities for Prestwich so that we can make sure we let the Council know what needs protecting when they make cuts to deal with the deficit and debt. But we’re also here to wish everyone in Prestwich a merry Christmas, and I was pleased that so many people went away smiling with a mince pie and our Christmas best wishes.”

The Saturday Surgery series will commence again in early January after a fortnight off for Christmas and New Year. In the meantime, Councillors are available by phone or email over the holidays.

Ask local people their budget priorities – say Lib Dems

Liberal Democrats in Bury are calling on the Council to step up consultation on the future of local services after the government cut Bury’s budget by around £12m for the coming year.

The budget, set as part of the nationwide local government settlement, will see Bury Council lose around a quarter of its budget over the next four years. Liberal Democrats are concerned that without proper consultation, many valuable services could be threatened.

Cllr Richard Baum, Resource spokesman for the Bury Liberal Democrats, said “We all know that cuts need to happen to deal with mess inherited by the government. Some of those cuts are happening here in Bury so it’s vital that local people get the chance to tell us what they want prioritised.”

“Lib Dems have been asking local people for a long time now, so that we can fight to protect the services local people need. The only way we can get the debt and deficit down is by taking local people with us, so I call on the people in charge of the Council to get out into our local communities across Bury now and start an open, honest conversation about the challenges we face.”

“Lib Dems in Bury will continue to fight to give Bury the best services we all want and need.”

Pupil Premium Means £1.8 million extra cash for Bury Kids

Bury Schools are set to receive up to £430 per pupil a year for each poorer pupil they teach under details announced by the Coalition Government. It means that Bury stands to gain over £1.8m extra cash in the coming year to help towards improving teaching and learning in schools and boosting achievement.

The extra cash will be given according to the number of pupils on free school meals and whose families earn less than £16,000 per year. It means that Bury gains an estimated £1.825m.

It was one of Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats main pledges before the election. The Pupil Premium prioritises spending on boosting the chances of younger kids starting out at school, rather than those already at university.

Lib Dem leader in Bury Coun Tim Pickstone said,

“There are over 4,200 pupils in Bury eligible for free school meals, so this will mean a really boost for our schools and make a huge difference to the outcomes and chances for our young people. Children need the best possible start in life, and this much needed extra cash will make a real difference in schools to getting our children a better start in life”.

Bury Lib Dems welcome Heaton Park Sell Off delay

Construction of a controversial soccer centre in Heaton Park has been delayed after Liberal Democrat Councillors “called in“ proposals to sell off land in the park.

A planning application was heard earlier this year by Manchester City Council who own Heaton Park. All Labour Councillors voted in favour of the plans to concrete over a corner of the park and open a pay-to-play five-a-side soccer centre. All Lib Dems voted against, citing community concerns over noise, traffic, and the destruction of green space. The application was successful, and on December 7th Manchester City Council agreed to lease the land to Goals Soccer Centre to commence construction.

Now though, the continuing community protests, including a 10,000 signature petition, have led to Lib Dems “calling in” that decision for further scrutiny.

The call-in means at least a temporary delay to the project, forcing the Council to look again at community objections.

Bury Lib Dem Leader Cllr Tim Pickstone said today “I am pleased that our Lib Dem colleagues in Manchester have ‘called in’ this decision. Local Councillors in Holyrood and Sedgley, such as Steve Wright and Ann Garner have been at the forefront of efforts to look again at this decision.”

“Given that thousands of residents objected to these plans originally, a complaint has been made to the Local Government Ombudsman that the Council have not followed due process. Six issues have arisen through this consultation process that have not previously been addressed, so we felt that further scrutiny was necessary.”

Cllr Pickstone continued
“I am pleased that Manchester City Council will be forced to look again at these proposals which local people have objected to since the start. We continue to fight to save Heaton Park.”