Update from Lib Dem Councillor Tim Pickstone:

Last month was one of the regular ‘Full’ meetings of Bury Council – the once chance where all 51 councillors meet together.

Here’s a quick summary of what happened:

Questions
The rules have now been changed, which means that councillors who are not Labour or Conservative now have a (small) chance of getting a question answered at the meeting!

I asked questions on:
– the cost of implmenting the new three weekly bin collections – more information on Tim’s website here.
– access in Bury to publicly available emergency defibrillators (more information on this to follow)

We also get the opportunity to ask questions on ‘Joint Authorities’. I asked:
– on Transport, whether Greater Manchester was getting ‘real time bus information’ at bus stops any time soon (the answer was no, and again more information to follow on this)
– on Pensions Fund, on whether Greater Manchester Pensions Fund invests any money in ‘Payday Loan’ companies or companies which run ‘Fixed Odd Betting Machines’ (The answer was no, not directly, but there may be a small amount through funds which are invested in).

Motions and Debates
There were two debates:
– a Conservative Group motion on the changes to the bin collection, which asked for the issue to be referred back to the Cabinet Member for further consideration. This was actually the first time the ordinary councillors have had the opportunity to vote on this issue (the decision had been made by the Council’s ‘Cabinet’) and I voted to refer the issue for further consideration. This was defeated by Labour councillors who all voted to keep the three weekly system as it is.
– a Labour Group motion on Foster Carers. A number of councillors (including me) have been involved recently in an ‘Ask me about fostering’ campaign to highlight the need for additional foster carers in Bury. This motion supported the campaign and was supported by all parties.

Any questions please get in touch with Tim. tim@burylibdems.net