Calls for International Treaty on Plastics

A legally binding international treaty on plastics is the call from the Liberal Democrats following a major debate at their Party Conference. The treaty would encompass phased reductions in the production, consumption and trade of virgin feedstock.

It would also include a financial mechanism providing aid and capacity-building assistance to developing countries.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader in Bury, Councillor Tim Pickstone said:
“The problem with plastics is not only on our shores. It is a problem that impacts the environment, communities and wildlife across the globe. The Government therefore has a duty to lead from the front and start weaning the world off plastics. But instead of leadership on the environment, all this Conservative Government offers is empty words.”

We are calling for real international action to save our environment from the scourge of single-use plastics.

– Banning the use of non-recyclable single-use plastics that have affordable alternatives
– Implementing a deposit system for all container products.
– Requirement all packaging to include recyclability options.

Demand better on plastics – add your name to our open letter today.

Photo Credit: Christophe Launay/Race for Water 2015.

Taking Action on Rising School Uniform Costs

The Liberal Democrat team on Bury Council have been successful in getting the Council to take action on the rising prices of school uniforms, in a move to help parents who are struggling with the costs. According to research by the Children’s Society, 3 million families in Britain are struggling to pay for school uniform costs.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Mary D’Albert said:
“We very much support the principle of school uniforms, but the rising cost in some schools is causing unnecessary hardship to parents who are struggling to make ends meet. This can be made worse where uniforms can only be bought from single suppliers and the cost of branded PE kit.”

“As a parent, I know what lengths a parent would go to make sure their children did suffer stigma or bullying because they didn’t have the right uniform, but for some people that might mean having to go without basic household expenditure.

Schools could help by having a more sensible approach to school uniform costs.”

The move, which secured all-Party support and is now Council policy, commits the Council to principles on School Uniform pricing which have been set out by the Childrens’ Society nationally around sensible guidlines for schools.

As a result of the Liberal Democrat group proposal, the Councils will now work with schools in Bury to develop a sensible set of Bury guidelines on school uniform costs which schools will be encouraged to adopt and follow.

The full text of the Liberal Democrat group motion is here.

Over 1/3 of Home Care Visits in Bury still only 15 minutes

At the last meeting of Bury Council, Liberal Democrat Councillors Mary D’Albert tabled a formal question to determine the number of home care visits, commissioned by Bury Council, are of 15 minutes or less.  

“Could the Leader of the Council inform members of the number and proportion of home care visits undertaken within the borough in 2017-18 that were 15 minutes or less, and 5 minutes or less, and how does this compare to previous years? “

Here is the response: 

Bury Council commission’s Care at Home services for Adults which are based on the individually assessed needs of each customer, delivering the care and support required to enable the customer to remain as independent as possible.

Currently, the Council commission’s external providers to deliver Care at Home services in 15 minute blocks.  As the visits are based on the assessed needs of the customer, the duration of each visit should enable the customer to receive the service they require appropriate to their needs.

The number and duration of weekly visits to customers in 2017/2018 is as follows:-

15 Minutes 3,422 (35.3%)

30 Minuts 3,495 (36%)

45 Minutes 984 (10.1%)

60 Minutes 454 (4.7%)

Over 60 minutes 1,341 (13.8%)

The respected disability charity Lenard Cheshire has long campaigned against 15 minute care visits (more details on their campaign here). The trades union Unison, which represents many of the people employed by Bury Council is also completely opposed to 15 minute care visits (more information on their campaign here.

 

Inheritance tax overhaul part of radical Lib Dem plans to tackle wealth inequality

Inheritance tax overhaul part of radical Lib Dem plans to tackle wealth inequality
Liberal Democrats have today set out bold reforms designed to spread opportunity, power and wealth more fairly throughout society and to give everyone a stake in the UK’s economic success.

The party expects these reforms to raise an additional £15 billion per year, though this is likely to grow as the rate of wealth passed down increases in the coming years.

Liberal Democrat members will debate and vote on the proposals at the party’s Autumn Conference in Brighton next week.

Proposals include:
Overhauling inheritance tax – taxing recipients progressively on all large gifts received at the same rates as income from employment, above a generous tax-free lifetime allowance, instead of the current system of levying tax on the value of an estate left behind.
Taxing capital gains and dividends – equalising the tax treatment of wealth and work by taxing capital gains and dividends through the income tax system.
Reforming pension tax relief – introducing a flat rate of relief on pension contributions, thus rebalancing relief towards lower earners; and limiting the tax-free lump sum the wealthiest can withdraw from their pension pots.
Lifelong learning and a “Citizens Wealth Fund” – using the revenues from wealth taxation to invest in public services, fund an ambitious programme of lifelong learning to prepare workers for the future economy, and establish an independent Citizens Wealth Fund to invest on behalf of the country.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said:
“The bold proposals we have set out today represent a serious and informed response to this challenge. They follow closely on the work of the Resolution Foundation and the IPPR, which have reached similar conclusions on the policies needed to address Britain’s deep economic divides.

“While it is increasingly clear that taxes will have to rise if we are to afford the crucial public services and investment we all rely on, hard-pressed workers should not be the only ones paying up. It is time to put Britain’s wealth to work.”

According to the ONS, 44% of UK wealth is owned by 10% of households, whilst only 9% is owned by the poorest half of the population.

The spokesperson’s paper “Giving Everyone a Stake” can be found here.

NHS Bury consulting on reducing funding for IVF

NHS Bury are asking patients and the public to share their views on proposals to review Bury’s current policy in relation to commissioning In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) services.

The consultation will run for six weeks from Monday 6th August to Sunday 16th September 2018.

Within the consultation document the CCG describes the reasons why it is considering changing its policy on commissioning IVF services, and seeks feedback from local people, stakeholders and health care professionals on a range of options.

An important part of the survey is to offer the opportunity for people to highlight if they feel the CCG has failed to consider something significant before coming to a decision.

IVF is one of several techniques available to help people with fertility problems have a baby.

NHS Bury CCG is one of only four CCGs in the country that provides IVF fully in line with NICE guidelines, including offering up to three funded cycles.

Bury’s projected spend for IVF in 2018/19 is around £320,000. The majority of CCGs in England offer one funded cycle.

Feedback from the consultation period will help to inform the Governing Body to make a decision on the future provision of IVF in Bury at its meeting on 26th September 2018.  The Governing Body meets in public and will publish the outcome of the consultation on its website, through social media and via the press and media.

How to get involved:

An online survey is available HERE, also available via the CCG website homepage buryccg.nhs.uk and in paper format by calling 0161 253 7636.

Views can be sent to the CCG by letter or e-mail:

  • By letter to: NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group, Communications and Engagement Team (IVF consultation) Townside Primary Care Centre, 1 Knowsley Place, Knowsley Street, Bury, BL9 0SN
  • By e-mail: to buccg.communications@nhs.net

The Liberal Democrat Group on Bury Council has been asked to meet with the CCG to give our views as part of the consultation, so please let us know if there are points you would like us to make (c/o Councillor Tim Pickstone tim@burylibdems.net

Residents and Business Consulted on Council Gambling Policy

Businesses and residents are invited to have their say on Bury Council’s gambling policy.

By law, the council is required to have a policy and review it every three years. It is now consulting gambling premises such as betting shops, amusement arcades and pubs, but anyone is allowed to comment.

The Gambling Act 2005 has three licensing objectives: to prevent gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, or being used to support crime; to ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and to protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The policy can be viewed on the council’s web site at https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11020

Comments must be received by 5 October 2018, and will be published afterwards. Any changes to the policy would start in January 2019.

Further details: Michael Bridge, licensing unit manager, on 0161 253 5208.

Call for Double Council Tax on long term empty homes

Thousands of empty properties across England could be brought back into use if councils are allowed to double the rate of extra council tax on empty homes say local government leaders.

The Local Government Association’s Liberal Democrat Group backed an amendment to the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill to give councils the power increase the empty homes premium thresholds on council tax bills for homes left empty for five years or longer from 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

There are currently more than 200,000 empty properties in England. Councils work to encourage owners of empty homes to bring their properties back into use. As the majority of long-term empty properties are privately owned, this means also working with voluntary groups, private owners and government bodies to bring properties back into use. This includes providing advice and information, grants and loans and levying the existing empty homes premium through council tax.

Cllr Tim Pickstone, Bury’s Liberal Democrat Group Leader, said:
“At a time when we face a chronic housing shortage across the country it is wrong for so many homes to be left empty. Councils work hard to address the issue but the existing powers open to them are complex and difficult to use.Providing councils with the ability to charge more for empty homes would be a hugely positive measure which will enable councils to incentivise owners of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use.

GMSF revised timetable – next proposals in October

Greater Manchester’s Council Leaders are set to agree a revised timetable for the publication of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework plans. The next set of proposals, a Consultation Draft, will be agreed by the GM Combined Authority at its meeting at the end of October, followed by a 12 week consultation.

Consultation on the next version of the plan was intended to be July 2018, however, it was agreed to delay the consultation until October because of new population projections (SNPP) published on 24 May 2018.

The previous version of the plan proposed around 240,000 new homes across Greater Manchester (equivalent to an extra Bolton and a new Bury added together). It proposed destroying almost 50% of the green belt land in the Prestwich, Whitefield and Unsworth areas including 3,200 new houses on green belt land to the eastern side of Prestwich.


From the original proposals: Part of the “Northern Gateway” site with 3,200 houses to be built south of the M60 on green belt.

The Sub National Population Projections (SNPP) were published on May 24th update the 2014-based projections are predicting a

    slower

growth in population – for Greater Manchester this amounts to 15% reduction by 2036 – around 43,000 people fewer than the 2014 proposals.
– Slower overall growth between 2016-36 – the population is projected of Greater Manchester projected to grow by 240,000 over the 20 years
– All districts are still projected to experience growth but overall growth is significantly down on that in the 2014 estimates.
– Rochdale and Oldham have slightly higher growth
– The largest decline in growth occurs in Wigan with 11,100 (53%) less growth than before. Trafford 8,600 (25%) and Bury 7,400 (44%) also show large reductions in growth.

New ‘Sub National Household projections’ are due to be published in September 2018, it is expected that the 2016 SNHP will be lower than the 2014 projections.

The new timetable is:
– Consultation Draft Approved: October 2018
– Consultation (12 weeks): November 2018 – January 2019 o Draft Plan Approved: July 2019
– Consultation/representations: Aug – Oct 2019
– Submission Plan approved: Dec 2019/Jan 2020
– Examination in Public: Summer 2020
– Final publication (adoption): Winter 2020/21

Liberal Democrats in Greater Manchester remain 100% opposed to building on green belt land. We do need new homes, particularly the affordable homes that people need, but these should be provided on brownfield sites.

Summer BBQ Sunday 29 July 2018 – All Welcome

The Bury Liberal Democrats would like to invite you to join us for our summer BBQ, taking place on Sunday 29th July at 17 Prestwich Park Road South, M25 9PE from 5pm onwards.

All members and supporters are welcome, and please bring family and friends.

Tickets will be priced at £10.00 for adults and kids come free! Please let us know of any special dietry requirements beforehand. Tickets can be purchased here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/preview?eid=47662580060

We look forward to seeing you there!

Securing Clean Air Zones around our Schools

Liberal Democrat councillors on Bury Council were able to secure all-Party support last week for a proposal to introduce ‘Clear Air Zones’ around all of our local schools.

In many parts of Bury, particularly near to our main roads, busy junctions and our high number of motorways, there are areas of  poor air quality and that pollutants in the air can exceed safe limits.

Air pollution  has a massive impact on people’s health with the young and other people with increased health risk like many elderly eople being most at risk.

There have been statistics that show that in Bury the impact of poor air pollution equates to approximately 950 years of life lost per year.

There is no single answer, and no easy answer to tackling air pollution. In Greater Manchester there are starting to be efforts to tackle congestion and more needs to be done such as removing the most polluting buses from our streets. Other issues are dependent on Government action and we would have concern that the Government’s current timescales are woefully unambitious.

The Liberal Democrat proposal is to create enforceable ‘no-idling’ zones around schools, so that people do not wait outside a school with a car engines running.

Lib Dem Councillor Steve Wright said: “This is a simple action that can be taken is to make enforceable ‘no-idling zones’ outside all of our schools. It never ceases to amaze me how many parents are waiting to collet their children (or grandchildren) leaving their engines running which is just about the worst thing you could do.

We’re hoping that this move, with education combined with the additional prospect of this being something our wardens can come and enforce will make a significant difference outside our schools.”

As a second step we would also like to extend this to play areas and outside hospitals and health centres and to work with our local NHS providers to do this.

This map shows areas of high pollution around the M60 and A56 in Prestwich/Whitefield.