Liberal Democrats in Bury have revealed that the Conservative-run Bury Council is set to take 75 years to repair the borough’s broken roads unless road repair policy is changed.

Answering a written question from Lib Dem leader Cllr Tim Pickstone at the meeting of Bury Council on 9th September, the Conservatives disclosed that 426 roads in Bury fall below the government’s standards. Current budgets allow for only 6 roads per year to be fixed, meaning that at current spending rates the roads will stay broken until at least the year 2084.

Commenting on these figures, Cllr Pickstone, who represents Holyrood ward in Prestwich, said “I am astounded that the Tories are neglecting Bury’s roads so much. The streets which failed the test included such famous streets as Gigg Lane and The Rock in Bury – streets in our area included Fairfax Road, Heys Road and Cuckoo Lane. We’ll all be long gone before the Tories get round to fixing them.”

“Last year the Liberal Democrat group proposed a massive 50% increase in the road repair budget – but we were voted down by Conservative councillors. This is the result of that decision.

The 75 year delay comes just weeks after Lib Dems disclosed the multi-million pound bill facing taxpayers in compensation claims for trips and falls on local pavement. Cllr Pickstone said “The Council are spending millions paying out for people who have injured themselves on the roads. This is a scandalous waste of money. It’s not good enough.”

Local Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily after Conservatives at the Town Hall blocked proposals which would have made it easier for members of the public to grill Councillors.

The Lib Dems presented plans to improve openness and democracy at Council meetings to the Council on September 9th. Ideas included making it easier for members of the public to ask questions, but the Conservatives in charge of Bury Council voted against these plans, and rejected opposition calls for stronger scrutiny of their actions.

Reacting to the vote, St mary’s ward Councillor Richard Baum, who is also the Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Bury North, said “I am bitterly disappointed that the Tories have turned their backs on openness and democracy. Bury is way behind the leading Councils in terms of public access. Scrutiny in Bury is flawed, and everyone admits it. The proposals we put forward were measured, but they were rejected, and we have moved no further forward.

Liberal Democrat ideas about letting Councillors and members of the public see meeting minutes from the Local Area Partnerships, the Strategic Partnership and county-wide bodies in one place were also turned down by the Conservatives.

Cllr Baum said “Why are the Conservatives running away from proposals which simply make it easier for everyone to hold Council accountable? I am genuinely upset that we can’t become a leading light in terms of openness. The leadership had a real opportunity to change things for the better last night, and fluffed it. The Leader of Bury Council lives in Rossendale, where members of the public can ask Councillors whatever they like, without giving notice. Here in Bury the Tories ask for almost a week’s notice before someone can ask a question at a meeting, and that’s not good enough.”

Cllr Baum concluded “This has really exposed what the Tories are all about – secrecy and power, rather than being properly accountable to the people of Bury.”

Visitors to Bury should be able to park for free after 3pm, so says Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury North Cllr Richard Baum.

The proposal to allow free parking from 3pm on Bury’s streets is designed to increase the number of visitors to the Town Centre, and help local businesses struggling through the recession.

Cllr Baum said “The Park Free After 3 campaign is a simple idea which can make a big difference to the experience of people wanting to visit Bury. There’s so much to do in the Town Centre, from the World Famous Market to the new Fusiliers’ Museum, to some big high street names. But people are put off by parking charges and our local businesses are struggling to survive this recession. I’m calling on the Council to remove parking charges from 3pm to allow more people to come to Bury and spend money with local businesses without worrying about parking fees.”

Critics say that a move to free parking after 3 will reduce income to the Council, but Cllr Baum refutes this accusation. “It’s just short-sighted thinking,” he said. “The Council may take in a bit less in parking fees, but the Town Centre will be revitalised with more people spending more money. This means higher takings for Council facilities and stronger businesses paying us rates. The Council may lose a couple of pounds per car, but visitors will spend far more than that, and at the moment they’re put off the small parking charge because it’s free to park elsewhere like the Trafford Centre. The Council has the power to re-vitalise the Town, and it should take action.”

A similar Park Free After 3 scheme in Rochdale was recently launched by the Liberal Democrat Council there, with startling success. Cllr Baum said “In Rochdale the figures speak for themselves. Since the introduction of a Park Free After 3 scheme there, footfall went up massively, and there were increases both in the value of goods bought, and the number of goods bought. Businesses in nearby towns are benefiting from this scheme and I urge Bury Council to adopt it so that we too can see the benefits.”

Cllr Baum will formally ask for Council action on his “Park Free After 3” campaign after the Council’s summer recess, but is calling for action now. “This positive and easy idea should be introduced straight away,” he said.

A Prestwich Councillor has been chosen to star in a national campaign aimed at recruiting more people to come forward as candidates as Councillors. 

Liberal Democrat Councillors in Prestwich have reacted with anger after details of the Council’s road maintenance package for the year were announced this week. The Conservative-run Bury Council has announced that Prestwich will receive just under £63,000 for road and pavement repairs for the coming year, despite a list of required repairs amounting to over ten times that figure.

Reacting to the news, St Mary’s Ward Liberal Democrat Councillor Donal O’Hanlon said “I am astonished by this disgraceful neglect of local roads and pavements by the Tories. The Council’s engineers have identified the thirteen most dilapidated roads in Prestwich, including really shocking cases like Warwick Street. In total these will cost over £700,000 to fix, yet the Council have offered us just £63,000. That’s a terrible neglect of the area, especially since the Tories just put up Council Tax by over 4%. Once again they’re taking more, and giving less.”

The funding figures were released at the same time as it was revealed that broken roads and pavements are costing local taxpayers millions in compensation claims. In response to a question raised by Liberal Democrats at the Town Hall, Conservative Executive Member for Environmental Services Cllr Dorothy Gunther admitted that compensation claims for trips and falls on local pavements totalled over £2m in recent years.

Commenting on the figures, Cllr O’Hanlon said “Two million pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted because the Council aren’t maintaining our roads and pavements. They are clearly a danger, and this is a staggering amount of money being thrown away. The fact that the Tories are still offering us nothing like the appropriate amount of funding just shows how out of touch they are.

“We will continue to campaign for a better deal on local roads, and stop this shocking neglect of Prestwich. It’s time the Conservatives at the Town Hall gave us a fair deal.”

A local Councillor has welcomed calls for the community to “Change for Life” by adopting a more healthy lifestyle Mary D’Albert, Councillor for St Mary’s ward in Prestwich, was speaking after a meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership where the “Change for Life” scheme was launched in the area.

The scheme is part of a campaign to increase physical activity and reduce obesity across the country. Cllr D’Albert, the Liberal Democrats Health spokesperson in Bury, said “This is a great chance for local people to get advice on how to lead healthier lives. There’s lots of information out there on healthy food and opportunities for a more active lifestyle, and the Change for Life scheme will give people more chance to learn about becoming more healthy.”

Cllr D’Albert said that Prestwich was the ideal place to put the ideas of “Change for Life” into action. “We’re very lucky in Prestwich to have so much green space” she said. “From Prestwich Clough to Heaton Park, there are lots of places to go out and have a walk or play sport. And new play facilities like the Kersal Road playground and the ballzones around Prestwich mean that the whole family can join in.

According to Cllr D’Albert, the current Prestwich festival is a great time to get involved in the types of things that can make people “Change for Life.” She said    “The Festival includes events like sports training, and a farmer’s market where people can buy good, fresh food. I’m going to get involved and I hope lots of other local people do too.”

The meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership on 15^th May approved a £1,500 grant for the production of a “Be Active in Prestwich” map. The map will highlight walks and rides around Prestwich for the whole family to enjoy. Cllr D’Albert said “This is a great step forward and another way in which we can all Change for Life.”

Hundreds of local people staged a “Save Heaton Park” rally on Sunday in protest at plans to create a large commercial sports centre on part of the park.

Over 150 local residents were joined by six local Councillors to make clear their opposition to the proposed Goals Soccer Centre which is planned to be built near the St Margaret’s Road entrance to Heaton Park. The message was clear: Save Heaton Park!

Cllr Tim Pickstone, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Holyrood ward, addressed the crowd. He said “More sports facilities are great, but this is in completely the wrong place. The park has been here for the people of north Manchester and Prestwich for over 100 years. It’s open parkland where people can play football, have a picnic, walk the dog or play in the sun. All of this will be lost forever if it is a £40 an hour soccer centre.”

St Margaret’s Road resident Paul Toner, who helped organise Sunday’s rally, said “None of us are opposed to sports facilities, but the impact of this development on the local area would be terrible – parking, traffic, illuminated pitches.”

The scheme will be decided on by Manchester City Council, who own Heaton Park despite it being bordered by Bury land on three sides. Local residents were urged to send in letters and emails of objection to Manchester City Council before the deadline for comment on 20th July.”