Monday night was a meeting of the Democratic Arrangements Forum, this is the group that brings together representatives of the three parties on the Council, together with the independent Chair of the Standards Committee. As the majority ruling group on the Council, the Conservatives have a majority on this (and all other) Committees.

The meeting was to discuss the issues of questions at Council meetings from members of the Public and Councillors. A number of changes are proposed:

Questions by Members of the Public at Full Council Meetings
The Conservative Group are proposing that questions at full council from members of the public must be submitted in writing in advance. On behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group I spoke out against this. We believe that, although its probably a good idea to encourage members of the public to submit questions in writing so that a fuller response can be prepared, it is still a fundamental right to be able to ask questions at the meeting on the night. We couldn’t agree on this, so the debate will go to the full meeting of the Council.

Questions by Councillors at Full Meetings of the Council
At present any Councillor can ask an unlimited number of written questions. Although it has “worked” up to now, clearly this is open to abuse given that there are 51 councillors. There was general consensus that this should be limited to TWO questions per councillor. Councillors will also be able to ask an addition question “on the night” up to a maximum time limit of 20 minutes.

Questions by Councillors at the Executive Committee
At present Councillors may not ask questions at the Executive Committee (members of the public can, but not councillors!). We suggested that Councillors should have the right to ask questions - particularly on issues that affect their ward. This is now being proposed.

The proposals will be discussed again at the Full Council meeting a week on Wednesday. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Tim

In the wake of the announcement that dozens of post offices in and around Greater Manchester, 11 across the Stockport Borough, are scheduled for closure, Liberal Democrats from across the area have launched a petition to ‘Save our Post Offices’.

Cheadle Constituency Mark Hunter MP, Hazel Grove Constituency MP Andrew Stunell, Manchester Withington MP John Leech and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen, along with Lib Dem Councillors and activists launched the petition today in central Manchester by holding a demonstration to oppose the plans and asking local residents to sign up in support of the protest.

Speaking after the launch Mr Hunter said: “It’s not too late for action on this issue. I hope local people will speak out and sign our petition to save their local post office. Many are under threat now and many more will surely follow if the Government gets is way.

“Post Offices are a vital part of the community; they often help to keep local other shops afloat and are relied on by a very wide variety of people particularly the elderly and young mums. It seems to me that Labour is fast becoming a Government that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The Liberal Democrats are committed to the future of the Post Office and we will keep up our campaign to show the Government that local people want to keep their Post Offices open.”

Mr Stunell added: “We lost a lot of Post Offices in this area when the Conservatives were last in Government, and now we are faced with a Labour Government that does not understand how strongly people feel about their local Post Office.

In fact the situation could soon get even worse - the Post Office Card Account that many pensioners rely on for drawing their pensions and benefits is being reviewed and if that work is lost by Royal Mail than even more Post Offices will surely be closed in the future.

The Liberal Democrats have a viable plan to prevent further closures and help to sustain the network; a plan that wouldn’t cost the earth that would invest in our local Post Office network not chop it up. Post Offices should be local and should be supporting our communities and we will continue to fight with our local community to save them.”

Planning Applications in Holyrood Ward in May 2008.
More information on each case available here.

Application Number: 49892
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 41 FARM LANE, SIMISTER, PRESTWICH, M25 2RX
Proposal: CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Jane Langan
Decision: This case has not yet been decided
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Application Number: 49901
Registration Date: 20/05/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 347 HEYWOOD ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 2RN
Proposal: SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION AT SIDE; DRIVE TO THE FRONT & DROP KERB FOR ACCESS; DISABLED RAMP TO FRONT.
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho
Decision: This case has not yet been decided
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Application Number: 49871
Registration Date: 02/05/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 21 NURSERY ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 3DU
Proposal: SINGLE STOREY SIDE EXTENSION
Case Officer: Janet Ingham
Decision: This case has not yet been decided
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Application Number: 49834
Registration Date: 02/05/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 30 PARRENTHORN ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 2RL
Proposal: LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE FOR PROPOSED CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Mark Kilby
Decision: Lawful Development
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Manchester based regeneration experts ‘URBED’ are seeking the views of local people on their initial options for a regeneration strategy that is looking to reshape the face, and the fortunes of Prestwich.

Having conducted an appraisal of the area, the masterplanning options are now available to view in Prestwich Library and at the Longfield Centre for a three week period between 19th May and 6th June 2008. The library is open from 9am to 7.30 Mondays and Thursdays, 9am to 5pm Tuesdays and Fridays , 9am to 1pm Wednesdays and Saturdays and 10am to 2pm on Sundays.

For those unable to attend the consultation, the documents are available to view online by visiting Urbed’s website on http://www.urbed.coop/ . There are three documents available online which (links below) including the “Options Report” which looks at a number of options for areas in Prestwich for development, including; The Longfield Centre, The Health Centre, Metrolink Station, Tesco’s, a Techno Park and Prestwich Hospital among others.

URBED will use feedback from the options to help produce a final masterplan and development strategy for further consultation later on in the year that addresses the concerns of the community and local business community, as well as the development aspirations of developers.

Prestwich Option 1 - using an expanded Tescos to anchor the centre

Prestwich Option 2 - Anchoring the centre in the south

Prestwich Baseline Report
Draft Baseline Report May 2008

Prestwich Consultation Report
Report of proceedings of the Prestwich Roundtable Workshop in the Longfield Suite 13th March 2008

Prestwich Options Report
Options Report for Prestwich May 2008

Prestwich Masterplanning Options

I’ve been away on holiday for a week, so apologies if I’ve been away when people phone/email.

I was in the Spanish city of Valencia - this is it’s “town hall square” (the Town Hall is on the left). More pictures here

Last night was the first meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership for the new municipal year. This is the body that brings together the nine local councillors in Prestwich (who are all Lib Dems now!), key partners like the police, NHS and fire service and community representatives from business, charities and local groups.

The main item on the agenda last night was the URBED study into the Prestwich Village Centre, which I’ve already reported on below. Other than that the main issues were:

- Local Grants - we’ve received applications for grants from the Prestwich (anti) Litter Campaign, to purchase Graffiti Cleaning Equipment and to support the Bent Hill area for environmental improvements. The grants were referred to the Finance Working Group to study in detail. Personally I hope that this can be done as quickly as possible as, with the graffiti in particular, there is a issue that needs dealing with as soon as possible.

- Highway Maintenance Program - each year the Area Partnership is asked for its views on which local roads and pavements should be repaired. My view is that this is becoming a bit of a joke - we’ve been given a budget of £108,000 for the whole of Prestwich and the “worst” road, which was deferred from last year because it wasn’t done then, would cost £152,000! I’m not sure how we’re meant to do with that!
In our ward of Holyrood, the most urgent roads were Oaklands Drive, a part of Cuckoo Lane, Mount Road and Parrenthorn Road. We’ve asked the Town Centre Working Group to look into these in detail and make a decision on our £108,000. Obviously with such limited funds lots of people are going to be disappointed, I suspect that the Lib Dem group will be taking this up at a Council level to see what can be done to improve the situation.

- Youth Manager Update - we received an excellent update from the Prestwich Youth Manager on some of the different activities for young people that are being organised. This includes the regular youth facilities which are at the Phoenix Centre in St Mary’s Park and also at Parenthorn High and Rainsough Community Centre. The groups that meet at the Phoenix Centre include time for disabled young people, young mums and young people who are involved in the Duke of Edinbugh scheme. Another good initiative is the “BRAG” scheme, which is running in the half term and summer holidays an d includes a really good value bus pass - more information here.

- Prestwich Cash Office - we received another presentation on the possible closure of the Prestwich Cash Office (see earlier post), yet again we made the points that some people do need a face to face service and ask for this to be considered during the consultation.

Tim

At tonights Prestwich Local Area Partnership (6.30-8.30pm Longfield Centre) the “URBED” design consultants who have been appointed to come up with plans for the future of the Prestwich Village Centre will be making an initial presentation of options to local people.

As your councillors we got a “sneak preview” last night, and there are some excellent ideas, but ones which give us all lots to think about. Issues we need to consider include:
- the link between Tesco’s and the Village, and whether Tescos should/could be rebuilt on the “road front” to bring it closer to the village centre.
- ideas for new buildings in the whole village centre area including shops, housing above shops, a new Health Centre and Library and extended open spaces.
- What do we do with the Longfield Centre? - its an excellent public facility now, but if it was removed would there be any chance of it getting paid for again?
- How do we make the A56 through the Village Centre a more “friendly road” for shoppers and pedestrians whilst maintaining its through traffic role both for local people and as a trunk route into Manchester?
- Is there scope for re-opening up a second road onto the A56 from the east to relieve Fairfax Road?

For me the most important thing is that as many people as possible get the chance to say what they think about the plans and options. Its our village centre and we need to get it right! Do come along to the Area Partnership meeting or to other events. As soon as I have some links or electronic versions of the options I’ll post them on this site.

More information from URBED here.

A number of local people will have noticed the signs that have been put up at the “Cash Office” at the Library announcing its closure. We have been assured that these have been put up in error (!) and the office is not closing at the present time.

Prestwich Councillors all met with Mike Owen, the Council’s Director of Finance and E-Government yesterday, who answered questions on the cash office. The Council does want to review whether the Office is viable nowardays and will be consulting on this over the summer. We made some very strong points about the benefits of face-to-face human contact - particularly as post offices are closing and some shops are reluctant to run the “Pay-Point” system because of security issues. The Prestwich Local Area Partnership will be receiving a full report and consultation at its July meeting.

Tim

Yesterday was the “Annual Council” meeting of Bury MBC attended by all 51 councillors - including the 17 that were elected or re-elected on 1st May 2008.

Annual Council is in two parts - a civic “Mayor Making” and the Annual Meeting itself. At Mayor Making councillors elected Cllr Peter Ashworth to serve as the Mayor of Bury for 2008-2009. Peter is a Conservative councillor for Moorside Ward in north Bury and we wish him well in his year as the borough’s “first citizen”. Councillors appointed Cllr Farook Choudrey, who has been the mayor for the last year as Deputy Mayor. This is the normal convention in Bury.

In Bury we’ve become used in recent years to Annual Council meetings being significant occasions when the council was in “no-overall control”. As the Conservatives now have a majority of one seat on the Council, the drama was missing from this year’s event somewhat! The only thing of note is that the Council’s Executive Committee will now just consist of Councillors from one Party (the Conservatives), whereas previously under both Labour and the Conservative minority administration last year, the two Opposition Leaders have been included on the Executive Committee as “without portfolio”. We will still be there, but as co-opted and non-voting members. Obviously as the ruling group the Conservatives have the right to do this. Bury has been somewhat unusual including the opposition on the Executive, but somehow it seems a backward move to me.

Some proposals for amending the questions at meetings from both members of the public and from ordinary councils were to be discussed, but these have now been referred to the Democratic Arrangements Forum (which brings together all three Parties on the Council) for further discussion. I think we all recognise that some reform is needed, but I am concerned that we still keep the right balance between openness and public participation, and efficient working.

The Annual Council appointed Councillors to the various Committees, Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups. Liberal Democrats are entitled to a mix of one and two seats on each committee and we’ve appointed to all these places. We have been allocated one Scrutiny Committee to Chair, and this will be my ward colleague Wilf Davison. Apart from Leading the Lib Dem Group, my main role will be as the new “co-opted non-voting member” on the Executive Committee.

Any questions, please ask!
tim

Prestwich Local Area Partnership will launch its Love Prestwich Anti-Litter Campaign for the summer which aims to target Prestwich Village Town Centre to promote respect of the environment to residents and businesses to Love Prestwich and keep it clean.

The campaign is aimed at local businesses, schools and residents to work alongside Council officers to make Prestwich a cleaner, safer, greener place to live.

Aims of the Campaign

Raise awareness
- raise awareness of fixed penalties for fly tipping
- encourage residents and businesses to be greener and cleaner
- promote street care team

Take Action
- schools, residents and businesses sign up to the BURY STREET CARE PLEDGE
- educate local businesses on their DUTY OF CARE to legally dispose of business waste
- educational school visits and poster campaign
- community clean up day

Catch’em
- identify hotspots
- encourage reporting
- undertake enforcement where necessary

Do you want to become a Community Champion for Prestwich?
You can sign up to the LOVE Prestwich Anti-Litter Campaign by filling out the form below and handing it in to Prestwich Library, or alternatively contact :
Carran O’Grady (LAP Manager)
Tel: 0161 253 7245 EMail: c.o’grady@bury.gov.uk

You can download an application form http://www.bury.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1F1891E5-F291-4F06-953F-7497A9B816F8/0/LOVEPrestwichLitterCampaignFlyerweb.pdf