The people of Bury voted “No” to an elected Mayor yesterday, rejecting the proposals by a 60:40 margin.

The final result was 15,425 votes “No” and 10,338, with a turnout of 18%. Interestingly where we live in Holyrood Ward had the highest turnout of voters anywhere in the south of the Borough, at over 20%.

Lib Dems in Bury campaigned hard for a “No” vote in the referendum, and it is very good news for democracy that that the idea of an elected Mayor has been rejected by local people. A Mayor would have been an expensive and democratically disastrous move for Bury.

Tim

Prestwich’s first “Children’s Centre” opens officially on Thursday 10th July, at Sedgley Park Primary on Kings Road.

The centre will be opened by a selection of children of different ages. The children will officially open the Children’s Centre at 3:15pm.
Following this you will get the chance to walk around the centre and chat to myself and staff from other agencies who will be working from the centre.

Attractions on the opening day include:
- Face painter / Story time
- Arts and Crafts
- Design a picture for the Children’s Centre
- Car boot / table top sale

Everyone is welcome to attend. A second Children’s centre will open soon at Butterstile Primary, and we are hoping that a third will follow next year in Holyrood ward.

Today polling stations are open in the referendum to decide whether Bury should have an elected Mayor.
People should vote at their normal polling stations (that we used for the elections in May). The polling stations are open from 7.00am - 10.00pm. You do not need your polling card to vote.
If you have a postal vote which hasn’t yet been returned, you can fill this in in the normal way and take it round to your local polling station.

The local Liberal Democrats are urging everyone to vote NO in the election because we believe this to be an undemocratic waste of public money. Lots of people have questions about this important issue, the local Lib Dems have produced this factsheet
to answer some of your questions.

One of my jobs as a Councillor is to be one of Bury’s delegates to the Local Government Association General Assembly. The LGA brings together the vast majority of the local authorities in England and represents local government nationally, as well as providing a number of services to local councils and councillors. Bury has four delegates and this year I was joined by the Council Leader Bob Bibby, Deputy Leader Yvonne Creswell and the Labour deputy leader Mike Connolly. Bury’s Chief Executive Mark Sanders also joined us.

This year’s conference was in Bournemouth and its always good to meet councillors from other areas to exchange good ideas and best practice. Some of the events are organised on a party political basis so for me that meant the Liberal Democrat group events.

This year’s attendance at the conference was cut short for Bury’s delegates because of the need for us to be back for today’s Mayoral Referendum. I’ve just voted (”NO”, of course) and for the first time ever was the first person to vote at our local polling station at 7.00am!
Tim

There is a special offer at our local Parenthorn Sports Centre (at Parenthorn School).

All throughout July and August you can book an Astro-Turf Football Pitch for just £15 per hour. (The usual price is £25) Monday - Thursday 6-10 and Friday 6-9pm.
FOR MORE INFOMATION PLEASE RING 0161 253 5434 (AFTER 5:30PM)
EMAIL: parrenthorn.sports@bury.gov.uk

I have a letter in the Bury Times and Prestwich and Whitefield Guide.

Elected Mayor would be the Wrong Decision

There are many reasons why I will be voting NO to an Elected Mayor for Bury in the referendum next Thursday. Not least is the fact that this extra position is likely to cost an extra £1 million in its first year - a complete waste of public money that we believe would be better spent on improved local services. The salary for an elected mayor alone is likely to be more than is spent on street repairs in a whole year in one of Bury’s local towns.

But for me the most important reason is about democracy. Liberal Democrats believe that local people should be at the heart of making decisions about our communities and about our local services. For us, this means that where decisions are taken should be made more local,
and involve more people. This doesn’t just mean that more decisions should be taken in Ramsbottom, or Prestwich or Bury town itself, but that local people are involved in making decisions about their local schools, health services and the streets and estates we live on.

If we were to choose to have an elected mayor in Bury, all the Executive Powers of the Council would be in the hands of one person, sat at the Town Hall, and this person would only be accountable to the people when they come up to election after four years.

To have an elected mayor in Bury would not only be an expensive waste of money, but a dangerous move away from the local democracy we should be fighting for.

Cllr Tim Pickstone
Leader, Bury Liberal Democrats

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

Application Number: 50180
Registration Date: 27/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 4 HARLECH AVENUE, WHITEFIELD, M45 6UE
Proposal: CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho
Decision: This case has not yet been decided

Application Number: 50034
Registration Date: 26/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 93 GLEBELANDS ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 1WF
Proposal: REPLACE GARAGE WITH DOUBLE LENGTH GARAGE TO SIDE OF DWELLING.
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho

Application Number: 50169
Registration Date: 24/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 86 HAMPDEN ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 1LQ
Proposal: TWO STOREY EXTENSION AT SIDE & SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION AT SIDE
Case Officer: Jennie Townsend

Application Number: 50116
Registration Date: 24/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 18 ST MARGARETS CLOSE, PRESTWICH, M25 5LY
Proposal: SINGLE STOREY SIDE / REAR EXTENSION: PORCH TO FRONT.
Case Officer: Jennie Townsend

Application Number: 50117
Registration Date: 12/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 167A SIMISTER LANE, SIMISTER, PRESTWICH, M25 2SF
Proposal: CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho

Application Number: 50112
Registration Date: 11/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 27 KINGS CLOSE, PRESTWICH, M25 1QE
Proposal: LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE FOR PROPOSED CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Mark Kilby

Application Number: 50023
Registration Date: 10/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: SANDFIELD FARM, SIMON LANE, SIMISTER, WHITEFIELD, M24 4SF
Proposal: DEMOLITION OF DILAPIDATED TRADITIONAL BRICK BARN (AGRICULTURAL) AND A DILAPIDATED AGRICULTURAL BUILDING AND THEIR REPLACEMENT WITH TWO STEEL PORTAL FRAME BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE 16 STABLE AND 5 FOALING BOXES TOGETHER WITH GENERAL STORAGE.
Case Officer: Helen Longworth

Application Number: 50027
Application registered Consultation period Awaiting decision Decided Appeal Appeal decided
Registration Date: 09/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 118 HEYS ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 1LA
Proposal: THREE STOREY AND TWO STOREY REAR EXTENSION WITH TIMBER DECKING
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho

Application Number: 50075
Registration Date: 06/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 29 ST MARGARETS ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 2GT
Proposal: CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Janet Ingham

Application Number: 50082
Registration Date: 03/06/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 2 THORNLEY ROAD, PRESTWICH, M25 2SN
Proposal: TWO STOREY SIDE EXTENSION
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho

On July 3rd, the people of Bury will be asked to vote in a referendum. You should have already received your polling cards and people who have a postal vote should have received their ballot papers in the last few days. Everyone will have their chance to say whether or not you want the way the Council is run to change, so that it is led by an elected Mayor.

Lots of people have questions about this important issue, the local Lib Dems have produced this factsheet
to answer some of your questions.

One of the things I do apart from being a Councillor is serve on the Board of our local hospital Trust Pennine Acute, one of my roles there is to serve on the charitable (”endowment”) funds committee.

Pennine Acute’s Charity has today launched a “60 for 60 campaign” to raise money and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS. Business leaders, community organisations and schools from across the north east of Greater Manchester are being invited to put on their thinking hats to raise 60p, £6 or £60 for four local hospitals as part of the NHS 60th anniversary celebrations.

A ‘60 for 60’ fundraising campaign is being launched by the Pennine Acute Hospitals Charity, which raises funds for North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and the acute services at Birch Hill Hospital.

Jan Bolton, fundraising manager, said: “We’d like people – or the organisations which they are part of – to raise either 60p, £6 (which is 10p a total of 60 times over) or £60 for our charity. Those funds can be earmarked for specific hospitals in the Trust, and we promise that all donations will all help make a difference whatever the total is! If any big company has 60 employees who want to raise £60 each then obviously that’s very welcome too! And anyone working for a big business should remember to ask if their employers do match-funding, as it is now part of many corporate and social responsibility policies.

“The NHS anniversary is on 5 July, but people shouldn’t feel tied to that date in any way. Fundraising donations for the campaign are welcome either before or after that – we’ll be marking the anniversary with our “60 for 60” campaign all through the year until December 2008.

Donations to The Pennine Acute Hospitals Charity and other related charities can also be received at any of the hospitals’ cashiers’ office or online at www.pat.nhs.uk and click on the fundraising icon. More information on 60 for 60 or fundraising/donations in general is available from Jan Bolton, Charitable Fundraising Manager on 0161 908 4497 or email jan.bolton@pat.nhs.uk

Pennine Acute Hospitals charity raises money for a variety of charitable causes in the four hospitals including better patient and staff facilities and medical research.

Tim

The Annual General Meeting of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority has elected Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Shannon of Manchester City Council, as the new leader of the Authority.

The Fire Authority has been controlled by Labour since 1974. Councillor Shannon will be joined two Conservative Vice and Deputy chairs, including Bury’s own Cllr Jack Walton.

Authority Chairman Councillor Shannon said: “I look forward to working with all elected members on the Authority to make further improvements to our Fire and Rescue Service. The tragic events in Bolton earlier this week bring home to Councillors on the Authority the dangers faced by our firefighters every day. We will continue to ensure that our Fire and Rescue Service remains at the forefront of protecting our community.”