Bury Council has finally launched their formal consultation on the future of the Longfield Suite, Radcliffe Civic Suite and other threatened Bury Community centres.

Now is the time to act, whether you have signed the petition or not, if you care about the future of our local community centres then it is crucial that you complete a consultation form.

Forms are being circulated and are available in Council buildings and the Civic suites themselves. The consultation can also be completed online here .

Don’t forget to let Bury Council know what you think, don’t forget to tell all you contacts about the consultation.

Don’t leave the future of our community centres to someone else, act now!

The following is a statement from Bury Council:

Go to information about disruptions to bin collections

Owing to the continuing severe weather conditions Bury Council is only able to run very limited services.

The rubbish and recycling collection service is currently suspended.

Due to a national shortage of grit we are having to prioritise the roads which are treated. In order to keep traffic flowing through the borough, main arterial routes and bus routes are the only roads which can be treated with current resources. Snow ploughing is taking place to clear the borough’s roads of snow. Continued disruption to travel across all major routes is expected.

People wishing to contact the council should only do so if it is an emergency.

A very empty M60 at the Sandgate Road bridge at 5.15 tonight……

Just to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and best wishes for 2010.

Bury Council has a good list of Christmas opening times and service changes here.

Emergency Services
Links to useful emergency contacts can be found on the BurySafe / Policing and public safety web pages.

Emergency Duty Team
Social Services Emergency Duty Team provides a social work service during the periods when daytime social work offices are closed. This usually means during the evenings, overnight, weekends, and Bank and other Public holidays.

Security
The Council has a security force which monitors buildings and grounds, responds to alarm calls. If you wish to report a security problem or suspicious circumstances on or around Council premises or land telephone (0161) 253 6606.

A Christmas poem, presumably sent to all Councillors, from the people at the Save our Suite campaign.

Merry Christmas Dear Councillors and a happy New Year too.

You all went to the Mayors Ball and enjoyed the Longfield Suite didn’t you.

This wasn’t a one off, you must appreciate, next year you will be wanting to go again about the same date.

So lets end the suspense and pointless chatter come on committee decide on the matter.

For all to benefit both young and old the pleasures of the Longfield Suite just have to be told.

We don’t want it to become a memory, so listen to the Longfielders and hear their testimony.

The following statement has been issued by Bury Council today (Tuesday 22 December 2009).

Due to the atrocious weather conditions, the waste and recycling collections have had to be suspended for the remainder of today (Tuesday). A decision on collections for Wednesday and Thursday will be made on the morning.

Reluctantly, we have been forced to take this decision to protect the health and welfare of our collection teams, who are finding it impossible to navigate through some of the borough’s streets.

We understand any frustration that residents may have, but the weather has left us with no choice. We will endeavour to clear the backlog as soon as the conditions allow.

Our gritting teams, however, will continue to grit the roads.

In the meantime residents are asked to reduce and recycle their waste as much as they possibly can. Plastic bottles, metal cans, glass bottles and jars can all go in the blue recycling bin. Paper, cardboard boxes and packaging can be recycled in the green recycling bag. If cardboard won’t fit in the green bag, it should be flattened and left in a neat pile under the green bag. Plastic carrier bags can be used instead of the green bag. For details of household waste recycling centres and local recycling centres go to www.bury.gov.uk/recyclingcentres

Also, again due to the worsening weather conditions, Bury Council has decided to close adminstrative buildings with effect from 1pm today (Tuesday Dec 22). This includes Bury town hall, council offices, leisure centres, and libraries, which will re-open on Tuesday, December 29.

Staff affected have been asked to take work home this afternoon and tomorrow.

Staff supplying emergency services will be working as normal.

To complete a wonderful year of enjoying the best of Prestwich a Community Carol Service will be held at St Mary’s Parish Church, Church Lane at 7.00pm on Monday 21 December.

Organisers Rev Bryan Hackett from Churches Together, along with Councillor Mary D’Albert, David Curtis and Local Area Partnership Manager Carran O’Grady have planned a beautiful service of Readings and Carols for this special community event.

Rev. Bryan Hackett said “The Eccles Singers and Bury Music Service will be performing at our very first Community Carol Service. It promises to be a very special event for a very special Prestwich community. The doors are open for any person of any faith to come along and celebrate. We really have saved the best to last and chosen to close the year with something spectacular.”

Chair of Prestwich Local Area Partnership Cllr Vic D’Albert said “LovePrestwich Festival was amazing and needs to be closed in an amazing way. A Community Carol Service at St Mary’s Parish Church is a fitting tribute to a wonderful year”.

If you wish to attend this service and want further information please contact Carran O’Grady, Prestwich Local Area Partnership Manager on 0161 253 7245.

Email c.o’grady@bury.gov.uk

Lib Dems in Bury have revealed how that Conservative-run Bury Council is set to take 75 years to repairs roads that need repairing at its current rate of expenditure - so we’ll be done by 2084!

In last night’s Full Council meeting, I asked the Council how many roads fail the Best Value Intervention level where repairs are needed - “BVPI224b”. This is the criteria which currently generates a report for each Local Area Partnership in Bury from which we can “choose” an average of ONE road a year to be repaired.

Amazingly, the answer was 426 roads with secitons below the Best Value Intervention Level - at current rates of around one per area in Bury (six for the whole of Bury) - thats 75 years before our streets get fixed!

The streets which failed the intervention level 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.

Last year the Liberal Democrat group proposed a massive 50% increase in the road repair budget - but we were voted down by Conservative councillors.

The summer edition of “News from Six”, the newsletter of Bury Council’s Housing Management Organisation Six Town Housing is now available and can be downloaded here.

After nearly 9 years of planning and over 2 years of renovation works, the Fusilier Museum in Bury opens its doors to visitors on the 27th June – British Armed Forces Day.

The museum displays a rich Regimental history spanning over 300 years and is the new home to the collection of the XXth Lancashire Fusilier Regiment, following the closure of the museum at Wellington Barracks last August. The museum also has a new collection, that of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Although the Regiment is 40 years old, this is the first time the Regiment has had its own museum and place to commemorate its history – from the streets of Northern Ireland to Afghanistan, were the Regiment is currently on active service.

The doors will open at 11am to welcome visitors. As this is also British Armed Forces day, there will be a chance to meet with colleagues and friends associated with the regiment, past present and future. There will also be children’s activities from 1pm onwards.

Said Mike Booth, the museums General Manager, ”The entrance today is free to thank all who have helped support this fantastic project that has had the support of the whole community – though of course, donations are always welcome!”

The museum also has a shop, café and is home to the towns Tourist Information Centre. The Fusilier Museum is set to become a major tourist attraction for visitors to Bury and the surrounding area.

WWW.fusiliersmuseum-lancashire.org.uk

Help is at hand for residents struggling to pay their mortgage in the current credit crunch.

Bury Council is taking part in the Government’s £200 million Mortgage Rescue Scheme, to prevent vulnerable families losing their homes through repossession.

The scheme is specifically aimed at families who have had all the help their lender is willing to offer.

There are two possible solutions the scheme can provide, but only the most suitable option will be offered:

Read the rest of this entry.

The Mobile Advice Centre will be out and about from April 27 to May 1.

The advice centre is fully accessible, with a ramp for disabled access.
 No appointments are necessary.

Goals Soccer Centres information office have kindly supplied me with plans of the proposed Sports Zone at the St Margaret’s corner of Heaton Park.

They stress that these plans are subject to change. The location of the proposed skate park has already been moved and there are already proposals to move the skate park, and to swap tennis courts with football pitches to reduce noise levels.

The Spring edition of “News from Six”, the new of Six Town Housing (Bury’s “Arms Length” housing organisation) is now available to download.

The future of the threatened Post Office network could now be decided by a national consultation launched last month by MPs.

I am urging all local residents to offer their ideas for developing Post Office businesses so they are secure for the future.

The Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee’s Post Office Consultation can provide a blueprint to save the entire Post Office network, and it is vital that local people get involved in putting ideas forward. Their online forum gives them a chance to hear from as wide a cross-section of public opinion as possible.

The parliamentary inquiry started in December, with the online forum opening in January. The Liberal Democrats, both locally and nationally, have campaigned strongly against Post Office closures , as well as backing the fight to keep the Post Office Card Account (POCA).

The Post Office Network had a reprieve in December when the government bowed to pressure from the Lib Dems and other groups to retain the Post Office Card Account, but it’s only a short term solution.

The Post Office still needs to be made viable if we are to avoid seeing more closures, and the best way of doing that is to provide more government services through the Post Office.

I strongly urge as many people as possible to take part in this consultation. The BERR Committee’s report will carry a lot of weight, and could provide a blueprint for the future of the Post Office network. It is vital that local people make their voices heard.

The online forum can be found at: http://forums.parliament.uk/post-office-future/index.php?index,1

Please find below a flyer for the details of the regular Community Playworker Sessions and for the February Half Term activities being run by Bury Play Network. Please pass on to families/community groups you work with, or pass on to your own children to come along!

If you have any queries please contact the Children’s and Young People’s Information Service on 0800 731 4611.
More information from Hannah Burbedge, Play Strategy Implementation Officer, h.burbedge@bury.gov.uk

People who live in the Polefield area are to a meeting of the Polefield Community Group Meeting on Tuesday 24th Feb 09 6.30-7.30pm at Heaton Park Primary School.

The Agenda
Housing related Issues
Antisocial Behaviour issues
Talk to your local Councillor
Have a chat with your local PCSO’s / Police officer
Vote in the committee so we can continue the good work
Give ideas on how we can improve the environment.
What funding should we apply for next? Help us to decide.

For more information please contact Claire Delaney from 6 Town Housing on 0161 686 8000

Bury Children & Young People’s Information Service (ChYPIS), have put together a free February half term information pack, which contains lots of ideas and information about what local groups and organisations have got planned for the school holidays.

The pack contains details of Childcare options and things to do & places to go during the holiday period. Parents and carers can also add their details to the ChYPIS Holiday Mailing List, so that they automatically receive a FREE Information pack for each school holiday.

ChYPIS also provide information about Parent and Toddler Groups, Nurseries, Playgroups, Childminders, Before and After Schools Clubs, family support information and leisure information.

To receive your free half term information pack, or any other information mentioned above, please phone 0800 731 4611.

During February half term Bury Council Sports Development Team have organised a number of sports camps which will encourage youngsters to improve their skills and try out a variety of different sports from cricket to basketball.

The camps are aimed at 8 to 11 year olds and take place at Holy Cross College.

The first three day cricket themed camp takes place between 16 and 18 February. The camp takes place between 10am and 4pm and provides three full days of activities. The cost for this sports camp is £35.

On 19 and 20 February a multi sports cam will allow youngsters to try out a wide variety of sports including basketball, rounders, cricket and football. The two day camp takes place between 10am and 4pm on both days and costs £25 per child.

For active children and young people who wish to take part in both camps – they can book a place at both sessions for just £50.

Equipment for the sports activities is provided but participants are required to bring their own lunch with them.

To book a place on the course please contact Pritesh Patel on 0161 253 7076.

A special “Awarm” Training Session will be held at 5.30 on Tue 13 January 2009 at Butterstile Primary School - Children’s Centre.

As the eyes and ears of Prestwich community you may have access to vulnerable people living in cold, damp unhealthy homes? If so this training is for you!

The new Energy Support Officer for Bury Council and part of my remit is to implement the Affordable Warmth Strategy action plan which aims to reduce fuel poverty, this is where a household needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel & power. In 2005 it was estimated that over 10255 households in Bury were in fuel poverty. Due to recent price rises this figure is likely to have dramatically increased.

AWARM (Affordable Warmth Access Referral Mechanism) training can give you the expertise to recognise potential fuel poverty within households that you visit & enable you to make a simple referral to provide help to improve the health, living conditions & quality of life of the householder. The following services may be available for the householder from this referral:

- Grant for central heating, loft Insulation and cavity wall insulation
- Benefit entitlement checks
- Debt advice
- Home fire safety check including free smoke alarms

Improved home insulation & heating can reduce the incidence of associated health problems that are exacerbated by living in cold conditions, such as asthma, arthritis & cardiovascular problems & will help to eliminate excess winter deaths. In Bury, in the winter of 2002-2003, there were 80 excess winter deaths!

We do not want residents living in Prestwich to suffer from not being able to afford heating so if you can attend this session it would be useful. More information from Carran O’Grady

Bury Council has launched a consultation in relation to the proposed closure of the cash payment facilities at Prestwich Library.

The aim of the consultation exercise is to gain a broad view of opinions about the proposed closure. Research undertaken by Bury Council indicates that there has been a 70% decline in the number of people using this facility. In order to ensure that the council offers a value for money service it is proposed that this facility close and staff be redeployed to other customer focused services.

The council has identified that there are a number of local post offices and pay point facilities nearby in Prestwich Village, which can process the same transactions that currently take place in the cash office. Concern has also been expressed about individuals withdrawing large sums of cash from their account at a local post office only to take it to the cash office at the library. It is considered to be safer for all concerned if all these transactions took place under the same roof. If the cash office were to close, it would still be possible to make cheque and card payments at Prestwich Library.

The consultation is taking place throughout December and consultation forms are being handed out to users of Prestwich cash office; to users of the cash kiosk in Radcliffe and forms will be circulated to individuals who have signed up to receive emails from Prestwich Local Area Partnership (LAP). The consultation forms seek to find out more information about how many people use the service, any comments that they might have about the cash office facility and it also asks whether individuals would consider making payments via Direct Debit.

A short overview feedback will be given to the next meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership meeting in January 2009

For more information please contact Ann Penn on 0161 253 7885.

Two fun filled art workshops will take place at Prestwich Library and Adult Learning Centre during October half term.

Both parents and children can take part in the Creative Ceramics Workshops which will see participants design 3D objects and tiles. The inspiration for what goes on these tiles will come from the Prestwich area.

The project is linked to Prestwich Heritage Museum, which is located in the Library, and the event has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The workshops will be led by local professional artist, Brad Bradshaw, who has worked on numerous local projects and events.

The Family workshop takes place on Saturday 25 October between 10am – 1pm. Parents with children over 5 years old are welcome to attend this free event. A children’s only workshop will take place on Wednesday 29 October between 10am and 1pm for children aged 8 years and over.

The events are free, but places are limited, and places must be booked in advance by contacting Prestwich Library on 0161 253 7214.

Simister Village Community Association are pleased to announce that the village has been three times lucky with its applications for grants to transform both the Simister Wetlands and a parcel of wasteland to become a local green haven for walkers, wildlife and a memorial garden.

Residents in partnership with Bury Metro and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) aim to restore and breathe new life into the Wetlands that has, of late, become neglected and also to create a garden with paths and seating with plants to attract birds, butterflies and other species of insects.

The Association meets regularly to improve the quality of life for local residents. Chairman, Michael Slater said “An issue that has arisen is the disappointing state of the Wetlands and there is now a need to develop it as a place to visit as well as encouraging wildlife to the area. This is really important as we sit close by to the notorious Simister Junction 18 where the M60, M62 and M66 converge and standing traffic is a daily fact of life bringing more pollution from vehicle exhausts than almost anywhere in the North West so trees and green space are really important to our community environment.” The Community Association sent off three bids for approval with all three projects getting the green light. These bids were - Big Lottery, Breathing Spaces have awarded £9,618 to alleviate draining problems and to reinstate some of the paths. Greening Greater Manchester have awarded £8,995 to improve other sections of the paths, clear out the existing pond to encourage aquatic creatures and birdlife as well as creating wildlife spaces with a selection of wild flowers. The final application was a bid of £5,672 to create the Memorial Garden in memory of Gerald Leahiff, known as ‘Mr Simister’ a respected member of the community who died just over a year ago. Other contributions will include volunteer support from BTCV, from Bury Metro, and the support and volunteer labour from Simister residents and any others who feel they would like to be associated with such an endeavour.

The Committee are hoping that all those interested will join us in working parties on Saturday 25th October and Sunday 2nd November meeting by the pond at 10.00 am. Work has started on the Wetland paths but has been hampered by inclement weather whilst work on the Memorial Garden will commence in the spring of 2009 at the optimum time for planting. Michael Slater said “Clinching the third grant has been the icing on the cake and shows exactly how communities can work together to create a greener and better place to live. “

Bury Adult Learning Service are offering people the opportunity to try out a new hobby. The Adult Learning Team have received feedback to say that people fancied taking up a new hobby but didn’t want to commit to a long term course or expense.

The Saturday taster sessions will provide an opportunity to get a flavour of courses ranging from bird watching to painting and from french cooking to learning about flowers. A Taste of Flowers, an introduction to Bird Watching, Acrylic Painting Masterclass, Expressive Landscapes in Pastels, A Taste of Spanish Cookery and A Taste of French Cookery taster sessions will be held at Bury Adult Learning Centre between 10.30am and 12.30 pm and 1.30 and 3.30 pm on the 25 October. On the 15 November, Whitefield Library & Adult Learning Centre is hosting Festive Flowers and Papier Mache sessions between 10.30am and 12.30 pm. Ramsbottom Library & Adult Learning Centre will host a Festive Flowers session on 6 December between 10.30am and 12.30 pm.

For further details on any of the above courses or to book a place telephone 0161 253 7501 or email: student.services@bury.gov.uk.

For further information on all adult learning courses available check our website www.bury.gov.uk/educationandlearning.

2,500 tenants will soon be receiving a questionnaire from Six Town Housing to find out what they think of housing services and where improvements could be made.  Six Town Housing, the council’s at Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), has teamed up with Salford University to carry out the survey. Salford University is acting as an independent consultant for the work and they will be posting out the surveys to residents over the next few weeks.

The tenants who have been randomly selected to take part in the survey will be asked their views on a wide range of issues including repairs to their property, antisocial behaviour in the local area and tenant participation schemes. In order to maximise the number of questionnaire returns, residents who complete the survey will stand the chance of winning £250 worth of shopping vouchers.

The results from this survey will provide Six Town Housing with valuable information to allow Six Town Housing to further develop their services in line with the needs of the local community. The results will also allow Six Town Housing to report nationally regarding customer satisfaction levels across Bury.

As part of the consultation on future options for residential care, a free phone number and email address have been set up to extend opportunities for people to have their voice heard on this important matter.

Tel:    0800 107 9906 (quoting Bury Council)

Email   bury@rmltd.net

These facilities, which are being run independently of the council to encourage participation, will be available until mid October 2008.

Whilst many people may want to focus specifically on the options, the Council is also interested in people’s views on related topics such as:

• Should the council be helping more people to live at home
• The type of services (and accommodation) are needed by older people
• What can be done to address the growing number of vacant beds across the residential care sector because demand is falling

From 1 September Bury Library Service are launching a three month pilot scheme to reduce the cost of borrowing DVDs. The scheme will allow library members to borrow DVD’s, which have been in stock before the 1 April 2008, for just £1 a week and DVDs added to stock after 1 April at £2.20 for a week’s loan.

Additionally, library members who also have an Active Lifestyle Discount Card get the added benefit in being able to borrow any DVD and benefit from a further 50% discount. To see if you may be eligible for a discount card check the leisure services web page.

To check any items that are available for you to borrow search our website using the online facility.

The Post Office has confirmed that five post offices in Bury will closed. This is after its period of “consultation” with local people on which post offices to close in Greater Manchester. The Lib Dem team in Bury have campaigned against the post office closure programme consistently for a number of years, and were successful in getting Bury Council to agree a “no closure” policy at a recent council meeting.

The five post offices to close are:
Elton, 73 Crostons Road, Bury, BL8 1LB
Greenmount, 337 Holcombe Road, Greenmount, Bury, BL8 4BB
Limefield, 293 Walmersley Road, Bury, BL9 6NX
Rochdale Road, 98 Rochdale Road, Bury, BL9 7AY
Water Lane, 21 Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 4DJ

Read the full story from the Post Office here.

Last night was the regular meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership, this brings together your nine local Liberal Democrat Councillors together with representatives of partner agencies like the Police and NHS, and community group representatives.

The main issues that came up were:

Area Manager’s Report
Included in the report of the Area Manager was news of Prestwich’s bid to the £1 million that Bury has been awarded for play facilities. These are:
- Ballzone at St Josephs Playing Field
- Improvements to the Kersal Road playside
- Natural play area behind the existing childrens play area on Kings Road.
(I did ask about the St Jospeh’s play area, as we need to check that it doesn’t adversely affect residents there who have already had some issues with the existing football ground.)
I asked about the discussion at the last meeting on closing the cash office at Prestwich Library - apparently this will be coming back to a meeting in the Autumn.
I also asked about the issue of graffiti, and asked that the numbers that people can ring are widely published, but that we monitor the effectiveness of some of these agencies in clearing up graffiti.

Youth Manager Update
We received an update from James Perkins - Prestwich’s Youth Manager on some of the excellent activities that are planned over the summer months for young people in Prestwich. The local Youth Action Group has also got off the ground again and we asked James to help make sure that there was a good “two-way” communication between young people and the area partnership.
We also heard about an excellent “Health Kick” scheme (part funded by the Area Partnership to raise health issues in the Rainsough Area. Its targetted at 16-25 and over 50 men, and involves football sessions leading into health awareness and promotion sessions.

Funding Bids
The Partnership agreed a number of funding bids for local projects -I’m going to report on these in a separate entry.
Prestwich Heritage Society asked for some money to help with the heritage exhibition at Prestwich Library, we said we would consider in detail.

Open Forum
Open Forum is the part of the agenda (45 minutes) set aside to hear issues and concerns from local residents in Prestwich. These included:
- concerns on fencing on Ludlow Avenue
- concerns about youth nuisance on Ogden Street
- concerns about the closing time noise of a local pub
- good news about the recently funded Simister Wetland site
- discussion about the opening times of Prestwich Police Station

Prestwich Community Plan
Richard Baum, who chairs the Developing Communities Group, presented the proposed Prestwich Community Plan for 2008-2011. The plan was agreed, and I’ll report on its contents separately.

The next meeting of the Area Partnership is on Thursday 4 September 2008. This will be a special meeting to discuss the URBED proposals for Prestiwich Village Centre. 6.30pm at the Longfield Centre.

Any questions please ask. 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.

Well done to the Year 7 Rugby League Team from our local Parenthorn High School after their victory in the inaugural Bolton and Bury schools’ league. The final took place on Thursday 12 June and Parenthorn beat off oponents from Westhoughton High School, Bolton, along with semi-finalists Peters High School from Bury.

The climax to the tournament came after six weeks of group games and over 80 per cent of the schools from both boroughs participated. Pupils from Year 7 and 8 were given curriculum time coaching by Swinton, Salford, Wigan and Leigh clubs as well as amateur clubs from the local area.

Bury’s Library Service are encouraging local people to get on line at the library and try out some fantastic resources for free some “drop-in sessions”.

These free sessions are designed to allow anyone to pop in to their local library and access some fantastic information about their family history, famous faces in history and art work at a click of a button.

The two sessions local to us are:
. Prestwich Library and Adult Learning Centre on 22 July, 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
. Whitefield Library and Adult Learning Centre on 1 September, 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m

Resources include Ancestry.com, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Grove Art and Grove Music.

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

A consultation event for the proposed Heaton Park Schoo/Polefield Recreation Zone on Cuckoo Lane is proposed to take place on:

3.30PM ONWARDS WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY at Heaton Park County Primary.

The event is a “drop in” where members of the public can find out more, and comment on the proposals.

More details to follow.

Tim

In March 2007 the Liberal Democrat team on Bury Council successfully proposed a budgetary amendment which extended the “Blue Bin” recycling scheme to every house in the Borough.

The success of the scheme was confirmed in a response to a question I raised at the Full Council meeting last night. 1,020 Tonnes of recyclables were collected in July 2007 - the first month after the Blue-Bin roll-out up from 767 Tonnes in July 2006 - a massive 33% increase!

Its excellent to see such a great response from the public to the recycling initiative. The Lib Dem’s are already asking when the scheme can be made fortnightly for everyone. My colleague Cllr Richard Baum also asked for a report on the small number of households who’ve not yet received their bins (mostly farms, but a few areas with restricted lorry access). I’ll let you know this information when its received.