As one of your local councillors, I’m here to represent you. Please use this site to find out more about what’s happening in our local area and my work as a Councillor. Let me know how I can help and what you think about the issues that affect our local area.
Bury is divided into “wards” to elect local councillors. There are three of these wards in the Prestwich area.
Holyrood Ward, the area we live in, comprises the North Eastern side of Prestwich north of the Metrolink line around Heaton Park. It also includes the “Kirkham”s area of Whitefield south of the Motorway and the distinct communities of Simister Village, and parts of Rhodes and Bowlea on the Rochdale Border.
Holyrood Ward has three local Liberal Democrat councillors, Wilf Davison, Vic D’Albert and myself. I’ve lived in this ward all of my adult life on Heaton Street.
This year (2008-2009) I have been given the following responsibilities as a Councillor:
- Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group
- opposition observer to the Executive Committee
- member of full Council
- member of Prestwich Area Partnership
You can look at the agenda, the papers and the minutes of the meetings I have to attend at the Bury Council Committee site. Please contact me if you need to discuss any issue on these bodies. Between us on the Liberal Democrat group we’re represented on all boroughwide Committees and Working Groups.
I also represent the Council on a number of other committees and outside bodies. These include:
- Democratic Arrangements Forum
- Local Government Association General Assembly
- Prestwich Sick and Poor Fund
I also serve as a Governor on two of our local schools:
St Margaret’s CoE Primary School on Heywood Road
Prestwich Arts College on Heys Road
Vic and Wilf are Governors of the other schools in our area.
Outside the Council
I have a full time paid job as Chief Executive of the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC). This is a membership organisation, that is an “associated” part of the Liberal Democrat party that brings together many of the 4,500 Lib Dem councillors in Britain. The organisation provides advice and support to Lib Dem Councillors and campaigners across the country.
Obviously I’m also a keen member of the Liberal Democrat Party, nationally and locally. This picture is of some of my colleagues in Prestwich Lib Dem’s out campaigning a few months ago. If you’re interested in helping the Focus Team in Prestwich - either as a member or as an helper please get in touch. We regularly need help with focus delivery, campaigns, letter writing, organising events and more.
I’ve also been appointed to serve as a Non-Executive Director of our local NHS Trust, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This is the body that run’s our four local hospitals - North Manchester, Fairfield, Rocdhale Infirmary and the Royal Oldham. Being a Non-Executive means that I’m one of seven local people who’re been appointed to sit on the Board of Trust.
I’m also a Trustee (and Vice-Chair) of Manchester Pride Ltd. This is the charity that organises the August Bank Holiday Pride festival weekend. Each year we raise well over £100,000 for charitable causes in Greater Manchester.
Prestwich
The Pickstone family have first moved to Prestwich in the middle of the 17th century, my great, great (many times!) grandfather James moved here with his family (from Cheshire) and is burried in Prestwich Parish Church (St Mary’s). He was born in 1646 and died in 1730. He is buried with his with wife Eleanor and with several members of their extended family nearbly in the churchyard. The family have lived in the Prestwich/Whitefield/Radcliffe area ever since.
If you’re interested in the history of our local area here’s a list of useful sites.
And more….
My non-Councillor website (which is mostly photos) is here.
If you’re on Facebook, you can keep in touch with me, or you can join Bury Lib Dem’s “group” on facebook.
