Lib Dem’s Secure More Money for Children and Young People, and more money for Parks and Cleaner Streets 

Liberal Democrat Councillors saved services for young people and vulnerable children and secured extra expenditure on much needed environmental services such as parks, cleaner streets and environmental enforcement in Bury Council’s budget for next year.

The Lib Dem proposals, which were agreed and have become part of the budget:

- saved advice services for children and money for youth services across Bury

- saved services for disabled children, the “young carers” service and provision for children who are at risk

- secured new money for our parks and environmental services

- secured new money for a cleaner environment such as street cleaning and enforcement such as dog fouling and fly-tipping

 Cllr Tim Pickstone, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group said:

 “This is a difficult budget again for Bury. We all need to be clear on why these difficult savings once again have to be made. The blame is quite clearly with the Labour Government who, despite many years of pressure, continue to effectively give Bury a “poor deal”.

“Services to young people are already stretched  -  A vibrant youth support service is essential to ensure educational staying on rates and engagement in training or employment, with the subsequent positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour”

“We are not prepared to put up with an unsafe reduction in support for vulnerable children, and to not see advances in supporting the environment in this borough.”

Cllr Richard Baum, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Resources said

“The people of this Borough want cleaner streets, green space and safe places for their families. And the Liberal Democrat group will ensure that as much as possible is done to give them what they want. Our proposals tonight are to invest in parks in this Borough to ensure that every community has a well-managed place of peace and greenery to enjoy.

Attacking the Labour Party Proposal to cut vital services for a zero Council Tax rise Cllr Pickstone said:

“This proposal is madness. We would all like to have a zero council tax rise, but the Labour Party are proposing to scrap £700,000 on much needed services for disabled people, are proposing to scrap services for young people and vulnerable children, and proposing to run Bury Council into the ground by running reserves down to a dangerous level. This is a disgrace - I am shocked that that Labour Party will stoop so low in a pathetic attempt to gain votes.

“There are two opposition parties in Bury. One, the Lib Dems, have achieved over £1/3 million of expenditure on young people, children and the environment, while Labour have achieved nothing but a cheap gimmick at the expense of vulnerable people.” 

For further details contact the case officer (0161 253 5000) or for advice on how to comment on applications or to raise concerns contact your local Lib Dems

Liberal Democrats have revealed shocking plans from the Labour Government to close local post offices.

The Government has announced that another 2,500 post offices are to close in a devastating blow that could mean that another six Post Offices are set to be closed in Bury alone. This is in addition to the 19 post offices that have already closed in Bury since 1999 under the Labour Government. What’s more - the Lib Dem’s have revealed that the Government and Post Office are deliberately putting back the closures until after the council elections in May 2008! (see letter from the Post Office below).  Lib Dem councillors led the defence of our local post offices when they got Bury Council to agree a policy in favour of saving our post offices late last year.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Mary D’Albert said: “Post Offices are at the heart of our local community and provide many vital services. In recent years we’ve lost two post offices in Prestwich (on Whittaker Lane and on Bury Old Road near Danesway in Sedgley).”

Local Lib Dems demand:
• Halt the Post Office branch closure programme;
• Stop removing Government business from Post Offices;
• Find additional Government functions that could be carried out through Post Offices.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have repeated their calls for Labour-run Salford Council to stump up desparately needed cash to renovate abandoned shops in Rainsough.

The derelict units, on Chapel Road, are owned by Salford Council and the preferred site for an outreach centre for the St Mary’s Sure Start Children’s Centre, but the renovations won’t happen without money being made available to carry out repairs.The Prestwich Local Area Partnership, under Lib Dem control, has secured funding for part of the repairs, as well as for a new youth centre for Rainsough.

Local campaigner Mary D’Albert said “Without money from Labour-run Salford, we can’t make this happen. It’s absolutely vital that Labour match our commitment to local people, but so far they have failed to come up with the goods.” 

Cllr Richard Baum has met with the Labour Councillor in charge of Housing in Salford, but was unable to make him stump up the money. Richard said “I went to Salford to meet Cllr Connor in his office and plead our case, but it fell on deaf ears and now all the efforts that we are making in Bury might go to waste if Labour won’t provide the rest of the money. It just isn’t fair and will be a big let down for local people.”

St Mary’s Lib Dem Councillors have been chasing up a number of issues on behalf of residents in the last few days.

We have asked the Council to ensure that Shelley Road and Butterstile Lane are adequately gritted during the current cold snap, for the safety of drivers and pedestrians, and in particular because of the buses that travel down those streets.

In addition, we have once again raised the issue of the abandoned garages on Shrewsbury Road. This is a long-standing issue, with difficulties in identifying land-owners to take responsibility for cleaning up and sorting out the garages. In recent weeks the area has become something of a hang-out for trouble-makers, and there was a fire there recently too. We’re hopeful that this can be progressed in the near future, and we’ll keep trying.

Also today we have once more raised the question of why the shops on Warwick Street remain vacant and abandoned so long after the fire which put them out of use. We have been told a number of different stories as to why the fire damaged building can’t be repaird, from problems with the insurance to an ongoing police investigation. Whatever the reason, the derelict building is used as the excuse not to re-surface Warwick Street, a road which is comfortably the most pot-holed in the ward.

It’s a shame that we have to apply quite this much pressure to get any action taken, or even to illicit a response from Council officers to legitimate residents’ concerns. But we will keep trying, and we’ll update you when we get a result.