The St Mary’s Focus Team heard back form a local resident last night who was very pleased to discover that a missing bollard had been replaced, after intervention from our election candidate Mary D’Albert.

We heard last week that the bollard had been removed from the edge of Prestwich Clough during recent fencing works, and the people involved had not replaced it. This had led to illegal motorbiking activity in the area, because the bollard which had been installed to stop it had now been removed. Mary and the team got onto it and now the bollard is back.

During canvassing last night, we picked up a bit more casework too, so this morning our election candidate Mary has been chasing that up as well. One elderly lady was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to manage bringing her blue bin down her drive way, so we have asked that a refuse collector assists her with this, similar to the arrangement already in place for her grey bin. The lady was delighted to see local Lib Dems again, because we got the street light outside her house fixed a few weeks ago after a call to the team.

We have also heard from the Friends of St Mary’s Park, who contacted the team to talk about plans for a flower bed in the park. The group is one of a number of small community interest groups that Mary D’Albert and the team regularly attend and try to help. The Friends of the park have the plants, but not the time to plant them, so we are trying to work with the Council to get the flower bed planted by the time of the next Prestwich Clough Day, which will be in a few weeks. Lots of local people were delighted to hear that the future of this excellent community event has been secured for at least the next two years thanks to a grant of over £2,000 from the Lib Dem controlled Prestwich Local Area Partnership.

Prestwich Lib Dems will be back out on the campaign trail tonight, and we look forward to meeting more local people. If you see us, do stop and say hello, and let us know if we can help with anything.

Mary D’Albert has called on the Council to take “all necessary steps” to deal with the derelict garages on Shrewsbury Lane.

The garages have had several fires started in them by vandals and are becoming a local eyesore and hazard.“I have requested that Bury Council press the owners of these garages to make them secure or preferably demolish them. I am also concerned about childrens safety.”

Local Lib Dems are demanding Zero-tolerance for those that fly-tip or dump rubbish, vandalise and cause graffiti. “Local people have had enough of seeing smashed bus shelters and rubbish strewn around. Why should we have to put up with it. It’s time the Council used its powers to deal with this anti-social behaviour”said Mary D’Albert.

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.”

A local resident contacted Lib Dem Councillors earlier this week to report that some litter had been in Carr Clough since bonfire night. Despite his frequent attempts to get the Council to take action, they had done nothing, so he came to local Lib Dem Councillors to see if they could help tackle the mess.

After calls were made to the Council’s Environmental Services Department by the St Mary’s Lib Dem Focus Team, the litter has now been removed.

It is a shame that local residents can’t get the Council to act to clean up this type of mess. Local Lib Dems will carry on working to try to get the Council to react quicker and more efficiently to local concerns like this, and find it unacceptable that residents’ concerns are so frequently ignored without Councillors getting involved. But  we are more than happy to assist and to try and get these types of litter problems cleaned up across the ward.