Richard Baum

Tonight is the final meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership (LAP) of the municipal year. It’s an open meeting, so come along and ask your Councillors some questions!

The meeting takes place at Sedgley Park Primary School, which is on Kings Road / Bishops Road. Incidentally, this was the school my Mum went to, and my grandparents lived right opposite it for 50 years.

None of which is at all relevant to the meeting itself, which starts at 18.30 with the “business” part of the meeting. We’ll hear reports from the LAP Manager on outcomes since last time, including an update on the Prestwich Community Plan. We will also receive reports on current work from the Youth Service Manager, the two LAP sub-groups (on the town centre regeneration and on developing communities), and from our partners in the police and NHS.

Part two of the meeting is the open forum, which begins at 19.30. Members of the public are welcome to raise issues of concern with members of the LAP in an open session. If you have any issues you want to raise about the Council, local NHS, police, fire etc, then come down and ask us. You don’t have to sit through the rest of the meeting if you don’t want, and if you are uncomfortable asking your question out loud then we can arrange for it to be read out on your behalf as well.

After the open forum there will be a presentation from URBED, the consultants appointed to come up with a regeneration strategy for Prestwich centre. They will let us know their key findings to date.

After the end of formal business there will be the chance for you to talk one-to-one with any of us about issues as well.

So do come along and say hello, or tell us about anything we might be able to help you with. It’s what we’re here for after all.

Rick