I am seizing the marvellous opportunity afforded to me by a five-second break in the clouds, and taking a holiday from the blog for a couple of weeks. So forgive the lack of postings between now and my bronze-skinned, wind-swept return. I will be back at the PC as soon as I’ve shaken the sand from my swimming shorts.

Rick

Today has been spent on a work “Organisational Development” day, at the type of grim hotel frequented only by desolate business people on training courses, and couples conducting illicit affairs.

Despite the lacklustre surroundings, it was an excellent day, the undoubted highlight of which was the closing speaker - Simon Weston OBE, best known for being the most seriously wounded survivor of the Falklands War. His is a remarkable story of triumph in the face of unimaginable adversity, and a reminder not only of his own courage, but of the sacrifices being made by service men and women for the protection of our way of life every day. Mr Weston’s life in the 26 years since his injuries has seen him positively influence the lives of thousands of young people directly through his charity, and influence many thousands more through speaking engagements. His fundraising and other charitable activities earned him his OBE, and he continues to raise the profile of good causes today.

His story certainly puts local political squabbles into context, and his message of public service spurs me on to try and do more good things as a Councillor. I must confess though that because I was listening to him all day, I haven’t managed to do any good Councillor things yet today. However, I am about to go and chase up some emails and return some phone messages, so I can start putting that right straight away.

Rick

As you may know, there is a strike of local government workers on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. This will have an impact on local schools.

The following schools in Bury will be fully closed tomorrow and Thursday due to strike action unless otherwise stated:

All Saints C of E Primary School
Cams Lane Primary School - part closed
Chantlers Primary School.
Chesham Primary School closing at 12noon each day
Christchurch Ainsworth C of E Primary School.
East Ward Community Primary School
Elton Community Primary school - part closed
Green Hill Primary School
Greenmount Primary School.
Heaton Park Primary School.
Hollins Grundy Primary School.
Lowercroft Primary School.
Mersey Drive Community Primary School - part closed
Park View Primary School.
Peel Brow school - part closed
Radcliffe Hall C of E/ Methodist Primary School.
Radcliffe Primary School
Ribble Drive Community Primary School.
Springside Primary School
Sedgely Park Community Primary School
St Andrews C of E Primary School, Ramsbottom.
St Peters C of E Primary School.
St Joseph & St Bede RC Primary School
St Joseph RC, Primary Ramsbottom
St Lukes C of E Primary School.
Tottington Primary School
Unsworth Primary School.
Whitefield Community Primary School.
Wesley Methodist Primary School - part closed
Woodback Primary School

High Schools:

Bury C of E High School
Castlebrook High School.
The Derby High School - closed, but school trips going ahead.
Elms Bank Specialist Arts College.
Parrenthorn High School
The Ark
Radcliffe Riverside School
Woodhey High School.
Tottington High School.

There are two schools which will be closed on the 16 July, which is the last day of the school term.

Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Primary School
St Maries Roman Catholic Primary School

Broad Oak High School will be closed on 16 July, but open on 17 July as a large number of pupils will be on school trips.

St Johns C of E Primary School will be closed on 17 July only.

The Council can be contacted on 0161 253 5000 for further information.

Rick

My blog has been hijacked by pornographers.

Normally I get a couple of comments a week, which is all very nice, and shows me that at least it’s not just me reading the blog. The other day though I logged in to find 534 comments had been left in the hour since I’d last been on. “Hmm…” I thought to myself. “Clearly my report in the Local Area Partnership meeting has captured the public’s imagination.”

Sadly it was not to be, as I discovered that instead of a varied discourse on the merits of the Prestwich Plan, my comments were all very generous offers from a foreign gentleman wondering if I was interested in some free movies he had to offer. All I had to do was click on the link he kindly provided, and I was promised certain lewd acts which bordered on the illegal but which were without exception free.

I declined his repeated offerings, but sadly he has not gone away, and keeps bombarding me even though I have told the blog many times that his IP address is spam.

Apparently this is happening to a lot of my fellow bloggers, and it’s very annoying because not only does it take time to delete them, but there’s also the chance that the occasional genuine comment on the merits of Bury Council will get washed away in the torrent of free naughtiness. Like the digital-age version of a nun getting lost on Haight-Ashbury in 1967.

Any words of advice on dealing with the problem will be gratefully received. Although I reckon you should email rather than comment…

Rick

At the end of tonight’s meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership, I nicked one of the brochures brought along by the Council’s Prestwich Youth Manager, which outlines the activities for families and adults taking place in Bury over the summer.

I have to say that I am absolutely astounded by some of the things on offer, and I urge any local resident to check out the events on offer at www.bury.gov.uk/events. There’s something to do virtually every single day between now and October, much of it completely free. I am already excited about going up the Peel Tower next Sunday (for the princely sum of £1), and if I was off work all summer like Tamsin (who’s a teacher), I could keep myself well and truly amused with walks, nature activities, arts and crafts, events, shows and other activities.

In Prestwich alone, before this month is out there is the chance to enjoy Salsa, swing and jive dancing, and pond dipping in Philips Park. And in the wider Borough there’s talks at Bury Art Gallery, a tour of the town hall, ranger quests in the parks and walks all over the shop.

For families over the summer there are many things to do with the kids. Thomas the Tank Engine appears at the East Lancs Railway on the first three days of August, there are mini-beast hunts in parks, mask making, and a family fun day in St Mary’s Park in the ward on 16th and 17th August.

The “What’s On” guide also details the activities ongoing throughout the year, and local societies and clubs to join. I just wish I could give up work and do all these things! I’d be busier than I am now!

I am not normally one to give PR to the Council, because often they make me want to hurl myself out of the window in anger. But on this occasion and with this range of activities on offer for residents, they have excelled themselves. I am going to put some dates in the diary right now.

Rick 

Don’t forget that it’s Prestwich Local Area Partnership tonight, from 18:30 at St Monica’s High School. Part of the agenda will be dedicated to the Prestwich Community Plan, which will outline the vision for Prestwich’s improvement over the next three years to 2011.

What is the Community Plan?

The Community Plan is a document which sets out the Local Area Partnership’s (LAP’s) priorities for Prestwich between 2008-11. It is the document which says how Prestwich will become a better place to live in the next three years.

The Community Plan contains ten priorities overall, with the aim to create a Green Prestwich, a Thriving Prestwich, and a Strong Prestwich.

Each of these 10 priorities contains some specific actions which the LAP aims to achieve by 2011.

The first Prestwich Community Plan was created in 2001, with a second Plan in 2005. The first two plans were aspirational documents, but this new plan sets out targets for the LAP to achieve, building on the successes in Prestwich in recent years, and setting the scene for progress in the future.

Who was involved in creating the Community Plan?

The Community Plan has been created after joint working with a wide range of partners, including the Council, Police, Fire Service, NHS Primary Care Trust, the voluntary and faith sectors, and other agencies. There have been a number of events held in the last year in Prestwich and Bury, such as the Bury Community Conference and the Bury Community Planning Event, involving all partners in setting priorities for the area.

Local people have had their say too, via their local Councillors and through the opportunities to comment on drafts presented to previous meetings of the Local Area Partnership. The Developing Communities Working Group of the LAP has met 7 times to discuss the Plan during its development.

In addition, evidence such as government policies, current Council plans, surveys and local intelligence information like the Prestwich Neighbourhood Intelligence Assessment has been used to inform the priorities in the Community Plan.

After extensive consultation and analysis, the Plan was brought together by Carran O’Grady, the Prestwich LAP Manager, with assistance from Councillors and other partners.
What are the Plan’s priorities for Prestwich?

The Community Plan sets out the LAP’s joint priorities for Prestwich. There are 10 in all:

A Green Prestwich
1. Improve Parks and Leisure Facilities for Prestwich
2. Achieve a reduction in car usage in Prestwich
3. Reduce air pollution in Prestwich
4. Improve the Prestwich environment by reducing litter and graffiti

A Thriving Prestwich
5. Create a clear vision for the redevelopment of Prestwich town centre
6. Support for the retention and growth of local Prestwich Village Town Centre businesses
7. Create Better Facilities for the most deprived areas of Prestwich

A Strong Prestwich
8. Make Prestwich healthier
9. Make Prestwich safer, and reduce crime and the fear of crime
10. Create a Prestwich for people of all ages

How will we make sure that we achieve our priorities?

Each of the 10 priority areas detailed in the Community Plan contains agreed actions and target outcomes. There are approximately 70 actions overall that will need to be completed by 2011.

Every action has an identified person and/or agency responsible. All the partner agencies, including the Council, Police and NHS, have agreed to the Community Plan, so everyone knows what they have to do. The identified people and agencies will regularly report back to the LAP and the two LAP working groups on progress, and we can make sure we achieve our aims.

How does the Prestwich Community Plan link to the wider plans for Bury?

Prestwich LAP is one of six LAPs in Bury, each with their own Community Plan. All the Community Plans link to an overall Team Bury plan for the whole Borough.

Each of the 10 priorities in the Prestwich Community Plan links directly to a Bury Borough priority. This means that Prestwich improves in step with Bury as a whole, and everyone in the Borough is supportive of Prestwich’s plans and priorities.

What about things that aren’t on the Plan?

Obviously there are many things that aren’t in the Community Plan. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. Although the Community Plan identifies 10 priorities, a huge range of actions and targets are contained in the plan, and the priorities themselves will ensure that if a viable project requires LAP support to make Prestwich better, then it will receive the LAP’s help.

Come along and learn more tonight, as well as the usual LAP goodness including updates on everything that’s going on in Prestwich.

Rick

Don’t forget the Prestwich Local Area Partnership meeting, which takes place tomorrow (Thursday) night at St Monica’s school on Bury Old Road. God knows I can’t…

Amongst other things on the agenda, there’ll be an update on the URBED Prestwich Town Centre regeneration project, and the ceremonial unveiling of the Prestwich Plan 2008-11, on which I’ve been beavering away nicely for quite some time, and of which more tomorrow.

It’s an open meeting, and everyone’s always welcome to come along and hear the updates on what’s been going on in Prestwich recently. There will be representatives from the Council, Police, Fire, NHS and other partners there. So if you have a problem, if noone else can help, and if you can find them, come to the LAP and ask your question.

My mouth is still burning from last night’s pizza with the local Police, that unbeknownst to me had the Devil’s Vegetables on it, and was as hot as the centre of the Sun. Normally close proximity to the long arm of the law brings me out in a sweat, so such heated conditions weren’t entirely unexpected during dinner with the local Sergeant. However it’s not often that my mouth is the epicentre of the warmth.

But as well as downing fire-extinguishing mugs of water all morning, I have been talking to the Council’s parks people about a potential skate park in the ward. Such ideas often bring about gasps of horror amongst local people who suspect that such a skate park will attract trouble. The reality is often different, and I think it’s important to provide a safe local place for young people to skateboard about if they want to. Quite why anyone would want to is a mystery, but if the kids like hurtling through the air on a bit of plastic with rollerskate wheels on it, then that’s fine by me as long as they don’t hurt old ladies in the act. Sticking them out in a corner somewhere, which seems to be the approach favoured by the Council, doesn’t help with engaging them in the wider community.

The Parks department are a bit reluctant to get involved because of bad experiences in the past ,but I think that if we design it right, and involve everyone in the planning, we could come up with an idea that’s acceptable. Then of course we have to find the money to fund and maintain it, and short of turning the sofa upside down I don’t have any ideas about this at the moment. But we’re working with people to see if we can find an answer to this too. I will keep you informed. I am going to bring it up at the LAP meeting tomorrow night, which is yet another reason, if one were needed, to come along and join the fun.

Rick

Last week’s rejection of an elected Mayor for Bury is welcome. The proposals were a waste of money, democratically damaging, and I am glad that local people did not fall for the lies and spin on the issue of congestion charging.

However, the fact is that 10,000 people and 40% of those who voted indicated their desire to change the way Bury is run. I don’t think we should ignore their dissatisfaction with local services, nor their indictment of the way the Council is run. They voted for a Mayor despite the compelling reasons not to. I bet that many of those who voted “no” did so not out of love for the Council but because they took heed of the consequences of a “yes.”

Council services in Bury have been consistently cut over more than two decades of control by Labour, and more recently in the past couple of years by the Conservatives. Over that same period, Council Tax bills (and Community Charge and Rates before them) have gone up as we have been asked time and again to pay more for less. Every year the story is the same, and I bet I can write my budget speech for next year this weekend and barely have to change it on the night. It’s predictable even now that bills will go up and services will go down.

More disturbingly still, the power of local communities to have a fair say on local services continues to diminish. Post Offices have closed in Bury, as have maternity services and libraries, all in the face of significant public protest. The government and Council may pretend to “consult,” but their consultations are in fact information campaigns. I am as insulted by their lack of honesty about this as I am about the fact that they don’t listen to local views at all.

The Labour government, both nationally and locally, started this rot, and the Conservative administration in Bury since 2007 have done nothing to stop it.

Liberal Democrats in Bury have consistently supported local people in their attempts to stop the appalling cuts in local services. We led the successful fight to stop the closure of local secondary schools in 2005, and have also led appeals to save hospital facilities locally. Just last month a Liberal Democrat motion ensured Council support for an end to local Post Office closures, and our petition on the same topic has thousands of signatures. We are also the party who secured Council opposition to congestion charging.

Our respect for true devolution of power to communities can be seen in how we run the Prestwich Local Area Partnership – with real consultation with local people, and a variety of community groups having a legitimate say in how local money is spent. I recently took the chair of the Developing Communities Working Group, which has developed since its inception to be a leading forum for the community to have their say on the future of Prestwich.

The preservation of local services and obtaining value for money as well is no pipe-dream. It can be achieved through fairer local taxation, which is something that Lib Dems have proposed for a long time in the abolition of Council Tax and the reform of business rates.

The Mayoral referendum was not the right way to seek reform of our Council. But what it did achieve was showing those in charge that they are disappointing a great number in our communities. The failings of successive Labour and Conservative policies locally are clear, and there is lots that we need to do to improve. Local Liberal Democrats will continue their hard work for local people across Bury in the hope that we can create better local services that provide real value for the people of Bury.

Rick

The people of Bury voted “No” to an elected Mayor yesterday, rejecting the proposals by a 60:40 margin.

The final result was 15,425 votes “No” and 10,338 votes “Yes”, with a turnout of 18%.

Lib Dems in Bury campaigned hard for a “No” vote in the referendum, and I am glad that the idea of an elected Mayor has been rejected by local people. As I’ve been saying on here all week and elsewhere for ages, a Mayor would have been an expensive and democratically disastrous move for Bury.

The “Yes” campaign suggested that the voting for a Mayor would help defeat plans for a congestion charge. In reality the idea that a Mayor could stop the congestion charge was always false, and I always thought that local people wouldn’t believe it. Bury Lib Dems continue to oppose the congestion charge, and the Council is now free to continue working hard to get improved public transport for Bury without this additional tax.

It is a shame that the people behind the original petition cannot be brought to book for their half-truths and rumours - the effect of which has been an expensive and time-consuming referendum which has achieved nothing but keep some people’s faces in the papers.

I maintain that this referendum was never really wanted by the people of Bury, many of whom were tricked into signing a petition they thought was about something else. The massive rejection of an elected Mayor is a victory for common sense and a defeat for those who try to trick local people.

The issue of the Mayor was always about more than the congestion charge. A Mayor would have meant a less democratic system for local people, and would have cost a small fortune every year, taking money from vital services to pay for a vanity exercise.

The result last night has had several spin-off effects. On ths plus side, I can now stop writing about it, which is a relief. On the negative side though, I am regretting getting fitted up for those ermine robes now. I suppose they will have to go back now that we won’t be having a Mayor…

Rick

Tomorrow (Thursday 3rd July) the people of Bury will have their chance to vote in a referendum. The referendum will ask whether or not we should change the way the Council is run and have an elected Mayor instead. I will be voting “NO” in the referendum, and have already written about how a Mayor will cost a fortune and do nothing to stop congestion charging. But the biggest reason I have for voting “NO” is because an elected Mayor will be a disaster for local democracy.

At the moment, there are local elections in three out of every four years. So local people get the chance to elect a local Councillor almost every year, and the party with the most councillors runs the Council. There will be a Leader and a Cabinet making the decisions, and these will be scrutinised by the other Councillors and eventually voted or blocked. Who does the governing and who does the scrutinising can change every year, and if local people don’t like it they can change things regularly.

In addition to this, there are lots of decisions made at a very local level, at Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) like the one in Prestwich and the ones inb all the other small constituent towns of Bury. Local groups sit on the LAP and have a real say on Council policy and developments locally.

If we replace the current system and have an elected Mayor instead, we will be placing all of the powers of the Leader, Cabinet, and LAPs in the hands of just one person. And crucially, this person will only be elected every four years! What if the person we elect can’t do the job? What if his policies damage Bury? We’re stuck with them and him for years.

I believe that local people should be at the heart of decision making. I believe that if there’s an issue affecting a community, then the people of that community should have their say. We should make decisions at a local level, not give one person sat at the Town Hall the power to make those decisions.

Where the decision has an impact on all of Bury, let the Council as a whole decide. Don’t let’s give all the powers of the Council to one person and have them do as they wish. It might please some people, but if local people don’t like it then they are stuck with the Mayor for four years and won’t be able to change their minds. At the moment if the Council screw up, we can send them a message every year. We won’t be able to send that message to a Mayor.

A Mayor won’t mean that Bury will be cut from the types of bureaucracy that hamper the Council now. A Mayor won’t get bring any extra powers to Bury – it just means that the existing ones will be concentrated in one person.

So when you have the chance to vote on Thursday, consider whether you want more local power and the chance to elect Councillors to run the Council every year, or whether you want one person to hold power and sway for four years. I am for local and accountable decision making, not concentrating power centrally in one person, so I will be voting “NO” in the referendum.

Rick