I recently had a walk around Bury, nothing unusual in that however this was done in ladies high heels. This was done as part of Bury’s domestic violence week for sponorship and to highlight the various issues.

I am pictured here with my Lib dem colleague Cllr Donal O’Hanlon again showing when its an important issue then the Lib Dems are there to fully support. Shame the other political parties didn’t support as much.

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Friday night was the Mayors Ball where the great and the good of Bury come to enjoy a 5 couse meal and then some dancing.

This year was started with a fire drill so everyone had to evacuate to the carpark.

The edited highlights are:-

all Lib Dem Cllr love swing music (not)

Cllr Campbell has two left feet

Cllr Davidson can Jive big style

No one can out eat Cllr Wright

No Gibb and Lewis (no coincidence)

Maureen Davidson taught me how to Barn Dance.

On Friday the Bury Liberal Democrats had our second annual dinner it was again a well attend event and everybody enjoyed it. The guest speaker was local MP Paul Rowen who gave an excellent insight to what goes on in Parliament.

For next year we are going to try and get someone a little more high profile and plans are already on going

The last two weeks seems to have been disaster after disaster for G Brown and his cronies. Unfortunately its no laughing matter but if someone offers you fifty thousand pounds so you can enhance your political career do you say thank you or do you think where is this money from and whats in it for them.

I often listen to yesterday in parliament on Radio 4 you could tell there was genuine shock when Aliaster Bean announced the extent of the missing data, most minister I believe thought the figure was  1 million how wrong can they be.

So remember it was a junior official that can download all the child benefit data, we didn’t know the actually source of the money, the world is flat and lewis will be our Mp for the next 10 years. 

Amazingly 620 people viewed this website last month, which is fantastic but embarrassingly I only did two posts bad bad boy 

saturday:I heard that a certain J Aitkien was to be given  a job back in the tory party, maybe they are expecting a return of a jeffery archer (it looks like crime does pay)

sunday:was remeberance day a very large and proud turn out at the cenataph. Lest we forget those who gave their tomorrows for our todays.

also on sunday it seems every re-cycle bin in Prestwich was full. A well done to Prestwich for re-cycling but a thumbs down to Bury MBC for not providing enough bins#

monday: was our AGM it seemed like everyone took on their tasks with little or no enthusiasm apart from Julie Baum who is relishing her new role of membership secretary. So its a well done to Julie and Liberal thinking people of Bury beware Julie is after you.

tuesday:not much to report apart from having the worst start to the day seeing Mr wesil on tv. 

thursday: was a PTFA meeting at school as a local dignitary I got to draw the 100 club, still can’t win . Got home to watch question time Nick Clegg won it by a country mile many people at work  warmed to Nick as well.  

Last week I was involved with two important events.

Firstly I chaired my first scrutiny group, in the main I found it both challenging as well as rewarding. The main topic is to scrutinize bullying in our local schools and make recommendations where possible.

Secondly I started a little fund raising idea to try and get some memorabilia from MPs, MEPs and famous figures in the Liberal Democrat party then we shall sell them off. Update so far Bob Russell, MP for Colchester was the first to respond. So well done to Bob

steve 

In March 2007 the Liberal Democrat team on Bury Council successfully proposed a budgetary amendment which extended the “Blue Bin” recycling scheme to every house in the Borough.

The success of the scheme was confirmed in a response to a question our colleague Cllr Tim Pickstone raised at the Full Council meeting last night. 1,020 Tonnes of recyclables were collected in July 2007 - the first month after the Blue-Bin roll-out up from 767 Tonnes in July 2006 - a massive 33% increase!

Its excellent to see such a great response from the public to the recycling initiative. The Lib Dem’s are already asking when the scheme can be made fortnightly for everyone. My colleague Cllr Richard Baum also asked for a report on the small number of households who’ve not yet received their bins (mostly farms, but a few areas with restricted lorry access). I’ll let you know this information when its received.

A company that ignored Bury Council’s warning to stop excavating near
protected trees has been ordered to pay £19,000 for wilfully damaging them.

At a hearing at Bury Magistrates court earlier this month Thomas Barnes PLC
pleaded guilty to two offences contravening the town and country planning
act while working on the site of the former Thorndyke House, Bury New Road,
Preswich.

Magistrates heard that in October 2002 a tree preservation order was issued
by Bury Council in respect of nine trees at the site in Prestwich.

Nearly two years later in April 2004 landscaping plans were submitted as
part of a development of 10 flats on the grounds.

Bury council’s landscape architect Michael Dowd was concerned that a
proposed wall and pathway could damage some of the protected tress’ roots
and he contacted the developers. They then submitted revised planes, which
were approved by the council.

The officers took evidential photographs and warned the site manager
regarding the condition of the trees, that the area must not be excavated
any further and that areas should be re-instated rapidly and adequate tree
protection measures put in place immediately.

Examination found that the damage caused rendered both trees beyond saving
as living specimens and the weight of the structure could not be supported
by what remained of the roots and could collapse with serious health and
safety consequences. Following correspondence between the council and
representatives of the company, proceedings were started.

The magistrates decided that the most serious aspect of the case was that
the company continued with excavation work despite the council’s warning in
October 2005 that it was causing damage to the trees, and told to reinstate
the ground.

They took into account the previous good record of the company and fined the
company £8000 on each offence giving a total fine of £16, 000 with legal and
investigation costs of £3000. The grand total was £19 000 to be paid within
28 days. The company have the option of appealing against this decision
within 21 days.

Bury Council continue to pursue the company to arrange for replacement trees
to be put in place.

Councillor Ann Garner said “It is imperative that the company replace these trees as soon as possible, the protection of our environment is more important than developers profits”

Residents who live alongside the Metrolink line need to be aware that the contractors currently working on renewing the track have informed the Council that some limited work may be needed during the night. Your local councillors have protested against this proposal, and we have received assurances that no heavy cutting or noisy work will take place. 

Residents should only have to endure some noise for one night in the majority of cases, but on occasion there will be areas which are inconvenienced for two nights. Please contact one of your councillors if work is disturbing you during the night and we will report this immediately to the relevant authorities.

The proposed areas and dates for night working are given below:

Thursday 16^th August – Prestwich to Heaton Park

Friday 17th August  –  Heaton Park to Bowker Vale

Saturday 18^th August – Bowker Vale

Thursday 23rd August  –  Prestwich to Heaton Park  

Friday 24^th August – Heaton Park to Bowker Vale

Saturday 25^th August – Bowker Vale to Queens Road

Wednesday 29^th August – Bowker Vale to Crumpsall

The work will take place in the above mentioned locations between the hours of 10pm and 10am each night and every effort will be made to keep un-necessary noise down to a minimum.  For more details about the track upgrades programme, please phone 0161 228 7811 or visit www.gmpte.com.  Alternatively call Carillion Control on 01788 866 080.

Bury Council met this week in its first “Emergency Full Council” meeting for many years. The Council was called by the Labour group on the basis of ideas floated by the Conservative Administration on Bury Council to reduce the capacity of the soon to be built Radcliffe Riverside School from 900 children to 600.

Liberal Democrats believe that full consultation with parents and the community must take place before any decision is made. Whist we weren’t able to support the Labour Party in suggesting that a decision for a 900 capacity school had to be made there and then we did propose an amendment on behalf of the Lib Dem Group guaranteeing that Radcliffe Riverside does get built, and that work starts straight away for the planned 2009 opening. Thankfully the Lib Dem proposal received support from all parties.

In Prestwich many of us have painful memories of the discussions when one of our local schools was threatened with closure a year ago (Prestwich Arts College on Heys Road). We said then that there should be a place in a Prestwich high school for every Prestwich child that wanted one, the same must be said for Radcliffe.