Issue - meetings

Questions are invited from members of the public about the work of the Cabinet.

Notice of any question must be given to Democratic Services by midday on Monday, 7 March 2022. Approximately 30 minutes will be set aside for Public Question Time, if required.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Anton Slawycz:

Following the work of the Pilkington Park Councillors and pressure from the community it is great to see Rye Croft is being removed from the Accelerated Land Disposal (ALD) Scheme. What assurances can you give to the community that Rye Croft will remain as is and will not be subject to an ALD in the near future?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that he had been invited for a site visit by the local community and, on the back of that and the objections received we thought it appropriate to withdraw it from the disposals programme. A Community Asset Transfer was looked at, but it was deemed simpler to withdraw it. I can confirm there is no intention to bring this site (or any other withdrawn sites) through any future phase of the land disposal programme. We are also more than happy to continue to work with the community there in how this site is used and protected in the future.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Marie Holder:

The cabinet report outlines the community asset transfer toolkit following the request of this from the Overview and Scrutiny committee last year. What will the council do to ensure this is widely known in the community, with community groups, as well as being accessible online for reference?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that following discussions and a request from the Overview and Scrutiny committee last year, an updated Community Asset Transfer Policy and Toolkit have been prepared and are due to be approved by Cabinet today. This revised version aimed to be more accessible, in line with comments and feedback received. Following approval, officers from the Land & Property Team with engage with the Council’s communications team to ensure that details of the revised community asset transfer policy and toolkit are communicated to the wider community and included on the Council’s website, and that more use is made of the policy when future sites are identified. Officers will ensure that contact details are included and details on how the Council will assist community groups through the community asset transfer process, which was often quite complicated and time consuming. Encouraging and facilitating early conversations was key, and as such training for Councillors would be held to help them engage with local communities.

The following questions were submitted and answered in writing:

Muhammad Sajad Warraich:

It's clear to see that a lot of roads across Elton Ward and Bury have been left to ruin, with the council failing to spend its pothole budget to fill in the potholes in the roads. Please can the leader of the council provide an explanation for the systematic neglection of roads in Bury?

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that more than 12,000 potholes were filled across Bury this last financial year – and a further 12,000 will be tackled in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 231