Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Fitzgerald and Councillor A Arif.

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee are asked to consider whether they have an interest in any matters on the agenda and, if so, to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes from the meeting held on 9^th December 2025 are attached.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2025 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

A period of 30 minutes has been set aside for members of the public to ask questions on matters considered at the last meeting and set out in the minutes or on the agenda for tonight’s meeting.

There were no public questions.

Questions are invited from Elected Members about items on the agenda. 15 minutes will be set aside for Member Question Time, if required.

Councillor Berry asked a question about the cost of budget consultation and whether the response was poor and not value for money?

Councillor Thorpe responded stating that he didn’t believe it was a poor consultation. 726 respondents was an improvement on the previous years consultation.  Councillor Thorpe reminded member that the consultation is an exercise we undertake with the public and act as transparently as possible. He committed to getting back to Councillor Berry with cost information.

Councillor Berry asked a question about Elton Resevoir and whether the council will ensure all ecological surveys are acknowledged and protections put in place.

Cllr O'Brien responded confirming we could take confidence in the plan as it has been one of most scrutinised plans in country, in-depth and over a decade and has withstood the test at public hearings. There is no dispute that this will cause an impact, however putting in as much protection as possible including mitigations around bio diversity net gain.   

Councillor Mike Smith asked a question about budget and what exploration has been done on increasing rents will have on residents in general and especially those not in receipt of housing benefit.  Councillor Thorpe responded confirming that we had followed national guidance on rent setting and an impact assessment had been carried out.

Councillor Mike Smith asked a question about the development frameworksand whether it is likely the requirements for PFE may make some schemes unviable or that developers can claim requirement for affordable housing is unviable?

Councillor O'Brien confirmed that developments are means tested through the planning applications and it is hard to pre-empt  every question / application that comes forward having these frameworks in place is a way for the council to keep developers in check, Council has good reputation about going above and beyond requirements and delivering affordable housing he remains confident we can continue to deliver affordable housing

Report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation is attached

Councillor Thorpe introduced the budget reports, noting that rental costs were increasing and that, following the budget?setting process, the Council faced a structural gap of just under £10 million. The priority remained to deliver a sustainable and legally compliant budget, as required by the Section 151 Officer. A zero?based budgeting exercise had been undertaken, which concluded that the authority was likely facing a deficit in the region of £14 million due to increased demand pressures, higher than expected pay awards, and inflationary costs.

Directorates had been challenged to identify savings, as discussed at the previous Overview & Scrutiny meeting. Some progress had been made, supported by an improved government settlement and a £1.6 million movement relating to the Greater Manchester pension fund. The remaining budget gap now stood at £3.9 million, reflecting significant progress, although the overall challenge was becoming increasingly difficult, particularly given rising demand in adult and children’s social care and the increasing costs associated with meeting that demand. Work was ongoing to ensure that emerging pressures did not undermine the Council’s future financial resilience.

The Chair, Councillor Vernon, noted that a substantial portion of the budget had been considered in December and acknowledged the delayed publication of the papers. The Director of Finance explained that the timing of the meeting had contributed to this, with Cabinet papers being published first, and confirmed that meeting cycles would need reviewing. Significant detail within the government settlement also required further analysis.

Councillor Birchmore asked questions regarding the highways budget (page 135), specifically the amount allocated for road resurfacing and the reason £9.5 million had been rephased. She also asked whether any staff redundancies were planned for the forthcoming year. Councillor Thorpe confirmed that project delivery was expected toward the latter part of the budget window, highlighting a maintenance allocation of £2.549 million,  He confirmed that no redundancies were planned, although reductions in agency staffing, improved management of sickness absence and exploring different ways of working would contribute to savings.

Councillor Moss raised a question about financial risks linked to school academisation. Councillor Thorpe explained that it was now easier to predict which schools might convert, with only a small number still outside trusts. Catholic and Church of England schools were under no pressure to academise, and any deficits would return to the Council upon conversion. He noted that a school could move between surplus and deficit within a year. The Director of Finance added that the Council had a clear understanding of school?related financial risks, particularly through services traded with schools, and confirmed that the Commercial Board monitored risks to ensure services remained cost?effective. Councillor Thorpe added that financial planning depended heavily on pupil numbers.

Councillor Moss also asked about the projected decline in reserves over the next three years and noted the absence of reference to the budget stabilisation reserve. Councillor Thorpe explained that the reserve covered both budget and business stabilisation but would not be sufficient to close the gap on its own. Detailed  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC.91

Report and appendices from the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation are attached.

It was agreed:

·       The Budget update be noted

Report from the Council Leader Councillor E O’Brien Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached

Councillor Vernon recommended that the discussion should be on all three reports as a lot of the conversation would be relevant to each report.  Members agreed with this approach.

Councillor O’Brien introduced the reports and thanked the team for all their hard work pulling the information together.   Members were reminded that sites and frameworks being discussed have been a big issue in Bury over the last decade.  The discussion at this meeting is not about rerunning those debates but about the reports presented. 

There is a requirement to make sure there is the infrastructure to underpin each development including:

• Transport infrastructure such as appropriate new roads, tram stops, public transport, active travel
• Social infrastructure such as public services, schools, health, shops, local centres, recreation provision
• Green and blue infrastructure such as remining land nature parks, ecological mitigations, drainage

The frameworks seek to put in place the strongest possible safeguards to protect the infrastructure. 

Subject to the decision taken at cabinet on 11 February 2026, the consultation around these frameworks will be launched.  Welcome all constructive feedback, suggestions and opportunity to make these plans better, stronger and clearer.

Councillor Southworth asked a question around existing public rights of way and when these would be updated.  Councillor O’Brien responded that this is an example where development can enhance some areas.  Through planning conditions we can ensure that public rights of way are upgraded and made more accessible.

Councillor Southworth asked a further question regarding the ecology strategy plan and whether the council were going to purchase some of the open space specifically around the Walshaw site?  Councillor O’Brien responded that the council would be looking to work with developers to ensure off road paths are maintained. 

Councillor Harris asked a question around sustainability of the Walshaw site as well as existing issues with traffic, lack of school places and drainage.  Councillor O’Brien responded that there will be new link roads and there is a separate report being taken to cabinet on the Bury West Transport Framework which looks in detail at the types of planning that goes into these schemes. Better public transport interventions especially connecting Atom Valley to Bury and a tram/train route between Bury and Heywood are being reviewed including making walking and cycling more accessible. Councillor O’Brien also highlighted the opportunities to fix some of the infrastructure around drainage and make it better than it is now including looking at sustainable drainage systems.

Councillor Harris queried the cost to upgrade water systems and Councillor O’Brien agreed that this would be an issue. It was highlighted that at planning application stage, they will need to be accompanied by sustainable drainage proposals.

Councillor Moss queried drainage issues at the Simister Bowlee site with increased hard surfacing from development that may exacerbate flooding on the existing area.  Councillor O’Brien confirmed that the measures discussed regarding Walshaw will also be in place at Elton and Simister Bowlee.

Councillor Birchmore queried the term ‘affordable housing’.  Councillor O’Brien agreed it was a subjective word, there  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC.93

Report from the Council Leader Councillor E O’Brien Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached

It was agreed that Overview and Scrutiny:

i.               Note the content of the Simister Bowlee Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1);

ii.              Provide feedback on the content of the Simister Bowlee Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1)

Report from the Leader Councillor E O’Brien Cabinet member for Strategic Growth

It was agreed that Overview and Scrutiny:

i.               Note the content of the Elton Reservoir Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1);

ii.              Provide feedback on the content of the Elton Reservoir Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1).

Any other business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair agrees may be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business.