Agenda and minutes

Members of the Township Forum are asked to consider whether they have an interest in any of the matters on the Agenda and if so, to formally declare that interest.

Councillor Bevan declared a personal interest in anything relating to education in Bury as his wife was employed at a Bury school.

It was agreed:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 September 2016 be approved as a correct record.

There were no matters arising.

Councillor Rishi Shori, the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive Mike Owen attended the meeting to consult with those present on the budget options for the coming three years.

It was explained that the main objectives were to lead, shape and maintain a prosperous Bury that was fit for the future.

Councillor Shori reported that Bury was a popular place to live and the town centre was the third most popular in Greater Manchester after the Trafford Centre and Manchester City Centre.

Bury Council was the biggest employer and provider of services in the town with a £448 million turnover.

Mike Owen set out where the Council’s money came from and explained that there had been a reduction of £65 million in Government funding since 2010 with a further £32 million to be cut up to 2020.

It was explained that if Bury had been funded per head to the same level nationally it would have an extra £9 million and if it had been funded per head to the same level as Greater Manchester it would have £18 million extra.

How the Council spent its money was set out:-

•      Adult Social Care         £46.8 million

•      Looked after Children   £10.6 million

•      Waste Disposal            £12.5 million

•      Highways                   £6.4 million

•      Refuse Collection         £4.0 million

•      Libraries                     £2.4 million

•      Parks & Open Spaces   £2.2 million

•      Sports & Leisure          £1.2 million

It was also explained that there were other demands such as the population living longer but needing added support in later life.

There were unknown variables to consider such as inflation, rises in energy prices and other levies.

The Council were constantly looking for efficiency savings and were planning to transform services across the three Council Departments:-

Resource and Regulation – Proposed cut of £7m

Children, Young People and Culture – Proposed cut of £7.7m

Communities and Wellbeing – Proposed cut of £17.7m

It was explained that for Resource and Regulation there would be more collaborative working with other organisations and providers, further income generation, investment in the highways network to improve the network and reduce the repair bill, joint enforcement, further treasury management in relation to property investment and back office service reconfiguration

For Children and Young People there will be optimisation of external funding, development of the Early Years Provision, and development of the fostering and looked after children service, service reviews, a management restructure and changes to school funding regime.

Communities and Wellbeing were focussing on bringing together health and social care services with joint commissioning, review of operational services, review of leisure and wellbeing services, review of the organisational structure and transport arrangements.

It was explained that the Council will still have to deliver statutory services but would also want to have aspirations to tackle inequalities and support life chances.

It was also explained that the Council could not raise the Council Tax by more than 2% and the Social Care Precept by more than 3%.

Those present were given the opportunity to ask  ...  view the full minutes text for item RTNM.444

A presentation will be given at the meeting.

Kat Sowden, MD of Persona attended the meeting to explain the work of Persona and to ask for local residents to get involved in the way that Persona provides its services.

It was explained that Persona was a local authority trading company providing social care to older people and adults with learning disabilities.

It was explained that Persona operates across a range of community settings including day and residential care centres.

Persona’s Purpose was explained:-

Quality - Delivering high quality services.

Involvement - Working with local communities and key partners to think creatively and innovatively.

Listening - Listening to what people have got to say about us and learning.

Responsive – Responding to the needs of local communities.

Communication – Keeping in touch with all our partners and communities

Kat explained that most people will have an interest in social care at some point in their lives whether it is through a friend or relative or for themselves.

It was reported that Persona currently have an employee’s forum where employees could raise any issues and make suggestions in relation to the services provided and the way that future services could be provided. It was now hoped that a Stakeholders Forum could be established to allow for current service users and future service users to have an input in service provision.

It was explained that here will be several ways for members to get involved in the stakeholder forum and Persona want to hear from a people who have a passion for making a difference:-

Face-to-Face: meetings, workshops, events, mystery shopping

Virtual: Face book, twitter, you tube, LinkedIn

Informal: Email, surveys, telephone surveys

If anybody required more information they could contact Persona the following ways:-

·         Telephone on 0161 253 6000

·         Website at www.personasupport.org

·         Email at info@personasupport.org 

Those present were given the opportunity to make comments and ask questions and the following points were raised:-

·         Councillor Gunther stated that it was good to ask people what they would like to be provided but asked whether further services could be afforded.

Kat explained that it may not be about costs, it could be something simple as a trip to the market instead of being at a day centre. It was also explained that Persona also provided services that people could purchase and not just commissioned services.

·         Councillor Bevan asked whether Persona would be providing domiciliary care in the future.

It was explained that this was not something that was being considered.

It was agreed:

That Kat be thanked for the presentation.

·         Dr Binns explained that there had been a reduced service in relation to clearing fallen leaves in Holcombe Village and the situation was becoming dangerous in certain areas of the village.

She asked whether it would be possible to hold a site visit to discuss the situation and possible options.

·         A member of the public explained that there had been a long standing issue of a blocked culvert under Harwood Road which caused major problems when it rained. It was asked whether anything could be done to help fix the problem.

Councillor Wright explained that a lot of investigation work had been carried out in relation to this issue but the solution had not been found.

·         A member of the public reported that the two car parks behind the shops in Tottington Village were full of litter towards the rear of them. The Council would not clear it as it was private land and the shops or brewery weren’t interested either. It was asked what could be done to help get the rubbish removed?

Councillor Wright suggested a request for local residents to help with a clean up day and possible posters asking people not to drop litter.

It was also suggested that the pub’s licensing responsibilities be looked into and whether there were any requirements to clear the car park of litter.

·         Ian Henderson reported that the litter bin outside the Co Op in Tottington Village had a broken door on the front which kept swinging open. There had been a number of temporary fixes made to it but it was still broken. It was asked whether this could be fixed properly by the Council.

·         A member of the public referred to the bridge in Summerseat and asked if it was known when it would be rebuilt.

Councillor Gunther reported that there had been a public meeting which had also been attended by Mike Owen the Council’s Chief Executive. At the meeting it had been reported that there was the possibility of putting in a temporary Bailey Bridge. It was explained that when the bridge is rebuilt it would have to have a pedestrian walkway. This means that the land required may have to be compulsory purchased in order for this to happen. It was explained that the decision on compulsory purchase would be made at the end of January.

·         Dr Binns asked whether anybody present could update the Forum on the prospect of West Pennine Moor becoming a site of special scientific interest. It was explained that if this was the case it would incorporate Holcombe Hill. As far a Dr Binns was aware there was currently a consultation being carried out but people weren’t aware of it. It was asked whether the consultation could be promoted in some way.

·         Dr Binns also explained that there had been a large number of visitors to Holcombe in the recent months which was a good thing but the access road to the Front of Peel Tower needed repairing. Dr  ...  view the full minutes text for item RTNM.446

The funding report is attached for information.

The funding report was attached to the agenda for information.

Councillor Bevan stated that there was still quite a large amount of funding available and asked that this be promoted to local organisations that would benefit from it.

It was agreed:

That the funding report be noted