Bury’s council leader has been challenged on whether he is ‘choosing to ignore’ a 6,100 name petition calling for the controversial Places For Everyone development plan to be revisited.
Last July, Bury Council narrowly backed a much-delayed masterplan for building new homes and creating jobs which will release thousands of acres of
green belt land in the borough for housing and industry.
All opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors voted against the plans, citing grave concerns about the release of 1,700 hectares of green belt areas for housing and industry in the Elton reservoir, Walshaw and Simister areas.
In the aftermath of the decision, a petition with more than 6,100 signatures was submitted to the council in November.
At a meeting of Bury full council, Conservative councillor Iain Gartside challenged the Labour run council over a lack of response to the petition.
He said: “Over the summer months Bury Conservatives went out with our army of volunteers and spoke to thousands of residents in Whitefield, Prestwich, Radcliffe, Tottington, Ramsbottom and Bury.
“What was clear was the overwhelming support to revisit the Places For Everyone scheme that was passed by this council.
“The petition had 6,103 signatures, the largest amount of signatures I’ve ever seen on a petition presented to this council.
“Can I ask the leader, it was presented in November, we are now on the second council meeting since that petition since that was presented.
“Do I assume that the leader is going to ignore the wishes of those 6,103 residents of our borough?
“If he is going to ignore them, what is the point of our petitions process in this council?”
Bury Council’s petition process state that those which contain 2,500 signatures or more will first be subject to a 10 per cent verification and then considered by the appropriate cabinet member who may choose to deal with the petition personally or refer the petition for submission to the council.
Council leader Eamonn O’Brien responded to the allegation.
He said: “When the petition was placed with the council it has to go through a period of verification and was not ready for the last council meeting.
“So we didn’t have a verified petition then.
“It’s since been verified and it sits with me for response which I’m in process of pulling together.
“One of the reasons it’s took some time is that there has already been a consultation on this.
” One of many consultations on this topic.
“I wanted to understand the full effect of that consultation.
“The Conservatives seem to be saying forget the consultation, we’ve done a petition instead.
“We have either got to respect consultations or not.
“Once the feedback on the consultation is complied I will then be in a position to give a response to the petition and make a fully informed judgement on where we go from here.
“Part of the process is that this goes to a public examination which is the real test of the soundness of this plan.
“I would argue that if members opposite and indeed campaign groups do not agree this plan is sound then that is the forum in which we will test that.
“There has been a vote, there has been a debate, there’s been a consultation and there is the public examination as part of that process.
“Rather than trying to revisit in the middle of all that we encourage that the process is followed.”
