Councillor Kim-Il-Bibby: A Transparent, Strong Leader?

BAG Assistant Secretary, George Heron, reports back from last night's (30th March) council meeting to discuss the Transformation Strategy. A shortened letter also appeared in the Independent on the 2nd April.

In this week’s ‘Tuesday Essay’ Paul Vallely drew attention to the North Korean sounding ‘strong leader model’ of Council leadership in place in Bury and elsewhere. Councillor Leader Bob Bibby unexpectedly picked up the same theme during the Council Meeting the following day. In the midst of an outburst of self-justification whilst replying to the debate on his ‘Transformation Strategy’, he told colleagues that, as a ‘strong leader’ under the system brought in by a Labour government, he had no obligation to seek their approval for his plans. He was only inviting them to comment and vote on his ‘transformation strategy’ because of his personal commitment to ‘transparency’.

Paul Vallely noted that Councillor Bibby has gone ‘coy’ about his commitment to outsourcing and this was evident in the debate. References to wholesale privatisation, he said, were press misrepresentation. The review of each department at the heart of his strategy would be unbiased and concerned only with best value for money. If in-house provision was the cheapest, then so be it. For the Lib Dems Tim Pickstone welcomed the change of tone. A rational review was preferable to piecemeal, year-by-year cuts. Wholesale privatisation was not acceptable, but greater community involvement was highly desirable and the Lib Dems would promote this.

Independent runs story on Bury Council proposals

The Lancashire town of Bury has a radical approach to spending cuts – the council plans to privatise all its public services. Could it become a model for the whole nation? There is much more at stake than money, argues Paul Vallely.

Click here for the full article

26th March Demonstration in London

There are still two spare places allocated to Bury Action Group (BAG) on the CWU coach leaving Bury at 7 am: £10 or £5 for students please ring Judy on 0161 773 6211, or 07952 343755.

A number of those going are students and we want to share the burden of subsidising them between BAG members. If you can contribute £5, please contact Judy or George (07837 614405).

If you are currently looking after one of our banners please make sure it gets to London on Saturday - and let us know you are taking it. Please give us a mobile number and/or make sure you have Judy's and/or George's so we can form a group behind the banner on the day.

Looking forward to seeing you there

PRESS RELEASE: Keep on Telling the Council You Care

BAG Chair Sue Arnell presents Clr
Bob Bibby the petitions

The people of Bury have told the Council they do care who delivers their services – and trust council employees rather than outsiders. That is the message Bury Action Group have delivered to the Leader of the Council.

Councillor Bibby reportedly said that people in Bury did not care who collected their bins. His ‘transformation strategy’ included the assumption ‘that the council will not directly deliver services’. A paltry three week public consultation on the strategy included no public meetings and required members of the public to access the Council website to participate.

There was a huge positive response to our petition saying council services were ‘not for sale’. In six hours standing near the Millgate Centre we collected around 800 signatures for the petition – two people signed every minute. We were able to deliver the petitions to Councillor Bibby in person outside the Town Hall last Friday afternoon (18th March).

Radcliffe LAP to be curtailed

It has come to our attention that Radcliffe Local Area Partnership (LAP) scheme is to be cancelled. This is one of six LAPs under threat following recent budget cuts announced by the minority Tory Council. According to attendees, the decision to stop meetings was only announced on the night, with no details as to what would replace it. The Prestwich group are due to meet tomorrow (Thursday).

Radcliffe LAP comprises of the electoral wards of Radcliffe North, Radcliffe East and Radcliffe West. In addition to the market town of Radcliffe, are the villages of Ainsworth and Starling, part of Bradley Fold, Black Lane, Outwood and Chapel Field.

Latest News from BAG meeting

Last night's organising meeting decided we should have a stall in Bury on Friday this week from 12 - 2pm near the Halifax/Bury Interchange (see photo attachment of last week's stall for location or ring 0161 798 8762 to check). At 2pm we will take all the completed petition forms to the Town Hall to hand them in. A journalist from The Independent has been in touch with us and may be around to take photos. PLEASE HELP WITH THIS IF YOU CAN.

If you have not yet sent a comment on the Transformation Strategy to Bury Council please do so before Sunday (click here).

National Demonstration Against the Cuts

Bury Unison are putting on a coach for the TUC demo in London on 26th March. This is looking like it will be a huge march. There are a number of trains and coaches going from Greater Manchester and many hundreds from across the country. For Unison members the cost is £5 and for non Unison members the cost is £10. You need to contact the Bury Unison office to get a ticket : 17 Knowsley St, Bury BL9 0ST, 0161 253 5176, email unison@bury.gov.uk.

Help us to challenge the Transformation Strategy

Whilst we are still reeling from the cuts which were announced at the budget meeting a few weeks ago, Bury Council is moving on. Well, now we have Bury's Transformation Strategy. This is, in effect, its agenda for future cuts. Every service will be reviewed and the assumption will be that it should be handed over to the private or voluntary sector unless the existing providers can show they would be more efficient. We have until 20th March to comment on this process.

This is the weblink to the process: http://www.bury.gov.uk/transformation/default.asp

We want to encourage everyone - our members and other citizens of Bury to:
1. Register their objections to the transformation agenda through the 'consultation' process and to
2. Write to their councillors objecting both to this inadequate consultation and the transformation agenda itself. Comments and queries for this will follow soon

URGENT: Bury Council to outsource services??

It has come to our attention that Bury Council are seeking to privatise and outsource ALL services that they currently provide. The purpose of this strategy, potentially, will be to hand over services such as library and leisure facilities, youth provision, learning disabilities, parks and highways, for example, to private companies, charities or voluntary groups. The consultation process will end on the 20th March will a decision due on the 24th according to the Council website.

Bury Action Group would vigorously oppose such a move. We would suggest that services such as those mentioned above can only be run by an organisation (i.e. the council) which is accountable to the people of Bury and which puts the needs of its residents first over profit. We are asking supporters to contact their councilors and to lobby them to come out in opposition to this regressive policy which will see private profit put before social needs.

There are two articles on this in the MEN and Bury Times. You can view the Transformation Strategy by clicking here

Further statements will be released in due course