Top GP spearheads ‘Defend the NHS’ campaign in Bury

PRESS RELEASE: Bury North Constituency Labour Party

A top GP and health expert is to spearhead a ‘Defend the NHS’ campaign event being held by Bury North Labour Party this Saturday (July 23rd).

Dr Aneez Esmail, a practicing clinician and Professor of General Practice at the University of Manchester, will outline his fears and misgivings about the Government’s shake-up of the NHS at the event, which is being held at Bury Met Studio Theatre from 2.30pm.

Dr Esmail, who was medical advisor to the Shipman Inquiry Chair Dame Janet Smith between 2001 and 2004, has a wealth of experience about the NHS, having practiced as a GP in the Manchester area from 1987 onwards, followed by duties as a public health physician.

He currently directs the ‘Masters in Public Health Programme’ at Manchester University, while retaining his front-line role as a clinician at an inner-city practice.

Bury Council announcement how to tackle the funding cuts

Bury Council leaders have announced their intention to open up the debate amongst the residents of Bury as to where money in the council is to be spent. Debate will include the township forum, which start in September, and from this year on, the budget consultation will start in the November to give more time for residents to digest the proposals. However, whether this process will simply involve administering the same cuts as previously envisaged by the Tory led Council, time will tell. 

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Also announced, was the intention to review the state of the council's civic halls, through an independent review. They say that until the review is complete, the halls will continue to operate as usual. 

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Defending the NHS and Stopping the Privatisation of Health Care

Market reforms threaten the future of an NHS that is equitable and free at the point of need. Pennine Acute NHS Hospital Trust is axing 800 jobs across its four hospitals at Fairfield, North Manchester, the Royal Oldham and Rochdale Infirmary. Come to show your support for the campaign that is building to stop this callous act from destroying one of Britain's greatest institutions.

Where: Rochdale Labour Club, 89/91 Oldham Road, Rochdale OL16 5QR

When: Thursday 23rd June 2011, 8.00pm

Speaker: Martin Rathfelder (Director Socialist Health Association) & NHS Clinician

ALL WELCOME

Organised and supported by
Greater Manchester Association of Trade Union Councils
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Trades Council
Socialist Health Association
Keep Our NHS Public

Letter to Bury Labour Party Leader Mike Connolly

Dear Councillor Connolly, 

Thanks for your courteous response to our questions before the election and congratulations to your group on taking control of the Council.

We are pleased that you plan to share power through an Executive and to open decision-making processes to public scrutiny. We will encourage individual members to take advantage of this new openness to pursue their own concerns about particular localities or services. As a group, we hope for an ongoing dialogue with you as leader, with members of your executive and with council officers as they implement your decisions. We see this letter as the first step in this dialogue.

We welcome your statement that ‘the transformation strategy’ is ‘dead in the water’ and that service reviews will start from the assumption ‘that services will be delivered in house’. We are pleased to hear of your intention to reverse planned cuts and particularly your commitment to a universal youth service, to the LAPs, to school crossing patrols and park rangers.

Outgoing Bury council leader resigns as Tory boss

The outgoing leader of Bury Council has resigned as the leader of the Conservative group.

Bob Bibby had led the authority for four years but lost control after Labour made six gains from the Tories and Lib Dems in the local elections.

Labour now has 26 councillors, the Tories 20 and the Lib Dems five, with Mike Connolly the new council leader.

A crucial seat was determined by drawing lots when two candidates in Ramsbottom each polled 1,822 votes.

Labour candidate Joanne Columbine beat Tory candidate Robert Hodkinson after they drew straws at the count at Castle Leisure Centre, Bury.

Mr Bibby has said he will stay on as a councillor for Church ward.

This article was reproduced from the BBC

Council Election Results

After the late drama in yesterday afternoons count in Ramsbottom, the Labour Party are now in charge of affairs at Bury Council. As predicted, the Lib Dems got a bit of a kicking nationwide, and lost four seats, to add to four lost by the Tories. These 8 gains boosted the Labour seats to 26, which has created an overall majority. You can get more information from the following links;

BBC News

Bury Times

Overall, this is a good result for our campaign to protect public services in Bury. The Labour Party has given its support to a number of key areas of concern that we raised prior to the election, and we have support in the group from councilors, members and supporters. Our next meeting will be next Tuesday, 10th May, at Bury Met, so please come along to discuss the next stages of the campaign

Liberal Democrats Response

Last week, Bury Action Group sent out a request to all candidates to answer a number of questions on where their party stands on a number of issues, and how they would approach them if elected.

Liberal Democrats - Tim J. Boaden
Constituency - Moorside