E-Focus | Steve Middletons blog

Unsworth local election debate Monday 30th April at Hollins Community Centre

On Monday 30th April, Spotted Unsworth: Uncut will be hosting a special Question Time-style debate. The three Unsworth ward local election candidates vying for your vote on Thursday 3rd May will be on the panel, to answer questions from the moderator and local residents. The debate starts at 7.30pm at Hollins Community Centre and the…

Six Town Housing Launch Annual Gardening Competition

SIX Town Housing are inviting green-fingered residents to show off their gardening efforts in their annual competition. The competition aims to celebrate the hard work of residents living in homes Six Town Housing manage across Bury. The judges are looking for attractive gardens and impressive hanging baskets belonging to tenants, along with schools, youth clubs…

Bury Libraries E-Books Download Service

We don’t have a library anymore in Unsworth or Whitefield (Bury Labour closed them), however you can now download and read or listen to thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks from Bury libraries through Borrowbox. The following information is provided by Bury’s library service: Want to know more? It’s Borrowbox Week from 24 to 29 April,…

Hollins Brow to close for 5 weeks for resurfacing works

With thanks to the excellent Spotted Unsworth Facebook group, I am informed that Hollins Brow will be closing on Tuesday 8th May 2018 for approximately 5 weeks so that the council can re-surface the road. The diversion route will via Hollins Lane, Parr Lane and Sunny Bank Road to Manchester Road (and vice-versa).

New planning application – Unsworth (Hollins)

The following planning application has been received by Bury Council for a development in Unsworth ward. Change of use from church hall (Class D1) to office with store and workshop area (Class B1) Open for Comment Unsworth Methodist Church, Hollins Lane, Bury, BL9 8AW Ref. No: 62667 | Received: Wed 04 Apr 2018 | Validated:…

NHS Bury announce cuts of £5.2 million

Bury’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has announced cuts of £5.2 million for the financial year just started, towards meeting an expected £7.3 million deficit for the year. The cuts agreed are: Primary Care (GPs etc) £1.1 million – the largest items being: – Terminating the Vulnerable Patient Scheme, saving c£0.1m. – Terminating the Clinical…

Voting information – are you registered to vote?

Important Local elections take place on Thursday 3rd May 2018, so now is s good time to make sure you are registered to vote. Poll cards are being sent to all those who are currently on the electoral register. If you have not received a poll card in a couple of weeks, please contact 0161…

Set to close?

Unsworth library building update

Several months after closing both Unsworth and Whitefield libraries, taking a whole bunch of community services with them when they went, Bury’s Labour party are patting themselves on the back and telling residents they’ve “saved” the buildings. In fact, the buildings are likely to be sold to the Elms Bank School and Elms Bank Specialist…

Bury Pride 7 April 2018

The second Bury LGBT Pride event takes place on Saturday 7 April and promises to be another fun-packed celebration of diversity. Pop icon Toyah Willcox is the headline attraction on this colourful occasion which features music, food, entertainment and a walking rainbow through the town centre. Tickets for Bury Pride are free and are available…

Volunteers Needed – OASIS Whitefield

There are exciting times ahead at OASIS – the following information is provided by OASIS: We are looking to extend our opening hours and activities and have lots of great ideas for families, including after school groups, family film sessions, lunches and more. But in order to make these plans a reality, successful and affordable…

Free First Aid Workshops

In an effort to reach relevant groups British Red Cross are asking local groups if they are willing to arrange first aid sessions for people who may come into contact with our targeted risk groups. Everyday first aid sessions are being offered, by the British Red Cross, strategically to people most likely to use their…

Bury Council Budget and Council Tax Rise

Local residents will now be receiving their council tax bills for the upcoming 2018/2019 financial year. I am sure many of you have noticed it has increased significantly compared to last year. At Bury’s Budget Council Meeting the proposals from the majority Labour Group were voted through. This is a Council Tax rise of 5.94% from…

Answers to Questions: School Crossing Patrols, Fly-tipping and Ring and Ride

At all meetings of Bury’s Full Council your team of Liberal Democrat councillors use the maximum entitlement to ask questions of the Councils Leadership. Questions at the most recent meeting included: Could the Leader of the Council please inform members now many school crossing patrols are currently not operational, and how many others do not…

Gritting Map

I must admit, until recently, I did not know that Bury Council published a helpful map and list of routes across Unsworth and Bury that they have gritted. Given the recent bad weather, this may prove useful. Simply click on the map below to be taken to the Council’s website, where a updated and scrollable…

Could you represent Bury in the International Youth Sports Festival?

Young people aged 14 to 18 could enjoy the trip of a lifetime and represent Bury in the International Youth Sports Festival. The event gives talented boys and girls the chance to compete against those from Bury’s twinned and friendship towns in European countries, and experience new cultures and make lifelong friends. This year’s festival…

Bury New Road is FIFTH worst congested road in the UK

A global study of traffic and congestion published by INRIX has shown that Bury New Road (the A56) from Salford up to Prestwich is the FIFTH worst road in the UK for traffic congestion, outside of London. The A6 through Stockport is the 8th worst, the A560/A6 through Salford the 10th worst. More information INRIX and…

Bury Council gives away books after closing 10 libraries

At the start of this year Bury Council closed 10 out of the 14 libraries across the borough, and slashed the opening times of the four that are left. Now community group, charities and schools are all eligible to select items which are no longer required by the library service. Those who are part of…

Walk-in Centres Saved? (Or perhaps not…)

Bury’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) used a verbal update reported through several Twitter posts to inform residents that the two Walk-In Centres in bury (Bury and Prestwich) are not closing on 31 March 2018. Residents may recall that the consultation on the closure of both centres was ‘paused’ earlier this year by the CCG,…

Apologies for my absence

After a long break from writing on the website and in the Unsworth e-Focus newsletter, I am delighted to announce a return to regular publishing here. A combination of needing permission from work to stand and campaign in elections as well as the time and effort I have spent attempting to gain my private pilot’s…

Whitefield Mercedes dealership plans to build on Unsworth nature reserve

Not content with demolishing three perfectly good cottages to make way for 20 “customer car parking spaces” LSH Auto Properties (UK) who own the dealership on Manchester Road have submitted a further planning application for 22 “staff car parking spaces”. This is before the original planning application for customer car parking spaces has even been…