Northenden Parish plans snubbed – again

Article published: Monday, October 26th 2009

Plans to establish a parish council in Northenden have yet again been rejected by Labour councillors at last week’s Constitutional Committee.

Despite over 60 per cent of respondents backing the proposal in a recent consultation, Labour councillors voted it down for the third time in over two years.

The Northenden Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Eakins has led the campaign in an attempt to revitalise the community. Eakins said: “Northenden has declined visibly from 20 years ago”, changing from a town with a variety of local shops to “one long streets of takeaways”. Eakins added that the town is now used as a “cut-through” to reach surrounding areas and Manchester Airport, producing “a detachment of community”.

Residents spoke to MULE of their desire for change, describing how “the life has been sucked out of Northenden” over a period of time. Key areas which have been targeted for improvement include the library, which, according to one local, at present “resembles a portacabin”. Others suggested that there are too many young people on the streets with very little to do. Cllr Eakins is proposing a “new library, youth facilities and a community hall all in one” in response.

The reason provided by Labour councillors for blocking the parish council, was that the 60 per cent response rate – 620 people – to the questionnaires posted to residents across the ward was too low to be considered legitimate.

This contrasts with the one per cent response rate to the recent mayor consultation, a figure the council deemed legitimate.

Labour has also identified the expenses involved in setting a levy as a principal argument against the establishment of the parish council. Lib Dem councillors intend to set a precept at £12 per year for every household on top of council tax. Cllr Eakins feels that the levy would provide a platform for large sums of inward investment in order to give residents the opportunity of have their say over the future of the village.

Eakins hopes that Lib Dem councillors will be able to force the council to accept the results of the consultation in line with legislation of the Local Government Act 2007. As he told MULE, “The principal council must give consideration to the results, but they have ignored them.”

A secondary approach is the proposition of a referendum to obtain a definitive answer once-and-for-all, which has so far been resisted by the council. A final decision on the will be taken in December.

Adam Faulkner

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Comments

1. If this a distric council review then no wonder they wont agree to it. It errodes their powers. However, if the call for the creation of a Parish Council is through a ‘Public Petition’ then as long as the petition is…
   signed by 10% of the population it is a different ball game altogether.

   Comment by Slightly Mooshed on October 26, 2009 at 10:46 pm

2. Whoops!… Continued….

   … is signed by 10% of the local government electors in the area concerned…

   …also the petition must also specify one or more proposed recommendations, i.e. that you want to create a Parish Council.

   Under the 1997 Local Government & Rating Act Parish Reviews, the district council has a right to add comments to a proposal but CANNOT BLOKE A PETITION.

   When the Secretary of State receives a petition he may accept it or reject it, or refer it to the Local Government Commission for review.

   Check out:”Create a Council” at

   http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Toolkits/Create_a_Council/Create_a_council.aspx

   Comment by Slightly Mooshed on October 26, 2009 at 11:05 pm

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