BOTH myself and Bryn councillor Gary Wilkes have decided that the traditional councillors’ surgeries held in our old town halls don’t meet the needs of the public in the 21st century. Residents are now contacting their councillors using social media, emails and by phone. They are not prepared to wait to raise their issues until the next surgery, which is borne out by the poor attendance at these surgeries in all wards. Following the overwhelming success of recent street surgeries in the election period, we have decided to hold them once a month in Atherton on the last Saturday of each month.

The first Atherton street surgery will be held on Saturday, June 28 from 10.30am until 12.30pm when you will have the opportunity to sign the petition to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles to introduce a right of appeal, when a council refuses to accept the results of a Communities Governance Review, as was the case with Wigan MBC earlier in the year.

The petition has now got nearly 1,000 signatures, but we need many more before August when we hope to take it down to Westminster to present it to Eric Pickles in person.

If you haven’t signed it now’s your chance.

Just a reminder that the Atherton Business Partnership will be holding their summer market on the same day from 10am, so please come along and support your community as well as picking up a bargain.

CLR NORMAN BRADBURY
Hillside Avenue Atherton