“Let’s take the Parish Council to the people” says councillor

Saddleworth Parish Council should go out to the people, says Liberal Democrat Councillor Helen Bishop, who is proposing that the Parish Council takes meetings out to the community to better engage with people on what they want. 

The Councillor is proposing that around half the Parish Council meetings take place in village halls around Saddleworth, with additional time given over to engagement with the residents to make sure their voices get heard. 

Liberal Democrats Councillor Helen Bishop said: “I want to make sure that the Parish Council is doing what people want. Often people don’t realise how much the Parish Council does deliver, or think it is responsible for things that the Borough does.

“I want to see Parish Council meetings to be a forum for people to come forward with their issues – so that we can work on exactly what people want. And if it’s something that is someone else’s responsibility, we’ll help the public to get their views heard there too.”

Councillor Bishop proposed the changes to a task and finish group of the Council dedicated to making the Council work more effectively. 

She added: “I can’t think of anything more effective than hearing first hand from people what they want us to work on, and then getting on and doing it. The community should always come first – that’s always been one of our core values, and we’re going to deliver on that.”