Parish Council Chairman

Councillor Brian Lord

This is the third time that I have had the honour of being Chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council. Sadly it is only because of the sudden and unexpected death of the Vice Chairman Cllr Ken Hulme which required someone to take up the post at very short notice and who could hit the floor running. Nevertheless it is no less a pleasure than it was in 1995 when I did it the first time.

Being Chairman enables you to see all sorts of things which are going on in Saddleworth which otherwise you may not have been aware of. It never ceases to amaze me as to how many of our people give so much of their time to help others and to keep local traditions going. It is no wonder that people flock from all over to visit Saddleworth and join in or simply enjoy our traditional events and beautiful scenery.

The Parish has a vital role to play in ensuring that the voice and wishes of the population are heard, not just by the principal council but also by the institutions that provide our services and those who have a say in local life.

This year will see the start of a new look Parish Council where the way the Council is run will be dramatically changed with new standing orders and power moved from the Chairman to leaders of the new committees. The next most important move will see the Parish start meaningful consultations with OMBC with a view to it running some of the services presently provided by Oldham. This will be enabled by the implementation of the new Localism Bill. It will not be an easy process but one that we will engage with vigor.

As ever the very willing and hard working group, of mainly ladies, who make up the Chairman's Charity Committee will relentlessly battle the recession to raise money for our chosen charities which this year are - Oldham Hospital League of Friends, Oldham Diabetic Volunteer Group and Macmillan Cancer Support plus of course local voluntary groups and clubs.

I look forward to a very busy and enjoyable year.