Bury council's decision to dispose of a 'green oasis' in Radcliffe to make way for a pupil referral unit was 'flawed' and failed to take into account 28 objections, councillors have heard.
On October 14, the authority's Labour cabinet decided to dispose of open green space, known locally as Milton Meadows, to make way for an alternative provision school which could cater to 136 children. The school would be a non-mainstream setting for pupils with additional educational and behavioural needs.
However, the decision was called in for scrutiny by Radcliffe First councillors Judi Shepherd and Carol Birchmore, who uncovered that the report the cabinet acted on only contained 20 objections from residents about the proposals when in fact 48 had been sent.
Cabinet report 'flawed' and 'undercooked'
Deputy council leader and cabinet member for finance, Labour's Sean Thorpe, told a council scrutiny meeting that the report he presented to cabinet was 'flawed' and 'undercooked'.
He said: "I presented a paper to cabinet on October 14 and answered questions put my members of the public and elected members. I did feel at the time that the detail level of the report was somewhat undercooked. So although I was disappointed, it did not surprise me when I learned that significant omissions were discovered in the paper I presented.
"Our democratic process depends on the integrity and transparency to maintain public trust and I thank councillors Shepherd and Birchmore for their diligence in unearthing these issues. Robust decision making depends on rigorous scrutiny to deter complacency an two-dimensional thinking. I welcome that scrutiny.
"I accept the original decision by cabinet was flawed. I support the recommendation to refer this back to cabinet for further consideration."
Missing objections raised by councillors
Coun Judi Shepherd, who instigated the call in, said: "The cabinet's decision to dispose of Milton fields on October 14 was incomplete, it omitted objections. The public open spaces process is and important safeguard and residents are entitled to expect their objections to be properly considered before a decision is made.
"Cabinet was told there were 20 objections and there were 48, which means more than half were missing from the account presented to cabinet. How can they confidently say those omissions made no difference to the decision."
Previously, neighbours raised a number of concerns about the plans, including loss of the open space, crime, safety, traffic and the impact on residents without gardens. Over recent years, volunteers have spent 'hundreds of hours' transforming the land, clearing it, trimming hedges and planting flowers. They said the aim was to transform it into an 'oasis' in the middle of what has been described as a 'very depressing estate'.
On providing a site for the pupil referral unit, the council has said it is bound by legal agreements with the Oak Learning Partnership academy trust to provide a permanent school setting in the borough by September 2028. Currently, the trust provides education for this cohort of students in two temporary centres – one at the New Kershaw centre and the other in Whittaker Street, Radcliffe. The council fears the trust could take legal action if this agreement is not honoured. It could also withdraw current provision and renegotiate existing placements.
Council officer admits error
Robert Summerfield is the head of regeneration at the council. His department produced the report to cabinet at the centre of the call in process. He told the meeting: "I acknowledge that this was an error and that it shouldn't have happened. One of the primary roles of officers is to provide accurate information. We failed in this regard under my watch. We will be analysing every element of this process."
The committee voted to refer the decision back to cabinet to be considered this time with all relevant information, including the missing 28 objections and other written comments made at a public consultation event on September 29. Other recommendations on improving processes will also be given to cabinet by the scrutiny committee.
