Peter Ernest Evans
Liberal Democrat Party
Littleborough Lakeside Ward
Address
111 Brown Lodge Drive
Littleborough
Rochdale
OL15 0ET
I have thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of representing the people of Littleborough. Some of the challenges have been particularly important - like supporting Littleborough Civic Trust when they sought seed funding for the Town Design Statement.
We currently have other important problems to resolve satisfactorily such as the flooding caused when the water course off the moors was diverted and which results in a million gallons of extra water hitting Littleborough every 23 minutes during periods of heavy or prolonged rain or during a thaw. I appeared on TV with Paul Rowen MP to raise awareness and I now await a suitable response from RMBC officers.
Planning issues have caused confusion frequently over the years and I have endeavoured to explain how decisions are controlled by frequent amendments to planning rules imposed by central government. It is wise to bear in mind that RMBC are fined heavily if we ignore any of the rules - it is a complex process. As councillors, we can impose conditions aimed at protecting residents fairly - which we do often. The Civic Trust with their TDS have played a major part in all this.
I am Chair of the Littleborough Canal side Development Group and the NW Organophosphate Action Group - positions which I have maintained during my year as Mayor of Rochdale. Our local libraries have performed magnificently and they have my full support.
Recent issues successfully dealt with include acquiring a new refuse bin when RMBC appears to have delayed too long, clearing many blocked drains - one of which RMBC initially claimed was not their responsibility! The road design in Branch Road was ordered to be changed from a design which would have resulted in a row of cottage gardens being flooded every time it rained heavily.
We've seen youth problems quelled and the Hollingworth Lake Fair pass without major incident this year - next year we should see Residents' Parking zones introduced to make life more tolerable. The list goes on!
I still enjoy doing this work and I hope to continue striving to improve things for Littleborough.
