SADDLEWORTH Parish Council’s new chair has promised to try and make it more relevant and visible.
Cllr Helen Bishop has taken on the chains from Cllr Barbara Beeley.
And she wasted no time in signalling her intent to make the authority more accessible and, in her words, more relevant.
Cllr Bishop said: “Saddleworth is an eccentric place.
“It welcomes and embraces progress, creativity and tradition and transforms it into a unique community.
“It is our responsibility to do our bit to protect that.
“As a parish council, we will continue to operate with a sense of decency and fairness regardless of political parties, showing respect for others and welcoming healthy debate.
“To this end, I hope that there will be changes ahead that make it more sustainable and even more relevant. To be more practical, more flexible and more relatable.
“There are a few ideas that I’d like to explore. Not all will be possible in one year, but I hope they will form the basis for future direction and reviews of the way we work to make sure we adapt with the ever-changing challenges we are presented with.
“These include a review of Civic Hall operations, recruiting more volunteers and maybe even looking into collective purchasing with other organisations.
“We’re also hopefully going to launch our own merchandise and a new website dedicated to promoting weddings and events at the Civic Hall.
“We should consolidate on the important environmental work being undertaken by councillors on all sides of the table – addressing the very real impact of the changing climate in Saddleworth and how we can work as a community to mitigate the worst impacts, like rain catchment and filtration systems, which will be a big focus this year.
“I’d like us to strive to be even more accessible and visible – wearing ID badges and maybe getting some t-shirts/hoodies or fleeces for when out representing the parish in the community.
“I’d like us to be more mobile – so we’ll hopefully be taking it on a little tour, holding one meeting per quarter in another village, for example Lydgate or Denshaw and encouraging more public participation.
“I want the public to understand that anyone can come to parish council meetings, submit questions and get involved.
“We are the closest form of local government to the people, but too many still don’t know enough about what we do.
“We are the voice of the community. We represent, inform and interact, but most of all, it’s important for us to stay humble – we are public servants, with servant being the operative word.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Bishop, who is also a borough representative for Saddleworth South, also promised to bring fun to her year in office.
After telling of ‘supportive’ comments from friends and family, like, ‘What if you get shot in the ear like Trump?’ and ‘Don’t forget to mention how much I’ve helped you’ she also promised to make the younger generation a key part.
A Pride of Saddleworth award may also be on its way.
Cllr Bishop added: “You’ll be glad to know that there will be plenty of fun stuff too.
“One of the main functions of role of the Chair is to try and raise as much money as possible for the chosen charities.
“Most of the charities I’ll be fundraising for will be local groups and organisations which deliver services and support for children and young people in our area, which is really not well catered for currently, such as The Andrew Gidney foundation.
“In particular, I’d like to see more support and resources for neurodivergent young people. I’ve also included Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, which is such a vital emergency service for us, and I have also chosen Medecin Sans Frontieres.
“Lots of ideas for fundraising events and activities have been bandied around already
“One thing we do have in Saddleworth is an unreal amount of volunteers who quietly go about their business putting on so many events and making this a great place to live, and I’d like to see us do more to recognise these volunteers, maybe with a Pride of Saddleworth Award, or something similar.”
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