Map of the future causes a stir

Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership

The unveiling of the first draft of the new Saddleworth and Lees District plan caused controversy last night as one councillor accused the District Partnership of not representing local people.

Lib-Dem Councillor Mike Buckley criticised the initial draft of the plan, which aims to include proposed action points from the Saddleworth parish plan and issues raised by other community bodies.

He said: “There are things in here that have not even been raised as issues by the people of Saddleworth.

“I have not had any input into this and we have already asked the people their priorities and laid it out in the parish plan.

“These issues need to be evidence based and not just included on a whim.”

However most of the other representatives were quick to jump to the defence of the draft.

They were keen to stress that the new outline, which now also identifies priorities raised by public consultation with Lees residents, is an evolving document.

Chairman of the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership, Councillor Barbara Beeley, said: “All 50 of the points made in the Saddleworth parish plan are there along with new issues raised, and although they may be worded differently they are still the same points.”

Representatives from the council’s youth services and Saddleworth Police Inspector Danny Milovanovic both praised the new strategy for taking in information from a wider range of sources, making it more relevant to the local population.