Bury Cabinet approved the £17m Ash Grove school on Milton Road open land and the budget cuts consultation. Travel Hub charges are not yet decided. What passed.

Bury Council’s Cabinet has approved a £17 million school for excluded pupils on open land at Milton Road, Radcliffe. It also agreed to sell off the land, after 20 people objected.

Cabinet met at Bury Town Hall on Wednesday 14 October. By Thursday morning the council’s decision register recorded both items, and most of the agenda, as “Recommendations Approved (subject to call-in)”. Call-in lets scrutiny councillors ask for a decision to be looked at again before it takes effect.

Two items are still marked “For Determination”: the Prestwich Travel Hub parking plan and the parking enforcement contract. The register does not say why. The full wording of each decision has not been published yet.

The Radcliffe school

The Ash Grove report asked Cabinet to:

  • use the Milton Road site for the new Ash Grove Alternative Provision Academy
  • submit the current designs for full planning permission
  • approve a £17m budget, with £13.616m of it borrowed
  • approve the plan for hiring a contractor and design team

The register shows those recommendations approved. Ash Grove teaches pupils who cannot attend mainstream school. The new building would take up to 136 pupils. The council has a legal agreement with the Oak Learning Partnership to provide a permanent site by September 2028.

The borrowing would cost the council £1.14 million a year from 2029/30, for 40 years. The report says that will “increase the budget gap”.

A separate decision approves disposing of the land as public open space. It covers about 14,685 square metres on the north side of Milton Road. The report said 18 of the 20 objectors raised the loss of open space or a community asset. We set out all the objections in our preview of the meeting, and the background in our report on the school plans.

What happens next: a full planning application. Neighbours will be able to comment on it then. We will add it to our planning news page when it appears.

The budget and the cuts consultation

Cabinet approved the draft 2027/28 budget as the basis for a public consultation. The report asked it to:

  • approve a remaining gap of £9.585m for 2027/28, rising to £17.508m by 2029/30
  • approve £17.451m of new savings over three years, £10.747m of them in 2027/28
  • run a public consultation from 19 October to 30 November 2026
  • note a planned council tax rise of 4.99% in April 2027

The consultation covers six proposals, including a charge for brown bin collections and cutting 32 of 41 school crossing patrol points. Our full report on the budget has the detail.

Roads, Northern Gateway and housing

  • £12.9m highways programme: approved. It still comes with no list of roads to be resurfaced. Our report.
  • Northern Gateway Western Access: approved. That accepts the last £8.5m of Investment Zone grant for the Pilsworth Road corridor and up to £3,129,915 for Balfour Beatty’s detailed design (report).
  • Housing allocations: approved. Retiring council workers in tied homes can be rehoused directly. The report also shows 2,052 households on the waiting list. Our report on the waiting list.

Also approved

  • Families First: a new model for children’s social care and early help, paid for by a government grant. Bury’s allocation is £2.9m for 2025/26 and 2026/27, then £2.5m in 2027/28. Cabinet was asked to start formal consultation with affected staff and unions (report).
  • Persona: a new shareholder agreement between the council and Persona, the local care company that supports older residents and people with learning disabilities.
  • A Greater Manchester fostering hub, a Live Well pilot, a lease extension for St Monica’s and a lease renewal at Bridge Trading Estate.

Deferred: the anti-social behaviour policy for 2027 to 2030. The agenda says it moves to the December Cabinet.

Still to be decided

The Prestwich Travel Hub report proposed £1 for the first hour with free parking after 6pm. The parking enforcement report proposed a £600,000 contract with Marston to 31 March 2027. Both still read “For Determination” on the register. We will update this story when they change.

What it means for you

  • Have your say on the cuts from Monday 19 October. The consultation runs until 30 November.
  • Radcliffe residents near Milton Road: watch for the planning application. That is the next formal chance to comment.
  • Council tax: a 4.99% rise is planned for April. Check your band on our council tax page.