​Let’s Do It – our 10-point plan for Covid-19 recovery

Council leaders have approved a 10-point plan for recovery following the coronavirus lockdown and make sure the borough is fit for the challenges coming our way.

The proposals will focus on the immediate next six months: keeping Covid-19 infection under control, supporting people and businesses through the recession, and working with partners to do both while under huge financial pressure.

At its core will be a Bury Opportunity Guarantee – a promise that help will be available to all citizens and no one will be left behind.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of the council, said: “The coronavirus lockdown has brought unprecedented challenges – to individuals, to our public services, and to our economy.

“Now we need an unprecedented plan to bounce back – to keep people healthy, protect people’s jobs and businesses, make sure our children get the education they deserve, and ensure the future prosperity of our borough.”

The ten themes are:

• Summer provision for our children
• No rough sleepers
• The Bury opportunity guarantee
• Anti-poverty strategy refresh
• Year of Culture
• Health and care recovery
• Backing Bury businesses
• Working well
• Economic recovery strategy
• Championing the borough’s key workers

Andy Roberts, chair of the Bury Business Leadership Group, emphasised how important it was for everyone to work in partnership.

“We have been meeting weekly with Bury Council since the beginning of the crisis and is therefore in a good position to support the design and delivery of the council’s 10-point Covid recovery plan,” he said.

“It is essential that the local business community, who are key to the borough’s economic recovery, are a significant contributor to any plans designed to support the community to recover from this Covid situation.

“We believe we are unique across the city region, in that, a group of business leaders have such a close working relationship with the council.”

Cllr O’Brien explained how these measures have been drawn from the coronavirus experience and how they can be used to our advantage in future.

“The community hubs we set up have played a crucial role in bringing together a huge number of local organisations and volunteers, united in helping the most vulnerable in our society through the worse of the pandemic. We’ll be building on all that work to do much more.

“Similarly, our creation of town centre boards in each of our townships has brought local businesses together in new ways, and playing a key role in planning for our local economy. That gives us a solid base on which to get everyone back in business.

“We’ll be taking more moves to improve people’s health and wellbeing: the healthier we are, the better chance we have of avoiding the worst effects of any second wave in the virus, especially as we approach winter.”

He added: “Dealing with the virus has cost public services a huge amount of money, so we need to find new ways of working to maintain crucial services, especially in the coming few months.

“This crisis has shown us how we can all pull together, and why we need to continue with that community spirit. This plan will focus on the most vulnerable but also aim to ensure that no one in our borough is left behind.”

More details of the specific ten proposals will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

ENDS

Press release issued: 30 July 2020.