Fight on to save Local Tip

Date published: 01 March 2011

Residents have vowed to fight local proposals to close Prestwich Tip after it was revealed that the recycling centre on Clifton Road has been threatened with closure.

The site, the only one of its kind in Prestwich and Whitefield, is one of a number of local facilities facing the axe after proposals put forward by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. A similar facility in Salford, the next-nearest to Clifton Road for most local people, will also close.

Commenting on the proposal, Liberal Democrat Councillor Steve Wright said: "We need to fight this crazy proposal. We need to be recycling more, and this encourages the reverse. It will make it much harder for local people and I utterly oppose this mad choice."

The GMWDA, which controls recycling across Greater Manchester, is not seeing its budget cut this year, causing more puzzlement for Cllr Wright, who said "GMWDA is seeing a big increase in funding. This Labour-run county-wide Authority is playing politics yet again, closing facilities when it doesn't need to. It is madness, and I urge local people to get involved in our campaign to save it and stop these unnecessary Labour cuts."

Cllr Wright said "The Prestwich community has just won a big battle to save the Longfield Suite. I think the Tip is equally important, and we can't let this go on under the radar without putting up a fight to stop it. We can't let Labour get away with this cut."

An online petition has been started at www.loveprestwich.com where local people can sign to show their opposition to the cuts to Prestwich Tip.