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The BRIF was formed in 2008 and has representatives from 6 of the rural villages around North Bury – Affetside, Ainsworth, Greenmount, Hawkshaw, Holcombe and Nangreaves.
The group meets bi-monthly at Tottington Library in the afternoon on a Thursday. All local Councillors are welcome to attend as and when their timetable permits. The BRIF is not a political forum, but a group of people representing the interests of their village.
Currently BRIF has been involved in Wind Turbine issues and fighting to get adequate Broadband for the villages. We have good links with Council Officers and the Police.
Background The BRIF was formed as a result of research done by the Rural Research Unit (RRU) based at the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO) which was a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funded organistion set up to research life on the rural edges of predominantly metropolitan borough/urban areas of Greater Manchester. The RRU produced a report entitled 'On the Edge' that showed that life in the rural fringes of Greater Manchester often means that rural villages are often overlooked by councils and other service providers leading to an unequal distribution of services. Although life may appear to be ‘idyllic’ due to the rural natural surroundings, people living in these rural areas of Greater Manchester are often deprived of services that are taken for granted in the larger urban area. 'On the Edge', a 2007 report by GMCVO’s, DEFRA-funded Rural Resource Unit, highlights that rural areas in Greater Manchester often feel marginalised and isolated; not only from the main urban conurbation and its policies but also from each other. The 'On the Edge' report can be accessed by clicking here. The BRIF is currently chaired by Dr Falmai Binns, from the Holcombe Society.
The issues that have so far been raised at the meetings include the poor public transport services to the rural areas of Bury. This has resulted in Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) agreeing to extend the Local Link Door-to-Door car service to the Affetside and Holcombe areas.
The BRIF has also produced a report on the need for traffic calming measures to be introduced or improved in Affetside and Holcombe. This report was presented to Bury MBC by the BRIF and has led to Bury Council Executive agreeing to introducing a 20mph speed limit through the centre of Affetside village with two chicanes being built to slow down drivers not do not obey the speed limit.
Where as once, each of the villages used to contact the council / other service providers with their individual issues, now we do so as a united voice and as a group that often shares the same issues and problems which gives us more of a powerful voice. As a result our voice now seems to be getting heard.
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