Bev Place - Councillor for North Heywood

15/08/2026

It's been a busy Saturday so far.
1. Coffee morning at St Luke's - spoke with a resident whose son's bike was stolen off him in Queen's Park by teenagers at 6.15pm yesterday.
2. Advice Surgery at Heywood Library - strangely another matter concerning Queen's Park was raised.
3. Time on Heywood Market talking to the lovely traders and customers.
4. VJ Day Flag Raising in our beautiful Memorial Garden - and picked up some casework from two of the Veterans who were there.
5. Heywood's "Look Up" immersive experience at Heywood Civic. It's free and on again tomorrow, 11.30am - 4pm.
6. Open Day at Trinity Methodist Church. I guided them to submit a funding application for Township funds for benches for their lovely new community garden.

If you have any local issues you need assistance with please do email me - [email protected]

26/07/2026

I had a good catch up with Claire from Heywood's Uniform Hub yesterday.
The concept couldn't be simpler. School Uniform is ridiculously expensive, so Claire decided to set up a recycling service that saves parents/carers a bomb and aids our environment at the same time. Win win.
Claire and her volunteers also offer a delivery service free of charge.
If the cost is too great for you as you prepare uniform for September, contact the Uniform Hub.

It was a pleasure to welcome Bev Place - Councillor for North Heywood to our stall yesterday.

It was great to have the chance to chat about everything Heywood Uniform Hub has achieved so far, the difference the project is already making for local families, and our plans for the future as we continue to grow.

Thank you, Bev, for your continued support. It really does mean a lot to have local champions who believe in what we're doing and want to help us succeed. 🧡💜🩵

25/07/2026

Loved today's Family Fun Day in Peine Square, Heywood.

Free activities, entertainment and food. So good to see so many of our families enjoying themselves without having to spend a penny.

And the most important thing was seeing all members of our community coming together.

Special thanks to Rochdale Youth Service and Your Trust.

24/07/2026

I'm afraid that I have some bad news to share.
Highways called a meeting this afternoon and have advised that we need a Township meeting to formally vote to end the Hopwood Triangle traffic calming trial.
I am endeavouring to call an extraordinary meeting, as the next one is not scheduled to take place until 22nd September.
I have received hundreds of objections but Highways advise that they must be sent directly to them - [email protected] or they won't be considered.
I know some residents living in the direct vicinity do not want the trial to end - they want it given a fair trial period, which I can understand - but the chaos around Magdala Street on Friday, which to my mind put Hopwood Primary school pupils at increased risk influenced my decision to call for a halt.
I am so sorry the road layout won't be returned to normal by Monday, as I had advised.
Please do email [email protected] with your concerns or support, as every voice counts.
Please share.

20/07/2026

UPDATE
I am really pleased to announce that after meeting with Highways earlier today, Cllr Hodgkinson and I have instructed that the Hopwwod Triangle scheme needs to wiped.

There is a clear need for traffic calming in the location but this scheme was not the answer. As such we will reconvene with Highways to look at less disruptive yet impactful options.

18/07/2026

The road trial currently taking place at Hopwood Triangle is causing absolute bedlam. I've had lots of conversations with motorists who are completely fed up.

This cannot continue. Those who campaigned for the changes, for genuine safety reasons, are clear the proposal isn't right and they too have called for it to end.

To be clear I have emailed the Head of Highways and the Chief Executive asking for this trial to be halted immediately.

I can't say anymore until I receive their response on Monday but please email me - [email protected]
so I can share details of the number of people who have complained.

Please share - thank you.

14/07/2026

I had a really informative and productive meeting with members of the Heywood Against (Pilsworth) Landfill campaign group.
We discussed how I can help them to continue to apply pressure to the operators, Valencia, and ensure legislation is fit for purpose and protects our residents from the disgusting impacts of the Landfill.
They have designed an excellent odour complaint reporting document for us all to use to ensure the Environment Agency know this continues to be a BIG problem. I will share once it has been tested and goes live.

14/07/2026

A huge, huge well done and thank you to the brilliant staff at Environmental Management, RMBC, and all the amazing volunteers from the Friends of Queen's Park and Hopwood Park.
Both parks have just been re-awarded green flag status. We are very lucky to have so many dedicated people keeping our parks in pristine condition for us all to enjoy and be proud of.

11/07/2026

I was out early this morning and straight to Heywood Market.
Beautiful, fresh produce that is too tempting to resist, like this delicious water melon and cherries. I treated the husband to a meat pie and egg custard and got some muffins for bacon butties tomorrow.
I had a skin consultation at the beauticians, then bought a stunning handmade w**e bottle stopper for a friend. Whilst I didn't want flowers today, I stopped and chatted to the talented and lovely florist, Ashley.
A quick catch up with the brilliant Market Manager, Lucy before I indulged myself with some gorgeous new clothes from Sam at New Chapter and treats for the dog as I left.
Please shop local. You'll be amazed at the choice of stalls in our friendly indoor market.