March 8, 1969

HOME buyers hoping to get a mortgage from Bury Corporation in the next 12 months are in for a shock.

Bury Housing Committee has had its home loans quota for the next year slashed to just £18,400 ­— enough for only 20 mortgages.

The figure is down £63,000 on the quota given by the Ministry of Housing to the corporation in the current year, meaning severe rationing will be introduced.

Housing Committee deputy chairman, Cllr Clive M Standen, said: "We will obviously have to be very stringent in allocating this amount, and it will probably be a case of first come, first served."

Worst hit by the cut will be young couples, who take advantage of the corporation mortgage facilities for lower priced property on which they cannot get a building society advance.

Most of the corporation's loans are for less than £1,000.

BURY School of Arts and Crafts will not be closed as part of sweeping cuts to the borough's education services, the Education Committee has said.

However the committee has warned that the school will face some economies when the Government's £100,000 lump sum blow falls.

Announcements of the cuts were made last week and saw more than 1,200 students at the school sign a petition urging the education committee to resist the measures.

BURY will have a market hall again from next Wednesday when a £30,000 prefab hall receives its grand opening.

The launch comes just 10 weeks after fire wrecked the 67-year-old town centre market buildings last November.

It will also be back to business for 40 market traders left without a home after the inferno, who will occupy some of the 112 stalls set up to correspond as closely as possible with the previous trading layout.

A BOTANIC practitioner and Conservative councillor of 17 years has been named as Bury's new mayor.

Cllr Ernest Cockayne who represents the Redvales Ward will take over the role in May. During his political career Cllr Cockayne has also represented Church and Moorside Wards, and has twice been president of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.