A bid to crack down on the anti-social use of off-road vehicles around Salford has been voted against by councillors.
In a council meeting on Wednesday 17 September, Labour councillors voted against proposed measures that Liberal Democrat members argued were essential to tackling dangerous off-road vehicle use, insisting instead that the current approach remains effective.
The motion, brought forward by the Liberal Democrats, called for stronger deterrence and enforcement, wider promotion of reporting routes, investment in intelligent information gathering and feedback methods and a tailored multi-agency summit.
While they acknowledged that three traffic deaths related to these vehicles have been recorded in the last two years, Labour councillors said key parts of the proposal were unsound.
Labour councillor Mike Pevitt, Vice Chair of Growth and Prosperity Panel, said: “The police are already doing what they can. The motion completely ignored the three recent teenage deaths in the city.
“It did contain a sentence that mentioned letting neighbourhoods know that the police would be coming to raid the area to confiscate bikes, thus giving criminals time to hide the bikes.
“Some of the public are too scared. We tell our residents in Claremont, if you see anything, report it to us. We will report it to the police – that way we remove the burden.”
But Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Heilbron maintained the current measures fail to meet the needs of Salford people: “This motion was about going further because our current measures are not working.
“There was nothing in it that anyone serious about tackling nuisance bikes could object to. It is genuinely saddening that Labour councillors chose negativity over action. Outside of the council chamber, residents will be aggrieved to see Labour fail them on such a serious issue.
“None of us said these measures were not being done, we are asking for further. Do more.”
He added: “Our residents deserve better than Labour’s complacency and excuses. If you vote against community safety, you are not taking the issue seriously. The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting until action is taken against nuisance.
According to Greater Manchester Police, masked groups and individuals ranging from teenagers to adults are regularly seen in areas known as ‘hotspots’, which include Clifton Country Park, Ordsall Park, and Salford Quays.
All members of the council said they recall constituents complaining about the increase in scrambler bikes, motorbikes, and even some quadbikes.
Labour Councillors argued that the council are already doing enough to track down the offenders and help residents feel safe. A Labour spokesperson said: “Residents deserve serious, sustained action on nuisance off–road bikes – not political posturing.
“The reality is that Salford already has a multi-agency response in place, including hotspot intelligence shared through Neighbourhood Resilience Forums and community committees, and targeted enforcement by GMP and council officers.
“This multi-agency approach is clearly working since in the last few weeks intelligence sharing has resulted in the seizure of two Surron bikes from a property in Broughton and the seizure of stolen bikes being stored at an undisclosed property in Pendleton.
We don’t need another talking shop – we need to back the teams already doing the job. If the Liberal Democrats are serious about tackling this issue, we invite them to engage with the work already underway – not undermine it.”
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