Monday saw school crossing patrol protests taking place across Trafford. Including this one in Gorse Hill that Councillor Walsh and I attended. Nothing is more important than children’s safety.Â
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Author: Mike Cordingley
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You pays your money and takes your choice
A bit of honesty is never a bad thing, but this is long overdue. Trafford is proposing to make crude cuts to services from next April. Some of these changes will affect many people in terms of the cleanliness of our towns, others will affect fewer residents but could destroy lives. Most of the changes are likely to place a burden on future generations in clearing up the mess.
Whose fault is this when we’ve known for four years it’s been coming to Trafford? Ok, last year’s failure to track and predict £7m of spending has meant the tipping point has arrived a year earlier than the Council expected, but for years we’ve been steadfastly on course for a crisis in service delivery. And we’re now at a place where services that most of us take for granted are being withdrawn. And look at what we’re losing:
- Libraries (saving £0.7m)
- SureStart & Youth Centres (saving £3.3m)
- School Crossing Patrols (saving £0.1m)
(all of which the Tories had arrogantly crowed they were protecting!)
And we’re selling off the street cleaning, waste collections, parks maintenance to a corporate asset stripper, who no doubt will fleece us in the long run.
At least the Tory narrative is no longer pretending it’s a good thing. But they’re still protesting that these cuts have been forced upon us, that there was nothing we could have done to avoid them. Nevertheless, I think we’re all deceiving ourselves if we believe this is all down to Government Cuts. We can’t put all the blame on Government when Trafford has made having such a low council tax its Holy Grail.
If we’d aimed for the middle range rather than having the lowest council tax in Greater Manchester, most of the precious services in our communities could have been retained. If we had levels matching Stockport or Oldham’s we might just have built some council houses too.
The point of this is not to necessarily say we should have a higher council tax, but as citizens we can’t just keep pretending there are not services sacrificed on the alter of our low council tax bill. And we can’t pretend any Government of any persuasion will bail us out when we’re so out of kilter. We have made a choice. It’s not for me to say whether it was the right choice but we have to be honest about its consequences.
How much would be raised if Trafford matched its Band D Council Tax to other GM Authorities?
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A Question of Morality
Saturday night radio, I listened to BBC’s Moral Maze on the subject of taxation, a topic triggered by David Cameron’s recent assertion that he had a moral duty to cut taxes. Does morality come into it? And what about local taxes?
Given that the panel included such consummate right wingers as Melanie Phillips and Portillo, there was a pleasing consensus that taxes set both too high and too low might equally be considered immoral at the extremes. Nevertheless, Cameron’s moral imperative for low taxes really misses the point. It is for society to decide the services to be provided collectively or individually.
Trafford is the midst of savaging the services it provides. The Tories ‘regret’ their cuts but there is no discussion about morality. Could it not be argued that it is immoral to close youth provision down, shut libraries and decimate the services for vulnerable people?
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Weekly Diary ( 21st Oct – 27th Oct)
Monday
Trip to Northern Rail Depot at Newton Heath. The depot is one of the oldest in the country and together with their depot in Allerton (Liverpool) is responsible for keeping the fleet on the rails. Northern Rail inherited its fleet when it won the franchise in 2004. The trains were recognised as some of the worst on the network. The contract specification suggested that no growth in passenger numbers was anticipated.
In reality we’ve seen a huge growth in rail use nationally and particularly in the North. Whilst the fleet is still very much made up of hand-me-downs, there’s been an extremely impressive improvement in reliability of the rolling stock. This has largely been down to a huge team effort and modern management at Newton Heath. The figures are striking, because they’re still having to run the same Pacer trains they inherited but the amount of miles they’re getting out of those trains is considerably higher. It was well worth the visit.
Executive Meeting for Draft Budget
Todd Fitzgerald from the Manchester Evening News captures this meeting much better than I can
Suffice to say, the overwhelming mood is horror at the depth of the cuts. We’re now at the point where Councils are withdrawing from providing anything more than minimal services to our towns. We’re about to lose the last of our youth centres. How are we going to keep our parks and the last remaining libraries? Some of these may be kept going for a year, maybe two, but the cuts are relentless. The sheer brutality of these attacks betray a pathological loathing at the heart of this Conservative Government for our provincial cities.
It’s too easy to personalise the condemnation upon Eric Pickles, but Cameron and Clegg have given him free rein to protect the leafy shire counties whilst taking it out on the very cities we need to turn the economy round. It’s a hateful and perverse policy from an intensely shabby government.
Tuesday
Afternoon Meeting with Member Development Group. The schoolboy in me wishes they’d call the group Councillor Development because the name always raises a smirk.
Or may be we should call it the Marmite Group because some of us love the idea of changed roles for councillors, and others detest the very notion that there is anything new to learn.
In reality the community of councillors is no different from any other organisation. You’ll find the same resistances to change in any organisational group, be it a large corporate entity or the local bowling club. I guess I’m more receptive to change than most, perhaps too receptive, but it’s my nature.
Nevertheless, whatever one thinks of austerity, it’s clear that councils are simply not going to get the amounts of money they used to receive from Government any-time soon. The caricature of a councillor putting his thumbs into his braces and negotiating a youth club in return for political acquiescence is a long gone stereotype. What remains is a genuine desire to their best for the community in which they live and represent. The change to which all councillors have to adapt is about how we go about delivering those improvements we all want. This afternoon’s meeting was about finalising training sessions for the next stage in our programme of Asset Based Community Development related training delivery.
I’m really energised by the notion of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and its ideas of empowering communities to do what they can do better than the state. I’ve heard the criticism that it’s just doing the Conservatives’ job for them but I see it very very differently. In fact I see elements of ABCD as a return to a very traditional model of socialism. The Labour Party grew out of a vast movement of voluntary collectivism, trade unions, co-operatives, reading circles; people empowered to deliver collectively a better tomorrow. The criticism of New Labour and indeed modern Labour is that we pulled up the drawbridge, became addicted to a fetish for gimmicks constructed in Westminster and pulled out of the hat on budget day, with little notion of what was really needed or relevant beyond the Westminster Village. We’re heading for a general election in which an estimated 7million citizens will not even register to vote. We have to make ourselves relevant again. We have to roll up our sleeves and get involved or get left behind.
What is ABCD?
Evening
Briefing on visits to Trafford’s Childrens Homes
Written with StackEdit.
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Question to Council 17th September 2014
Council
I asked a question regarding wheelie bin thefts by ward.
Since April 2013
630 bins have been reported lost/stolen in Gorse Hill Ward
620 bins in Clifford (Old Trafford)
286 bins in Bucklow/St Martins (Partington/Ashton upon Mersey)
The grand total for the 21 wards of Trafford is 2395
So Gorse Hill and Old Trafford accounts for 52% of all Trafford’s bin thefts.The council knows of no recovered bins.
Clearly if these bins are still in circulation here, our bin men are emptying 1250 more bins in Old Trafford and Gorse Hill than there are households and the council is doing nothing about it.
In reality they’re not in circulation and if the council gets enough £25 fees for replacing they’re not too worried.
But the regularity with which these bins are stolen and the sheer inconvenience faced by residents when it happens makes this a very pressing issue for me. I don’t want to see a slight reduction in bin thefts, I want it reducing in Gorse Hill so that it becomes a very rare thing.
It seems hardly any work has been done to understand why Gorse Hill is suffering to such an extent. Given that the other blight we’re suffering is the dumping of mattresses, my inclination is to put the letting agencies and their contractors under the initial spotlight. Both Clifford and Gorse Hill have the high numbers of such lettings so lets begin there. I’ve written the email below to council officers to look at correlation and means of engagement.
[scribd id=240190241 key=key-d2c1xzgdKUyAPkMvr3qu mode=scroll]
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Weekly Update September 11th to 17th
Thursday 11th Sept
Walked to Salford Royal Hosp for out patients on my broken shoulder. Still not the easiest hospital to reach from Stretford. Could have used Metrolink but a single ticket prohibitive and by the time I’d walked to Stretford Met, changed at Cornbrook and travelled that interminable tram journey through the Quays, I may as well have walked. Arm doing ok but still not expected to use it – can’t really avoid breaching that recommendation but does mean I can’t drive or cycle, alas!
Walked from Salford Royal to Trafford Ecology Park for the opening of the renovated walkway there. The Ecology Park is Trafford’s hidden gem and I wanted to be there to celebrate Cargill’s huge contribution through their workforce in entirely ripping out the old walkway which had become unsafe and replacing it. Trafford Park industry working together. There’s never been a better time to go see the Ecology Park. I really want to see the kingfisher that fishes there. I’ve never seen one and I’d love my first sighting to be in Gorse Hill Ward.
Hitched a lift home off the Deputy Mayor in the official car. At last a perk!
Onto Sale for meeting of Shrewsbury Street Project Board. At last there’s a degree of optimism that health facilities could be included. Will mean height of main hall reduced, and won’t be suitable for basketball or badminton etc. This is causing consternation but the Old Trafford Sports Barn is nearby and whilst the cost of this is prohibitive, we should be about adding to the facilities in Old Trafford, not undercutting others. Shrewsbury Street is due to go to planning in the evening.
From Sale to Barton Clough for a Governors meeting.
Hear that Shrewsbury Street granted planning permission.
Home to prepare for next days meeting and an ice pack on the arm.
Friday 12th September
Transport for Greater Manchester
Big item on the agenda is consultation to allow dogs on trams. I’m instinctively against as are my trafford labour colleagues. Argued for consultees to include asthma and allergy societies but I think it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Northern Rail franchise also under fire. We need modern trains and increased capacity. Rather than hand-outs from the south. My support for devo-max for the north is intensifying.
Afternoon – press releases and casework
Saturday 13th September
Not yet comfortable going canvassing with arm. All it needs is an awkward gate or letterbox and I’m going to be in agony. So do some telephone canvassing for Warrington South.
Sunday 14th September
Lostock Park poppy event in the park with Stretford Brass Band
Put together ‘all member communication’ for members advertising some important dates and fringe events at conference.
Monday 15th September
All day Faith networking event at Trafford Town Hall. I attend as Locality Partnership Chair. Disappointing turn-out from Stretford/Old Trafford although packed otherwise. Lots of current issues mean that we need to work at maintaining the fabulous community spirit we have.
Tuesday 16th September
Chairs Scrutiny Meeting putting together work programme.
Chaired Old Trafford and Stretford Locality Partnership. Really positive meeting. Discussed voluntary sector grants, environmental issues, community cohesion, metrolink, neighbourhood forums.
Wednesday 17th September
Disciplinary Panel in the morning. Full Council in the evening. I’ll do a separate full report of that.
Arm is still not allowing me to get a decent night’s sleep but I am now using bike again (gently). At least I’m more mobile
