Author: Mike Cordingley

One of Gorgeous Gorse Hill’s unsung beauties
courtesy of Darren Lewis

• The Imperial War Museum made it to number 9
• The Manchester United Museum just pipped it at number 7
• And Number 1 was our near neighbour The Lowry – just a footbridge away

I’m delighted that we’re recognised across Greater Manchester as a major centre of tourism. And of course Trafford Council is pleased too with the reflected glory. But is Trafford doing enough to make the best of our popularity as a destination of choice?

I believe there’s so much more it could do to really enhance our attractions.

• It’s being a running theme of mine that what I’ve heard best described as the ‘red chippy village’ on Chester Road should be improved to make it a feature of the visitor experience.
• And with the Quays featuring so high across both sides of the canal, we can do so much more to make the place a night and day attraction. It’s coming – but progress is to slow and I’ve yet to see real commitment from the council to make it happen.
• We shouldn’t forget that we also have the Warehouse Project at Victoria Warehouse which I’ve seen described as the best dance venue in the country. And I fully support Gary Neville (never thought I’d say that) in his development of the hotel there.

Perhaps more importantly we’re seeing the emergence of a place changing community movement in and around the Gorse Hill neighbourhood using Facebook and other social media to reach out to like minded spirits, not content to wait for council bureaucracies to catch up with what is happening, but pursuing their ambition to turn the place into Gorgeous Gorse Hill.

I can not praise these people enough and I do urge residents who share this ambition to join both the M32 group and Gorse Hill Community Action Group on Facebook. Both groups exist beyond Facebook but Facebook remains the best platform and route in.

So what are things Trafford should be doing better?

• Transportation – Yes they’re promoting the metrolink expansion into Trafford Park but is there a real vision behind this.
• Managing Car Parking – It remains a crime that the Trafford Park Village area has been effectively cleansed of visitors through a scheme that was never going to work.
• ‘Red Chippy Village’ the fans congregate there and always will, but where is the strategy for making their visit comfortable, clean and welcoming.
• The Quayside – beautiful in the evening, but there’s so much scope to have made the prom a hive of activity and encourage cafes and street activities.
• Cleaning generally – if we value tourism (and we should do) we can’t allow the tourist to be put off by the overflowing litter that blights the verges and unkempt areas throughout the approaches to our attractions.

So yes we’ve done well. And let's celebrate but we can do more.

Mike Cordingley

Labour calls Extraordinary Meeting of Council to mount Legal Challenge to Eric Pickles’s Incinerator go-ahead

The Labour Group has called for an extraordinary Council meeting in order to instruct officers toappeal against the decision to grant the Biomass incineration Plant made by the Conservative Secretary of State Eric Pickles.

Regarding reported threat of closure – Advertiser 22/5/13

Open Letter from Councillors and MP on behalf of the three wards of Stretford regarding the reported threat of closure of Wilkos in Stretford Mall, Trafford, Manchester UK.

Speaking up for residents and the emerging community vibe. Addressed to the board of Wilkinsons.

Wilkinsons Stretford

Please join me and Love Your Bike in opposing new mega-trucks being allowed across europe.

Love Your Bike are an organisation attached to Friends of the Earth and supporting a safer, greener, bike friendly city here in Manchester. I recommend their website.

They’ve highlighted the potentially horrific introduction of articulated 80ft mega trucks across europe if proposals go ahead are urging everyone to write to their MEPs to work with them to oppose this move. Full story here.

Labour MEPs have already forcefully voiced their opposition to this introduction. I hope the MEPs of other parties will similarly respond but the clock is ticking.

Please visit the Love Your Bike website for full details of the email/letter they’d like you to write.

I have today written to Arlene McCarthy and Brian Simpson Labour MEPs for the north west to thank them for their support.

Here is my email:

Dear Brian,

I’ve been contacted by the Love Your Bike organisation about the proposal to allow trucks up to 80ft long and supported by the European Commission.

I notice from the Love Your Bike website that you have already stated your strong opposition to this change. I am therefore writing to thank you for that opposition and urge you to continue fight for safer modes of transporting goods.

As Love Your Bike have indicated, while the UK Government says it will not allow mega trucks to come to the UK it will be lobbied by the road haulage industry which has an insatiable appetite for bigger heavier lorries. In fact the UK Government buckled to pressure from the road haulage industry in 2012 by allowing 7 ft longer lorries on our roads which are already congested and not designed for vehicles of these proportions.

Even the European Commission’s own  research showed that mega trucks are more dangerous than existing HGVs

Because of the double articulation needed for manoeuvrability in urban areas there is a serious loss of stability at cruising speeds which increases risk of snaking, for example changing lanes.

So once again thank you for your opposition and I note that so far, only yourself and your colleague Labour MEP, Arlene McCarthy have indicated their opposition to Love Your Bike.

Thank you for your unequivocal responses. It is much appreciated.

Mike Cordingley
Councillor for Gorse Hill Ward
Trafford Council
0161 865 9228

www.gorsehill-labour.co.uk
Twitter: @MikeCordingley

Facebook Page: Gorse Hill Labour Party

Facebook Group: Gorse Hill Labour Party (Trafford) – open to all

….Or How I lost Confidence in the Enviroment Agency following Pickles’ Decision allowing Barton Incinerator

BBC North West tonight screened an item on Blackpool’s seawater quality on Friday. A young woman was filmed dressed in wetsuit paddling in the waves under grey skies on a miserable drizzly day taking samples of seawater. She’s interviewed, she works for the Environment Agency and she admits she’s the only person paddling that day, but it’s just another day’s work to keep our environment safe and clean.

Bathing water testing #Blackpool #NorthShore w/ @gordonmarsden @paulmaynardmp & Cllr Fred Jackson #valuingwater twitter.com/EnvAgencyNW/st…

— Env Agency NW(@EnvAgencyNW) May 17, 2013

This worthy image of the Environment Agency is one I’ve always previously subscribed to, and it’s easy to see how their marketing team could collar the Labour and Conservative MPs for Blackpool in the photograph above.

Over recent months though, my view of the Environment Agency has completely changed. No longer have I confidence in the Agency’s moral purpose or its accountability; and most importantly I no longer have confidence in its guardianship of the environment.

I’m sure there are many staff within EA working tirelessly and honourably. It certainly has one of the best marketing departments of any Govt Agency. But our experience suggests the agency has constructed a myth.

On Thursday Eric Pickles announced his decision to give the go-ahead to the Barton Renewable Energy Plant following Peel Energy’s appeal to the planning inspectorate. The Inspectorate’s report to Mr Pickles is riddled with references to the Environment Agency as an authority. The inspector defers time and time again to the Environment Agency.

So Pickles passes the buck to the Inspector and the Inspector passes the buck to the EA

But as Friends of the Earth (South Hams) have pointed out, the Environment Agency has never refused an Environmental Permit to an incinerator application. And campaigners here have voiced  so many criticisms of their report on Barton that it casts doubt on the whole process.

• The Breath Clean Air Group point out that the Environment Agency has allowed Tindall Street to be used by Peel to measure impact rather than the much nearer Wilfred Street.
• It’s been well publicised the planned stack at Barton will be half the height of similar plants because of the nearby aerodrome.
• We’ve had resident drop-ins with no notes taken of concerns.

Eric Pickles proudly heralded a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities overturning decades of central government control. Instead we got a stitch-up and more distrust than ever.