Monday 24th October

Progressed a couple of pieces of Casework on the lift at Dane Road, it’s still not working and I’ve reported it; and the cycleway at the bottom of Moss Road – schedule for a visit by the sweeper this week.

A colleague relayed the circumstances of one of their constituents. It’s absolutely appalling, how can we force on vulnerable people such a burden to find a solution or make up the shortfall?

She receives 42 hours of care using personal assistants under the direct payment scheme
The hourly payments take in to account the hours and days when care is provided:
Week day- £7.20
Week evening-£8.97
Weekend day £10.25
Weekend evening £13.24
From the 8th of December a flat rate of £8 is being enforced by the council. She has been advised to get legal advice and that she has to give notice to her carers a period of eight weeks.

At the same time a Tory councillor tweets that he wants the taxpayer to fund a new Royal Yacht for Her Majesty!

I pay a visit to Architectural Students temporarily stationed for the day in Stretford Arndale consulting for a project as part of their studies. Absolutely delightful and provocative. After the disappointing bias towards private cars contained in Trafford’s own masterplan, it’ll be great to see what these young students come up with.

Gorse Hill Labour branch meeting in the evening. Great to get together, not an ideal main topic nominations for Constituency Labour Party positions.

The Labour party has been through a difficult period and it’s now time to build a competitive party that can take on the Tories. Key to this is getting a party that works to our strengths and it’s in Labour’s DNA that we’re a party that begins with our presence in communities. We’ve over a 170 members in Gorse Hill and we’re ambitious for more. We can only do that if members and supporters feel their being listened to; and are being included, and are part of the decision making.

The feedback to the meeting over the next few days was really positive. There’s a huge amount of energy and ambition.

Tuesday 25th October

No meetings planned, so after the positive response to the previous week’s diary, I think it’s time to sort out the blog. It’s become messy and it doesn’t render well on a mobile phone. It also goes wrong every time wordpress or bootstrap upgrade their frameworks. If none of this is comprehensible, essentially it’s like a car held together with sellotape and pins. I go to bed fighting the lines of code still in my head. I think I’m entering the Matrix.

I do progress with the problems at the Moss Road Spar crossing (posted earlier this year). There’s agreement to remove the parking space markings. But that isn’t going totally solve the problem. I’ve called on Traffic Management to urgently commission a secondary set of railings similar to those installed at Chester Road.

Wednesday 26th October

Went to the Lostock Park planting day. Really impressive from them – less so from me, they’d already finished planting before I got there. Managed to help a little with packing the gazebos. Had chance to discuss with Maureen a few issues. Particularly the subway at Humphrey Park Station.

Meeting with Jill Colbert and others over the Orchards school. Not much I can report. At least I feel we’ve been brought up to date with how the plans have or haven’t been progressing.

Visited the alleyway behind the takeaways on Chester Road. There’s an issue with the commercial waste bins there. I want to work with the takeaways to improve this. I’ll be visiting again over the weekend.

Derby Day

Half and half scarves in abundance tonight. What's that about? It's a derby not a 'Friends Meeting'! And a united fan asked me the way!

— Mike Cordingley (@MikeCordingley) October 26, 2016

Match is a damp squib. Didn’t feel like either side really wanted to win.

Thursday 27th October

Disappointed that a replacement bin promised the previous week for a constituent still hasn’t been delivered. I chase up.
1200 emails sent out with the agenda for next weeks AGM. Always prompts a lot of replies and this one is no exception. Very quiet couple of hours in my voluntary session at Lostock Library. It’s half term and we look shut with the carpark gate locked, so there’s only a couple of customers.

Annoyingly, I learn that Station Road is subject to yet another planning application. This will be the third time the owner has tried to get the small piece of scrub land right up against the railway embankment built upon. Will have to look into this one and probably lodge an objection.

Friday 28th October

Receive an alarming email from a constituent hospitalised outside the borough. She and her consultants want her discharged home; Trafford are struggling to procure a care package for her.

So, she’s forced to bedblock and she’s desperate to get home. It’s appalling and it just shows the extent to which these ideologically driven cuts from the Tories are affecting peoples’ lives. I get assurances from council that her care package will be prioritised and brief our lead councillor to pursue next week.

Drive to Bolton. I get lost. I always do in Bolton. Motorway is gridlocked on the way back (last day of half term + Trafford Centre)

Friday night shots of whiskey (only two, not driving, I’m allowed)

Saturday 29th October

A bit of a day off, watch the West Brom v City match in a pub. Last time I went to the Hawthorns it was city beaten 4-0. Still can’t believe we sold Peter Barnes and Gary Owen.
It was still nice to see City win today though.

Sunday 30th October

Hate the hour going back. The day seems darker right from getting up. Long been a supporter of ‘Lighter Later’ the campaign run by 10:10 and supported by Rospa and Brake campaign groups for safety. There’s a Green argument too. We’re wasting millions on lighting up homes instead of using all the hours of daylight, the day provides. It’s a total nonsense that we put the hours back in winter for farmers.

Emails go mad in the afternoon. Planning for the AGM is a busy time. I’ve had over 80 emails to answer since 2 o’clock.

So bit of a stressed day all round with one thing or another. I was hoping to go over to the fireworks at Barton Airport where Pinked Floyd were playing as background but all these emails!

Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

Monday 17th

• Received written reply on the unfinished houses at the Marina: Repossessed by Mortgagee. Hoping for sale in near future which will enable completion.
• Chasing up agreements on leases for community tenants of two Trafford owned community assets in Lostock, the lack of which is undermining the ability to pursue grant funding.
• Pursuing updates on new special school proposed at Barton Clough
• Pursuing attention to clean-up arrangements and dealing with neglect at Partridge St / Sir Matt Busby Way alleys
• Sending out notice for Gorse Hill Labour Party Branch meeting next week
• Two items of casework resolved – stolen grey bin replaced fee waived, unfinished replacement light column now tarmac-ed in.
• Reviewed this week’s planning list. No applications this week in Gorse Hill. On the face of it, nothing controversial across Trafford. Plans for 8 new houses on Manchester Road, Carrington might have greenbelt implications. Moss Park School has submitted plans for an outdoor stage canopy.
• Reply received regarding maintenance of the cycle path at the bottom of Moss Road – Scheduled for Amey to attend to it this week

Meeting of the Member Development sub committee in the evening.

Essentially it’s the training and education committee for councillors. Sounds boring but actually the calendar of events we have are well put together.

We’re currently putting together something that looks at the business of local government, how will local government cope when the gap between public expectation of services and the reality becomes stretched to breaking point?

Devolution and localism is pulling one way, but is it just about doing the best we can do, when we know it’s not nearly enough?

What are the lessons from the business community about meeting consumer expectations with a fading product and turning it around. How do they approach transformation?

My gut feeling is that the simple answer is the business goes bust. But if local services go bust, doesn’t that lead to a breakdown of society?

Discuss

Tuesday 18th October

• Looked at the newly announced business rate valuations for 2017/18. Looks as though Stretford is set for reductions in the town centre. Place North West have written a good summary here
• Pursued the Cromford Road / Barton Road passageway. Originally reported in July, still not done.
• Asked for an update from Metrolink on the weekend incident “Man fighting for life after being attacked by Metrolink security staff in city centre“
• Cycled up to Oxford Road to help man the volunteer stall for Lostock College Community library on the University’s volunteer recruitment day.
• Agreed to meet along with Gorgeous Gorse Hill and Trafford Council/Amey officers. The new pocket garden is looking great on Longford bridge and we just need a maintenance plan for litter bins. Plus a plea to stop weedkilling our community plants.
• Commented on a debate about Trafford Cycle Forum’s terms of reference. Delirious over seeing my previous comments described as tokenistic. I ignore. Cycling is too vital in terms of health and environmental sustainability. We have a wonderful opportunity to take it forward with the success of the Manchester based success of cycling in the Olympics.
• Great to see in the Messenger that Kate Green is asking children about air quality and the effects on their lives. At the same time I’m struck that so few streets are places where children feel safe to play because of cars. So cars are not just poisoning them, they’re forcing them inside. There maybe something counter-intuitive going on. Within the ward, it seems that the streets where children are most at liberty to play, for example my own Raglan Road and Thirlmere Road are also roads where car parking routinely takes place on the pavement because the roads are so narrow.
• Enquired into the current status of Trafford’s Transport Strategy. I don’t remember it being reviewed although the intention in the original document was for three-yearly reviews.
• Pursued information on adopted/unadopted alleyways in the ward. Seems a lot of conflicting information on this.
• Supported a Labour Party branch in restarting their branch meetings.

Wednesday 19th October

• Received reply on the adopted highways of Gorse Hill ward. It’s a large file but I’ve made it available here. The majority of alleyways are adopted for maintenance by the council but there are a number which are not. For most of the time, this won’t have much effect, but on occasions it can have consequences.
• Also received a response to the status of the Transport Strategy for Trafford. Apparently it’s been abandoned and we rely on TfGM’s. Don’t agree with this at all. The TfGM strategy is much more high level. It really explains why transport is never built into the council’s strategic thinking. Salford has its own transport strategy. Salford meets regularly with its bus companies,
  We’re moving rapidly towards bus refranchising. Other authorities are geared up to making the case for their areas. Trafford will just accept what it gets. Trafford has contracted out its traffic management unit to Amey. They would normally play a big role in making sure that public transport interests are prioritised. It’s an appalling state of affairs.
• Welcome news that plans for a proposed large advertisement hoarding at the community garden on the corner of Avondale Road has been withdrawn following our objections.
• The Circle Court Development at Lostock has also been withdrawn. This included social housing so it’s with mixed feelings that it’s withdrawn. However, I know there were some who were worried about over developing the site.
• Wrote a sensitive report for the constituency labour party executive. They are always the most difficult to write.
• Chased up the crossing versus parking issue at the Spar on Davyhulme Road with planning enforcement.

Thursday 23rd October

I’m guilty as charged in staying up all night to watch the last Trump v Clinton debate. It’s surreal, there’s no metric to make Trump a suitable president. It’s like Dr Strangelove made real.

Received a positive response to reporting Lake Road near the ecology park for lack of clean-up. The council is often too quick to cut corners in Trafford Park, when clean streets are just as vital to business as they are to residents.

Liaised with Paula of ‘Love Gorse Hill’ one of our brilliant residents.

Did my voluntary stint at Lostock library. For the 45mins, rhyme time and it must be my most enjoyable time of each week, shelving books whilst the kids do “If you’re happy and you know it”. Like the college staff, I can never resist secretly joining in. 

Rhyme Time at Lostock Library takes place Thursdays 2pm (term time only)

In the evening I face a perfect storm

Metrolink problems at Cornbrook that I’m told have lead to suspension of services over the weekend. I’m due to attend the Metrolink sub committee in the morning. I’ll learn more there.

The release of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. This is likely to be a huge issue over the coming weeks. It’s 500+ pages in total but the allocation of land near Flixton House for development is a shock.

Friday 21st October 2016

• Attended Transport for Greater Manchester Metrolink and Rail sub committee. It’s been a difficult week for transport. Items discussed included Victoria Station, Cornbrook Points Failures, Friends of Station
• I was pleased to see this news item on Sat Nav data whilst I caught up with the ‘Daily Politics’. At first glance it seems of only minor interest, but HGVs trying to get to Trafford Park and the Euro Terminal are a regular disruption in both Gorse Hill and Lostock. So this might prevent garden walls and bollards being knocked down and wing mirrors being smashed. It’s really been a significant problem.
• I posted details of the spatial framework on Urmston Net and it’s already proving controversial
• Spent the late afternoon at the allotment digging over a new but completely overgrown plot. I’m knackered.
• Got back to a complaint regarding rats. The difficulty was that the resident had no idea where the rats were, their cat was bringing them back to the owner as ‘presents’. Whilst in some ways it could be said that the cat was dealing effectively with the problem, it seems to be an increasing issue.
• Trying to establish responsibility for an overgrown passageway on Gorse Ave/Gorse Crescent. Left a message with Trafford Housing Trust.
• Wrote up and collated reports for a really big agenda to be discussed on Sunday at the Executive of the CLP. As it’s my last one as CLP Secretary, I was sorely tempted to put ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as the last item.

Saturday 22nd October

• A couple of pieces of casework, both regarding transport. Fed back to a resident an update on the Metrolink weekend closure and opened a dialogue on the performance of the lift at Dane Road Station.
  

  The second piece of work was in response to lobbying from bus users on clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill. This is the Bill that allows Elected Mayors to refranchise bus services in their City Region. So it’s definitely a move in the right direction but clause 21 prevents local transport authorities from setting up their own bus companies. I believe Clause 21 is totally counter productive. It allows the already incredibly powerful privately owned bus companies to hold Councils to ransom, knowing the council is prevented by law from running the service themselves, even if that’s better for the passenger and better for the rate-payer. It’s ideologically driven nonsense from the Conservatives. We should always allow Councils to run their own bus services where this is the best option. I’ve signed the petition.

  
  
• Then it’s off to Urmston to knock on doors in Urmston as part of a Labour campaign to hold Amey and the Council to account for the appalling deterioration in street cleaning, parks and general environmental operations. Not surprisingly, the response on the doorstep is best described as being in despair at how far things have deteriorated.

Sunday October 23rd

• Began the day printing off reports and agenda for a meeting of the CLP executive. This is effectively the board of management for the local labour party. We’re preparing for our AGM and there’s lots of other stuff too. It’s a long but productive meeting.
• Then it’s back home to prepare the minutes and to start actioning the action points.

Rugby League has a long standing reputation as a family orientated spectator sport. The experiences that Gorse Hill residents have relayed to me following last week’s Grand Final between Wigan and Warrington at Old Trafford suggest that things have slipped.

Football fans, we’re used to. It’s never an easy relationship with the club and those who seek to exploit the fans whether through legal means or illegal. We know where the lines are drawn, and we generally cope. Rugby League fans seem to show no recognition of any limit to alcohol intake.

It didn’t stop at being boorish

• Urinating in alleys
• Assaulting women in a fashion that only Donald Trump would think acceptible
• Almost universal drunkeness and boorish behaviour
• Incapable of eating a tray of food without losing most of their meal and then dropping the litter into the nearest garden.

I spoke to a steward who was on duty in the ground on the day. He was suprised at my surprise and said

Rugby League Fans are the worst we have to deal with!

Gorse Hill should not have to put up with it. Rugby League needs to get its house in order. We’ll be making this clear to to the authorities before they return.

And if you’ve had experiences you’d like to relay, please use the comments section below. I really want to hear from you.

Why would anyone think that placing a parking space that can only be accessed via the dropped kerb of a pedestrian crossing is a good idea?

Imagine school children at the crossing and a car is reversing back into the road from behind. It’s ridiculous. I’m pushing council officers to intervene.

Location Moss Road/Davyhulme Road East junction

.@montie, @johnmcternan and @jennirsl dicuss Iain Duncan Smith's resignation and #Budget2016 welfare cuts #Murnaghan https://t.co/AujpUAWc85

— Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) March 20, 2016

An Extraordinarily important letter; take it at its face value, here is the guy who has been implementing Tory welfare cuts for the last six years and he is now saying that they are unfair…

.. and that the government, the Conservative Government, of which he has been a member of is not proving that ‘We are all in this Together’; This is a huge moment!…

The achilles heel, the electoral achilles heel of the Conservative Party is the idea that they are the party of the rich, and here is the welfare secretary, the Tory Welfare Secretary saying that it’s a real problem.
It’s devastating!

Tim Mongomerie – speechwriter for the former Conservative Leader, Ian Duncan Smith
Founder of ConservativeHome, The Tory Grassroots website

---

David Cameron’s reaction, courtesy of the Daily Mirror

By Foreign and Commonwealth Office – Flickr, OGL v1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32139852

The EU is hard to love

There’s plenty wrong with the EU. The economic collapse of Greece was not just a consequence of a country partying out on debt. Merkel’s Germany was happy to be complicit in financing that debt in the good times, happy to wash her hands of responsibility in the bad; and leaving Greece crushed.

Then there’s the Euro bureaucracy and distortion of democracy. Quite a lot stinks!

Whether to be “Labour-in” or “Labour-leave” was never going to be an auto-response for me; the EU is just so hard to endorse.

Nevertheless,

There’s a reason the extreme wing of the Conservatives are aligned with UKIP in this. There’s a reason they hate the EU and believe me, it’s not ‘straight bananas’ or even immigration – it’s Rights! The Tory right wants to get rid of our rights.

Whether it’s limits on the working week, equality under the law, or protections from arbitrary dismissal, there’s a shopping list of rights and obligations they’d love to see withdrawn . There’s no secrecy about this, and they’ll say the UK is quite capable of deciding these things on its own.

The trouble is, for all its faults, the genius of the ‘Common Market’ is that whilst allowing all member countries to compete equally within the EU borders, it has set standards of freedoms and rights that have to be bestowed on the people of its member states.

These right wingers want free access but they don’t want the obligations. And they say the EU will happily give the UK access to its market once we’ve left.

The Brexiters are lying

There’s every reason to think the EU backed by its own citizens would set far more demanding restrictions than has ever applied to Norway or the US. Giving the UK access to the EU markets without the same working time directives etc. and obligations would be seen as a threat to the EU itself.

I don’t want us to lose our rights; and I don’t want us to lose access to European markets. These aren’t glib slogans. There’s real and present dangers from voting leave. I’ll be voting to remain.

I might not love the EU, but it’s essential we stay.

Mike Cordingley

By Dave Kellam – Flickr: Flagging Support, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20427155