Canal27ways

Category: Trafford Council

  • Understanding University Academy 92 – The Campus

    Understanding University Academy 92 – The Campus

    Gary Neville’s University plans at core of a revised Stretford Masterplan

    What are the plans, what are the risks?

    The University itself

    Big launch, lots of photo-opportunities, noisy videos, but what do we really know of the plans?

    ..and what is the UA92 vision actually about?

    Universities have traditionally placed academic learning at the core of the curriculum, supported by character development for the world of work. By comparison, UA92 will deliver a curriculum with employability and character development at the core wrapped around by academic development.

    There’s lots of talk of character and striving and success and goals, but beyond buzz words we still know very little about the university itself. We know that Lancaster University (University of the Year 2017!) are backing the project and they intend to give more information in the new year about the curriculum.

    There could be up to 7000 students enrolled ultimately at the campus, but there’s also a lot of talk of paid placements. It would be helpful to understand the nature of these placements, whether they’re local placements or whether they’re global; and the interaction with the University whilst on those placements.

    Not really a planning consideration, but in terms of understanding the economic regeneration and sustainability of all this, I want to get a better idea of how many students will need to be housed locally, where they’re from, and what their spending power is.

    There will be opportunities for local businesses, for voluntary sector, for existing educational institutions. I really want to learn more.

    The Talbot Road Campus itself

    Trafford Council have already purchased the site. Currently, it’s the Kelloggs HQ but Kelloggs are moving to Media City. It’s a big and valuable site. My understanding is that Trafford will be the landlords and are already committed to refurbishing the building. There’ll be a new sports centre/swimming pool built on site (top right of map) to replace Stretford Sports Centre.

    This sports centre probably deserves its own article; users are understandably worried about provision at the new centre, will it be more difficult to book a court? Will the university be making block bookings and residents picking up what’s left? It is some reassurance that Trafford Leisure will be operating the centre, but I want to be certain that this will meet the community’s need. I’m trying to get a consultation event organised at Stretford Sports Centre dedicated to the transfer of sports provision to the new site.

    My Questions

    • What is Trafford Council’s exposure to risk on the refurbishment of the Kelloggs building?
    • As landlord of the Kelloggs building, what is our exposure to ongoing financial committment?
    • What happens if the University fails? Implications for Trafford Council and Leisure Trust?
    • How does the proposed hotel and 150 apartments proposed for the UA92 campus site fit in with the university – are these serious proposals or just something marking time until further announcements
    • The new Stretford Masterplan identifies 84 Talbot Road for development but no other sites beyond the K site, why is this when there seems a number of sites further down Talbot Road ripe for development including the old bowling green etc?
    • What guarantees have residents that the new sport centre will be able to cope with the increased demand generated by improved and new facilities as well as the increased student population on site?
    • How will the Leisure Trust consult users about what needs to go in the new centre?
    • University Campuses are usually 24hr operations – to what extent will this apply at UA92?
    • What arrangements are being considered for cycling and walking routes from Stretford to the campus?
    • Gorse Hill already suffers notable neglect from some private landlords, will you now introduce a landlord licensing scheme, such as has proved so successful in Newham and other boroughs?
    • What’s the intention for the current sports centre site?
  • Just stay in Hospital – Everything’s fine in Trafford

    Just stay in Hospital – Everything’s fine in Trafford

    Things are getting really bad in Trafford!

    The honest assessment as I see it is that Trafford is almost at breaking point.

    You’ve seen the figures that show delayed discharges from hospital put Trafford in the bottom two of the league table for the whole country. Those are real figures, not some tame consultancy’s award.

    Those figures are more indicative of how Trafford is performing than any amount of corporate propaganda. And the effect is shortened lives as we all know.

    This hasn’t happened overnight. It’s been the product of the coalition’s long term economic plan sacrificing local services and Labour’s been shouting it for years.

    Trafford’s problem is that it started the cuts from such a low base. And having Tories in control has meant a culture of denial. Just keep telling everyone that all is well and they won’t notice.

    But senior officers do know and reputationally, the signs are there that working at Trafford is no longer the plum job it once was. All the corporate directors from even five years ago have either left, leaving or have tried to leave. Trafford no longer seems to be attracting the best from outside and increasingly promotes from within, which can work, but obviously lessens its ability to refresh.

    Things are dire. The visible signs are there for all to see It would be easy to put the blame on our private sector ‘partner’, Amey for the state of our roads and parks. Indeed Amey Plc are a symptom of that sort of global private equity me, me, me, greed that’s beset us, but Sean Anstee’s Tories have to take the real blame.

    The Tories have relied upon throwing a few crumbs out to wards they need to keep voting Tory. And they paint an implied, and often explicit threat that because Labour says it will try to be fair in its policies, that will somehow be worse for Tory voters.

    It’s a proven electoral strategy and it doesn’t cost them very much in ‘crumbs’. When you look at Davyhulme, Flixton, Sale, you see it really is crumbs. The cake goes to Hale and Bowdon.

    It’s almost satire that Hale is having millions spent on its new library, Where’s the business case in social value terms, especially given the proximity to Altrincham? – (also getting a new library)

    I’m angry that my town, my neighbourhood is getting such a raw deal. I’m frustrated that that the Flixton and Davyhulme’s don’t demand the same ‘cake’ that goes to Hale and Bowdon. Why don’t they ask where are Flixton and Davyhulme’s libraries? Will there ever be a breaking point?

    I look across at a Tory Party in total denial as to Trafford’s plight.

    Comfortably Numb in their indolence.

    Image: Chatgpt

  • Trafford Council Budget Meeting

    Trafford Council Budget Meeting

    Budget Meeting 2016


    The most important council meeting of the year. It’s by far the most unpleasant meeting of the year too.

    We in Labour failed to convince voters we should gain control in Trafford last year; and this is the consequence. We have a Tory council with free reign to direct whatever any spending choices towards Altrincham and Hale.

    Power within the Conservative group is concentrated with the leader, deputy-leader, finance and most of the influence coming from the Hale – Bowdon – Altrincham axis. Hale gets its brand new library whilst Davyhulme loses theirs.

    That’s the Conservative way.

    And the Conservative way is replicated all the way to the top. When it came to the Government helping out councils, it chose a method that benefitted councils who’d suffered the least in the years of austerity. Surrey gets the largest single amount, at £24m, followed by Hampshire (£19m), Hertfordshire (£16m), Essex (£14m), West Sussex (£12m), Kent (£11m), Buckinghamshire (£9m) and Oxfordshire (£9m). You couldn’t make it up. A scheme that rewards councils for the most billionaire’s mansions within their domains.

    Trafford gets the relatively pitiful transitional £0.5m for 2016/17, but it’s still more than any other council in Greater Manchester apart from Stockport. It feels like Trafford is being patronised by Tories from the Shires who are blessed with more moats than foodbanks.

    We’re left with a budget gap of £22.6m. They’re imposing the Osborne Tax to raise £1.6m. They’re not increasing base council tax even if the Government expects them to. Much of the savings will be invisible to many but grim and confusing to a few. We’ve seen an illustration of this with the home to school transport for young people with special needs attending Brentwood school. The parents and children were protesting last night. You can’t make these sorts of savings without hurting people or communities. I think people get this now.

    We in the Labour Party have a responsibility to take the battle to the Tories. We need to be winning seats.

    Trafford Town Hall by Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • You pays your money and takes your choice

    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? 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!)

    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. However, 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?

    Council Tax

    Trafford Town Hall by Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Question to Council 17th September 2014

    Question to Council 17th September 2014

    Full 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.

    Bin Thefts

    “wheelie bins” by Leo Reynolds, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

  • Trafford Budget Debate – Variations on a theme of Pickles worship

    Trafford Budget Debate – Variations on a theme of Pickles worship

    Local public services have taken the biggest hit from this government. It’s the poorer areas that have taken the biggest hit. Surrey actually gets an increase in its funding.

    Labour called for Tory Trafford council to make representation to Government that the cuts would impact on the most needy, and adjourn setting a budget until March giving time for the Government to respond. It’s clear that Eric Pickles has determined to target northern (mainly Labour) councils. We’ve seen £1bn taken out of Greater Manchester with the loss of 22,000 jobs.

    There was a real opportunity for the Tories in Trafford – their Tory ‘Flagship Authority’ to take on Pickles. They hint they think that too much has been cut.

    So, it wasn’t going to be the best debate. They wanted Labour to surrender and come up with a budget of our own based on their loss of courage. Andrew Western (Priory Ward) gave a robust attack. Brian Shaw from Davyhulme was probably their best speaker on the night but it was a depressing night. The risks for the most vulnerable are there to see for all.

    As for the Lib Dems. It’s so long now since they made any useful contribution, I can’t tell them apart from the Tories.

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons