Unsuitable housing accommodation. Not an easy issue, we don’t have an adequate supply of social housing. It’s what we should have been doing following the crash instead of bailing out bankers.
Social Care issues – heartbreaking stuff
Manchester United – bad behaviour by some of the peripheral activities (match day parking in particular and in all its forms)
Bins – contaminated left to fester
Policing – we want to improve liaison. There’s been knife incidents, thankfully not necessarily ones of serious wounding, but the victims don’t always co-operate with the police.
Speeding – particularly going into Trafford Park. We want a camera on Park Road.
Bus Services – Hardly a month goes by without some reduction in services. Trouble is that some services are hardly used. We need integrated tickets. The loss of the 276 is being keenly felt in Lostock at the moment. Going to look into making the 85 a hail and ride service on Winchester Road.
Homes of multiple occupation – trying to improve our regulating operation
Planning’s been relatively quiet here this month. The only application of note is an application to build two semi-detached properties on Skelton Avenue in a garden. Having said that, there’s a really big application on its way for a massive health spa at the Trafford Centre.
Planning Permission was granted for the addition of a nursery within the planned Orchards school on Barton Clough fields.
Nandos at White City commenced business today. Likely to be very popular.
Really impressed with the Stretford Precinct Market. The first time it opened, it gave the mall its best footfall figures in a long time.
Thomas Street Bridge – needs proper maintenance of the brambles. I think Councillor Walsh took his shears to them. I know he was planning to; and I’ve seen evidence that there’s been a trim of the worst of it. Well done, whoever it was, but it needs to be on a proper maintenance schedule.
There’s been a few issues that have been around for so long I’m almost embarrassed to include them here. I think I’ll have to do a feature on them. As a taster, I really do not understand why it’s so difficult to get a litter bin at the bus stop at Taylors Road. No wonder we can’t negotiate a withdrawal deal if we can’t deliver a litter bin.
Timely that we just met on the same day (Monday) that Andy Burnham was announcing radical improvements to Manchester’s public transport.
It’s obvious we all have a stake in the our environment and no one wants to see our green and pleasant land turned to dust. It’s so good that we have cross-party involvement. I think it’s going to be a worthwhile committee.
Clearly there are global aspects to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but putting our own house in order is never a bad place to start and it has to begin at the local.
We agreed last night that we’re going to want to benchmark our energy consumption as a council. I’m quite keen we go a lot further. The Royal Family seems able to measure its carbon footprint, as can Tesco. I think Trafford can too! We’ll see how that conversation resolves itself.
One of the interesting conundrums we’ll face is whether to measure only that which comes under Trafford’s control. I believe that climate change is a matter for all of us, not just a data collector hidden away somewhere. We should even be capturing data on emissions from commuting. It’s been done elsewhere and it helps everyone appreciate the full extent of the impact we make in our working lives. It’d be quite fascinating to see the carbon footprint of councillors – I think we can make significant percentage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions here.
We also need to consider the extent to which we can guide via the planning process reducing the carbon footprint on new development. I don’t think we’ve progressed as much as we predicted in the 1980s. There was a television series on Granada back then called House for the Future and we genuinely expected homes to be self-sufficient in energy use and far more sustainable that has transpired.
Whilst the House for the Future template might have derailed, there has been progress in design standards abroad and Councillor Jerome has been quite keen to promote Passivhaus design to the committee. The carbon footprint of these is so much lower than a standard build. We need to be recommending quite a shift in our planning expectations. The extent to which this can be implemented locally will be something we want to test.
We’ve also had time to look at some smaller scale projects:
Both of these groups are relatively small but are collectively generating green energy locally using communal assets.
We also talked about District Heating schemes and some suggestion that Trafford Park could offer heat sources. Not so sure myself. Tend to find that the big heat producers recycle that heat to the nth degree themselves. There was a proposal for the incinerator at Barton to be supplying heat for the housing development being built alongside it. Councillor Carey is going to talk to the power station at Carrington, so we’ll give it a chance.
Lovely afternoon with Laurence Walsh and his family and then onto the Euro count…!
The Euro results don’t look any better two weeks later. Within weeks of taking control in Trafford and Jeremy Corbyn anointing us as the the campaign backdrop his Leader’s response , we slip to third. More importantly we’ve given easy passage to an overnight Lib Dem recovery.
Meetings attended
Street Audit (cycling) bit disappointing – more of a cheat sheet than a street audit, but the Chorlton town centre work looks fabulous. I do hope Manchester goes ahead with it.
Gorse Hill Ward meet with Chief Executive, Sara Todd. The big focus from the three councillors was Manchester United – largely because United haven’t exactly engaged at a local level but they’re beginning to talk at a strategic level.
Early days, but United’s new chief operating officer is Collette Roche has a strong reputation forged at Manchester Airport. That background suggests someone well used to having to carve good community relations.
Collette Roche – United’s new chief
I speak as a City fan but I think it’s fair to say that the Manchester United off-pitch operation looks terribly dated. Our complaints as ward councillors are the urination, littering and parking issues (including the illegal organised stuff) that we all know about.
These issues may be local but they can’t be good for United’s global image. It’s got to be in the club’s business interest to bring the off-pitch match day experience up to global standards.
Let’s see how that goes.
Other meetings
Road Safety meeting regarding Winchester Road – St Hugh of Lincoln – options discussed
Match Day management meeting – raised the issue of rats, litter bins at bus stops, and the illegal removal/defacing of parking restriction signs.
Labour Group meeting
Task and Finish Group on Climate Emergency and carbon reduction – This was my first meeting of this group although it’s been going for 6 months.
Really keen to get up to speed on this. It may be that the subject matter is too big for scrutiny. We will need to do interim reports as we’re not going to solve the conundrum but we can be recommending implementing small things as we go.
School Pupil Disciplinary Panel
Walkabout in Trafford Park with the Environmental Team and Amey (who didn’t show)
These are regular walkabouts so I rewalked areas I’d walked 18 months ago. No improvement, in fact things are much worse. I don’t see any impact whatsoever.
Trafford Park Village Shops look actually to be thriving and it’s great to see a lovely looking Burmese Cafe but the grounds maintenance is simply not happening. The Trafford Park Hotel is being criminally neglected in my view and it is such a shame. So a few action points arising.
Casework
Sevenways is never out of my inbox these days but it has slowed the traffic down there unlike…
Park Road – Davyhulme Road speeding – continuing to pursue remedy
Houses of Multiple Occupation – ongoing
Gorse Hill Medical Practice – the inadequate rating has been confirmed and we’re waiting a comprehensive communication process to assist patients.
Trafford Park Village – parking issues and clearance
Pursuing bins on Chester Road at Taylors Road bus stops and replacement bin at Lidl – rats are getting through holes at bottom.
Cenotaph – Amey have been to strim the weeds back. They’re going to replant flower beds in next couple of weeks. Paving weeds are going to be an increasing problem as glyphosate is withdrawn and we need a dialogue over expectations.
Vandalism at Nansen Park. Quickly repaired and restored by One Trafford. Email complementing work sent to the team.
BT Telephone Box at Lostock Circle reported as vandalised. Cleaned and repaired now. Good work by BT
Publicised closure of Lostock Circle post office. Will chase if not resolved quickly
Continued to try to pull together a co-ordinated response on lack of adequate CAMHS (childrens mental health) service for schools. The Old Trafford primary school at which I’m a governor is really worried that vulnerable children might be missing access to the mental health support they need. Schools buy in CAMHS support independently from the community health provider Pennine Care but it seems that there are currently resource failings.
Wrote to the South Manchester Coroner to request that I be included in the distribution of the report she’s writing on lessons learned regarding the death of Sophie Louise Smith at the Trafford Park car cruise ‘event’. Speeding and racing within Trafford Park and its bordering residential areas continues to be a problem.
Emailed GMP Traffic Police to explore replicating Manchester’s Community Speed Monitoring initiative that Cllr Angeliki Stogia has led. Obviously permanent speed cameras are more effective but there are places where speeding is widespread but the numbers don’t support a permanent solution.
Complained that an alleyway had been left in a mess following bin collection. Resolved.
Reported gulleys for drain-cleaning on Kendal Road.
Wrote to constituent advising of the path to pursue when suffering from vibrations arising from road. Complemented the Access Trafford operative who advised me.
Wrote to planning to try to ensure that existing national cycling routes are respected in dealing with Manchester United’s planning application for enhanced security on Sir Matt Busby Way.
Liaised with Lostock Partnership over the planning application for a 12 place SEN nursery to be included within the new Orchards School.
Big congratulations to Maureen Reilly attending the Royal Garden Party
Chased information on Manchester United/Trafford Council emerging masterplan. We’re seeing Chief Exec on Thursday but would be good to learn more before we meet.
Pursued tidy up and TLC for Stretford Cenotaph
Meetings
Cycle Forum Meeting on Mersey Valley – Looked at current and aspirational changes. I love the newly improved Ashton upon Mersey link. It’s advertised as Urmston to Ashton but given it uses the existing Trans Pennine Way bridge over the Mersey it’s good for anyone walking or cycling from Stretford over to Ashton Village centre. It used to be a quagmire – now highly recommended. The actual meeting was only 4 or 5 cyclists plus officers but still got bogged down on the proposed Jackson’s Boat bridge. I’m staying out of that one – it’s Manchester’s and it’s not my priority given they’re forced to keep the current bridge as well. I’d prefer bridges in new places rather than duplicating existing.
Annual Council – A lovely meeting with more tears than a Theresa May resignation. Great to see my colleague Laurence Walsh and Rachel installed as Deputy Mayor and Mayoress.
Rachel and Laurence Walsh
Euro Elections
Never felt less engaged with a Labour campaign. What is Labour’s policy? I can tell you what it is but I know that as soon as you examine it closely, it crumbles in the hand to dust.
Labour’s policy respects the result of the referendum but we will not support a Tory deal. Labour wants a General Election and presumably Labour, if it won that General Election, it follows that we would negotiate our exit from the EU. We don’t know whether this exit would be subject to a confirmatory vote but it’s hard to see how it would be resisted. You’d have to assume it would want to win any confirmatory vote.
I would vote remain in any second referendum. And the majority of Labour members AND LABOUR VOTERS in every poll or survey that’s been conducted consistently support remain. Would remain be an option in a confirmatory vote that a Labour Government offered? I think that would depend on the make-up of the parliamentary party. Those close to the leader don’t seem to want a second referendum (ie. Remain not being an option in any plebiscite). That view might be sustainable given a Labour government with a mandate.
So, as far as this week’s Euro Elections were concerned, Labour was a Brexit Party. I couldn’t argue a Brexit line on the doorstep, and I certainly couldn’t suspend my integrity to essentially lie that we were Remain. Effectively as far as campaigning was concerned, I sat these Euros out. It’s the first election in nearly 40 years I haven’t felt part of and to say the least, I’m somewhat cheesed off about it.
And that flippin’ Roundabout…
Sevenways roundabout! This is not what was expected and it’s not gone down well. The original spec that we took to residents included a raised (25mm) and hatched central island to increase deflection but allow for necessary over-run by HGVs and other large vehicles. Somehow the raised central island has become a painted circle with a continuous line.
Original design
I think we have to continue to lobby for something closer to the original plan with better cycling and walking provision too. Paint is obviously a cheap option and in many cases the right option, but here we’ve got some drivers treating the roundabout as a normal two lane roundabout and others sticking rigidly to the outside lane even on a right turn. With the roundabout being so close to the motorway there’s always going to be a high throughput of drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, so I don’t think we can rely on people getting used to it and it settling down.
I think this is an economy too far and this part of Stretford deserves better.
And Lastly…..
Pleased to have at last managed to complete a park run without walking. Not managed to move since but I did it at Wythenshawe Park on Saturday. I am quite pleased with that.
I got to cut the ribbon on the Lidl opening. I wish them all the best. More signs of Gorse Hill’s renaissance. Pleased for the jobs, pleased for the retail offer we’re getting here.
Politics is all about Brexit. It’s a mess, isn’t it? Personal view – we’re nowhere near ready to leave. For example, the Government’s taking all its Northern Ireland soundings from the DUP – when Northern Ireland actually voted to remain in the EU. We’ve now had a car bomb in Londonderry. The Good Friday peace process matters, it’s not a little detail to be ignored. We have to pause article 50 to attend to so many issues that the government has been ignoring.
Again personally, I’m not won over by the People’s Vote argument. I voted to remain, I lost, and I think we should honour the vote. I’d be happy with a similar arrangement to Norway. I suspect whatever arrangement we start with will change over years. I might be wrong but I don’t believe you need something similar to Article 50 in order to leave or change Norway plus. It seems obvious we should be pursuing a relationship with the EU that’s close but respects the referendum result. But we need far more time to get businesses and people ready. But the main concern has to be Northern Ireland. I don’t want a return to the troubles. I can’t think of anything more likely to undermine confidence in Good Friday than only dealing with the DUP.
Canvassing in Ashton on Mersey. Good response – local issues predominated. For and against a parking scheme being consulted upon around Mersey Road.
Monday
Busy Labour Group meeting. One of the items discussed was the awarding of community grants. For the last few years the council has used a process called participatory budgeting. In Stretford and Old Trafford they’ve worked ok; the community gets to vote on those schemes they give most support to. There was criticism that groups would bring along people to vote but that was the point. If a group had little or no support, why would the council back it?
It’s not worked well everywhere – Altrincham was hardly oversubscribed with bids. Taking everything into account we’ve taken the decision that participatory budgeting should not be used and we’re freshening the process up:
Thursday
Early start for Transport for Greater Manchester meeting. Clean air policy and the 2040 delivery plan.
I have reservations over the clean air policy and need to be convinced that we sort traffic emissions by charging certain groups. Modern cities should be aspiring to making their space a place for people rather than vehicles. There are no ‘good’ or ‘clean’ private vehicles on city centre roads.
The 2040 delivery plan is much more interesting, particularly given that once again a station at White City is floated. The railway already travels through the roundabout there and with it being convenient for both Pomona and Media City, a station just makes so much sense.
Followed by library volunteering and Governors Meeting at Lostock.
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
