Harrop Fold Pupils Quiz David Cameron

Published by Iain on March 18, 2010 in Little Hulton, National Comment and Walkden. 0 Comments

I’m delighted that two young people from Harrop Fold School were able to take advantage of the opportunity to put questions to David Cameron down in Westminster. I’m sure that Molly and Shaun were terrific ambassadors not only for their school but for the communities of Walkden and Little Hulton as a whole. Well done!

Standfield Centre – Residents Demand Action

Published by Iain on March 17, 2010 in Boothstown & Ellenbrook. 0 Comments

Many thanks to all the local residents in Boothstown and the surrounding area who have signed our petition to clean up the Standfield Centre shops.

The shops are in a poor state and are declining, vacancy rates are high and there is an increasing problem of anti-social behaviour.

We’re asking the Council to take enforcement action against the centre owners to make immediate environmental improvements, and then encourage the owners to work with the local community to create a Standfield Centre that is rejuvenated and benefits the area.

Over 600 local residents signed our petition in just a few days, and I handed it in to the Council today. You can still sign the petition online and show your support.

Salford Advertiser – Worsley & Eccles South Q&A

Published by Iain on March 11, 2010 in Worsley & Eccles South. 0 Comments

In this week’s Advertiser I’ve answered a number of questions, as have fellow candidates. I thought it’d be useful to post my answers on here. All eight questions are here – I’ve not removed any difficult questions! – and my answers are posted in full (obviously there was a limit to the space that the Advertiser gave to each candidate and I have complied with that).

How can the NHS be improved?

The NHS is the number one priority for the Conservative Party – that’s why we have committed to real terms increases in the NHS budget every year. Under our proposals the maternity unit at Salford Royal Hospital could be kept open if the local community and GPs support it and give it the necessary funding priority, and our health premium would mean more funding for the NHS locally.

How can you ensure that politicians relate to the people as well as representing their interests in Parliament?

I want to be the next MP for Worsley & Eccles South so that I can put something back into my own area.  I’ve grown up here – I use the same local shops, the same public services, the same roads and the same public transport as everyone else. It is vital that a local MP understands the community that they represent.

What are the key issues for Worsley and Eccles South in this election and how do you plan to tackle them?

I will: defend our local NHS services, particularly Salford Royal Maternity Unit; stop Labour’s destruction of the local environment by returning planning powers to local communities; act to restore honesty and transparency to our political system; and work tirelessly to make sure that the local economy drives forward again.

How do you plan to regenerate town centres and shops in this economic climate?

We need to support the local businesses that are the mainstay of our town centres – by abolishing Labour’s tax on jobs, cutting red tape and introducing measures to allow small firms access to the credit they need. As a local resident, I try to set a good example and shop locally.

Is politics relevant to the people in Worsley and Eccles South?

I trust local residents to know what is best for their area, and under a Conservative Government power will be returned to the people. We’ve seen recently with St George’s High School, the Congestion Charge debacle and the campaigns to save local Green Belt that thousands of local people are prepared to stand up and be counted.

Can you really claim to understand the people you’ll represent if you’ve not had much experience in the world of work?

I’ve represented local people on Salford City Council for the last six years, and my work experience ranges from running a busy office to working with children from the most deprived areas in Greater Manchester. I can also provide a fresh start after years of Labour neglect.

Can the Conservatives move on from Margaret Thatcher?

Yes. There will be hundreds of local people voting in the election this year who were not even born when Margaret Thatcher left office. Under Labour, the poorest have got poorer, youth unemployment has risen and inequality is now greater than in 1997. Only the modern Conservative Party is standing up for local people.

Why should people vote for you?

By voting for me, residents in Worsley & Eccles South will get a strong local advocate with a track record of speaking up for our communities, and a strong Government that will cut the deficit and get our economy moving. Our area needs a fresh start and we can only get that by voting Conservative.

Happy Commonwealth Day!

Published by Iain on March 8, 2010 in Miscellaneous. 0 Comments

A very happy Commonwealth Day to friends and partners across the world!

Click here to view the Queen’s Commonwealth Day message.

Fairhurst Drive, Hulton Avenue and Eastham Way

Published by Iain on March 7, 2010 in Little Hulton. 0 Comments

City West Housing Trust was set up in autumn 2008 and took over the Council’s housing stock in the west of the City of Salford. Previously it had been managed by the arms-length New Prospect Housing which had taken on the role after years of Labour neglect.

By and large City West have had a positive impact on the City. They haven’t got everything right – their advertising billboards were a colossal waste of money – but whilst getting out and about talking to local residents across the local area it’s clear that the improvement works they are putting into place are making the local estates much brighter and more pleasant places to live.

Unfortunately, many of the problem sites that they’ve inherited are still causing problems. Three in particular in Little Hulton have been pointed out to me by local residents – the boarded-up houses on Fairhurst Drive (pictures), the Hulton Avenue flats and the Eastham Way flats. Each have been derelict for the best part of a decade, if not longer.

Leaving such properties in a derelict state is simply not acceptable any longer. They are attracting anti-social behaviour and it only takes one derelict property to ruin the atmosphere of an entire street or estate. In the case of Eastham Way and Hulton Avenue, it also has a damaging effect on the local businesses that are trying to trade literally underneath abandoned flats.

We have a huge housing waiting list and yet some of these properties have been empty for a decade or more. These problems need sorting out – fast. I have asked City West to explain to me their plans for the future of these sites and will take things from there.

Salford Link Project Celebration

Published by Iain on March 7, 2010 in Eccles. 0 Comments

I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the annual celebration of the Salford Link Project in Eccles this afternoon – it was a great event and I really enjoyed the music and martial arts demonstration put on by the children who attend the centre.

The Link Project does some great work and I’m delighted that they took the time to honour the hard work that Dr Jarjis Rahman has put into the centre over the last two decades. I know Dr Rahman from his time on the New Prospect parent board and I know he has shown exceptional dedication to the community in Eccles and beyond.

View Over The Glaze

Published by Iain on March 6, 2010 in Irlam and Cadishead and Worsley & Eccles South. 0 Comments

There are some great views across the Worsley & Eccles South constituency – here’s one from earlier today. I’ve been out campaigning with our excellent candidate for Cadishead ward, Tony Kelly, and Conservative colleagues, and I thought I’d grab a quick snap of the great view across the Glaze from the top of Lords Street and Fir Street.

I’m always delighted to hear from local residents about their local area – be that a great view or something that needs sorting out (of which, more shortly…)

U-Turn On Barton Moss Green Belt Plans

Published by Iain on March 6, 2010 in Eccles and Irlam and Cadishead. 0 Comments

It seems that Salford’s Labour Council is going to perform a dramatic u-turn, and axe their plans to bulldoze 40 hectares of Green Belt land at Barton Moss for heavy industrial usage.

The plans would have a catastrophic impact on local residents in Cadishead, Irlam, Peel Green and Brookhouse, and I’m delighted that Labour have finally seen sense and moved to withdraw their proposals.

I’m particularly pleased for the “Save Our North West Green Belt” campaign group, who have worked tirelessly and have been rewarded for their efforts on behalf of the community.

It’s important to ask, though – why did these daft proposals ever see the light of day in the first place? As with the Congestion Charge, Labour haven’t listened to local people and instead have had to backpedal after wasting all our time and money only to be howled down with derision.

Your local Conservatives, by contrast, have backed local residents from the start and stood up for their concerns.

Friends of Walkden and Patricroft Stations

Published by Iain on March 5, 2010 in Eccles and Walkden. 0 Comments

Iain Lindley and Antony Yates at Patricroft StationIt’s been a bit of a railway-themed week – on Wednesday I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Walkden Station (FOWS) and yesterday I was at Eccles Town Hall for the public meeting held by Friends of Patricroft Station (FrOPS) along with my Barton ward colleague Antony Yates.

Friends of Walkden Station have gone from strength to strength since they were formed in 2007, and have had some real success with the new Sunday services starting in May – that improvement simply wouldn’t have happened without the hard work that FOWS have put in.

Friends of Patricroft Station are a relatively new group, but they’ve clearly hit the ground running and are already making a big impact. There’s a lot of potential at Patricroft station, particularly with the improvements proposed in the Bridgewater Canal Corridor strategy, and it’s great to see another group of community-minded local people.

All our local station adoption groups do a great job and I will continue to do all that I can to support them.

Terry Lewis Quits Labour Party

Published by Iain on March 3, 2010 in Worsley & Eccles South. 0 Comments

Bombshell news today for the local Labour Party – Terry Lewis, the MP for Worsley from 1983 until 2005, has sensationally resigned his Party membership and launched a broadside at his former Labour Party colleagues, both locally and nationally.

He told the Manchester Evening News: “I didn’t send in a letter of resignation because I would have needed a publisher. It would have been the size of a small novel.”

Politically, I doubt Terry and I agree on very much, but I do recognise that he was an extremely hard-working local constituency MP who was well-respected and understood both the local area and the concerns of local people. In that regard, footsteps I’m very keen to follow should I be fortunate enough to be elected as the next MP for this area.

Terry’s comments show beyond any doubt that the Labour Party has let down and taken for granted the very people that it claims to represent and stand up for. Local residents need a fresh start and an MP who understands the local area and is prepared stand up for them. They can only get that by voting Conservative.

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