It gives me no pleasure to report that my e-mail inbox is full of e-mails from local residents, neighbourhood police and British Transport Police about problems of vandalism and anti-social behaviour on and around Walkden station. The nearby business premises (some of them empty) on Holyoake Road nearby have also suffered from the same problems. The Friends of Walkden Station have outlined some of the incidents on their excellent blog.
I know that the local police are very keen to work with BTP to try to stamp this problem out, and as a local Councillor I would welcome an improved BTP presence at the station. In the meantime, it is very important that local residents and commuters report any anti-social behaviour or vandalism at the station to the BTP on 0800 40 50 40. BTP are a very stretched force covering a huge geographical area, and the more they are aware of the problems that exist at Walkden station the more likely they are to prioritise resources here.
Council Banking On Ice
Some worrying news for local Councils up and down the country following the collapse of the Icelandic banking sector – some Councils have huge sums invested in those Icelandic banks. ConservativeHome also have some some interesting comment.
I don’t know at this moment whether Salford City Council have anything invested in Iceland – doubtless we’ll find out soon enough (though I suspect the answer is “no”). Of course, Salford City Council have very little money to invest given that years of financial irresponsibility from the ruling Labour group have withered our precious reserves away to the bare minimum.
I do however know that the Fire Authority has not invested in overseas banks. We had this discussion at a recent Authority finance committee meeting, where one Labour Councillor seemed unhappy that we weren’t considering investing in overseas banks. British banks are no less immune to financial shocks than any other, but as we’ve seen today deposits in overseas banks – particularly in smaller countries like Iceland – can lead to even greater uncertainty when those shocks hit.