Archive for the 'Greater Manchester' Category

Labour Slash Rail Carriage Improvements

Published on June 30, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 2 Comments

There’s a must-read post over at David Ottewell’s blog. The proposed 180 extra rail carriages for Greater Manchester – essentially to keep the region moving – have been slashed by the Government to a maximum of 106.

I know that my colleague Cllr Ian MacDonald, Worsley ward Councillor and Vice-Chairman of the Transport Authority, will be protesting along with his colleagues in the strongest term. This is a real let-down for the people of Greater Manchester, and means that commuters from Walkden, Eccles, Irlam, Patricroft and Swinton stations will continue to suffer overcrowding and inadequate services.

Fire Authority – New Chairman

Published on June 25, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 1 Comment

I’m delighted that my Conservative colleague Cllr James Pearson was elected this morning as the new Chairman of the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Authority. Outgoing Liberal Democrat Chairman Paul Shannon becomes the new Vice-Chairman.

I have been appointed as the Authority spokesman to Salford City Council and I have also taken up a place on the North-West Regional Management Board.

On Beswick At Breakfast

Published on May 21, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 0 Comments

I made a brief appearance on Allan Beswick’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Manchester this morning to discuss the issue of MP Expenses. You can catch it on BBC iPlayer if you wish to do so – I was on just after 8am.

Something We Don’t Want, Lots Of Things We’ll Never Use – Oh, And A Hefty Bill

Published on May 14, 2009 in Greater Manchester and Salford. 4 Comments

Now that the small print behind this week’s transport announcements has sunk in, it’s clear that once again the people of Salford have got an extremely raw deal.

The Leigh Misguided Busway has received the green light. As I’ve commented many times before, this is a bonkers white elephant scheme which does not serve local communities in Salford but will significantly worsen congestion.

Worse, the Misguided Busway is the only significant element of the scheme based in Salford. So, we get one item that we don’t want, along with plenty of other schemes (mostly, unsurprisingly, in the City of Manchester) which we’ll barely use.

Guess what – we also get to pay through the nose for it! Our Council Tax is going up to fund improvements in Wythenshawe and Didsbury, that’s for sure.

Just as importantly, Salford’s local transport grants is being top-sliced to the tune of 40%. So, next time residents want a new cycle-way, or improvements to a road junction outwith the usual maintenance budget – forget it. Thanks to our Labour leadership all that money got blown on the White Elephant busway and on improvements in Manchester City.

Local residents are once again paying through the nose for no discernable benefit. If we were going to raise money, where were the common-sense improvements to rail services?

The money spent on the busway would have been much better deployed on improving infrastructure on the railway lines through Walkden, Eccles and Irlam, and on the much-needed changes at Salford Crescent – but no, our Labour leadership wanted the Leigh Guided Busway instead. Thanks.

Labour plough on with misguided busway – and your Council Tax will rise to pay for it!

Published on May 12, 2009 in Boothstown & Ellenbrook, Greater Manchester, Walkden and Worsley. 3 Comments

Depressing news from the AGMA meeting – the white elephant Leigh Misguided Busway stays on the list of priority improvements, despite being of absolutely no use to anyone.

I am completely opposed to the busway which will cause a huge increase in congestion on the A580 East Lancashire Road without actually providing any improvements in our bus services, which will speed down the East Lancs bypassing the communities it is supposed to serve.

What a bonkers idea – and now we are being told that we’ll have to fork out extra Council Tax for it as well.

Bad IDea

Published on May 7, 2009 in Greater Manchester and National Comment. 0 Comments

I’m appalled that the Government has decided to make the people of Greater Manchester the guinea pigs for their barmy ID Card scheme.

Local residents in Salford are feeling the financial pinch and the last thing they need is to fork out a further £60 on an ID card. Nationally, in these times of economic difficulty and with debt spiralling to record levels, the £5bn cost of ID cards is money we simply cannot afford to spend.

I’m delighted that Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary, has renewed the Conservative commitment to abolishing Labour’s unwanted, expensive farce of an ID Card scheme, whilst bringing in effective measures like a national border police force to keep the country safe.

Time For Common-Sense Transport Improvements

Published on April 28, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 2 Comments

David Ottewell has made some interesting comments about a closed-door discussion on transport between the Greater Manchester Council leaders. I’m afraid they only reinforce the impression that we will not have responsible city-region governance until the Manchester City Council leadership stop seeing themselves as lord, ruler and dictator.

This attitude – Manchester City Council gets the lion’s share of the investment and the rest of you can whistle for your improvements – contributed to the scale of the defeat in the TIF referendum and has shown no sign of abating.

On the issue at hand – future transport – given that the TIF money remains locked in the Government’s cupboard there is no option but to reassess the value-for-money provided by those proposed schemes before deciding which ones to push forward with – and no, the whims of Labour backbenchers in Manchester are not a value consideration.

The white elephant guided busway can be the first onto the scrapheap, given it serves no useful purpose whatsoever. Meanwhile, GMITA and the local authorities should be pushing forward with lower-cost improvements that could make a real difference, like platform lengthening at Walkden and addition carriages on the lines through Walkden, Irlam and Eccles. This would make a huge difference to commuters and greatly increase commuting capacity without breaking the bank.

Local Residents Shouldn’t Be Subsidising The Guardian

Published on April 3, 2009 in Greater Manchester and National Comment. 3 Comments

Over at ConservativeHome, Harry Phibbs has commented on an interesting article in the Guardian about local newspaper cuts – and local newspaper survival – in the current economic climate.

I find it somewhat ironic that there is a long piece in the Guardian on this subject, given that it is the Guardian Media Group that is responsible for the savage cuts proposed for the Manchester Evening News and local titles throughout Greater Manchester and beyond, including our own Salford Advertiser.

The second irony is that the MEN Media group – which includes the Manchester Evening News, Salford Advertiser and Channel M News – is I’m told actually on course to turn a small profit this year, despite the recession.

So, why are we seeing such savage cuts across our local and regional media here in Greater Manchester, including the sacking of journalists and closing of offices, when they are still turning a profit even in challenging economic conditions? It’s simple – to subsidise the Guardian which makes a whopping great loss.

Now I’m not, unsurprisingly, a Guardian reader, but it leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth that our local papers are being put to the sword – with all the knock-on implications for local democracy – just to subsidise a failing national newspaper. I’d say exactly the same if it was the Telegraph, Times or Mirror.

I’m sure local residents in Salford and across Greater Manchester would be deeply unimpressed if they realised that by purchasing the MEN or buying adverts in our local papers that the money is not being ploughed back into local journalism but being used to subsidise a dying national paper.

Andy Crane Show

Published on March 29, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 0 Comments

Had a great time on BBC Manchester at lunchtime, despite the odd technical hitch. Here’s a photo:

(l-r: me, Steve Shanyaski, Andy Crane, Ian Britt)

Andy Crane Show on BBC Manchester – Tomorrow

Published on March 28, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 0 Comments

Tomorrow lunchtime (Sunday 29th March) I’ll be a guest on the Andy Crane show on BBC Radio Manchester, along with singer-songwriter Ian Britt and comedian Steve Shanyaski.

The show broadcasts live from 12 noon until 2pm on 95.1FM or on the BBC live stream - do tune in!

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