One group of people who definitely won’t be listening to the views of local residents over the new Catholic school proposals are the Labour Councillors for Walkden North and Little Hulton - they’ve already jumped ship to support the closure of St George’s High School in favour of the new school in Wardley.
This is not a surprise as the Labour Party locally in Walkden & Little Hulton has spent the past 18 months saying as little as physically possible about St George’s in the hope of not offending their leadership. They have been silent when they should have been shouting from the rooftops.
I’ve received dozens of comments already from local residents, parents and pupils (past and present) about this week’s proposals. I want to hear as many views as possible, so please e-mail me at councillor.lindley@salford.gov.uk or leave a comment on this blog post!
Local residents may well already have seen the article in today’s Manchester Evening News about a potential new Catholic “super school”.
As a local Councillor I have said from the outset that the Council should not be closing down a good school - and St George’s is a very good school. That remains the case. Any new school would not be St George’s.
I - and my colleagues - need to know what local residents, pupils, parents and staff think about this new proposal. Please leave a message on this post or e-mail me at councillor.lindley@salford.gov.uk and tell me your views.
Published on February 11, 2008
in Walkden.
This evening I was invited to attend a meeting of the Worsley & Boothstown Political Executive (it’s a meeting of area Councillors and officers) to discuss possible community use of the proposed new buildings at Walkden High School.
I thought it was a really useful and productive meeting, and was attended by Mrs Hilton and Aled Owen from Walkden High School and the Building Schools for the Future project director as well as Councillors and community representatives.
It was however disappointing that none of the Walkden North or Little Hulton Councillors were able to turn up. Both myself and Councillor Turner were in attendance, however.
The fight to save St George’s High School has even made it into Private Eye. Please click on the header below to view the full article:
Published on February 10, 2008
in Walkden.
I was very disappointed when First Manchester withdrew their 554 service which linked Walkden with the Trafford Centre. This meant that there was no direct bus for shoppers and shop workers to use - except (somewhat ironically) on Sundays as the 556 bus still runs with a GMPTE subsidy.
I’m delighted that starting last week a local bus company, Vale of Manchester, has stepped into the breach, launching a new hourly 514 service between Bury and the Trafford Centre, via Radcliffe, Little Lever, Farnworth, Walkden, Worsley and Winton. You can find the timetable here (pdf file).
Remember of course that local buses are run on a commercial basis, and if not enough people use the new service then it won’t last very long. I received a letter from two local residents only a few days ago about the lack of bus service to the Trafford Centre and I am very pleased that Vale of Manchester have introduced this new route. I hope it is a success and well-used by local people along the length of the new operation.
Over at the Walkden Conservatives website I’ve added a new Dates For Your Diary section, which will be kept updated with meetings and events of interest to local residents in Walkden and the surrounding area.
If you have any events which you think I should add to the diary section, please drop me a line or leave a comment on this blog or the Walkden Conservatives website.
Published on February 6, 2008
in Walkden.
I’ve just been informed that the new fencing around the play area in Parr Fold Park is almost finished and the gates will be added in the next few days. Also, the additional light at the skate area is now being installed.
This is excellent news for both local residents and playground users and I hope we will see a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour in the Parr Fold Park area.
Published on February 4, 2008
in Walkden.
Tesco have applied for change-of-use planning permission to open a convenience store (a Tesco Express, I presume) on the site of the former garage at 148-150 Manchester Road in Walkden.
I know that these applications (rightly) generate a huge amount of debate on both sides of the argument, so it is very important that local residents have their say. The planning application reference is 08/55862/COU - anyone with an interest can view the details and submit their comments on the Council’s Public Access website.
I understand there is also a meeting for local residents later this week - please e-mail me on councillor.lindley@salford.gov.uk for details.
Published on January 27, 2008
in Walkden.
I’ve spent much of the weekend with Beechams All-In-One for company so apologies for the lack of updates!
Just a quick reminder for local residents that the local Community Committee is being held tomorrow at Little Hulton SureStart Centre on Longshaw Drive, starting at 6pm. Hope to see you there!
Published on January 21, 2008
in Walkden.
The next meeting of the Walkden and Little Hulton Community Committee is next Monday, 28th January 2008. The meeting venue rotates between the three wards in Walkden and Little Hulton, so this meeting will be held at the Little Hulton SureStart Centre on Longshaw Drive. The fun and games start at 6pm and all local residents are welcome to attend - hope to see you there!
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