Crumpsall Labour Blog

Sun, sweat and tears

2008-05-18T14:23:00.005Z

Manchester City Centre was full of people again today with 31,000 people taking part in the 2008 Great Manchester Run. There were at least three times as many people cheering the runners on with spectators lining the route all the way to Old Trafford and back. The sun shine capital of Britain was back to its best and the image shown on TV will be exactly want we want. £s and £s will have been raised for dozens of good causes and lots of people will have had a lovely day in Manchester. The photographs show evidence of me starting, and if you look carefully at the right of the second photo, finishing. I beat my 50 minute target by miles, finishing in under 44 minutes, and am already being challenged to do even better next year.

Back to basics

2008-05-17T19:30:00.006Z

I'm on a bit of a roll now but let's get back to Crumpsall and Blackley Village. Con Keegan and I joined in with two community events today. The first was a litter pick, clean up, and planting session organised with Parkhill and Cleveland Residents' Association and the first picture shows Con apparently doing some work as that's a bag of compost you can just see in his hand. The second event was a community event at St.Peter's Church in the village and Con is seen here in a a slightly more formal pose with the Chair of Blackley Village Residents' Association. These residents groups are part of the life blood of our area and if you live in these neighbourhoods please give them your support. In particular, if yiy live in the parkhill/Cleveland neighbourhood, their next meeting is on Monday night at 7pm at Crumpsall Methodist Church. I'm not in either picture because someone had to work the camera.

The Great Manchester Run

2008-05-17T19:25:00.002Z

Hopefully I will have a photo to go with this tomorrow after I have completed the 10k of the Great Manchester Run. I'm raising money for St.Anne's Hospice, Cheadle, The JohnEastwood Hospice Trust, and the Christie's Appeal ( cheques please to Richard Leese via the Leader's office at the Town Hall ) and am aiming to finish inside 50 minutes. I have been training reasonably seriously but still please wish me luck!

Big screens and Parades

2008-05-17T19:16:00.002Z

It would be difficult to get away without mentioning the events of last week. Most of what I would want to say is covered by my blog on the Manchester City Council website and I'm not going to repeat anything from that. What has come up since my last posting there is the row over a victory parade for Manchester United if they win in Moscow on Wednesday which even I as a bitter blue hope they do. So the record is straight, Manchester City Council has not made a decision cancelling a parade and we were not party to a press statement made on this matter yesterday by Greater Manchester Police. The Council did not consent to or approve that statement and we have received an apology from the Acting Head of Communications at GMP.

Thank you Crumpsall and Blackley Village !

2008-05-17T13:13:00.002Z

This is my first post-election entry, although I am going to do a bit of catching up today, and my first task is to thank the Crumpsall electorate for re-electing me with a really healthy majority. I hope this reflects the work I, Con, and Jon have been doing in conjunction with local commmunities to make Crumpsall and Blackley Village a better place. Of course winning the election is where the work starts and we pledge to continue striving to make sure our area is one we can be proud of.

Mistakes,strength and weakness

2008-04-30T10:23:00.002Z

This blog has tended to concentrate on news rather than opinion but I'm going to make an exception for the 10p tax issue. Clearly the government has made a BIG mistake. With over twenty years experience as a City Councillor I know that the only way you can avoid making mistakes is by doing nothing. Indeed to get this city of ours back on the road to greatness has meant taking a few risks and not every one of them has come off.
It's also true that not many people, including Prime Ministers, like owning up to making mistakes- do you - and so it's not surprising that it took a fair bit of pressure to get Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling to accept that they had made a mistake.
The big question for any mistake is what you do about, in this case what government does to make sure nobody on a low income is financially penalised by the abolition of the 10p tax rate. We will all wait with interest to see what proposals the Chancellor comes back with. However, having admitted a mistake, if it is then properly rectified that is a sign of strength, not weakness.

St.George's Day

2008-04-23T12:56:00.002Z

St.George's Day today and I'm delighted that Manchester City Council was one of the first councils, if not the first, to give it official recognition

by supporting the community organised St. George's Day parade, now in its 4th increasingly successful year. This year was a rather wet affair and Queen Victoria's [ Thelma - one of the key organisers ] crinolines have only just dried out in time for the St.George's day tea dance being held this afternoon in the Great Hall at Manchester Town Hall. Even in the rain there was a tremendous turn out of floats and of spectators. A great day! The parade is also a great example of Manchester's diverse communities coming together and special mention for the organisers of the St.Patrick's day parade for their assistance . St.George is also the patron saint of Catalonia but we will have to wait and see whether it will be the Mancunion reds of England or the Barcelonans of Catalonia celebrating tonight.

Hospital Radio Offers Big Break to New Talent

2008-04-22T16:09:00.003Z

Crumpsall Carnival time is rapidly approaching and with it the now regular Northern Air 2008 Talent competition. Top prize is a studio recording session along with topping the bill at the Carnival . Entries are by demos [ cd or tape ] to programme controller Dave Beedie at " Talent Contest ", 51 Crumpsall Lane, Manchester M8 4ED with a closing date of Saturday 31st May. The contest itself is on Saturday 14th June, as always, at the Cleveland Hotel.

For those that were there the photos are a reminder of last years event, and for those who weren't a little taste of the fantastic atmosphere. Nothing to do with me being a judge [ on the left in the Judges Panel picture ].

Chemist Success

2008-04-21T19:56:00.001Z

A short follow up to the post a couple of weeks ago on the proposed pharmacy for Blackley Village. I said then that a decision was expected in two weeks. It's arrived right on time and it's good news for the village as it has been approved. There are 30 days in which objectors can appeal against the decision but hopefully they won't and if they do I'm sure they won't be successful. There is still a long way to go before we actually get a chemist in the village but at least we're on our way!

Making Crumpsall Safer !

2008-04-16T14:27:00.002Z

Yesterday saw the quarterly meeting of the Crumpsall Neighbourhood Partnership Meeting . This used to be called the local action partnership and is when the police, the Council's community safety co-ordinator, ward councillors, other relevant council departments, public agencies, and representatives of tenants and residents associations in the area, get together to get a report back from the police about their performance over the last three months and to discuss what the priorities should be for the next three months. Although it has its moments, Crumpsall is lucky in that it is not a high crime area, but it could still be lot better. One thing that has made a difference is neighbourhood policing, with a designated police constable and designated police community support officers for each part of Crumpsall and Blackley Village. Although things are improving one of my biggest bug bears is people who complain about but don't report crime. The police not surprisingly allocate resources on the basis of the crimes they have on their records so no reports means no resources. I know all the frustrations of trying to get through to GMP's switchboard and the frustrations with what is often seen as a lack of or a poor response. But whatever the frustrations, reporting crime does make a difference, and the police and other agencies do need our help and support if we are going to continue to make Crumpsall and Blackley Village safer.

Eco Store for Crumpsall

2008-04-10T14:36:00.002Z

Nice for a change to have an entry about a planning application that I am supporting, on this occasion an application from Tesco to turn their store currently under construction on Arlington Street into what they term an Eco Store, indeed their first Eco Store. Now I know Tesco isn't everybody's favourite brand because of their market dominance, but this store is needed even more now given the imminent closure of Somerfield, and it will provide local shopping without the inflated prices other supermarkets have used their monopoly position to impose. The Eco Store has lots of innovative features but the bottom line is that it should consume at least 50% less Carbon than previous stores and will include one-stop recycling facilities for paper, cardboard, carrier bags, glass, plastic and metal.

A Chemist for Blackley Village ?

2008-04-07T08:41:00.004Z

Not at first glance a very Blackley Village picture taken outside Manchester Primary Care Trust's headquarters in Chorlton but I was there with members of Blackley Village Residents Association to support an application for a new pharmacy in the village. Councillors have been working with BVRA and the City Council's North Manchester Regen officers to bring a village feel back into Blackley Village and a key element of that is bringing back local retailers and local services. Currently, unless you have a car, it is a long, steep uphill walk to get to a chemist , and with a growing population in and adjacent to the village, I believe it can have its own pharmacy without damaging others in nearby areas. We should know whether or not we have been successful in around two weeks, but this could be a major step in the regeneration of Blackley Village.

Glorious Mud in Herristone Park

2008-04-03T09:59:00.002Z

Delighted to see lots of Friends of Herristone Park out on Sunday working away with the help of Leisure Services staff to further improve the look of the park. The photograph only shows a small sample of the dozens of helpers and yes I did actually use the spade. The planting at the top end of the park was completed but work on a proposed wild flower bank further down had to be abandoned for the day as rain turned the ground we were digging into squelchy mud. Went home for my wellies for that and am lucky they're not still stuck in the mud and clay. Thankyou to all the residents and Council staff who turned out for a great community afternoon.

Michael Todd, Chief Constable

2008-03-12T12:01:00.001Z

Michael Todd
We are all stunned at the tragic news of Mike Todd's death. I do not wish to and will not add to the speculation about the causes of this awful tragedy but rather pay my respects and those of Crumpsall's councillors to a man who served us well, transforming Greater Manchester Police since he arrived in 2002 to a force to be reckoned with, delivering neighbourhood policing and reducing crime. He led with energy and enthusiasm and he led by example. He will be sorely missed by his family and his colleagues and my thoughts are with them as we mourn his passing. The Council's Executive Committee honoured Mike this morning with a minutes silence, a small token for an enormous loss.

Planning threat to Wilton Road

2008-03-11T18:45:00.002Z

Residents of Wilton Road and Bowker Bank Avenue are up in arms at appalling proposals from developer Wainhomes' proposal to demolish 33 Wilton Road and cover the site with as many poorly designed, out-of-character houses as possible. I'm joined outside the house by local resident Joan Milgate who with other neighbours has helped organise opposition to this dreadful plan and has made sure that local residents not consulted directly by the planners know about it. The house types proposed would not fit in at all with the surrounding area and some local residents would have three storey houses built right up to the back of their properties. I have put in a fierce objection to the city planners and hope that when it comes before the Planning Committee this Thursday it will be roundly rejected.

How daft can you get?

2008-03-10T08:49:00.002Z

Lovely weather for the St.Patrick's Day parade yesterday, earlier than usual because of early Easter, but as always starting off the growing season of festivals reflecting Manchester's rich diversity. Reckon I deserved the pint of Guinness after walking to Albert Square from Crumpsall, joining the enormous parade on Cheetham Hill Road. The silly hat was courtesy of festival co-chair Esther Dolan. The other co-chair, JohnFlanagan, walked the parade accompanied by a silly dog [ depending on your view of Irish Wolfhounds ] and the parade was led by Lord Mayor Glynn Evans in another silly hat but one that goes with the job. There was a fantastic turn out to watch the parade and Albert Square was heaving, especially the little bit of it I'm standing in for this picture. The next big parade is of course St.George's day and I hope the weather is just as good for that.

Recycling - how can we do it better

2008-03-04T09:25:00.003Z

What a lovely picture of me with a load of rubbish at the Council's Longley Lane depot. I was there to launch a three month Council consultation on what you think we should do to improve recycling in Manchester. The last few years have already since massive improvements in recycling from a miserable 3% to now over 20% but we could do much better. As I go round the ward talking to people and when I attend residents' meetings, recycling is one of the issues most raised . If we are going to recycle more then we have to have recycling services tailored to residents' requirements and that is what this consultation is all about. You can join in by using freephone number 0800 995 1911 ( and be entered into a £500 prize draw ) or by logging on to the Council's website http://www.manchester.gov.uk/

Time up for bad landlords

2008-02-13T15:26:00.002Z

Private landlords are not all bad. There are excellent landlords in Crumpsall providing a first-rate service to their tenants and contributing to making Crumpsall a good place to live.But when landlords are bad the impact they have can be nothing short of disastrous not only for their tenants but also for residents in adjacent properties, and unfortunately Crumpsall also has its share of appalling private landlords. The City Council has campaigned for years for more powers to tackle this problem and has had a small success in gaining powers to introduce selective licensing of private landlords in certain parts of the city. Crumpsall was originally intended to be in phase 3 of selective licensing but today, the City Council's Executive agreed to merge phase 2 with phase 3, put more resources into it, and with a bit of luck have selective licensing in place in Crumpsall by the end of the year. This should cause no problem for the many good landlords but hopefully spell the end for the rogues !

Don't tar us all with the same brush

2008-02-06T09:47:00.000Z

Once again the reputations of politicians are being dragged through the mud because of the actions of a small number of MPs abusing the system to favour members of their families. I am sure this is infuriating for the vast majority of MPs who's conduct is entirely proper, but it is even more infuriating for Councillors because our reputations are damaged too for something that just couldn't happen in local government. For one thing, any support staff for Councillors [ and we don't have a lot ] are employed by the Council itself, not by individual Councillors. For a second, Councillors have to publicly declare any close relative employed anywhere in the Council, and would have to exclude themself from any appointment for which a relative or close friend was a candidate. The problem is not with politicians in general, but with parliament which still runs itself like a Victorian gentlemens' club rather than as a modern legislature . No wonder that not only do we get scandal after scandal but whichever party is in power we get poor scrutiny of the Executive and poor scrutiny of legislation. What this country needs is fundamental reform of parliament to give us transparent and democratic government fit for the 21st century.

More Neighbourhood Policing on the way

2008-01-28T14:57:00.000Z

The creation of 104 Police Officer posts ring fenced to neighbourhood policing in priority neighbourhoods is the big headline out of the budget for Greater Manchester Police I proposed at last Friday's meeting of AGMA [the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities ]. For the last few years I've had the job, with a couple of colleagues from other local authorities, of scrutinising GMP's budget proposals and making recommendations to AGMA.This year I was delighted to get support for a proposal that will not only get more police officers on the streets of Greater Manchester but will also see additional investment in tackling drug dealing, in witness protection, in tackling sales of alcohol to juveniles, and in gathering the forensic evidence to bring more cases successfully to court. Every year our citizens' survey identifies crime and anti-social behaviour as the biggest issue in the city though in most categories of crimes the numbers have been going down over the last few years. Even so, I'm sure that everyone will welcome this extra investment in making our communities safer .

Crumpsall - on the up ?

2008-01-21T12:02:00.000Z

Long-standing Crumpsall and Blackley Village residents like myself ( 29 years now ) will have seen many changes over that period of time with a fair few ups and downs for the area. We will all have our own opinions but it is useful to get an objective, external measure of what is happening to where we live. Just before Christmas, the government published its Index of Multiple Deprivation. This divides every Council Ward in England into smaller units called super output areas ( SOAs ) and then compares them all to each other looking at income, employment, health, education, housing, crime and the living environment. The previous time when this was done in 2004, half the SOAs in Crumpsall and Blackley were assessed as being in the 5% most deprived in the country. Now, 3 years later, none of our SOAs are in the worst 5%, all of them have improved, and one has risen 2750 places up the national table. So on the things that really count for quality of life, compared to the rest of England, Crumpsall and Blackley Village really are on the up !

Crumpsall Labour Blog's New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-08T17:35:00.000Z

Two resolutions from Richard Leese . The first which will be very difficult to deliver on is to get his colleague Con keegan to learn how to do postings and get him to do at least one posting on the blog , although having said that we might also need to send Jon-Leigh Pritchard on a re-training course ! The second and more important resolution is to make sure the blog is used regularly to keep you up to date on your Councillors, the Labour Party and Crumpsall and Blackley Village so log-on to this space and it won't be an empty one !

Sure Start comes to Crumpsall

2007-11-01T20:55:00.000Z

Work is well underway on building a £1.3 million Sure Start centre for Crumpsall.
When completed, early in 2008, the Centre will provide places for more than 50 pre-school children as well as providing space for activities such as parenting classes and community meetings. the centre, located on Moss Bank, across the road from St.Anne's RC primary school, will be open from 7.00am to allow early starters to drop their children off ( hopefully on foot ! ) before going to work .
Sure Start has been a great success elsewhere in Manchester. We want children in Crumpsall to have the best possible start in life and this new centre will help to provide this in a safe, attractive and stimulating environment.

Slowest in Europe!

2007-10-18T16:54:00.000Z

I don't want to turn this into a transport site but thought it was worth adding something to my last post on the basis of a survey published by road analysis website Keepmoving.co.uk which shows that Greater Manchester has the 4th most slow moving roads in Europe !

And some people , presumably with ostrich like tendencies , still argue that we should do nothing to tackle congestion !

21st CENTURY TRANSPORT

2007-10-14T20:03:00.001Z

Well bicycles do have a part to play in a 21st century transport system and I intend to continue using mine as much as I can on trips to and from the Town Hall . But if the economy of Manchester is to thrive we will need a lot more than a few bikes . The city needs massive investment in public transport - buses,trains and trams,park-and-ride,it needs first-class facilities for passengers, and it needs all of this to be joined up with integrated timetables and ticketing, and fares need to be affordable. We also need to control the amount of traffic on the roads. Congestion is bad for our health and it costs our economy billions. That's why the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester have submitted a bold plan to government that if successful could see between £2.5 and £3 billion invested in transport for Manchester and put the brakes on congestion. Like any bold plan there are opponents who have now even resorted to saying that I don't understand the needs of motorists because I don't drive . Well I might ride a bike, and I do regularly use buses,trains and metrolink, but I can also be seen regularly driving around the city. I'm not anti-car, just anti sitting in traffic jams.

A day at the seaside

2007-10-01T12:26:00.000Z

Two days actually, at this year's Labour Party conference in Bournemouth - not a patch on Manchester last year and most delegates I spoke to are really looking forward to the conference coming back to Manchester next year. I went down to Bournemouth for two days for several reasons. Firstly, it was an opportunity to promote Manchester. I spoke at three fringe meetings, including the Core Cities meeting where I'm shown in the picture alongside Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Salford M.P. Hazel Blears. Secondly it is an opportunity to put policy proposals forward, and thirdly it is an opportunity to talk directly to ministers and their advisers about the things that are most important to Manchester people. In two days I met with dozens of influential people including at least 8 cabinet ministers about what our city needs - all of them short meetings that otherwise could have each taken weeks to set up and would have each involved a trip to London. Two days well spent from a council point of view but didn't see much of the sea !

Now some good news on Health

2007-09-21T10:36:00.000Z

The last post on this Blog carried bad news about one of our local GP practices. In the last couple of weeks we have had good news about North Manchester General Hospital which is to retain a full range of maternity services and in the next couple of years will gain a range of children's services, including a children's accident and emergency service .
This is very good news for the health of people across North Manchester but we need more still . Much of the building at NMGH is well past its sell-buy date and desperately need replacing with modern, state-of-the-art facilities. Crumpsall councillor Richard Leese, pictured here outside A&E at NMGH has recently met the new Chief Executive who agrees that new hospital buildings at Crumpsall must be a priority.

Patients let down !!

2007-06-19T17:31:00.001Z

Patients at the Oakleigh Medical Centre are being badly let down by the Manchester Primary Care Trust , the NHS body responsible for GP services

The PCT promised that when Dr Simenoff retires at the end of the month , patients would be reallocated to another local practice . Instead , patients are being sent to the NHS white elephant clinic right at the other end of Cheetham Hill when there are at least 5 GP practices much, much nearer - 3 within walking distance . It seems to me , that having built the clinic in the wrong place the PCT now have to fill it and as a result it is Crumpsall residents that will have to trek down there . They don't seem to have any consideration for older residents or the many people without cars . The City Council has taken this up in the strongest terms with the PCT and hopefully we will get something more sensible out of them .

Carnival Time !

2007-06-18T13:23:00.000Z

Pirates on parade as Crumpsall Carnival celebrates its 11th year
Ahoy there landlubbers! Crumpsall Carnival celebrates its 11th year in style with a Caribbean pirate theme on Sunday 24 June.
The fun kicks off in Herristone Park at 12.30pm when the costumed festival parade, featuring a pirate ship and including a samba band, scouts, guides, cadets and local schoolchildren, sets off.
It will arrive in Crumpsall Park at 1pm when Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Glynn Evans will formally open the event, hosted by the Friends of Crumpsall Park in partnership with the City Council.
The park will be the venue for a host of entertainment including the Bloco Novo samba band on the main stage, judging of the fancy dress competition, winners of a talent contest hosted by Northern Air Radio, Smiley the Clown, dancers and more live music.
Other attractions includes a tea dance with the Crumpsall Concert Band, six-a-side football, tennis and boxing taster sessions and a funfair. Health and jobs information will also be available.
Councillor Mike Kane, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said: "Crumpsall Carnival is an enjoyable family event which continues to grow in popularity. It’s a real community celebration with something for everyone. This year’s pirate theme promises a swashbucklingly good time for all!"
Chair of the Friends of Crumpsall Park, Tom Sogbetun, said: "The Crumpsall Carnival is an event for everyone to enjoy. It brings the whole community together once a year for this multi cultural carnival and encourages greater use of our park. It’s been going for more than a decade now and keeps getting bigger."
Crumpsall is one of Manchester’s oldest parks opened in the 1890s. It was one of the first to see the shift towards providing open space for leisure and sport. The11-acre park remains one of the most used in the city.
The carnival runs from 12noon-4.30pm at Crumpsall Park.

and the winner is ....

2007-06-12T14:29:00.001Z

Chenelle Martine - seen here with Crumpsall Talent night host and Northern Air Radio Star Dave Beedie..

Chenelle was one of a number of entrants to perform her own material as well as opening her three song performance with a stunning Gladys Knight cover . The quality of all the performers [ pictured left with Dave ] was , as promised , superb and the judges had a really difficult time seperating out the top three and the overall winner . You can see some of the judges , including me on the left , in the photo above listening intently . My job was made even more difficult in that I had one of the entrants number one fan , her mother , sat right next to me . The Cleveland was heaving and provided a great venue for a great night . If you missed it then you can catch the top three when they perform live at Crumpsall Carnival on the afternoon of Sunday , June 24th . [ If you look carefully you might notice Dave is sitting in a NMGH wheelchair and has been spending more time of late listening to the radio so it was great to see him back on stage ] .Thanks too to Tom Sogbetun for the photos .

Concern Over GP

2007-06-10T18:37:00.000Z

The announcement that long-standing local GP Dr Simenoff is to retire at the end of June has shocked and worried his many patients . Many have contacted me wanting an answer to the question of where they will go to see a doctor after the end of the month . The Manchester Primary Care Trust , the part of the NHS responsible for GPs in the city , has contacted the Council and say that they are in the process of allocating all of Dr Simenoff's patients to new , local doctors and that there are enough doctors in the area to cope . Once they have done this they will write to all patients offering them a place on another GP practice's list . Obviously your three Councillors will keep in touch with the Primary Care Trust to monitor what is going on and to try and ensure that everybody in this position gets reassurance as soon as possible .

Clearly Dr Simenoff's retirement is nobody's fault but we need to make sure that nobody is left without an easily accessible local doctor .

I'm sure all of Dr Simenoff's loyal patients would also want to join us in wishing him well in retirement

BEATLES REFORM FOR CRUMPSALL TALENT NIGHT

2007-06-05T18:30:00.000Z

Maybe not , but next Saturday night's Northern Air Radio talent night at Crumpsall's famous Cleveland Hotel could just unearth the next big thing . The talent night , organised by Northern Air Radio's and Crumpsall Carnival Committee's Dave Beedie , has now become an established event in its own right aswell as a great warm up for the Carnival a couple of weeks later and is a highlight of the Crumpsall cultural calender . Our skillful team have been sifting through demo CDs and promise not only a fantastic line-up but also an all new line-up . None of the acts appearing this Saturday have previously appeared in the competition . The talent night is always fantastic entertainment , is free and is always packed out so arrive early if you want a seat . I've been bullied into being a judge [ 3rd choice apparently after Con and Jon ] but at least it does guarantee me a seat . See you on Saturday !!!

.................and the sunshines on Herristone Park

2007-06-03T19:25:00.000Z

The sun shone on Herristone Park this afternoon for the annual fun day . There was entertainment from the Crumpsall Comets , and other activities including face-painting , a football tournament , art activities , refreshments and a clown [ with me in the photo - joke !! ] for the younger children . All the work was done by by Chris and Gail and other local residents from the Friends of Herristone Park . I just went along to enjoy the event but got roped in to blowing up a few inflatable pirate swords - don't ask - for the Crumpsall Carnival stand . To be fair to Con , he'd been there since noon helping put up marquees [ or so he claims ] . Parks staff , Bill , Lisa , Martin , and Andrew were there to add their support and loads of local residents of all ages turned up to enjoy a great afternoon .

STAYING ALIVE !

2007-05-30T15:48:00.000Z

No , not the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever but life expectancy in Crumpsall . The NHS in the form of Manchester Primary Care Trust have just published a book of statistics which amongst a whole pile of other stuff tells us that , out of 33 wards in the city , men in Crumpsall Ward had the 4th highest life expectancy and women the 3rd highest . The figures are a little out of date , covering 1999-2003 , and are on the old pre-2004 ward boundaries , but its still good to know that living in Crumpsall means living longer . However us men have got a bit of catching up to do , because our average life expectancy at 74.1 years is 6.1 years behind women's average of 80.2 years . That's one gap I definitely want to make a personal contribution to narrowing !!!

BROWN BACKS CRUMPSALL LABOUR

2007-05-17T15:04:00.000Z

I've not wasted any time in lobbying soon to be leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown . I met with Gordon yesterday evening following a meeting organised by the Co-op party in New Century Hall . One of the many jobs of local Councillor is to lobby goverment for policies and resources to help us regenerate our city . It's not often you get to talk to the person at the top and as the picture shows I was getting my point over with feeling . I'm personally looking forward to a Brown led Labour government and I'm equally confident that my words didn't fall on deaf ears . However , I'm going to wait and see how successful I was before revealing the content of the discussion !

SAVE OUR PONDS !

2007-05-14T10:22:00.000Z

Back in the eighties the ponds at Bowker Vale were threatened with being drained and turned into a housing development site . That threat was successfully averted and in the intervening years the wildlife value of the ponds has increased enormously . Now the ponds are under threat again with a developper wanting to drain one of the ponds and turn the other into a " feature " in the middle of a housing estate linked to Blackley New Road by a monstrous bridge over the Irk . This would destroy the ecological value of the site and destroy a green haven at the heart of the city . Crumpsall's Labour Councillors are determined to fight this every step of the way and make sure it doesn't happen !

ELECTION VICTORY - now the work begins

2007-05-09T12:09:00.000Z

We've been so busy with elections that we haven't been able to post any entries over the last couple of weeks . Well elections are over now and the obvious first thing to report is the election result , a stunning victory in Crumpsall and Blackley Village for sitting Councillor , Con Keegan . Con polled 1832 votes , a 9.9% increase on the previous year , giving him a majority of 1268 . Thanks to everybody who gave us their vote this year , and if you need reminding , just remember that we are Councillors all-year round for all the citizens of Crumpsall and Blackley Village .

Keeping Manchester Labour

2007-04-18T22:45:00.000Z

Election time is obviously extremely busy for all Labour Councillors across Manchester. Every night is spent working on the local election. However, this time also gives us the opportunity to meet people face to face (apart from our surgeries and residents meetings) and listen to their views or problems. Its a great way to engage with people and to focus on what we need to do to meet their needs in the future.

If anyone has any comments about the local elections or would like to discuss any issues then please do not hesitate to contact us via this web-page.

Carnival Coming Up

2007-04-12T16:22:00.000Z

Sunday , 24th June is guaranteed sunshine because that's the date for the next Crumpsall Carnival held as usual in Crumpsall Park . Councillor Richard Leese has been on the carnival committee from the very first carnival but it is not going to claim the credit for what is a genuinely community organised event . The City Council's Parks' staff also play their part along with the Council's North Manchester Regeneration team but the carnival simply wouldn't happen if it wasn't for the voluntary efforts of local residents like Tom ( also a survivor from the very first carnival ) , Bernie and Louise ( the pair with green hair ) , Dave , Steve , Chris and a few others . There's always room for more help and it's never too late , so if anybody's interested in getting involved e-mail Richard at r.leese@manchester.gov.uk and he will put you in touch with the committee

Labour Councils cost you less

2007-04-03T16:14:00.000Z

Cllr Richard Leese , has said that the publishing of the 2007/08 council tax rates clearly show that Labour councils offer the best value for money."Labour councils cost local residents on average £262 per year less than Tory controlled councils and £201 less than Lib Dem councils."And thanks to Labour's consistent investment in local government, and prudent management of city council finances, the Council Tax rise in the City of Manchester will be the lowest rise in Greater Manchester for the eighth year running.In neighbouring Lib Dem controlled Stockport , the rise is close to double that of Manchester." The choice is clear . If you want excellent services and value for money from your local authority, vote Labour !

Labour Listen's

2007-03-24T18:51:00.000Z

Every week all three Councillors or members of the Labour Party post leaflets through people's doors in a particular part of Crumpsall or Blackley Village. The leaflet has information on it stating when we will be in the area, and that if anyone has any problems the leaflet should be displayed in the window for us to see. We will then knock on the door and listen/help with any problems or issues.

Myself and Councillor Con Keegan met a number of residents who raised several concerns of a number of different natures. For obvious reasons I will not go into those concerns. However, 'Labour Listen's' allows local Councillors to meet people in their own homes and listen to any problems or issues of concern. We will always try to meet with local residents and try to do whatever we can to help.

Back home in Blackley Village

2007-03-21T17:20:00.000Z

This Monday Con and I attended the quarterly meeting of the Blackley Village Local Plan steering group . I suspect even most residents in Blackley Village will be wondering what's that . The Council , Councillors and Blackley Village Residents Association [ BVRA ] have been working together for several years now , firstly to produce a regeneration plan for the village and secondly , through the steering group , to oversee its implimentation . Items for discussion on Monday included the reclamation work that is taking place on the Old Blackley Works site . This is causing some nuisance to local residents , and as Councillors we made sure both the contractors and the Council's Environmental Health department improved the quality of information provided to residents . Hopefully the work of removing foul smelling chemicals will be completed in the next week or so . Also discussed was the detailed planning application for developping unused land on the Avecia site . This is a key component of the regeneration plan so there will be a public drop-in and a special meeting of the steering group in April . Residents have 4 representatives on the steering group nominated by BVRA .

Manchester goes to parliament

2007-03-14T19:12:00.000Z

One of the jobs of the Leader of the Council is to lobby parliament for the money and powers the city needs , so I have spent the last 2 days in London [ thankfully I'm now safely back in Manchester and civilisation ] talking to ministers , M.P s and members of the House of Lords on a range of issues including transport , worklessness and the proposed destination casino . Improving Crumpsall and the rest of Manchester means working effectively with National Goverment and that means talking to them . Our local M.P , Graham Stringer and other Manchester MPs , Tony Lloyd , Paul Goggins and Sir Gerald Kaufman help enormously in this work , as do Manchester based peers like Keith Bradley . Spending a couple of days there has allowed me to cram in literally dozens of meetings and being in Parliament also meant I bumped into a range of people it was useful to talk to about Manchester , including 5 cabinet ministers .

Daleks come to Manchester

2007-03-13T20:13:00.000Z

On my way outside the town hall today I was surprised to bump into an old friend. As usual Manchester is attracting all sorts of people/machines to this great city.

Surgery and Residents Meetings

2007-03-12T22:00:00.000Z

Attended a surgery tonight, dealing with resident issues and concerns. My colleague, Councillor Con Keegan also attended Parkhill Residents Association. Having spoken with Con he said that the meeting was really well attended.

Cllr.j.Pritchard

2007-03-12T20:50:00.000Z

A photo from the not too distant past really just to experiment with our new communication channel but also I suppose to show off hanging a few metres from the top of the City { previously Sunley Building } tower . That's me in the white helmet

Leader of Manchester City Council and Crumpsall Ward Councillor

2007-03-12T15:54:00.000Z

Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council

Councillors Richard Leese, Con Keegan and Jon-Leigh Pritchard

2007-03-12T14:29:00.000Z