STAYING ALIVE !

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 The figures are a little out of date , covering 1999-2003 , and are on the old pre-2004 ward boundaries , but its still good to know that living in Crumpsall means living longer .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

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 !

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

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

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

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

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 !