Published July 22nd, 2008
Housing In Crisis
A new report from Shelter, the housing charity, says many North West families are making desperate sacrifices to keep a roof over their heads, including spending less on food, selling possessions and borrowing from friends and family.
John Leech MP and the local Lib Dems are backing Shelters new ‘Breaking Point’ campaign, which calls on the government to end the housing crisis.
The plan also calls for mortgage lenders to use repossession only as a last resort, and provide more help and support to homeowners; and for more safeguards for tenants renting privately. Shelter say the Government should review property taxation to make the system fairer, including council tax, stamp duty, inheritance tax and capital gains tax.
John Leech MP said:”Everyone has the right to an affordable and decent place to call home. With many thousands of families in Manchester waiting for their own council house, repossessions soaring, and private sector rents rising, we need to do more to tackle the housing affordability crisis.”I am working hard with Shelter to help the one in four families in the North West that are suffering from stress or depression due to today’s housing costs.Councillor Iain Donaldson, who is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Housing in Manchester added:”As local Councillors we know from our advice surgeries and post bags that lack of a proper home is a major problem for hundreds of families in our area alone. Many are living in totally overcrowded and inappropriate conditions.”Gordon Brown has promised to make housing a priority in his Government. Now is the time the Labour government lived up to its fine words and tackled the problem head-on.”
Published July 10th, 2008
Lib Dems Call for Action as Thefts of Drain Covers Increase Tenfold in a Year!
John Cameron and Iain Donaldson, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Burnage Ward, are calling for swift action to save council taxpayers thousands of pounds in the face of an epidemic of drain cover thefts across Manchester.
Figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show that the number of thefts in Manchester in less than the first quarter of this financial year stand at a little under 500, compared to a little over 200 for the whole of the last financial year.
Now Councillors Cameron and Donaldson are calling for the Council to take action to stop the thefts happening, instead of waiting for them to happen, as happens at present.
Councillor John Cameron said:
“We always report things like graffiti, broken streetlights and potholes that we notice when we are out and about in Burnage. We noticed that we were reporting more and more missing drain grid covers from the area’s streets. These missing covers are stolen for scrap, which has a high value at the moment. The trouble is that when they are stolen a dangerous hole is left that could cause serious injuries to pedestrians.”
Councillor Iain Donaldson added:
“When we report these missing covers, the City Council replaces them with non-metallic ones, which do not get stolen as they have no scrap value. What we have suggested is that they start to replace the metal covers in areas where there are lots of thefts before they get stolen, not after. That way the City Council would at least be able to accrue the value of the metal to spend on council services, instead of just waiting for the thieves to steal them all. It would also remove the trip hazard being caused for pedestrians.”
Published July 10th, 2008
Anger as residents miss out on plastic and cardboard recycling collections
John Cameron Liberal Democrat Councillor for Burnage Ward, has slammed Labour run Manchester City Council for failing to introduce cardboard and plastic recycling collections across South Manchester.
After years of calls from the Lib Dems and local people to have the range of materials collected from the kerbside increased to include plastics, directories and cardboard, the City Council is at last taking action - but only in a handful of places.
Councillor John Cameron said:
“If materials like plastic and cardboard, which can be recycled, are put in the ordinary rubbish bin, they end up in landfill sites, which is bad for the environment and costs the council tax payers money, through landfill taxes.
“The Liberal Democrats have argued for years that the Council should encourage more recycling by collecting other materials, like plastic and cardboard. We know that local people want to recycle these things, but the Council have not been making it easy by only collecting glass, aluminium and paper.
“At long last it seems that Labour has started to listen and are bringing this in - but why only to a few areas? It is great news for the people of parts of Whalley Range and Sharston, but what about the residents of Burnage, Withington, Didsbury, Northenden and Chorlton Park?
“After all of these years of delay it is high time that they got their act together and offered a comprehensive recycling collection service across the whole city.”
Lib Dem Councillor for Chorlton Park, Norman Lewis, added:
“It makes no sense that residents of Chorlton who live in the areas covered by Whalley Range and Chorlton Wards will get the improved recycling service, but those who happen to live in the Chorlton Park Ward will not. It’s just not fair.”
Published July 4th, 2008
Post Office Campaign Gathers Pace
Labour’s latest cynical Post Office closure plans reached a new stage in June when the list of Manchester Post Offices due to be axed was announced.
There was some relief for our area as the Post Offices on Burnage Lane, Kingsway and Fog Lane have all escaped Labour’s axe – for now.
But there was dismay at the news that Ladybarn Post Office on Mauldeth Road and Parrs Wood Post Office on Wilmslow Road are earmarked for closure. Levenshulme Post Office is also facing the axe.
The local Lib Dems have already collected thousands of petition signatures opposing Labour’s Post Office Closure plans. Now they are launching a further campaign to oppose these two closures.
John Leech MP said:
“Labour say that these closures will save money and that people can just use other post offices. However, this ignores those who do not have easy access to transport and the fact that these post offices help to sustain local shopping areas.”
Councillor John Cameron said:
“We must get them to change their minds and keep all of our post offices open. Please sign our petition to save Ladybarn and Parrs Wood Post Offices.”
John Leech MP will present the paetitions to Number 10 Downing Street in two weeks time.
Published July 4th, 2008
We Need Easy Access!
The local Liberal Democrats are campaigning to restore low floor, easy access buses to the 44 bus route along Parrs Wood Road.
Previously, all the buses on the 44 route were easy access, which allowed disabled and elderly people, along with those with push chairs, to get on and off easily.
Then minibuses were put on, which had steep stairs, making if difficult or impossible for many to use the bus.
Councillor Iain Donaldson said:
“We wrote and complained about the situation to the Greater Manchester Transport Executive, and there are now some easy access mini buses on the 44 route. However, we want to see all low floor buses, so that those who have push chairs or mobility problems can go catch the bus safe in the knowledge that they will be able to get on.”
Published July 4th, 2008
UEFA Report Leaves Unanswered Questions
Liberal Democrat Councillors in Manchester have welcomed a Council report into last month’s staging of the UEFA cup final in Manchester but believe that some questions remained unanswered by the report.
Manchester Lib Dem Leader Cllr Simon Ashley said:
“I have met senior Council Officers and told them we agree with some of the key recommendations in the report:
that Piccadilly is an unsuitable venue for a large event;
that there should be ticketed entry to control numbers;
that there should be better communication with city centre businesses and residents;
that there needs to be better signage, more toilets, bins and better and quicker cleaning.”
Cllr Ashley added:
“However, I think the report fails to answer three questions:
1) Why weren’t more viewing screens made available throughout the City when number estimates kept increasing, to better disperse the crowd numbers?
2) Did the U-turn on the communications strategy on the 8th of May (when instead of saying ‘Don’t come without a ticket’, the city said “Everyone welcome”) contribute to the increased visitor numbers?
3) Was the decision making process transparent and did the organising committee rely too much on intelligence and information received from Strathclyde Police and Glasgow Council?”
Cllr Ashley concluded:
“This report isn’t perfect but is a good start. Manchester needs to learn the lessons of the Uefa final so that the people of Manchester can regain the confidence they have lost in its Council bidding for future events.”
Published July 4th, 2008
Manchester Lib Dems Welcome Labour U turn on C-Charge Referendum
Manchester Liberal Democrats have welcomed Council Leader Richard Leese’s proposal to hold a Greater Manchester-wide referendum on proposed public transport improvements including an element of congestion charging. A referendum, if agreed by Council Leaders across Greater Manchester, would take place after consultations on the funding bid end in October.
Manchester Liberal Democrats have consistently called for a referendum on this issue. Recent polls that showing that 86% of respondents supported having a Greater Manchester wide referendum before introducing a Congestion
Charge.
Lib Dem Leader Cllr Simon Ashley said:
“Manchester Lib Dems have been arguing for a long time that we need a referendum on such a critical issue. I am glad that Labour Council Leader Richard Leese has finally come round to our way of thinking.”
Cllr Ashley added:
“This announcement, if agreed by the ten Council Leaders, means that we can have a proper debate about the Tif bid and congestion charging. This is a victory for the people of Greater Manchester.”
Published June 17th, 2008
Cringle Park and Fields
Councillors Jon Cameron, Iain Donaldson and Rod Isherwood thank the police and council officers who worked quickly and efficiently to remove the travellers who illegally camped on Cringle Fields again this year.A lot of hard work is being done by the Friends of Cringle Park and Fields Group, Burnage Multi Agency Group and the Parks Department, with the support of local Councillors and John Leech MP, to improve the facilities on Cringle Fields. It is important that the good work being done locally continues to be built on so that the fields can continue to bring pleasure and organised recreational activity to all our community.We would also like to congratulate the Friend of Cringle Park and Fields on their very successful Fun Day on Sunday, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended.
Published June 11th, 2008
Save our Post Offices - Manchester Lib Dems Launch Petition Against Labour’s Post Office Closures
Greater Manchester’s 4 Liberal Democrats MPs have joined forces to campaign against today’s announcement that 67 of 380 Post Office branches in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Derbyshire are to close.
Liberal Democrat Cheadle MP Mark Hunter, Manchester Withington MP John Leech, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen, and Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell launched a petition outside Spring Gardens post office in the city centre.
Withington MP John Leech said:
“I am appalled that Labour plan to close 5 more Post Offices here in Manchester, on top of the 21 they allowed to close over the last 3 years. Post Office branches are a lifeline for many residents, providing vital services in an accessible location. I urge local people to sign our petition against these closures! “
The Government are currently closing 2,500 branches. These are in addition to the 4,000 that have already been axed since Labour came to power in 1997 and the 3,500 that were closed by the previous Conservative government.
The offices to shut include 11 in Stockport; 8 in Oldham; 5 in Manchester; 7 in Bolton; 5 in Bury; 7 in Rochdale; 3 in Salford; 6 in Tameside; 3 in Trafford and 1 in Wigan.
In South Manchester, Ladybarn Post Office on Mauldeth Road and East Didsbury Post Office on Wilmslow Road are now earmarked to close, making life harder for local people and underming the viability of nearby local shops.
Councillor John Cameron said:
“We will fight tooth and nail to stop these closures. These Post Offices are needed by the people of South Manchester and Labour are wrong to close them on so-called economic grounds.”
Published June 4th, 2008
Listening to Local People
Cllr John Cameron, John Leech MP and the Lib Dem team keep in touch all year round through door to door surveys and street surgeries accross our area. Door to door surveying is going on every week and a new round of street surgeries will start soon. Look out for a flyer advertising a street surgery near your home coming through through your letter box over the summer.
