Post Election thoughts….

After taking a week or so to reflect on last Friday, I’d like to share my thoughts and views of the 2015 elections, which I think it’s safe to say will be remembered for a very long time, both nationally and locally. One of the most unpredictable campaigns in living memory finished in a very appropriate manner, with not one of the ‘experts’ getting it right and predicting a Tory majority Government. Locally, of course, the big story was the Labour Party losing seats to both the Tories and Lib Dems for the first time since way back in 2008. Labour did gain one seat, Radcliffe East, from an Independent (ie. me!). Of course, they never lost the seat in an election to begin with, but to lose Elton to the Tories and Holyrood to the Liberals seemed to be a shock to all present at the count last Friday.

As far as my own result goes, whilst I was sad to see my tenure as a Councillor come to an end, I was not surprised, but I was also very proud, not only of the fact that i took part, but also of the fact that I stood by my principles in the first place when becoming Independent. I won’t go back through the whole saga of Daisy and I leaving the Labour Party again, but will just say that I have not regretted it for a day and STILL believe we took the right decision, no matter how difficult it was. In life you cannot regret what you believe to be right, and so has been proven here.

I want to publicly thank the 290 people in Radcliffe East who voted for me, and also those who helped me distribute my election materials. This campaign, more than any I have been involved in, was so positive and an absolute pleasure from start to finish, despite the result. Serving the people of the Ward was my honour, and I hope I was able to help bring positive change to people’s lives when asked to. Congratulations have to go to the newly elected ward Cllr, Catherine Preston, who will find that my determination to improve the area for us all to live in will not diminish!

So what lies ahead? It is impossible to determine where we will all be in a year’s time. With a Tory government in place, I fear for many things- the NHS and adult care, schools and education, funding to our public services generally. It is the strength of the opposition to their plans that will now be of greatest importance, and I fear with the Labour Party in a worse state than in 2010 this opposition will be weak and lack focus.

Personally, I look forward to new challenges, learning new skills and furthering my career options, and who knows what opportunities may present themselves locally. just know one thing- I’m not going away!

Matt.

Campaign back up and running!

After 10 days of actual flu (confirmed by the Doctor!), I’m finally back on my feet. Having never really had flu before, I had no idea just how debilitating it can be. I can’t recall ever feeling so weak and feeble as I did for quite some days.I have to say how impressed I was with Healthier Radcliffe, the extended hours GP service for certain Radcliffe surgeries. I got an appointment on Easter Sunday, was comforted by a diagnosis, I went to bed and thankfully got better! There should never be any doubt that the people best served to run our health service are the GPs. Healthier Radcliffe is a brilliant example of care round the clock, devised and run by the people we rely on to help us get better, and I for one will always be a strong supporter not only of the NHS in general, but also of giving the decision making to those who know us best.

Of course this means I’ve got some catching up to do on the campaign trail, so I’ll be out and about over the weekend meeting as many of you as possible, and hopefully persuading  you to put up one of these lovely posters!

Since I last posted, the official candidate’s list has been released for Radcliffe East, and I’ll go into more detail about that in my next blog. To say I am very surprised about the lack of local candidates in a local election is an understatement!

Speak soon,

Matt.

Gallery update, election campaign begins…..

Hi all,

As the clocks go back, it is again time for the thing that politicians, both local and national, either love or hate- the official start of the Election Campaign. Hour after hour, mile after mile, candidates and campaigners will try to persuade the electorate, ie. you and me, why their horse is the one you should back come May 7th.

Recent months have shown that this year’s General Election is going to be extremely difficult to predict, with the decline in enthusiasm for the ‘Big Two’ of Labour and Tory, and the growth of the ‘minor’ parties like UKIP and the Greens. There are bound to be endless polls that tell us nothing, and scores of TV interviews with the wannabe PMs that do similar. However, my attention is unsurprisingly going to be on the Local Election here in Radcliffe, as I attempt to get re-elected and continue to represent the place where I live, work and raise my family- the ward of Radcliffe East.

Things are quite a way different this time though, as I am proudly standing as an Independent candidate, without party pressure to promote certain policies or agendas, without being Whipped to put my family 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th behind the needs of the party, and realistically without the party propaganda machine behind me. This plays a major part in getting any candidate elected, providing financial, physical and technological support in running the campaign. So, it will be tough, but I am up for the challenge, as I can proudly say that every leaflet I put out, every door I knock on, every tweet or message I send, will come DIRECTLY from me, and however many people vote for me it will be because they believe in what I am trying to achieve for them, not just based on the colour of my rosette.

I am more focused and determined than ever before to promote the values, needs and wants of the residents of Radcliffe East throughout this campaign, and whatever the end result I will be proud to have not only taken part but also to be the local candidate promoting local issues. In the next five and a half weeks I’ll be setting out in more detail why my friends, neighbours and residents should #livelocalvotelocal, but in the meantime please get in touch in the usual ways if you wish to help support my campaign in any way.

My best,

Matt.

PS. I’ve added a Gallery page to the blog, hope people like it! Thought I’d best mention it as that was the original intention of this post!

Church St West: Roadworks update

Following an exchange last night on Twitter, I was very pleased today to have arranged a conversation with John Byron, project Co-ordinator for United Utilities regarding the long running issue with the closure of Church Street in the Town Centre. John kindly gave up 45 minutes of his day to provide further details into the issues around the project, and for this I am grateful. This is a long and detailed blog, which hopefully will clarify some issues that have been rumbling for months.

The road works themselves are expected to “realistically” be completed in June. John talked about encountering difficulties on the embankment works which has caused delays, and until the excavation allows them to learn the state of the brick sewer beneath the road, they cannot be any more specific in regards to completion. I raised the very important point of the carnival parade, which is due to pass through Church St on the 6th June. As this year marks the 50th Anniversary, it is even more important the route can go ahead as planned. John reassured me that this is very much a priority, and he is due to meet the Carnival Committee next week to keep them informed on progress. The alternative route along Dale Street is also likely to be blocked by the bus station works in June, putting even more importance on the availability of Church St.

On the contractors working extended hours to complete as quickly as possible, John said that United Utilities were putting as much pressure on as is realistic for this to occur. However, there are limitations to what can be done at weekends due to getting materials in and out of the site, and that not all works that have gone on to date have been visible from street level. I asked John to pass on the concerns of residents and businesses that the contractors are held to account on this as much as possible to speed things up.

I then asked about what was being done to help ease the horrendous traffic problems the closure has caused. It is fact that people are now actively avoiding the town, especially at peak times due to the traffic. This is having a knock on effect for every business in the centre. Buses are running less frequently due to tailbacks, and accessibility for those reliant on public transport is massively reduced.  John informed me that United Utilities funded the rephasing of the traffic lights as well as the installation of the right turn filter onto Spring Lane, and also some other improvement works to the surrounding roads. He is well aware having travelled to and from site at all times of day just how bad things are, but there is little else they can do.

I then raised concerns from traders regarding compensation for loss of earnings. John was happy to clarify the position. By law, United Utilities are liable for loss of profits during the time the road is closed. the company bases their judgement by looking at takings so during the 20 weeks before works started, and then review the figures on a monthly basis to show the impact. Clearly, the figures must go to United Utilities for this to happen. They will also look at the annual accounts to see how profits have been affected. Ultimately they will decide whether loss of profit is down to the economic downturn or the impact of site works. Whilst this is the correct way, I do feel there are large margins for disagreement here.

United Utilities will argue that there is still vehicular access to the majority of shops, and that there should be responsibility taken by buisness owners to mitigate their losses by varying opening hours and using alternative advertising streams, but this will only go so far to limit the damage that lack of footfall is causing. It is fact that despite road access to the majority of the town centre, people are actively avoiding the gridlock and therefore the reduction in passing trade is significant. I can only encourage all business owners to provide as much detail as possible to John and his team in order to provide the best chance of receiving the correct level of compensation.

Finally,  a plea to ALL who live or work in or near Radcliffe Town Centre. Please do what you can in the coming weeks and months to shop locallyand support our small businesses. Now more than ever do they need our help. It could make a big difference to many people’s futures. As ever, please feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions, either here or by Twitter.

Matt.

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2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Many thanks to all the thousands of visitors since September, and a Happy New Year to you all!

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,000 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 50 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Cross Lane Estate 20mph Consultation

The Council is proposing to introduce a 20 mph zone covering all streets between Bury Road and Eton Hill Road in Radcliffe East.

The closing date for comments on the consultation is a week today, Monday 8th December. Can we encourage ALL residents in the area to comment and help influence the final outcome. Below is a link to the proposed scheme for the Cross Lane area, where you can complete the online comments form.

http://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10059

There is a plan on the website showing that the zone would cover

(amongst others) Eton Hill Road, Bright St, Betley St, Wilton Gardens, Withins Lane, Fletcher St, as well as all streets from North St to Park St including Holland, Wellington and Caledonia streets.

Do please have your say.

Matt & Daisy.

More roadworks, more delays, more problems.

(Photo courtesy of the Radcliffe Times)

Residents of Radcliffe East can expect further delays, tailbacks and disruption in the next few weeks due to further roadworks that are due to occur throughout the ward.

As mentioned in this week’s Radcliffe Times, there are three separate lots of roadworks that people need to be aware of. With the massive delays to all of our journeys due to the closure of Church Street West, it is crucial that as many people from across the town are aware of what is to come and can plan around it if travelling through these areas. The roadworks are as follows:

1) Cross Lane/ North Street junction will have multi way traffic control from Monday 17th Nov till dec 5th, due to work on pipes below road level.

2) Ainsworth Road,opposite numbers 391 to 401 will have traffic lights between Nov 25th and December 8th, due to works by BT.

3) The bottom of Blackburn St at the junction with Dale Street will ALSO be traffic light controlled for two days, on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th of November by United Utilities.

Clearly, delays due to these works are inevitable. I am most concerned about the BT works on Ainsworth Road, as the backlog of traffic at peak times is already horrendous due to the bottleneck at the junction with Spring Lane.

Full details are on the Council’s roadworks page here, and selecting Radcliffe East ward. Please inform those who may not use the internet/ social media so they are prepared for the disruption.

If anyone has any questions about this please do get in touch below, or by the usual ways of phone, twitter etc.

Matt.

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Radcliffe Township Forum- Thursday 6th November

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/bury-council/pressreleases/budget-roadshow-goes-to-radcliffe-township-forum-1078624

The above link gives further details about this Thursday’s Township Forum meeting. It is the last chance this year for Radcliffe residents to ask public questions to Council Officers and Cabinet members about the proposed cuts to not only next year’s Budget, but also the cuts to Children’s Centres in Radcliffe, at High Meadow and Stepping Stones.

It is crucial that as many people as possible are there to ask questions, suggest changes and make their feelings known about the plans. In the case of the children’s centres, this is the last Township Forum before the consultation closes, making it even more important to attend and make your voice heard, whether for or against the proposals.

Please do what you can to be at the Civic Hall this Thursday from 6pm. If you cannot attend but would like us to ask a question on your behalf, please get in touch on 0161 7235272 and we will gladly put your views forward.

Matt & Daisy.

Bury MBC- the first Council in England to move to three weekly bin collections.

 

As we all know, the Labour Cabinet on Bury Council recently imposed a change to our weekly bin collections without public consultation in the summer, causing local and national interest.

Well, as of this week, the change from fortnightly to a three weekly collection for non recyclable waste (aka the grey bin) becomes reality. By now we should have all received our new collections timetables, as well as some helpful leaflets explaining what goes in each bin. There is also an extensive page with questions and answers about this on the Council website.

Personally, I am split on this one. I cannot argue with the environmental case for reducing the amount we send to landfill, as every tonne sent there costs the Council £284, pollutes our countryside, and does nothing to reduce the damage we are leaving for future generations. Conversely, every tonne of recyclable material from the green and blue bins earns the Council money, and also improves our standings as a ‘Green Borough‘. It is certainly welcomed that these two bins will be collected every three weeks rather than monthly from now on.

However, Daisy and I consider ourselves well informed about what goes where, we recycle everything we can, and try to save as much space as possible. We crush cans, squeeze air out of bags, squash cardboard and all things in between. Even then, I find myself counting the days to Grey Bin day. As well as us in our house there are 3 kids, 2 rabbits and a cat, all of which produce waste in various forms, a lot of which is not currently recyclable, such as butter and yoghurt pots. Whilst there is an ongoing issue with supermarkets slapping most foods in a plastic tray or wrapper for little reason, we cannot ignore the problem exists. The rubbish has to go somewhere, and sadly at the moment that means more unnecessary things in the grey bin. As it stands I do not know where I am going to find capacity for an extra week’s rubbish.

Also, there are other factors to consider, such as smells. There can be no getting round the fact that for families such as ours with babies, a dirty nappy, whether bagged or otherwise, sitting in the bin for up to 3 weeks will smell. Badly. Especially in hot weather. Many residents have already raised this issue in the press, and the response of ‘there are reusable nappies available instead’ is simply not good enough. Our son was in reusable nappies. I still have nightmares about the hideously odorous job of emptying the nappy bucket. Clearly, any homes that have a pet will have similar issues with ‘waste’ such as droppings, litter or wood shavings. No amount of bagging will realistically hide the smell after a few weeks.

However, no amount of debate will change the fact that we all have to adapt as best we can to the new regime. The Council website has a comprehensive section on bin collections. To find out what days your bins will be collected click here. If you feel you need an extra green or blue bin (and you have the space to store them) you can have one free of charge. If you have any problems with missed collections you can report it here or call the Customer Contact Centre on 0161 2535353. Finally, on the off chance that you run out of room, opening times for Radcliffe tip can be found here.

If you have ANY concerns or problems with the new collections system, please leave a comment below.

Matt.

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Surgery details- Saturday 4th October

Our surgery tomorrow between 10.30am and 12 noon will be on the following streets:

Cock Clod Street, Baybutt Street, Howard Street, Rectory Lane, Church Street West, East Street, and Brook Street.

As ever, if you would like us to knock on and discuss any issues you may have, either call us on 0161 7235272 before 10.30am, leave a comment on this post, drop us an email at m.bailey@bury.gov.uk or d.bailey@bury.gov.uk, or alternatively by twitter @mattpbailey or @daisyj42

We look forward to hearing from you!

Matt & Daisy.

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