Salford Labour Party Website

The new coalition govenment has caused record numbers of applications to join the Labour party. If you want to join the party, you can apply via the Labour web site. You can find the link here along with other methods of joining .  You can also email the webmaster and we will send you an application form.

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Salford City Council is demanding a change in planning policy to ban future peat extraction on Chat Moss.

The call comes in response to a consultation by the Greater Manchester Minerals Planning Committee – set up by the 10 councils in the city region to develop a statutory plan.

The 10 councils are required by law to produce a plan to lay down rules for deciding planning applications from those who want to extract sand, gravel and other minerals including peat.

In a letter to the Committee, the Council says: “Salford’s view is that the Minerals Plan should contain a clear policy statement that no further peat extraction should be permitted including time extensions to existing permission.”

Salford’s planning lead member Cllr Derek Antrobus said: “Curbing climate change is a central aim of the planning system and peat bogland is an important carbon sink.” The Government has announced the phasing out of peat for gardening so there can be no justification for its continued exploitation.”

Salford has already proposed a policy in its own key planning document – the Core Strategy – to restore and enhance peat bogland on Chat Moss and prohibit future peat extraction. But this has still to go to a public inquiry.

Four historic permissions exist for peat extractions on Chat Moss from a period when planning rules were more relaxed. Salford faces a battle with Peel Holdings who have also responded to the consultation. They argue that there is no justification for a ban.

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A gimmick is defined in my dictionary as a device for the purpose of attracting publicity – so I would expect that Cllr Norman Owen would be sufficiently familiar with the term to be able to use it properly.

Unfortunately, he applies it to real money, which will make a real difference to the real issue of the condition of our highways.

It is not a gimmick to resurface around 90 roads in the coming weeks from the final £850,000 of a five year investment programme.

It is not a gimmick to resurface at least another 100 roads from an extra £2.8m investment found by the Lead Member for Finance, Cllr Bill Hinds, thanks to extra savings we have made on tripping claims.

It is not a gimmick to set aside an extra £0.5 million to fill potholes in response to the 50% increase in repairs needed as a result of the severe winter.

And it is not a gimmick to top that up with the extra £200,000 the Chancellor awarded Salford in his budget to tackle potholes.

These are a genuine response to the genuine concerns of the people of Salford and Cllr Owen’s negative comments are, I fear, symptomatic of his philosophy: he attacks what is good for Salford – because what is good for Salford is bad for Norman Owen.

It is, however, a gimmick for Cllr Owen to be photographed pointing to a pothole he know is in a programme to be repaired. And when Cllr Owen voted for a cut in the budget that includes potholes last year – well, that was just plain hypocrisy.

Councillor Derek Antrobus
Lead Member for Planning

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Nearly 90 stretches of road are to be resurfaced in Salford over the next few weeks.

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Home Secretary Alan Johnson has officially opened Salford’s new £1.8 million CCTV system.

Salford City Council’s network is now one of the most advanced in the country with its 160 cameras upgraded to new digital technology, capable of capturing high definition pictures.

Salford is also one of the first authorities in the country to use new multi-directional cameras, capable of seeing 360 degrees at any one time and tracking criminals automatically.

The Home Secretary was given a demonstration of the purpose-built central control room in action, where images are monitored around the clock and operators now have a direct connection to the police radio system.

The new system has the ability to link up with the police’s own control room so officers there can view “live” pictures from the council’s network.

Now, officers who need CCTV footage for evidence will be able to have better quality images from electronic files, rather than on video or DVD, and it will be much quicker for operators to access the images they need.

Last year, the city’s CCTV operators dealt with 2,900 incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour, with recorded footage directly assisting in 197 arrests.

The city council’s system has won national awards and was the first in Greater Manchester to add loudspeakers to its cameras, enabling operators to warn people they were being observed.

This month, it earned the prestigious British Standard 7958 award for the way it is managed and operated, one of only five councils in the country to be recognised in this way by auditing body the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board.

Cllr David Lancaster, Salford City Council’s lead member for community safety said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome the Home Secretary to Salford and to be able to show him the work we do in the city to make our streets safer.

“We have a very advanced set-up in the city for tackling antisocial behaviour and crime and we’d like to think that we’re leading the way for other towns and cities.

“The cameras are not about us watching citizens going about their daily routine, they are about us protecting our citizens in that daily routine.

“The Home Secretary will have been able to see for himself how our CCTV technology helps us to protect residents more effectively, reducing crime and making our city a safer place.”

Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan from Salford Division said: “This new system will not only improve our service to the community, it will also develop our already strong working relationship with our partners at Salford City Council.

“CCTV has already proved a success and I am confident the new state-of-the-art equipment will assist us in keeping the streets safer.”

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