Salford Labour Party Website

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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See the difference we’ve made to your community

Celebrities and Cabinet Ministers join thousands of Labour campaigners to highlight what Labour has achieved in their communities

Thousands of local Labour volunteers will be joined by Cabinet Ministers and candidates for a national campaign day on Monday.

They will take to the streets equipped with endorsement leaflets from candidates, supporters and celebrities including Arabella Weir, Jo Brand and Lesley Garrett, plus some we will highlight in the coming weeks and the latest available local data on the Labour Government�s help for their communities.

On doorsteps, in town centres and at local events across the country hundreds of Labour campaigners, from Cabinet Ministers to candidates, will be armed with the latest available local data that demonstrates that Labour made the decision to invest to support families and businesses at a time when they needed it most.

The action we took together is working but the recovery remains fragile so we must continue to invest to secure the recovery and ensure a future fair for all.

Jim Knight MP, Labour’s Employment Minister, who is campaigning on Monday in Weymouth, said:

�Monday is about talking people through what Labour�s commitment to a future fair for all means for their community and telling them about the building blocks we�re using to secure the recovery.

�This is a word of mouth election, and I�m looking forward to talking to voters about the help that the Budget is giving to hard working families in communities across the country, especially people on middle to modest incomes.

�We�re asking people to look at their communities, see the difference Labour has made to frontline public services, and take a long hard look at the Conservatives. The Conservatives opposed Labour�s action to help people through the economic downturn – setting themselves against extra money to support families and businesses, as well as investment in communities throughout the country. They were wrong on the recession and they would put the recovery at risk with their commitment to immediate cuts.�

Labour�s campaigners are also receiving tailored packs of local information to back up their conversations with voters. The packs will contain local statistics on Labour Government measures like Child Tax Credits, Child Trust Funds and affordable housing, and highlight the risks posed by the Conservatives� policies.

Currently 9 out of 10 families with children receive tax credits, with those on lower incomes getting more tax credit. However the Conservatives would cut Child Tax Credits for families on middle incomes.

Over 4.1 million Child Trust Fund vouchers have been issued since they were introduced. The Conservatives have pledged to scrap Child Trust Funds for families earning just over �16,000.

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