Last night I attended the final event in the Prestwich Concert Series organised by Philip White at St.Mary’s Church.  Over the past weeks there have been 9 events featuring a wide spectrum of music and 80 performers and it was particularly pleasing to hear that a new series is being planned for the autumn.

Last nights final concert was an organ recital by Andrew Cundliffe-Jones and featured a variety of music – compositions for the organ and also adaptations.

Now, I don’t pretend to be an organ music expert or enthusiast, but I love live music and will listen to all types of music (almost). So I really enjoyed the recital last night, especially set as it was, within the confines of St.Mary’s. Congratulations to the organisers.

We are now well into the final week of events for the 2nd Prestwich Festival which culminates in Sunday with the carnival. 

Final events are as follows:

19 JUNE THE LOVE PRESTWICH FESTIVAL BALL 19.30 – 23.30
The Longfield Suite
Gibbons Dance & Dance Club 2000 present a Spectacular Ball with an electrifying Latin dance demonstration, plus mega raffle including 32” tv. £7.50.
Contact: 07817 695 918 info@gibbonsdance.com or www.gibbonsdance.com

19 JUNE RAINY CITY STORIES – Intergenerational Writing Workshop
The Phoenix centre, St Mary’s Park, Prestwich
This workshop is part of Openstories ™ Rainy City Stories project, which publishes stories and poems linked to locations in Greater Manchester on an interactive map of the city at rainycitystories.com. The workshop is suitable for all levels of writer. Places are free, but limited to 15 people per session.
Contact: Kerry Freeman – Area Youth Worker on 0161 253 5545 k.freeman@bury.gov.uk or www.rainycitystories.com

19 JUNE PRESTWICH CARNIVAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT 9.00 – 16.00
St. Mary’s Park
Organised by Marauders FC local junior teams compete. Plus all the fun of the fair.

20 JUNE FESTIVAL FATHERS DAY TREAT Midday – 20.00
Same Yet Inn, Simister
Set 3 Course Fathers Day Menu £14.95 including a Free pint for Dad. To qualify for this offer you are required to pre-book your table before Sunday 13 June.
Contact: Erica Noon on 0161 653 1430 email: same.yet@jwlees.co.uk

20 JUNE PRESTWICH CARNIVAL GRAND PARADE 2010 12 noon start
St. Mary’s Park
Showcase arena with tributes to Lady Ga Ga, Amy Winehouse, plus sensational Marvin Ruffin, and local talent in five hours of live music on stage. Fun and entertainment for all the family includes circus skills, majorettes, court of queens, football arenas, RSPCA dog show, stalls village, bouncy castles and fairground. Please give generously to ensure Prestwich carnival 2011, will be there for you.
Contact D Curtis email: d-curtis2@sky.com

20 JUNE PRESTWICH CARNIVAL GRAND PARADE 2010 13.00 start
The grand parade starts its journey around the roads of Prestwich at 1pm with 5 marching bands. Many floats/cars, majorettes, arrives in St Mary’s Park 2.30pm.

20 JUNE THE LAST BREAD PUDDING 17.30
PADOS House, St Marys Road, Prestwich
Closing this year’s LovePrestwich Festival 2010 with their own very popular comedy season, PADOS present their two 1 Act Play Festival comedies: ‘The Last Bread Pudding’ by Nick Warburton presented by the Adult section and Andrea MacPhail’s ‘That Old Black Magic’ performed by the Youth Group.
Tickets £6 (from 5 May) at www.PADOSshop.co.uk

Just had to phone Bury Council to complain that my blue bin was not emptied this week. You see it happens to Councillors as well.

We had put the bins out as normal but when I came out to go to work I’d noticed that the bin had not been emptied, and had a big sticker slapped on it saying “Ooops, we didn’t empy your bin because there is wrong stuff in it” or some such.

If that’s the case then fair enough, I will waste part of my life tonight on my arrival home having a look see. BUT – it would appear that the offending article namely a plastic plant pot tray from a garden centre  – had been removed and placed on one side – yet they still didn’t empty the bin.

I have just phoned to request that they come back to empty the bin, only to be told that it won’t be until next week!

Perhaps the Council needs to issue the list of several hundred forms of plastic that are/not acceptable – just so we know.

On another note a resident recently raised at the last Area Partnership meeting that they were told that they couldn’t put garden waste in grey bins. This is true providing you have a brown bin. If you don’t then you can add green waste to your grey bin.

Now that the World Cup is under way just spare a thought for all those that don’t like football…….

Done that? Good now lets get back to the footy!

Sadly Englands performance on Saturday was typical of what we have come to expect. It’s not that we were all bad, far from it. But inevitably as the game draws near you scan the team and you along with friends, family, pub etc come to the reasonable conclusion that this England team is a good team and we should expect. First big mistake.

Then the match starts and whilst they started well,  you just knew two things would happen.

1. There will be an almighty mistake at some point which will cost us dearly and get the media and fans screaming – own goal, sending off due to rash challenge/retaliation/dissent etc, missed penalty, missed open goal and yes goalkeeping error.

2. Players you expect to come up with the goods, won’t! What were Rooney, Lampard, SWP up to?

And of course the conclusion is a result that yet again dissapoints an entire nation.

Of course this all usually occurs big time when we are in the knock out stages and playing Germany/Argentina/Brazil. Usually the group stages are renouned for frenetic under performance that make you wonder how these players survive the Premier League, inevitably having drawn our first two games against the likes of Albania and Malawi we end up having to win our last game just to get out the group in 2nd place – meaning we then have the unenviable task of facing a pre-tournament favourite (see above list) that’s been banging them in for fun, while the British press are conjuring up Churchillian images etc.

Whilst it’s only a matter of time before the press latch on to Zulu Wars imagery for their exaltations we can only hope that this time we’ve got all the bad calma out of the way in the first match and that having lured the opposition into a false sense of hope and security we will now go forth and inflict the heaviest defeats known while Rooney is compared to Pele.

Well here’s hoping at any rate. 

Two incidents in one day have sparked a warning from the council’s trading standards team for people to be on their guard against doorstep criminals.

Tony Holt head of community safety for the council said; “Sadly bogus calls are not uncommon and it tends to be the more trusting vulnerable residents that are targeted. We want people to be on their guard. If you have an elderly neighbour that lives alone we advise you to let them know about the possibility of bogus callers in the area. We don’t want people to feel afraid in their own homes, but forewarned is forearmed.”

Last night I attended the Prestwich Festivals’ Prestwich has Junior Talent Contest.

This year it was moved from St.Mary’s Park, with a small makeshift stage, to the Longfield Suite. When I attended last years event there were perhaps 100 people at best, this year I was almost blown away when I walked in to find 300-400 and the place was packed.

There were a number of acts from local schools interspersed with performances from High School students. I have to say I was amazed by the standard of all those performing. It was great to watch and a great entertainment in its own right. And the audience – many of which were from local schools, with parents/family etc greeted every act with wild applause and tremendous support and encouragement throughout.

I think special congratulations must go to firstly the trio of singers from Park View School that came out as the overall winners. secondly Butterstile School must be congratulated for their effort. It seemed like every other act was from Butterstile – throwing down the gauntlet to other Prestwich schools next year.

But overall the success of the evening meant everyone was a winner.

I asked one performer from Parrenthorn what she thought of the event. She replied that it was “great”. When I asked what was so special? she simply replied, “You get a chance to perform, in front of an audience”. And I guess that’s what its all about, not so much the winning , but the performing.

Last year this event was my high spot of the festival, this year it’s even more so.

For details of upcoming events go to www.prestwichfestival.net

The first Prestwich Area Partnership meeting of the new municipal year took place last night at Church Lane Community Centre.

As ever it was a packed agenda and well attended, some of the key highlights were as follows:

COMMUNITY GRANTS

Concern was raised that the Area Partnership were asked to cancel a recent Grants Panel meeting because no funds had yet been allocated to the Area Partnerships for the coming year. Members raised concerns that funds need to be allocated in order that local organisations and activities can be supported.

BROADBAND JUNCTION BOXES

Residents of Brooklands Road raised concerns about the recent installation there of a new large BT junction box bringing high speed broadband to the area. This is apparently the first of a number of boxes to be established in the area and residents expressed concern that they had not been consulted about the location and that workmen went onto their land without permission to carry out the work. the Partnership agreed to raise the matter with the Council.

DISCRETIONARY RATES

Bury Council operates a scheme of discretionary Business Rates reductions for local charities and non-profit making groups. However representatives of Prestwich Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society (PADOS) attended to voice their concerns that their discretionary reduction had been cancelled and whether this was a change of Council policy. Prestwich Area Partnership agreed to raise the issue with Bury Council.

NEIGHBOURHOOD INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT

Every few years the Council produce this document that brings together a variety of local indicators and figures from different sources, local and national, to provide an insight into local communities highlighting crime, health , levels of deprivation and affluence, population statistics etc. The aim is to use the document to inform and influence the devleopment of local policies. The Area Partnership agreed to establish a Working Group to look more closely at the issues raised and how they may be addressed.

POLICE UPDATE

New local Inspector, Mark Kenny attended and gave an update on local crime and Police issues. He confirmed that there had been some significant reductions in crime over the past year and they were working hard to keep it that way. In addition he informed the Partnership that due to reorganisation there will now be crime investigation teams attached to each ward area, with officers responsible to respond directly to crimes in those areas.

HOLYROOD CHILDREN’S CENTRE

Caroline Finn the Holyrood Childrens Centre Manager and Davina Handley from Childrens services provided an update on building work progress and plans for the new centre on Cuckoo Lane at Heaton Park School. It was confirmed that they are starting to provide services off-site and the Centre is expected to be completed and open by November 22nd.  

NEXT MEETING

July 15th from 6.30pm (open forum 7.30), venue to be confirmed – see local press.

The Heaton Park Action Group are asking local residents that care about preserving the open green spaces in the park to write in and register an official complaint against Manchester City Councils decision to allow Goals Soccer to build there.

In particular the HPAG and others grievances centre around the conduct of the Manchester Planning Committee meeting that passed the planning application.

I have attached the flyer that HPAG are circulating which highlights the key areas of concern, and would ask that if you feel strongly about protecting Heaton Park, you register a complaint about how this decision came about.

The decision process was a shambles and the local community and park lovers alike will pay the penalty as a result as will future generations, so please get writing and pass it on!

The complaint flyer can be downloaded here:  heaton-park-complaint-flyer.pdf

I am horrified to learn that yet another application has been submitted to Bury Council for a change of use from a retail premises to a hot food take-away.

Local residents will recognise the premises when I say it is on Bury Old Road, Whitefield at the junction with Cuckoo Lane.

I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that we are becoming saturated with take-aways. Prestwich now has dozens of them. Fans of take-aways will be delighted to learn that within the boundaries of Prestwich it is possible to sample the cuisine of numerous Indian, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Italian, Kosher, English, Kebabs etc.

Now personally I like a take-away as much as the next person, but I fear it is really starting to affect the variety of local businesses and shops available to the public as well as changing the appearance of the area. (we’ll leave the affect of litter for now).

I am equally astounded that they can all survive in the area in such close proximity, we must all be spending a lot more time eating take-aways, with the inevitable consequences for the growing waistlines of local residents.

Perhaps the gateway signs welcoming travellers to Prestwich should now read “Prestwich -where you can get fed” or “Prestwich – twinned with Rusholme”.

I will be opposing this application. It isn’t needed, it will in my opinion damage the local economy further, amounts to an over-development of a particular retail sector in the area. Pertinently from a planning perspective it will cause further parking problems at a busy junction with increased potential for late night problems in a residential area.

If you would like to oppose you need to be fast as it is due to be considered by Planning next week.  Email: J.Cummins@bury.gov.uk quoting the address: 2 Bury Old Road Whitefield and the application reference: 52510  

Well there you go, I admit it, the truth is out!

I can almost feel the local Labour hierarchy reaching for their laptops/mobiles in a fit of ”we told you so, they’re all tories really”, despatches to whoever is prepared to listen.

So perhaps I should clarify a bit before they start writing the Labour Rose headlines. Just one of my friends is a Conservative party member and lives in Devon. But I must confess to having friends and family friends who are either conservative by nature/tradition or yes, even vote Conservative. And, as a councillor, I have many friendly contacts in the community who are conservative supporters nationally, just as I have a large number of labour supporting contacts. And very nice people they are too!

Now the trouble with the current Labour party is that they find that all difficult to accept, they still insist on fighting the class warfare of the early twentieth century, they still see Labour and Labour alone as standing up for the working man, the Tories as upper class business backers and the Liberals as either misguided pseudo socialists or Tories in disguise!

The world has moved on, and although, frankly, I don’t care if the Labour party nationally or locally continues to behave like that, the people they purport to represent have moved on, and have greater aspiration, expectation and awareness.

Now I understand that in confrontational politics of the 20th century it was always a case of them and us, good versus evil, right and wrong, in the manner that politics was portrayed, but over the past 15-20 years the spectrum has blurred.

But politics is now more issue based than ever, voters pick and choose which candidates they will back, more and more on the issues that they represent almost as much as the party label. Voters party allegiance has weakened in favour of their personal manifesto of issues, policies and how they see the world. We now live in a world of political “pick and mix”.

That’s why there is nothing intrinsically wrong with coalitions, there is nothing wrong with alliances and in general politicians of different parties working together. In fact time and time again on the doorsteps during the General Election voters were telling me just that.

They key (as ever) is in the detail. That’s why it was so critical that the Coalition Government published details of the policy agreement.

That is why Labour are mistaken in posturing to oppose oppose oppose the cuts and spending reviews that the Coalition will be considering. We need positive, constructive opposition that’s prepared to work to solve the problems this country faces, not hurl bricks from the sidelines and run away from tough decisions. 

There have always been liberals in all parties, but personally I decided that I should join THE Liberal party in Britain. As a liberal I am tolerant of other beliefs, faiths, views, races and lifestyles etc etc etc. That’s perhaps why I have friends who support the Conservatives and Labour parties as well as the Lib Dems. 

If the Lib Dems in coalition help break down further the political barriers to cross party cooperation then that in itself will be a major achievement. An achievement that won’t get any headlines or TV coverage but will over the course of time change politics for ever – for the better.

But I doubt that Labour could handle that – they of course would like to keep things simple, straightforward, red and blue, good v.bad, outmoded, unrepresentative, maintaining class division, living in the past, fighting for the past.

David Cameron is today making a speech that will say the cuts the Government are to make will be painful and deep, and may even “change our way of life” – that last bit is a bit scary to say the least.

Meanwhile at the weekend, Nick Clegg for the Lib Dems confirmed they would be deep and painful but they would be handled differently than the vicious slicing of budgets that  Thatchers Tory Government undertook in the 80′s - irrespective of the damage inflicted on precious local services. Of course we’ll have to wait and see – all will become clear at the budget on June 22nd.

What I find particularly galling however is Labour’s current bleating about cuts. There is one big big ginormous fact looming over us all at present and that is the £1.6 billion hole in our budget – that is, put simply, we are spending £1.6 billion more than we are receiving as a country.

Labour knew this, Labour were happy to go through a general election also pledging massive cuts (albeit not immediately), now they are screaming. And they are gearing up to attack the Coalition over cuts – many of which they would have also faced making themselves. It is disgraceful and is certainly not new politics – what ever that actually is. it is certainly old politics.

What is clear to me and was made clear to me during the General Election was that a) the people of this country know we are in a crisis and  b) They would like politicians to work together to get us out of the crisis.

But in the end analysis its a case of return to year 1 for Labour. They want to ignore the fact that after 13 years of New Labour we have an illegal invasion of Iraq and a £1.6 billion public accounts black hole as their legacy to the British people.

In the coming months when Labour try to accuse the Coalition of making harsh cuts to public services, we must remind the British people of how we got where we are today.

We must say how the misery and hardship was the product of an irresponsible Labour Government obsessed with spin and spend. How the Lib Dem /Conservative Coalition are the agents of change that are trying to clean up British politics and put public finances back in order.