Councillor Clive Patrick

Now at the end of another exhausting but very enjoyable municipal year I look back with a sense of achievement and with the knowledge that I have made a difference and helped the lives of a lot of people. It has been a difficult year now that the Conservatives are in a Coalition Government, with a large number of hard and unpopular decisions being made centrally that are affecting the lives of people locally.

It has also been a year which has seen an increased newspaper debate as to whether it is necessary to even have three Councillors per Ward. It was due to this debate that I looked into the amount of time I spend working during an average month. I was quite surprised when in November I found that I had worked 94.18 hours.

Participation in Council Meetings and Panels

I am quite proud of my participation in Full Council debates this year, I feel far more confident and able to express my point of view. I have on several occasions joined the debates especially when I have felt the issue of the debate concerned this ward or concerned something in which I had some knowledge or expertise. The first of these debates that comes to mind, regarded the increase, or not, of unemployment levels in Tameside. The second regarded the cuts in funding for the Police Force and whether an effective number of police will be able to stay on the “Front Line” and on our streets. Apart from these there have been a few other contributions I have made over the last year.

Last June I was dropped in at the deep end when I was appointed to take over the Deputy Chair of the Technical, Economic and Environmental Services Scrutiny Panel. This was because, although I had time to read minutes from previous meetings, I was asked to chair the first Panel meeting for this Municipal year. Therefore I had to step into an unfamiliar roll, and guide the proceedings with some Councillors who were also new to the panel. Then at the end of the Municipal year I again had to step in, when the chair was not available, and chaired our final panel meeting. 

At the first Panel meeting we decided our work programme for the year and decided that we should go back and review quite a large backlog of Scrutiny Reviews. Unfortunately, due to this large backlog the only full new report that this panel succeeded in completing this year was a Review on Conservation Areas within the Borough. I found this review very interesting and also quite startling. We discovered that Tameside has only nine Conservation Areas, four of which are under threat of being removed from the national list of such areas. Whereas neighbouring Stockport has 27 Conservation areas, none of which are under threat. We studied the economic value and cost of conservation areas and recommended several ways of how and why the number of such areas could and should be increased.

This panel however also, as is required, regularly monitored the Local Area Agreement Targets that relate to its Technical Economic and Environmental Brief.

Like the previous two years I have also continued this year to sit on the Children’s and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel. Our first duty was to complete last years review into “The Use and Provision of Extended Schools and Children’s Centres.” We then completed a review entitled “Substance Misuse by Children and Young People.” Due to the fact that this subject crosses into the responsibility of two other Scrutiny Panels, namely the Personal and Health Services and the Resources and Sustainable Scrutiny Panels, it was decided that the problems caused by young people drinking and taking drugs needed to be reviewed by this panel. To reduce the problem of reviewing something that was being studied by one of the other panels we took part in one joint meeting and invited members of the Resources Panel to our meeting so that the experts invited could direct their answers to both panels.

I believe that I made a very tangible and valuable contribution to this review and although I found some of the facts shocking, I also recognised that Tameside was doing a great deal of which to be proud, and its work compared very well in comparison to other similar work carried out by other councils. This Panel also regularly monitored the Local Area Agreement Targets relevant to its responsibilities.

This year I was also given two more responsibilities, one by my group and the other as Deputy Chair of a Scrutiny Panel. The first new responsibility was to become the Shadow Spokesman for Co-ordinated Services. This has meant that I have had regular conversations and two meetings with Adam Allen the Assistant Executive Director for Cultural and Customer Services. It has also meant that I now sit on the regular Community Safety Panel. Similarly as a Deputy Chair of a Scrutiny Panel I attend the Scrutiny Chairs and Deputy Chairs meetings and also attended the Technical Scrutiny Chairs and Deputy Chairs Budget Briefing with the Chief Executive and Borough Treasurer.

Participation in District Assemblies

I have again been to all of this years meetings of the two District Assemblies on which it is my duty to sit, and like last year I believe that I contributed effectively and represented my constituents extremely well. Half way through the municipal year we unfortunately lost the conservative majority on the Stalybridge DA which made things more difficult. However I still believe that we do not allow the Labour Councillors to get everything their own way and that we are an effective opposition. 

Early in the year the Stalybridge DA was approached by the Street Pastors who asked us to part fund their organisation. Unfortunately although many of the councillors could see the obvious advantages in supporting them, several of the Labour Councillors were not in agreement to give £2000. As a result I offered to go out with the Street Pastors on a Friday night and to report back to the DA at its next meeting. While working with the Street Pastors, until 2.45am I soon became convinced that the way they engaged with the youth and members of the night time economy and the Police was incredible and an effective way of reducing crime and safeguarding the young people. After I made my report at the next DA it was decided that we should support the Street Pastors in the way they asked.

This year unfortunately both DAs that I sit on have become far too political. I believe that a DA is a place where the public can come to ask for help and air their opinions and bring their councillors to book. It is not a place where Party Political grievances should be aired.

Participation on Outside Bodies and Partnerships

Again due to the geography of my Ward, straddling two District Assembly areas I am required to attend two sets of Outside Bodies and Partnership meetings. The most regular, in fact once a month, are the PACT meetings (Police and Community Together) meetings. The Mossley PACT, chaired by PC Richard Willock is held at the Mossley Fire Station and is very well attended by many partners, including New Charter, the Fire Service, the Youth Service, Mosscare and other community bodies. 

The Ridge Hill PACT is chaired by PC Mike Devine and is again attended by many partners and community groups like RASH. I find that both of these PACT meetings are like holding two extra surgeries each month, because I get such a lot of feed back and often members of the public that attend, especially at the Ridge Hill PACT, come with problems and ask me to help them out. It is also important for me to attend these meetings because I am the only Stalybridge North Councillor that ever attends the Mossley PACT and the only one that attends regularly the Ridge Hill PACT. I believe that these meetings provide an important resource and communication channel between me, our partners and with the people that elected me.

Following on from the Ridge Hill PACT each month is the RASH ( Ridge Hill, Arlies, Springs and Hague Forum) meeting up at the Keyhole Centre on Ambleside. RASH is a formally constructed Residents Association/Charity formed to improve the estates by holding meetings where council departments, New charter, the local Police other partners and most importantly the general public can come together and formalise projects and strategies. This year has been a busy year for the Forum because it has been involved in the development and running of the Active Thursday events that take place in the evenings at the Ridge Hill Primary School. I have been closely associated with this and many other initiatives on Ridge Hill and especially with the planning, funding, set up and running of the Royal Wedding “Fun Day” that we held in April for the residents and children of the estate.

Like the PACT meetings the RASH meetings give me contact with real people and with real problems. I am very proud of the way that members of the RASH committee often turn to me when there is a problem or when they need to communicate or need something from the council.

I also attend on a regular basis the Ridge Hill Neighbourhood Watch meetings and also as often as possible I go to the Carrbrook and Crowswood Neighbourhood Watch meetings. I find these meetings are another way to meet groups of residents who in partnership with the police try to make a difference to the areas in which they live and improve their security and reduce the effects of crime and anti-social behaviour.

During the year I have also been pleased to attend most of the Ridge Hill Partnership meetings that are held at the Ridge Hill Children’s Centre and are designed to develop strategies and to approve funding bids for programs and campaigns to improve the lives of the residents of Ridge Hill. I am always pleased and excited to work with partners when we are able to find solutions to problems and see a real difference being made to those in our community less able, older, younger or simply more socially deprived than the rest of society. Attendees to these meetings include, amongst others, representatives of the School, the children’s Centre, New Charter, the DA, Groundwork and various Council Departments.

Another very similar partnership meeting to the Ridge Hill Partnership meetings is the one chaired by the New Charter Regeneration Officer for the Crowswood Estate. Although due to staffing problems at NCHT there has been a break of several months, we meet regularly to discuss various problems, including crime and disorder and upkeep of the estate. Again I am the only Stalybridge North Councillor that attends these meetings.

My very close relationship with Mosscare Housing, which is another Social Landlord in Carrbrook, has continued this year. Staff from the Carrbrook Co-op, a subsidiary of Mosscare, always welcome me warmly when I visit, because I have helped them sort problems out on quite a number of occasions. Then at Christmas, after I gave them some Ward Money for the event, they invited me to their Children’s Christmas party, which was a very enjoyable experience.

In Carrbrook I have continued my close connection with the residents by continuing to be Vice Chair of the Residents Association and worked very hard with the Chair to produce a Business Plan to send to Funding Bodies to get money to develop the second floor of the Buckton Vale Institute into a Community Centre. This project has taken a great deal of work but at the moment it is slightly stalled by the unwillingness of the present Executive member for Economic Services to keep to the promises made by his predecessor, and release £26K of 106 agreement money.

Another big project that I have spearheaded but worked closely with the Resident’s Association is a campaign to bring a Play ground/meeting place to Carrbrook. The first bid for funding unfortunately failed but I am pursuing several other funding streams, and hope to get plans drawn up soon.

Participation in School Governing Bodies

Ridge Hill Primary is unfortunately still in special measures, although it has changed out of all recognition. The new Head teacher who I helped to appoint has done wonders. The new Shadow Governing body has not yet been set up but will be I am told in the next few weeks. In the mean time I have been involved in various projects at the school and have very recently been involved in writing a report to Ofsted.

Members Advice Surgeries

This year I have added yet another advice surgery to my diary. The new one is held on the first Friday of each month at St. George’s Church, and is a direct result of a request from a resident of the Hague Estate who came to a RASH meeting to ask if it would be possible to hold a Surgery within that area of Ridge Hill. She explained that at the time there was no Police, Councillor or New Charter surgery on The Hague. With this addition I now hold 4 Advice Surgeries a month and although I don’t always get visitors I believe it is a commitment that I am willing to make, to make it as easy as possible for residents to get help or advice. 

My Advice Surgeries are held once a month:-

• 3pm – 4pm at St. George’s Church - 1st Friday.
• 11pm – 12noon at the Buckton Vale Institute - 2nd Saturday.
• 6pm – 7pm at Heyrod Village Hall - 3rd Thursday.
• 6pm – 7pm at Ridge Hill Children’s Centre - 4th Thursday.

Constituency Work

This year’s constituency work has been heavy, varied and very time consuming. However, although a little frustrating at times, when our partners, the Council and the utilities do not seem to want to work as fast as I want, it is this sort of work that most interests me and made me want to become a councillor in the first place. Most of the problems still come in by letter, phone, email, CRMs and my Surgeries. However going to PACT and RASH meetings, Resident’s, neighbourhood and Home Watch meetings will often result in one or two new jobs. Also just living and moving around the ward brings in requests for help.

The list of types of problems and issues that I have dealt with this year would be long; some would come under the heading of Individual Issues, others would come under the heading Environmental issues, many of which have become projects for which I have recognized a need myself.

Examples of these two types are listed below.

Individual Issues

• Youths causing annoyance and litter in alleyways.
• Street lighting and utility equipment.
• Lack of Housing.
• Council Tax problems and rent problems.
• Car parking, drug taking and caretaking of properties on Ridge Hill.
• Planning issues.
• Noisy neighbours.
• Noise from Children’s Nursery.
• Violent aggressive neighbours.
• Hedge cutting
• Problems with New Charter service provision.
• Fly tipping.
• Street and off road parking.
• Land use and planning infringement.
• Problems with Utilities.
• Garden rubbish and garden maintenance.
• Road congestion

Environmental or Larger Area Issues

• New plans for housing next to Churchfields.
• General condition of the Ridge Hill Estate.
• Weekly Managed Bin Collection.
• Fires in Castle Clough Carbrook.
• Speeding on Buckton Vale Road.
• Dog Fouling.
• The redesign or removal of the Buckton Vale Road Roundabout.

This list is obviously not complete and is only a selection of the types of problems that have come to me this year, but represent the issues that often occur over and over again.

Any other Comments

I continue to consider it a real privilege to serve the residents of Stalybridge North, both those who elected me and those who didn’t. I feel I have achieved a great deal in the last year and made I hope a difference to the lives of many of my constituents. I look forward to the next Municipal Year and hope to carry on this work.