Participation at Council Meetings, Panels and District Assemblies

I have attended all but one of the meetings of the Council since my re-election to office on 3rd May 2007.

I have assisted the Scrutiny function of the Council through my membership of the Technical, Economic and Environmental Scrutiny Panel. I have found this work very interesting and am proud of our achievements, particularly in the fields of: Recycling and the Management of Waste from Council Premises; our review of the Council’s Highways Maintenance Policies; the Council’s Transport Asset Management Plan; and reducing energy consumption in Council Owned Buildings.

I am a member of Stalybridge District Assembly and Deputy Chair of Mossley and Stalybridge Northeast District Assembly. I have attended all the meetings and am privileged to work with my colleagues, the Town Manager and his staff. We continue to make environmental and cultural improvements within our towns to make them better places in which to live and work.

I am a member of the Liquor Licensing Panel and have enjoyed working closely with my elected colleagues, the police, and our legal staff in the granting and revocation of licenses.

Participation on Outside Bodies

I have been involved with local residents associations and particularly with RASH. This group is a credit to the community of Ridge Hill and illustrates what can be achieved when the community works together.

 I have been involved with the continuance of Police And Communities Together or PACT in Stalybridge North and Mossley. This co-operation between Police, PCSOs, Patrollers, Social Landlords, Councillors, Home Watch etc continues to be a really effective mechanism in the reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour. I shall continue to attend as many of the monthly meetings, in both communities, as civic duties allow.

I have also been involved with the Ridge Hill Partnership and am proud of our achievements, including the building of two new sports cages in Ridge Hill, together with new play equipment, a People’s History Project, and numerous other projects, through the effective administration of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding. I will continue to work for the betterment of Ridge Hill as an area in which to live, play and work.

Other Local Groups

I have had the pleasure of meeting the Carrbrook Housing Co-op and find them to be a friendly, innovative and hard-working organisation. Their continued work with the You-Can-Youth and Community Group within a disadvantaged area is a credit to them.

I have also met with the Committee of the Buckton Vale Institute and have worked closely with my Labour Ward colleagues to assist them in their efforts to secure new premises, and hence the future of this vital institution in the Carrbrook community. Your Ward Councillors play a part in the proceedings of many community bodies and are pleased to assist them financially from their ward and other monies.

Participation on School Governing Bodies

I am pleased to be a member of the Governing Body of Arlies Primary School. I have attended a training course in School Funding and Financial Planning and Monitoring. I was particularly pleased to assist the Headmistress and my fellow governors in interviews which resulted in the appointment of an excellent new Deputy Head. I shall continue as Governor in the next municipal year and look forward to working with the headmistress and other governors.

Constituency Work

The most rewarding part of my work, as Councillor, is offering advice and representing the town's residents and various organisations. I have taken on many cases and have been largely successful in bringing about satisfactory outcomes. 

Political Involvement

I am Treasurer of the Stalybridge Labour Party and have attended all its meetings.
I am Delegate to the Stalybridge and Hyde Constituency Labour Party and enjoy our regular meetings for policy discussion along with our MP James Purnell, fellow councillors, Union and other Labour Party activists.

I am a member of Unite the Union (Amicus Section) and attend as many of its meetings as civic duties allow.

I am a member of the Co-operative party and the Co-op. Co-operatives are entrepreneurial, but they are also equitable. They do not expoloit labour or consumers but seek to provide goods and services in a fair manner. I am proud that Co-operatives, the trade unions and the Labour Party have a shared heritage of striving for improvement without exploitation.

I am Delegate to the Stalybridge Labour Club General Management Committee and enjoy our meetings to support the club's object of furthering political, social and recreational activities.

Members' Advice Surgeries

Councillors Bernard Walsh and Kevin Welsh and I have continued to provide surgeries throughout our Ward on a regular basis at: Stalybridge Civic Hall; Ambleside Keyhole Centre; Carrbrook Housing Co-op; Stalybridge Labour Club and other venues - see press for details of dates and times.

As well as meeting people directly, much of our work is generated by written or telephone communication and, increasingly often, by email. This can be done through the Tameside Website.

Achievements During the Year

This year has seen remarkably good works being carried out for the benefit of the people of Stalybridge North. Stalybridge is improving all the time and my Labour colleagues and I have worked hard to help bring them about. Amongst them, I am particularly proud of:

• The new Ridge Hill Children's Centre which is now fully operational, providing much needed facilities for hard working families;
• Two new Multi-Use Games Areas in Stamford Park and at Ridge Hill School providing for football, basketball, cricket and tennis in safety;
• A new play area, football ends and landscaping at the top of Springs Lane;
• Beaumont Place, a £3 Million plus investment in independent living for vulnerable people;
• Generous donations to sporting clubs, Elderly Persons Homes, and churches of all denominations

The development at Longlands Mill is proceeding well, as is the refurbishment at Stalybridge Railway Station and other refurbishment and regeneration projects. These, together with the massive investment in land in Stalybridge West End, are key and point to the continued future of Stalybridge as a thriving town with a burgeoning population - an excellent place in which to live and work.

I would like to express my gratitude to my fellow Councillors Bernard Walsh and Kevin Welsh for their help and support in the past civic year, and the members of the Stalybridge Labour Party for their continuing support. We work as a team, which is why we achieve so much for the people of Stalybridge.