Participation At Council Panels And Committees

I have attended most Full Council meetings, other than when on official business.
I am an active member of the following Panel’s or Working Groups:

Joint Overview Panel, Environmental Panel, Community Safety Panel, Audit Policy Panel meetings, Speakers Panel’s Licensing and Planning.

I chair the Technical, Economic and Environmental Services Scrutiny Panel. I attended all of the meetings including all sub committee groups and special meetings. This year we invited members from Burnley Council to attended one of our meetings.

Participation At District Assemblies

I have attended all of the Hyde Assemblies in this council year taking responsibilities for community safety, and this year I took the Chair of the Werneth Low Country Park as a DA rep.

Participation On Outside Bodies

I have represented the Hyde DA on the Werneth Low Country Park Joint Committee, which I do not have a full attendance, although it is of great importance to me. I believe that the park is fundamental to the people of Hyde.

I represent Tameside MBC on the Tameside Transport Group, of which I am an active member, taking forward transport issues from the Hyde area, i.e. the state of Flowery Field Station and lack of timetables on open view, the quality of our bus shelters etc.

I have chaired the Bennett Street Youth Centre Management Committee where we have had a refit costing over £200,000. I attend and occasionally chair the Newton Steering Group, which oversees the external grants and partnership in the Ward.
The Sure Start programme finished this March and we are now a Children’s Centre with a new manager. I am looking forward to continuing as Chair of the new Board.

Participation On School Governing Bodies

I am an active member of the Hyde Technology School Governors, taking a very active role; I serve on the General Purposes Committee, which covers a wide field from ground maintenance to the canteen, and the discipline panel. This year I have been working on the sub group working out the details of the BSF bid from the school. We are now very close to achieving the new school which will also have a sixth form.

Constituency Work

I am all ways available to my constituents, by phone or at my surgeries, including roving and coffee morning sessions covered later.

I travel around my Ward of Newton, Hyde and Tameside and during my travels I log on to our systems any problems which I become aware of before they are reported to me in many cases.

I put forward the works programme of the highways maintenance, and environmental improvements to the Labour Group for consideration.

Achievements During The Year

The work I do as Chair of the Scrutiny Panel is now getting more and more prominent, one of our reports became front page news in the Manchester Evening News, which lead to several of the local radio stations interviewing me along with the local Channel M TV station. It was all about naming and shaming of parents who park irresponsibly outside schools, and obtaining an extra £1.2 million pounds for highways maintenance.

Helping to re-house people in to better accommodation, is now almost impossible and other issues regarding NCHT.

Members Surgeries

I hold monthly surgeries at the Bradley Green Centre and the Sure Start Centre, of mixed attendance, sometimes no one calls in which is surprising with some of the long standing issues on the estate.

Training And Development Activities Undertaken

I have under taken training when it’s on offer; I have represented Tameside MBC on several conferences regarding Scrutiny.