The Citizen 45 - Page 1
Ashton-Under-Lyne 
Audenshaw Denton Droylsden Dukinfield Hyde Longdendale Mossley Stalybridge
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The Tameside Citizen is your quarterly newspaper from Tameside Council. We welcome your ideas and opinions.
It is distributed to every address in Tameside by Royal Mail.
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Roads should be dug up once a year
Once, that’s the number of times Tameside Council says the borough’s roads should be dug up for utility company repairs in any one year.
Not the 8,000 separate diggings the borough had to suffer last year alone from the 106 different firms that can come along and started work without seeking the authority’s permission.
A small junction in tameside has been dug up on at least 7 different occasions, leading to the unsightly patchwork effect of repair.
That’s why the council’s campaign to fight for the restoration of ownership and full compensation for restoring the road after the work is finished has received all-party support.
Lord Sheldon has taken the fight to Parliament, but we’re asking the borough’s residents for their views.
Patroller's notice board
Welcome to a new feature from the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership – the Patroller’s Notice Board. This is a whistle-stop tour of what your Patrollers have been up to in the last couple of months.
Helping Prevent Burglary
The Patrollers are central to a new scheme helping to prevent burglaries in the borough by providing top tips about home security. Known as the ‘Rapid Response’ Team, Patrollers will leaflet an area offering a free crime prevention survey. They’ve also been trained by GM Fire and Rescue to deliver Home Fire Risk Assessments
, which can be carried out at the same time to minimise disruption to residents.
If you would like more information about this project or you receive a card yourself, please contact the Patroller Service on 0161 342 3010 (answer machine available when out of office hours)
Patroller’s Celebrate Chinese New Year
Patrollers in Ashton helped bring in Chinese New Year in February with the help of a dragon dance at the steps of the Town Hall.
The event was captured on video: View the Video
Crime Prevention Day - Shopping Precinct in Droylsden Town Centre, 29th March 2008
Organised jointly by the West GMP (Greater Manchester Police) Neighbourhood Team and Patroller Andrew Fogg, Droylsden West PACT (Partner and Communities Together) held a Crime Prevention Day to offer advice and to highlight the need for Crime Prevention initiatives within the home.
Ashton Park garden centre along with B&Q donated shrubs and thorny bushes. Having such items planted close to windows and fences goes some way to deterring burglary. Personal attack alarms donated by B&Q and aimed primarily at students were handed out.
Droylsden West PACT would like to thank all those that helped make the day a success including New Charter Housing , GM Fire and Rescue Service , The AA , ward councillors and of course the people of Droylsden.
Push for Home Watch in Droylsden
The Patroller Service in Droylsden along side the PCSOs for the West Ward have been instrumental in the setting up of seven new Home Watch schemes. Every household was visited and leafleted informing residents of the benefits of supporting Home Watch in the fight against crime and anti social behaviour.
Welcome Home Adrian!
Ashton Hurst Patroller, Adrian Short has just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Adrian spent three months training and a further six months on duty as part of the Immediate Response Command.
From everyone in Tameside Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, welcome home Adrian and we’re proud of you!
Tackling Fly-tipping in Ashton St Peters
Patrollers are joining forces with Regenda housing to tackle fly tipping in the Holy Trinity. Key to the initiative is community education through schools to advise residents about how best to dispose of rubbish.
The Patrollers are working with local children to come up with a poster to help deter fly-tipping which will be then be sponsored by Regenda.
Operation Slingshot – Tackling Criminal Damage and Anti-Social Behaviour
As part of an ongoing campaign to tackle criminal damage and anti-social behaviour, Patrollers were part of a multi-agency operation involving Tameside Council Trading Standards staff, local police and GM Fire and Rescue across the borough in March.
The operation involved test purchasing operations in off licences, Home Fire Risk Assessments, community clean-ups and high visibility patrols.
Godley Football Tournament
New Charter Housing and Asda have provided sponsorship for a football tournament organised by Patroller Peter Donlan and the South GMP Neighbourhood Team. The event took place at Leigh Primary School, Hyde in May.
Stats
Over the last 12 months, the Patrollers have been busier than ever working with partners to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. Below are just some of the impressive statistics that show how hard our Patrollers have been working on local priorities:
- Since last July when the Rapid Response scheme to tackle burglary was launched, over 2,400 leaflets have been distributed to local residents. This has helped contribute to a 48% reduction in burglaries.
- Patrollers have responded to just under 400 complaints about dog fouling. Every report that is made prompts a leaflet drop of the area advising local people about the laws around not ‘scooping poop’. Where Patrollers find people who refuse to take this advice and continue to leave their dog mess, Fixed Penalty Notices are issued on the spot.
- Fixed Penalty Notices are also issued for people littering our streets. In total 286 FPNs were given out by Patrollers last year for littering and dog fouling.
- Patrollers responded to just under 200 complaints about fly-tipping. Investigations are carried out by the service and details passed onto the council’s Environmental Enforcement Team for further action to be taken such as enforcement.
- Patrollers have investigated over 780 reports of abandoned vehicles. This work is part of the council’s rapid response to removing vehicles that have been left abandoned – some of which are at risk of criminal damage and arson. The scheme can contribute to fantastic reductions in vehicle related arsons which has helped Tameside be one of the best performing boroughs in Greater Manchester for such offences.
- Also relating to vehicles, patrollers work with the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to target those people that refuse to buy tax discs for their cars. We often find that these are the same people without insurance. Last year alone over 1,570 vehicles were reported to the DVLA for further action to be taken.
The Patrollers are on duty up to 10pm, Monday to Saturday in your community.
To find out more about the service or to report any concerns you may have visit www.tameside.gov.uk/patrollers, or call 0161 342 3010. Answer machine available out of office hours.
Tameside in Bloom
Council green chiefs are calling the borough’s residents to arms as we enter the business end of the national In Bloom competition.
For this year Tameside is hoping we will be able to beat the undefeated current champions, 11 times winners Aberdeen to the national crown.
But to do so all the borough’s residents need to pull together and do their bit to help out.
And it doesn’t end there because the busy In Bloom team is also aiming to win the regional final once again as well as the main competition.
Project head Cllr Dave Sweeton said: “We really need everyone’s help this year if we are to overturn red hot favourites Aberdeen.
“But with the hard work and dedication of all our staff and our strong community involvement, we’re in with a very good chance of pulling off a victory.
“The judges want to make sure that the whole community is involved with In Bloom, so that it isn’t just run by the local authority. Some people may think that they would have to spend a lot of money to bring their garden up to Britain in Bloom standards, but all that’s needed is that the lawns are mown and that front gardens are kept neat and tidy. Residents can also help by not littering, and by cleaning up after their dogs.”
Tameside in Bloom will be hosting a gardening roadshow and their resident experts will attempt to answer any horticultural questions. Further gardening roadshows will be held at the Farmers Markets on 29th June and 27th July.
lf you are an enthusiastic gardener, there is an opportunity to be rewarded for all your efforts. Just enter your local District Assembly garden competition and you could win up to £100. You can enter by viewing the competition details or pick up an entry form from any of the local town halls or libraries and post them freepost.
Vegetable enthusiasts and budding bakers, photographers and florists can enter the first Tameside-wide horticultural show to be held since the mid-1970s. The Tameside Horticultural Show will be held at Stalybridge Civic Hall on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September. Members of the public will be welcome to visit the show on both days to view the entries. More details, or a full list of classes, can be obtained from the Tameside in Bloom Team at www.tameside.gov.uk/inbloom or by calling 0161 342 2220.
Preparing for Emergencies
Tameside Council has an Emergency Plan to enable the council to respond promptly and appropriately to any incident which occurs within or impacts on the borough.
Tameside Council’s Emergency Planning Unit have put together some useful advice and information on what you can do to reduce the risk of emergencies and cope with the effects if they do occur.
If you are involved in any emergency it is important to:
- Make sure 999 has been called if people are injured or if there is a threat to life
- Not put yourself or others in danger
- Follow the advice of the emergency services
- Try to remain calm and think before acting and try to reassure others
- Check for injuries - remember to attend to yourself before attempting to help others
- If you are not involved in an accident but are close by or believe you may be in danger, in most cases the advice is: Go in, stay in, tune in.
To prepare for an emergency, you should take time to find out:
- Where and how to turn off water, gas and electricity supplies in your home
- The emergency procedures for your children at school and your workplace
- Family contacts
- If any elderly or vulnerable neighbours might need your help
- How to tune in to your local radio station.
For more information ring the Emergency Planning Unit on 0161 342 8355 or by visiting: http://www.tameside.gov.uk/emergencyplanning.
Opening doors for the elderly
The Opening Doors for Older People Project is heading for Droylsden on Monday 23rd June so listen out for the town crier at the grand launch in the shopping centre between 9am and 4pm.
Throughout July, August and September the Opening Doors for Older People Project is focusing on the Droylsden area. Members of the project will be visiting local groups, community centres, GP practices, clinics, the local library, the leisure centre and a wealth of other venues right across Droylsden to encourage older people to take up the project’s free check and support service in the comfort of your own home.
Look out for our posters and leaflets in local shops, cafes and post offices for more details or ring the Project direct on 0161 370 1179.
