Bogus callers - Show them the gate!!

We have just been made aware of some pretty low down characters taking advantage of trusting elderly people in the borough. Two men, cold called on an elderly Trafford resident offering to repair the fence. They took, in advance £100 in cash, painted one fence panel and have not been seen since. Its called robbery and I know what I would like to do to the kind of low life that carry out these abuses on vulnerable people but the public nature of my blog site requires the use of moderate language!!


However, thinking about this despicable activity I thought a link to Trafford Councils Trading Standards page on bogus callers would be useful. Basically the advice seems to be, if you didn't ask for someone to call then show them the gate!


The Council offer a few steps to follow when someone arrives, unexpectedly, at your door step:

• Never do business on the doorstep
• Never allow strangers into your home
• Always ask for ID and do not let the caller in unless you have verified their identity with their employer
• Always lock the back door when you answer the front - use a chain or look through the window
• Never keep large sums of money in the house
• If you are suspicious ring the police on 0161 872 5050
• If you have signed a contract at home following an unsolicited call, you may be able to cancel. Contact Trafford Trading Standards on 0161 912 1377

For more information use the link below.

http://www.trafford.gov.uk/AdviceAndBenefits/TradingStandards/BogusCallers

Watch this man he's going places! Damian Hinds in Ashton-Upon-Mersey

Damian Hinds was the guest speaker at the Ashton-Upon-Mersey ward annual dinner which was held at the Ashton-on-Mersey Golf Club last Thursday evening. Graham Brady MP was also a guest. (in the slightly shaky picture above is L to R: Cllr Mike Whetton, Cllr Brian Rigby MBE, Mr Graham Brady MP, Mr Damian Hinds and Cllr John Lamb)

Damian Hinds is no stranger to this part of the world. Damian’s family live in Altrincham and he was the Conservatives parliamentary candidate in Stretford and Urmston, halving Beverley Hughes majority in the 2005 general election

Damian is now the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency of East Hampshire. This is currently Michael Mate’s seat where he has a majority of some 5,500 votes.

Damian has almost 20 years’ political campaigning experience. He is former chairman of Bow Group and gained a first class honours degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford, and was president of the Oxford Union debating society whilst there. His business career since has been mostly in the hotel and leisure industries.

Introducing Damian, Councillor John Lamb said “During the 2005 GE campaign in Stretford & Urmston, I was Damian’s Election Agent and it became clear to me as it did to many who also worked in that campaign that Damian was destined for the House of Commons. He worked hard, impressed the people he met with his intelligent and considered views, displayed instant warmth for his fellow human beings and following the campaign we all wished him luck in finding a safer seat to contest.

You can imagine our delight when we heard that he had been selected for East Hampshire. Here in this part of the world we would have been delighted to see Damian selected for a NW seat but we are very content that soon a very decent man will enter the commons and begin his contribution to the governance of our great nation.”

Damian Hinds pictured at the Ashton-Upon-Mersey ward annual dinner with some of our guests from Stretford and Urmston.

Raising The Standard Spring 2009

Raising the Standard Spring 09 (1)

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Planning Applications parked

Before Christmas Trafford Council’s Planning Committee considered three significant applications for development in Ashton-Upon-Mersey ward. They were: a proposal for a residential care home on land at the junction of Ashton Lane and Ashlands, sheltered apartments for the elderly on the site of the former RAFA club on Oakfield and refurbishment and provision of ground floor level retail units at an existing office block at the junction of Washway Rd and Barkers lane (formerly known as the IBM office).

It was not a good night for the planners. All three were recommended for granting permission but after representations made by local residents, your local councillors and concerns expressed by members of the planning committee only one was approved – the sheltered apartments for the elderly on the Oakfield. This application was welcomed, subject to car parking restrictions and a requirement for a car parking review when occupancy reaches a pre-determined level. The picture below shows the ‘bomb site’ that is the former RAFA Club and clearly a good piece of architecture is going to be welcome here.

The care home proposal was rejected on the basis of the size and scale of the proposed building for the site and the planning committee invited the applicant to come back with a revised proposal. The developer of the former IBM office block has been asked to be more specific about the retail unit uses and to ‘beef up’ the travel plan to alleviate the office workers car parking congestion on Barkers Lane and other surrounding roads.

People Power - Recent referenda make politicians look out of touch

I had a pretty good idea that the the Manchester road congestion charge referendum would result in a massive 'No'. Ah! you might say, he would say that now the result is out. If you ask some of my colleagues they will tell you I was predicting a big 'No' in Trafford but I was unsure about the rest of Greater Manchester - although I should have guessed. How did I know? quite simple really - I listened to what voters in Ashton-Upon-Mersey were telling me and my other ward colleagues, Councillors Rigby and Whetton. During a Saturday morning in November last we struggled to find anyone who was in favour!

So, to my point. Government and by that I mean Ministers, MP's and Councillors, need to listen more carefully to what local residents and citizens are saying. The Irish told their government what they could do with the European constitution, The Danes told the EU what to do with the Euro, the people of the NE of England told Prescott what he could do with his proposed regional assembly and now the good voters of Greater Manchester have told the Government where they can stick their 'tax on going to work'. I hope the NHS listen very carefully to what people are saying about the proposal to add fluoride to the drinking supplies in the North West!!

Up the plebiscite!!

Listen to what people are saying

In a previous post (see 31st December 2008) I set out my views on adding fluoride to the drinking water supplies. This article also appeared in the ward newsletter distributed to about 7000 residents of Ashton-Upon-Mersey ward in Trafford, Greater Manchester. In the newletter article I invited residents to let me know what they thought about this issue. Many responded and while some favoured adding fluoride to the drinking water, I can report that a massive 94% of those who responded were opposed to the proposal. The NHS bodies responsible for making the final decision on this matter need to take note!