Tameside Citizen

Councillors expenses - a document of historical interest

2012-01-28T01:30:00.001Z

Allowances

An interesting document for your perusal regarding councillors allowances in the borough of Tameside. A few years out of date, but still interesting and relevant when considering the recent letter by Cllr Ambler regarding his expenses.

In defence of the councillors of Tameside

2012-01-26T18:44:00.002Z

A letter by Cllr Richard Ambler who represents the Ashton Hurst ward and which is published in the latest edition of the Tameside Advertiser.

Cllr Ambler claims his remuneration as a ward councillor comes to less than £1000 per month and for that he does in excess of 15.5 hours per week on councillor related work.

(click image above to enlarge)

New and improved footage of a young Common buzzard

2012-01-20T22:10:00.003Z

I filmed this today in the pouring rain on a fairly old but good quality Canon camcorder. The footage is far clearer than my recent buzzard clip which was captured on a motion detecting camera.

The conditions were slightly worse than when I filmed a Harris Hawk* on a cheap JVC camcorder in December yet the video quality from the much older Canon is far better.

The difference in what you get for your money when it comes to budget and premium video equipment is perfectly illustrated when you compare today’s buzzard clip with Decembers Harris Hawk clip. On paper the two cameras have similar spec; both full HD and both with optical zooms, but the lens and sensor quality of the Canon is far superior to that of the budget model JVC.

* I never did find out who correctly identified the Harris Hawk. I genuinely did not have a clue and after reading my RSPB bird recognition guide from end to end without seeing anything similar I was beginning to think myself that it was some kind of new hybrid raptor. Thanks again for solving the mystery.

Speedwellbus to cease trading with immediate effect

2012-01-19T01:26:00.003Z

According to the Speedwellbus official Facebook page the company ceased trading on Wednesday 18th Jan.

This must be a terrible blow to the employees and passengers of Speedwellbus. Speedwellbus has served the people of Tameside and Glossop well and it is a saddens me to hear this news. No doubt this small independent company could not compete against the national giants such as Stagecoach.

Big companies can often use their size to squeeze small players out of the game until the small companies are financially drained and eventually go bust. Then the predatory large companies can move in and create an absolute monopoly. This should not be allowed to happen but unfortunately it does!

An appeal to Tameside Citizen readers

2012-01-17T01:39:00.003Z

FOI 532 Response

I would like to appeal to readers of the Tameside Citizen blog to assist me in a Freedom of Information request regarding councillors allowances at Tameside Council. I've had a duff response and was wondering if readers could give their opinions. A very reliable source of information told me that Tameside Labour councillors have to forfeit 10% of their salary directly to the Labour Party. This doesn't sound unusual as most parasitic politicians have these arrangements in place, the difference is that this money is automatically deducted on Labour councillor's payslips. This would mean that Tameside Council not only acts as a collection agent for the money, but would also incur payroll costs along with banking and administration charges.

So I thought about looking at Tameside Council's "transparency" page which was recently slated as being vague by the MEN and found no reference to the payments made to the Labour Party. So I went about doing a FOI (Freedom of Information) request to ask:

*A monthly breakdown of donations made to a political organization/trade union by councillor. Along with what their being paid for etc. Along with dates of payments and the percentage of the deduction.

*A clarification if deductions are made before or after tax.

*Copies of agreements between the council and the party group where an arrangement has been made for the councillors salaries to be deducted.

Now Tameside Council say they have the information, but have refused to hand it over due to the Data Protection Act. Now what was that about the Chief Exec being able to go above and beyond the rulings of the DPA when selecting councillors? One rule for one and one for the other!

The other reason is that "Councillors have a reasonable expectation that information about deductions an individual chooses to make from his or her allowance would be kept confidential and not disclosed since this does not impact on how public money is spent and relates to the decisions they have made as an individual." But the point is that it isn't the councillors money any longer if Tameside Council collects it for them and then gives it away.

So maybe the council doesn't want to give me the breakdown of payments made to the Labour Party by councillor due to the DPA. So what is to stop them from telling the public about secret agreements made between the Labour Group and the Council? This is another brazen attempt by Tameside Council to dodge transparency.

And here's my final bit and you've probably heard me say this many of times. But back in 2007, the TPA did some research into councillors allowances and found that Tameside Council had the 9th highest average salary per councillor in the UK at £19,500 per year. This was more than what the average Tameside resident earns in a full time job at the time of the survey. So given that there are now 48 Labour councillors, they would hypothetically earn £936,000 (48 x £19,500) a year between them. 10% of that would make £93,600 a year to potentially go towards an election war chest.

When Kieran Quinn became leader he promised "new politics" for Tameside. He started off well by ditching one of the Jags. He got rid of political assistants (only to have an executive assistant later on). He said he had nothing to hide or fear. Yet he refuses to answer the demands from the public to have less councillors and lower councillors allowances. Why don't we have a "big conversation" on that subject Kieran?

You can make your own notes on the FOI by signing up to the WhatDoTheyKnow service by clicking this link.

Liam Billington

Tameside FM explicit lyrics outrage

2012-01-15T21:17:00.003Z

I know some people who contribute to discussion on this blog site have little time for Tameside Radio due its close connection with and occasional promotion of the ruling political regime within the borough. However, as commercial radio stations go I think it is good and I often listen to it as I find it has a good variety of music and features to cater for all tastes.

Bearing this in mind I tuned into Tameside FM just after 7pm on the evening of Friday 13th 2012 and I genuinely could not believe what I was hearing. Talk of sticking forks in peoples faces, glorification of Manchester as a ‘gun capital’ talk of shattering ligaments in jaws and suggestions of taking people onto the moors with torture or murder in mind.

This was just after 7pm in the evening and there was no prior warning that such depraved filth was about to be broadcast. Imagine if you were in the car with the kids on the way home from football training or something and this come on the radio?

You can listen to the whole show by clicking here but to save you the torture of listening to the whole show I uploaded a sample to Youtube.

After you have listened to the Youtube clip do let me know if I am being ‘oversensitive’ or am I right in saying filth like that should not be broadcast on a community radio station such as Tameside FM?

Is the TMBC Deputy Leader out of tune with the views of the electorate?

2012-01-14T18:01:00.002Z

Reading this weeks letter page in the Tameside Advertiser one could be forgiven for thinking he is. Power often goes to peoples heads, sometimes people in power develop an arrogance which leads to their ultimate downfall. How could anyone forget the fateful day when the Deputy Leader’s ideological mentor Nikolai Ceausescu addressed what he believed were his adoring followers in Bucharest only to soon discover that they were in actual fact booing and not cheering. Soon after poor old Nikolai met a fate none of us would wish on our dear Deputy Leader.

Hidden treasures of Tameside

2012-01-13T23:57:00.002Z

The weather was stunning today so I took my poorly hound up for a nice gentle walk around the reservoirs of Stalybridge. These reservoirs are hidden treasures of Tameside and many Tameside residents are unaware of their existence.

I made this video showing random scenes and views from the reservoirs in the hope it may entice some people to ditch their TV’s and keyboards and venture out into the great outdoors.

The reservoirs are easy to find and there four in total. If you get yourself onto Huddersfield Rd which is just outside of the centre of Stalybridge and head in the direction of Carbrook, carry on for about a mile until you come to a road on your right called Brushes Rd. Turn onto Brushes Rd and continue to the end. If in a car I would suggest leaving the car at the end of Brushes Rd where the last houses are because the road from thereon in is pretty bumpy. Then follow the bumpy road until you reach the first reservoir which is called Walkerwood, as you follow the path round which is never nothing more taxing than a gentle upwards incline you will come to the other reservoirs one after the other. The scenery is pleasing and every person I met today was smiling and pleasant.

From the start of Huddersfield Rd to the top reservoir and back is just under eight miles and seeing as the weather is forecast bright and clear for tomorrow why not take a trip up there to sample this hidden treasure?

Job Vacancy

2012-01-12T13:42:00.002Z

British Gas Customer Service Advisor - Manchester

It seems to me that some contributors to the scintillating debate which is occasionally to be found on this blog have rather a lot of time on their hands. This may be because they are amongst the millions of other people in this country who are struggling to find work.

After reading an online article in one of the daily ‘red top’ newspapers on this subject I searched for local job vacancies with reputable companies which pay an acceptable wage. I found a customer services job with British Gas which would suit anyone with a basic knowledge of IT and a little bit of common sense.

The job involves dealing with customer queries, resolving customer issues and identifying future issues before they become a problem, the ability to sell insurance services to existing customers is also required.

Anyone capable of switching on their computer and figuring how to post a comment on a blog like this would have the very basic levels of IT skills required, the rest involving bespoke computer programmes would be taught should you get the job.

Other than that, if you posses a decent telephone manner, patience and common sense, why not apply for the job by clicking here?

Latest Conservative leaflets for Stalybridge South

2012-01-11T20:03:00.004Z

Doreen and the girls out doing their bit come rain, hail or shine. I don’t think the Labour Party would be so silly as to waste any significant resources on their campaign in Stalybridge South as it is a foregone conclusion that Doreen will win. She is immensely popular in the area and even more so now following her efforts to have a passageway used by anti-social yobs blocked.

Looking at the pictures of her, and wonderful pictures they are, I have come to the conclusion she has had a makeover. Anyone else agree?

By the way, what ever happened to the former Labour candidate KY Marland? He come on the scene with tremendous energy and did lots of decent work in the area but following his electoral defeat he disappeared into thin air.

A new buzzard appears

2012-01-10T20:33:00.000Z

If you watch the video below you may recognise the large adult buzzard from my previous buzzard videos. Twenty seconds into the video and the image then morphs into a different buzzard, I suspect this new buzzard is a juvenile and it is the chick of the large buzzard which used to visit for food. The video above contains some pretty decent close up footage of this fine specimen. The loose feather come about after a failed attempt to pounce on a squirrel which darted into vegetation.

The previous buzzard used to visit on a daily basis for months and then it vanished mid July last year never to return. I put this disappearance down to the presence of a cat which had started patrolling the area plus the wild summer vegetation which created ideal hiding places for the said cat to hide and pounce.

This new arrival is a far more feisty individual than last years visitor and its colour is amazing. In fact I can honestly say it is the most magnificently coloured buzzard I have ever seen. I have contemplated catching it to have a closer look. This would be a simple matter of putting a net suspended by string above the feeding spot and then when the buzzard is happily eating I could cut the string and allow the net to fall on top of it. My only fear is that it may go berserk and start flapping its wings wildly and inadvertently injure itself which would be a catastrophe. Such an experience may also put it off returning to the food spot ever again.

Assuming this new buzzard is the chick of last years visitor, and the chances are that it certainly is because this was not filmed in ‘classic’ buzzard territory, it was filmed in a built up semi-urban environment where buzzards are not widespread. But assuming it is, what I find totally amazing is that it must have been shown this place of easy food by its parents and that would mean they posses the power to pass on useful knowledge to their offspring which surely would indicate they posses a high level of intelligence?

Tameside Hospital blasted by watchdogs over failure to raise standards

2012-01-09T22:20:00.002Z

Health watchdogs have found that bosses at Tameside Hospital have failed to act on a series of recommendations to improve care.

Patients were left without water to drink, ‘help’ buzzers were out of reach and, of those surveyed, nine per cent had fallen over during their stay, a new report found.

One patient claimed they had not had a shower or a bath for more than three weeks and another was left soiled despite asking for help from staff.

Members of the Local Involvement Network inspected conditions a year ago, but during spot checks in August they found that bosses had failed to act on many of their recommendations.

In two cases, the situation had got worse – patients were still being left without drinks of water and some wards were cluttered, with furniture blocking one fire exits.

Ninety-six per cent of the 191 asked had not met their ‘dignity in care’ champion – a role introduced following concerns about care of the elderly – and 80 per cent claimed not to have a ‘shared care’ sheet, brought in to improve communication with relatives. Read the full article on the Manchester Evening News website.

RSPCA Dog Dillon needs a home

2012-01-08T21:19:00.000Z

You will struggle to ever find a more loyal companion than a dog. Anyone interested in giving this lovely dog a home please contact the Tameside and Glossop branch of the RSPCA

A guest article by a TC reader from Dukinfield

2012-01-07T20:04:00.005Z

In Portishead near Bristol an experiment was trialled in 2009. The traffic lights at the main Cabstand junction in the town centre, installed in 2004, were removed and replaced by a filtering system. The chronic congestion instantly disappeared, traffic flowed freely and journey times were reduced by up to 50%. This was achieved with no measured reduction in pedestrian safety, despite gretaer numbers using the route. The trial was declared a resounding success and the lights removed permanently. Similar experiments were tried in Bristol with the same success in 2010 but after the trial a permanent decision was deferred.

This type of scheme appears to have passed TMBC by, and their mania for installing traffic lights continues unabated. Traffic lights were originally conceived to regulate the flow of traffic at busy junctions. In some areas they are now being installed as 'traffic calming' or traffic deterrent measures. There is no reason for traffic lights to be left switched on 24/7. In some European countries the lights switch off at off at peak times and revert to amber or similar, meaning equal priority or give way depending on the type of junction. If Volatile and aggressive Italian drivers can cope with this so can British ones, who are amongst the safest in the world.

For those who think traffic volume is the 'reason' for all these extra lights, can they explain why they are left switched on permanently, i.e. when that volume does not exist. In any case traffic volumes plateaued in 2005 (apart from the M60) and have markedly reduced in the last two years.

Traffic lights in many cases now actively CAUSE delay, congestion, pollution, noise, economic harm and environmental damage. At tens of thousands of pounds per set to install they are also extremely expensive.

If Tameside Council are serious about environmental and emissions issues they should be doing everything in their power to keep traffic flowing. In some cases this involves removal of or switching off of, the chronic and unnecessary overabundance of traffic lights in the borough.

Some excellent points raised here and the video is interesting too. The author of this article has witnessed first hand the disruption caused at the Cheetham Hill Road/Ashton Road junction since the installation of what many locals believe to be an unnecessary set of traffic lights. Tameside Citizen

Exclusive: Tameside Council's Cosy Relationship with the Tameside Labour Party

2012-01-06T12:43:00.006Z

Panel Application Form

People who read this blog will have no doubt come across the name of the council's borough solicitor. Commentators on the blog have often accused the borough solicitor of being too close to the Labour Party. Well, this blog can exclusively reveal that is the case according to this Tameside Labour application form to become a Labour candidate. Tameside Council's Chief Executive, Stephen Pleasant is also involved.

According to a leaked document from the Labour Party, aspiring candidates wishing to become a councillor candidates must have their records checked by the Chief Executive of Tameside Council, Stephen Pleasant for their past and present dealings. This would suggest that Tameside Council keeps tabs on residents. The Cheif Executive will also perform a credit check and his findings are passed on to Labour's Chief Whip, which is currently Denton councillor Mike Smith. Who is to say that the Chief Executive doesn't perform similar checks on opposition parties and pass on that data to Labour councillors which could be useful in an election?

Page 3, Point number 4 states:

"As a potential candidate in the local government elections for Tameside MBC in 2012, I authorise the Council’s chief executive to provide any information about my current dealings or standings with the council, which may include financial records as he/she considers appropriate, to the chief whip of the Labour group, whether or not the provision of such information would otherwise be exempt from disclosure under the provision of the Data Protection Act 1998 or any other relevant legislation."

And if you're unsure if you are eligible to stand, you can speak to the borough solicitor, Sandra Stewart for advice. I wonder if Sandra is so keen to assist other political candidates in the run up to elections as she's busy...

Page 5 states:

"It is absolutely essential that every nominee is properly questioned to establish that s/he is both qualified and not disqualified. If there is any question about this – especially arising from employment – s/he must seek advice from the council’s solicitor before being appointed to the panel of approved candidates."

Liam Billington, the blogger who writes the Tameside Eye blog did a FoI asking for communication between the Chief Executive, the Borough Solicitor and Labour's Chief Whip, Cllr. Mike Smith, but was told that the council don't hold the information. Subterfuge from TMBC? Well I never...

I can claim no credit for this exclusive article as it is not my work but I would like to offer a sincere thank you to the disillusioned Labour Party member responsible for providing the information. Tameside Citizen

Are your children overweight? Do you live in Tameside? If so, you may be in danger of losing them

2012-01-05T18:54:00.004Z

Tameside Council in Greater Manchester recently took two children into care on the grounds of their excessive obesity. One of them is only five years old and is the youngest child ever to be taken from its family and into care for this reason.

This child had a body mass index (BMI) of 22.6, which means that they were clinically obese, weighing 4st 4lb, a stone and a half more than average. The second child, a 14-year-old, had a BMI of 30.3 and weighed 13 stones, five stones more than average. Read more here.

I know little of this case or about the children in question but to confiscate children in this manner seems to be utterly draconian. Some people cannot help being obese as they are genetically predisposed to obesity.

Looking at some of the councillors elected in Tameside I can assure you some of them are on the obese side too, so for their sake, let’s hope they do not posses the obesity gene as they may one day see their kids or grandkids snatched from them. Tameside Citizen

Plans to build on Tameside Greenbelt

2011-12-30T20:57:00.004Z

I recently made what could well be a winner if entered into a competition known as The Worlds Most Boring Video Contest. I am not sure if such a competition exists, but this video to most people would be a likely winning contender if such a competition did exist and it was entered.

The video drones on for just over 30 minutes. The footage is poor due to low quality video equipment and no attempts at editing have been made. It literally is just a walk around the proposed site of an enormous Casey Group housing development planned for the area. Do bear in mind this was filmed in the middle of winter on probably the dreariest day of the year. During spring and summer when the trees have leaves this area is transformed into a vast forest which is home to all different types of wildlife.

I made this video so people can see what Stalybridge and the Borough of Tameside is on the verge losing. The film was made on and around the site of the former Hartshead Power Station, a site which was once industrial but is now in the process of being reclaimed by nature.

Plans have been submitted to build 200+ new homes on the site. A nice corporate propaganda website has been set up to promote the scheme. If approved and this piece of wonderful wilderness is lost to be replaced by yet another bland residential development I will be most upset. Do any other TC readers have any opinions on the proposals for this site or am I just being selfish in wanting it to remain as it is or would redevelopment be the best thing in this case?

The newspaper cuttings above (click to enlarge) are taken from this weeks edition of the Tameside Advertiser and are relevant in relation to this issue.

Does anyone else find this a bit odd?

2011-12-28T18:29:00.003Z

UK prepares emergency measures for euro collapse to prevent an influx of people and money

*Value of the Pound could surge if euro fails

*Britain's borders could be temporarily sealed against economic refugees

*Many experts believe the 17-member currency cannot survive the coming year

*Rich individuals from Greece and Portugal are already moving money into UK

Ministers are considering draconian plans to prevent a flood of money and people heading to Britain from Europe if the ailing single currency collapses.

Experts fear that the collapse of the euro would lead to the widespread movement of both people and money – with potentially damaging consequences for Britain if left unchecked. The Treasury has drawn up contingency plans to prevent investors shifting huge sums of cash from the Eurozone to Britain. Full article: Daily Mail

For decades this country has welcomed millions of penniless Third World and totally inassimilable immigrants to Britain, but now there is a possibility that comparatively wealthy Europeans may wish to shelter the European storm in Britain should the Euro disintegrate there is this talk of sealing borders and preventing wealthy people from bringing money into Britain. It is totally bonkers or am I missing something? Tameside Citizen

A Merry Christmas to all Tameside Citizen's

2011-12-24T18:57:00.002Z

Another excellent leaflet from Denton South Independent candidate Carl Simmons

2011-12-23T18:27:00.003Z

Click on leaflet to enlarge.

Help needed identifying a bird of prey

2011-12-17T02:50:00.001Z

I was out in the woods with my very poorly dog on Friday and we stumbled upon a bird of prey eating a bird it had just killed. It was the most fearless bird of prey I have ever encountered as I was only 15 feet away when filming and it showed no signs of leaving its kill until we got within a few feet, only then, and very begrudgingly did it fly to a nearby tree until we retreated.

I was absolutely cursing the diabolical low light performance of the crappy* camcorder I had with me. Had I had my Panasonic, which I did not because accidentally and idiotically I drove over and crushed it a few weeks back, I would have been able to get footage of this incident in a video quality the BBC would have been proud of. This was a very rare chance to get so close to a bird of prey in the wild eating a fresh kill and oh how I regretted not having a better camera to hand.

Despite being virtually right next to this bird of prey I could not positively identify it. It had the face of a buzzard but the body of a hen. It was in my opinion too small to be a buzzard, unless it is a baby or juvenile. The colours of its feathers are also unlike most buzzards I have encountered. Does anyone have an idea what type of bird it is?

It is the top avian predator in the woods and now I know where all the piles of bird feathers are coming from. For weeks now I have been seeing mounds of bird feathers and I feared someone with an airgun had been shooting birds from trees and cats were de-feathering the remains when on the ground. But as this video shows; the culprit for killing the birds was caught in the act with the blood still on its beak.

*The video camera I used and was so disappointed with was a JVC Everio GZ-HM445REK. This camera is full HD and has received some rave reviews, but by HD camcorder standards it was cheap, and only in trying conditions will the shortcomings of a budget camera like this be fully exposed. On a bright sunny day this camcorder would produce clean, clear and crisp images, but in low light conditions………….well the video above is proof enough of its limitations.

If you are contemplating buying a digital camera or camcorder as a gift for Christmas do not get carried away with all the hype such as 598billion pixel resolution or super 1080p HD. The two most important features is firstly the quality of the lens and secondly the size and quality of the sensor. If you look through an Argos catalogue you will see countless cheap cameras and camcorders boasting impressive pixel counts. The pixel count is not what matters, more pixels equate to bigger images, but not clearer sharper images.

I am fairly knowledgeable on this subject. If anyone has any queries please feel free to ask.

The Tameside Citizen newspaper Winter Edition

2011-12-16T22:00:00.004Z

The new edition of Tameside Citizen newspaper was delivered yesterday. It was nestled in between the pages of the Tameside Advertiser. It used to be delivered as a standalone item but it probably works out cheaper to have it delivered with the Advertiser as that already has an existing delivery network.

It was a pretty interesting read, not too much overt propaganda and some useful advice on clearing snow. Let's hope that people who stupidly pour boiling water onto ice and snow in an effort to clear it read the article and take note.

Environmental destruction in Mossley

2011-12-14T21:07:00.004Z

Dear Citizen of Tameside,

I understand that your time is very valuable but there is a situation that I feel I should bring to your attention. I am writing to inform you of an incident that happened on Saturday 10th December which has caused an unacceptable situation that has deeply affected local wildlife and a group of residents, in Mossley, Lancs.

My name is ***** ***** and I am writing to as many people as possible because I feel that I need to create as much publicity as I can, so that this issue can be rectified and will not arise again in the future.

THE BACKGROUND

There is a piece of ground to the rear of our row of terraces that has naturally developed into a beautiful wildlife sanctuary over the last 40 years. The area has a severe gradient and was filled with 30-40ft spruce, rowan and willow trees that attracted many birds to roost, rest and breed and an enormous variety of plants and wild flowers, such as foxgloves, primroses, bluebells, ferns, etc. and many types of moss and lichen. The range of birds and animals was astounding for a small, urban area. We had song/mistle thrushes, tits, finches, wagtails, collared doves, blackbirds, owls, bats, voles, frogs, newts, toads, butterflies, bumble bees, etc. As residents, we understood that it was not our land and that we were extremely lucky and proud to back onto it. We had an understanding with the owners that we would keep the edges that touched our garden neat for them. They had tried to get planning permission twice but were turned down on account of buildings looming over our properties and the single track road that a fire engine could not access. We told the owners, several times over the years, that we would be willing to buy the land off them to keep as a natural environment but they refused.

SATURDAY 10th DECEMBER

We were awoken at 8:30am to the sound of chain-saws and the frantic knocking of our neighbours. We looked out and half of the landscape had disappeared to the rear. These neighbours have lived here for 27 years and were obviously extremely traumatized. The local councillor Paul Dowthwaite was informed and turned up soon. He was very supportive and understanding and wished there was more he could do. We went up to the top at Roughtown Road to speak to the workers. A man who was there spoke to us and said he'd bought the land a year ago and he was going to put in for planning permission for some garages. We continually questioned him over why he needed to destroy the whole landscape if he had not yet got planning permission and he insisted that he had to in order to do a survey of the land. We said it was so drastic and that there were other ways to do a survey such as GPS but he said "lasers don't go through trees", which I found to be very dismissive and un-cooperative. He also said "it's no big deal" but when questioned about if there were changes at the back of his house he went quiet. We asked why he had not informed us about his proposed activity and he said "if I went round telling you all, it would have dragged it all out for months". He told the workers to carry on but one of the neighbours said he would not let it happen and stood in front of the trees. The new owner said that it was his land and that if we prevented work then he would call the police, which after a few minutes he did. The police turned up and were also understanding of the situation but said that we have no legal rights and we should go. We offered to buy the land now with the trees still on it from the new owner but he came up with an unrealistic amount.

The area has now been decimated but we feel such an immoral act cannot go unnoticed and are certain that such severe environmental destruction/vandalism should not be swept under the carpet. We feel that at the very least, there should have been a wildlife survey of the ground before any changes. We are also worried that, as he is going to put in for planning permission, the land will be assessed as it is, rather than as the amazing green space and wonderful habitat it was. As a group of residents, we are unsure where to go from here, so I am informing various media and environmental groups to seek advice and hopefully gain support and therefore restoration of the area.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. TMBC Chapter 13 Conservation & Environment.

Britain's High Streets Reach 'Crisis Point'

2011-12-13T12:14:00.002Z

More than 50% of total consumer spend is now off British high streets for the first time in history.

The shock statistic is revealed with the publication of a report compiled by retail expert Mary Portas.

She has come up with a plan to rejuvenate Britain's ailing high streets, some of which she claims are in crisis.

Her independent review, carried out at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron, also maintains that town centre vacancy rates have doubled during the past two years.

Ms Portas has called for change and recommends licensing rules on high street stalls be relaxed and that a national market day be introduced.

She also wants free parking in certain areas, some form of high street management system to form coherent policies, as well as a review of business rates and shop rents. To read the full article and watch a video of Mary Portas explaining her findings click this link to the Sky News website.

I would urge any councillors who may stumble upon the findings of Mary Portas to listen very carefully to what she has to say. You only need to visit Stalybridge or Droylsden to realise this lady is right on the ball and has correctly identified the ingredients which lead to the death of traditional high streets.

It has been said many times on this blog that ludicrous parking rules and over-zealous parking wardens are adding to the demise of our ailing shopping streets as well as poor town centre management. Take Stalybridge as an example which I believe now has four betting shops - and not much else, on what was once the bustling main shopping street.

Poor town centre management, parking charges and the proliferation of supermarkets are murdering the traditional high street. Let’s hope the findings of Mary Portas resonate in the places that matter and a national strategy to save the traditional high street is introduced. Tameside Citizen

Reduce councillors and cut pay

2011-12-09T18:03:00.004Z

Say the Tameside Tax Payers Alliance, and who could disagree? Certainly not Carl Simmons who also has a letter on the same subject in this weeks edition of the Tameside Advertiser.

While I have no issues whatsoever with the Tax Payers Alliance letter, I do find myself disagreeing with Carl Simmons’s suggestion that councillors, once elected, should then only face re-election once in every four years.

I would have no objections to Mr Simmons’s suggestion of one councillor per ward. During these times of hardship and austerity this proposal makes perfect sense. However, assuming there was a change of circumstances in the council and it was decided that one ward = one councillor, just as one constituency has one MP, would it not then be a disastrous state of affairs if that one councillor turned out to be useless and you were stuck with that individual for four years?

Surely a far better idea is one ward, one councillor and one election per year? This way the councillor would be obliged to do the job they are so handsomely paid to do, and if they failed in their duties, the electorate would have the option to vote in a new councillor. If an individual councillor had to face the prospect of re-election every year, they would really have to earn their pay or face eviction from the public purse funded gravy train.

Tameside what does the GMFRS Corporate Plan really mean?

2011-12-08T12:50:00.003Z

I'm not sure if this is a legitimate issue or an FBU propaganda video. What do you think?

Coroner's withering verdict over death of David Askew

2011-12-07T21:50:00.003Z

'Too much talking, not enough action': Coroner's withering verdict over death of vulnerable pensioner after 30 years of abuse. Also criticises 'staggering inertia and complacency' at local council.

A vulnerable 64-year-old man who collapsed and died after three decades of harassment was unlawfully killed, a coroner ruled yesterday.

David Askew, who had learning difficulties, was subjected to years of bullying by local youths who mocked him, threw eggs and bricks, and smashed his windows. He had gone outside to confront teenagers who had upset a wheelie bin and tampered with his elderly mother’s mobility scooter when he suffered a fatal heart attack. No-one has ever been prosecuted over his death, but yesterday coroner John Pollard said he had no doubt he had been unlawfully killed.

In a damning verdict on the years of torment suffered by the Askews, he said it showed how ‘feral youths can bring misery to a decent and vulnerable family’. Mr Pollard also criticised a culture of ‘staggering inertia and complacency’ at the local council and said he would also be writing to the police about the disturbing case.

Mr Askew had been bullied by three generations of locals on an estate in the Hattersley area of Greater Manchester, pestering him for money and cigarettes and kicking in the family’s front door.

During one two-month period he went to the offices of Tameside Council every day to complain about the yobs, while his mother called police 88 times to report the harassment. To read the rest of the article regarding this tragic case click here.

Worst case of fly tipping in Tameside?

2011-12-05T21:26:00.003Z

While on the way to make a short video log of a site earmarked for destruction as yet another housing development threatens to engulf a local beauty spot, I come across an unbelievable scene of fly tipping. The unauthorised tip is on land just off Springbank Lane in Stalybridge. I was speaking to a local dog walker and he informed that complaints regarding the eyesore have been made but no efforts have been made to clean it up.

Not only is the scourge of fly tipping bad for the environment, it is also bad for legitimate local waste disposal businesses. The vermin responsible for this industrial scale fly tipping could undercut waste removal prices of any legitimate business because they would not have to pay commercial rates for waste disposal.

TMBC should install CCTV at this spot as a matter of urgency as it is the perfect tool to catch the illegal tippers.

Tameside Advertiser gets it wrong

2011-12-01T18:50:00.001Z

You cannot blame Sue Carr for getting the headline in this weeks edition of the Tameside Advertiser wrong. The article was obviously written before the day of the strike because I received the paper on Wednesday as the public sector workers strike was in progress. Judging from all the hype and bluster from the major trade union Fat Cats anyone could have been forgiven for thinking the country would come to a grinding halt on the day of the strike, but as PM Cameron said; it turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib and rather than causing “chaos” it caused little more than minor disruption.

Blue plaque in Ashton to honour fallen Communist fighter

2011-11-29T11:07:00.001Z

The history lesson in this video would make Michael Ballagher proud. To be honest I think this is a diabolical abuse of the blue plaque scheme. If anyone doubts the power the TUC Communists wield in this borough, try and force yourself, tortuous as it is, to watch this twenty minute video.

Tameside Hospital death rates warning

2011-11-28T18:35:00.002Z

Tameside Hospital has been warned in a national report that its death rates could be 17 per cent higher than they should be according to indicators.

The Dr Foster Hospital Guide assessed the trust as the third worst performing in England for deaths up to 30 days after treatment.

The tenth annual report from the body introduced a new Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI), which it said looked at a range of factors and examined deaths that occurred up to 30 days after treatment.

The report said: "We are featuring four measures of mortality in this year's hospital guide.

"All these measures should be used as 'red flags' or warning signs. They indicate that there is a risk that poor-quality care is leading to higher than expected mortality; they do not prove that this is happening.

"We only apply these analyses to NHS acute trusts."

Tameside Hospital Medical Director Tariq Mahmood said: "We welcome the Dr Foster report and take its findings very seriously. BBC News

Horrific animal traps discovered - and disabled on Bleaklow

2011-11-25T20:18:00.016Z

Enjoying a nice walk up in the wilds on Bleaklow hill, or is it a mountain? I come across these vile devices, note the remains of a dead Mountain Hare found near one of these instruments of suffering and death.

I have come across the vicious spring traps many times, when disabling these devices never ever put your finger near because the ferocity with which they close has to be seen to believed. The easiest and safest way to disable these is be prodding with a stick or by flicking a stone onto the pressure plate.

The snares are something new to this area as far as I know. I have been onto Bleaklow many times and this is the first time I have come across snares. Snares are a particularly nasty item in the armoury of animal tormentors. A hare, fox or badger trapped in one of these snares would likely spend days in agony starving or freezing to death before its suffering was over. To see the horrendous suffering caused to animals by snares click here.

These devices, usually set by gamekeepers are designed to keep the heather moorland free from animals which may disturb the breeding of grouse. This is no humanitarian gesture by the agents of suffering as their only interest in the welfare of the grouse is that they want lots to thrive in the area so they can be shot.

Any signed up member of the human race who discovers any devices like has a moral obligation to disable it in the hope of preventing unnecessary suffering.

180 Elderly a day die from the cold in Winter

2011-11-23T15:01:00.004Z

180 pensioners died every day as a result of cold conditions during the 2010-11 winter months in England and Wales.

The annual ‘Excess winter mortality’ report found that an estimated 21,800 people over the age of 65 died as a result of adverse conditions, on top of the average mortality rate for the same period of time (4 months from December 2010 to March 2011).

Over-65s accounted for 84% of the overall 25,700 ‘excess’ deaths during the winter months.

“The numbers of excess winter deaths are a disgrace,” said Michelle Mitchell, charity director of Age UK. “We like to think of ourselves as a civilised society which protects the most vulnerable but the numbers of older people who do not survive the winter here is far higher than most European countries where the weather is far colder.

“These deaths are the tip of an iceberg of illness, misery and anxiety which grips Britain every winter,” she added. “The Government must do more to tackle fuel poverty and ensure that housing is better insulated.”

Latest estimates from the Hills Review suggest that 4.1 million homes in Britain are living in fuel poverty – being forced to spend over 10% of household income to keep a “satisfactory” heating condition. Fresh concerns have also emerged over the rise of energy prices over recent months as EDF, British Gas, npower, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy and E. ON have all hiked prices- taking the average household energy bill up £161.

“Many of our poorest pensioners, families and disabled people, put their health at risk by having to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table this winter,” said Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at Consumer Focus. “This is one of the most pressing and neglected concerns facing the government’s energy strategy.

“Recent energy price hikes have left fuel poverty levels soaring, with energy bills almost double what they were five years ago,” she added. “With around nine million people in England living in fuel poverty under the current measure, this has been a running sore for successive governments and we desperately need a coherent plan to address it.”

Consumer Focus estimates that the spike in energy prices could see 5.1 million homes facing fuel poverty.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cold-kills-180-british-pensioners-a-day-during-winter.html

As a nation we suffer constant attacks on our freedoms in the name of "Health and Safety", whether it is undercover litter wardens or smoking in Pubs, the breathalyser or Speed Cameras, the nanny state orders us around "for our own good".

But when it comes to fuel prices and the annual holocaust of the elderly, Health and Safety takes a back seat to profit.

At least the establishment are consistant, The breathalyser and Speed Cameras not to mention the local smoking and litter Secret Police are motivated by a desire to

a) Make Money and / or

b) keep us in our homes away from meeting fellow complainers.

The fuel policy certainly makes money and, tragicaly, keeps 180 old and infirm people a day permenantly away from their fellow citizens.

Denton Sainsbury’s car enthusiasts meeting

2011-11-22T19:19:00.002Z

I come across this gathering of young car enthusiasts at Sainsbury’s in Denton. What a pleasant and courteous bunch of young people. This is the type of get together I would have loved to attend when I first started driving and was into modified cars.

Seeking Democracy brings Dangers

2011-11-19T13:44:00.003Z

A guest article by J Hall. This article is without a doubt the most important item to ever feature on this blog. When you have finished reading this you will view the Tameside political scene as you have never viewed it before. I can confirm that the documents in the possession of J Hall from the various police agencies are authentic and they do confirm the claims made. Tameside Citizen

The following is an instance of what can happen to those who rattle cages in Tameside,
and start exposing the many devious issues which the public never know.

I first began by composing a dossier as to the proof behind the Kingswater/Waterside
huge development scheme which would have considerably decimated the Denton/Audenshaw area with the A57 approaching Junction 24 being stripped clean of the 100 year old hedgerows alongside the Denton Golf Course on Manchester Road, and then creating a massive development site of offices and storage depots, with large new access roads onto the where Denton Golf Club presently is.

This fight between TMBC and 35,000 residents who opposed this huge scheme lasted for almost 12 years with Public Inquiries and House of Commons questions, and I wondered why TMBC should be so determined to usurp the wishes of many thousands of Tameside residents.

Having created a large dossier produced for the intended Public Inquiry with facts to oppose the development I submitted it by hand and signed for at the Regional Government Offices in Piccadilly Manchester in accordance with the submissions final dates.

On the day prior to the Public Inquiry opening I checked that my large volumes of documentation was in place, only to be informed it could not be located anywhere which would negate my submission, on the eve prior to the Inquiry commencing I made direct contact with John Prescott’s Office as Deputy Prime Minister and requested an investigation and within hours I was notified that it had been located in the brief case of the designated Public Inquiry Chair Person, and I should check with him on his arrival at the PI.

That person refused to allow me to speak to him re the missing dossier and the following morning I interrupted the Public Inquiry within 10 minutes of its commencement on two counts, firstly that my evidence had not be located 24 hours earlier, and TMBC had not released public notification in any great detail to the whole electorate of Tameside re the times, dates and venue that a Public Inquiry was going to take place, so with this situation confirmed with my checks and when the PI started with its many legal specialists in attendance who were supporting the Development, I managed to halt the PI there and then on the opening day on the grounds of TMBC usurping the required methods and a date three months later was made until TMBC had duly posted press details which the Public had a right to know.

With TMBC`s 100% determination to get the development through and with no interest in the thousands of objectors, and having discovered the large area of land adjacent to the Manchester Road Denton Golf course and the M60 road belonged to United Utilities who was behind the Planning Application, and I discovered TMBC as administrators of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (Roy Oldham Chair) had deposited also £28 Million into the funds of United Utilities through a back street
Company Office in Salford named "Innvotec" (3 Staff) whose name had been created by United Utils for the deposit of money, therefore a devious conflict of interest had occurred between TMBC and United Utils which was certainly not known.

The PI Chairman refused my request for these facts to be made known during my large submission of evidence to the Public Inquiry, so I printed these facts and I placed my Posters and leaflets on the many chairs and walls at the Public Inquiry rooms.

After the PI ended (after approx 3 months) I was asked by John Prescott’s Office (as Deputy Prime Minister) to forward the facts I had uncovered direct to him, and as most now know John Prescott stopped the Planning Application for the Kingswater/Waterside Planning Application..

I then pursued my interest in TMBC by visiting the Council Offices and searching the Councillors declaration of interest which by law had to be annually reviewed and changed accordingly under the responsibility of the TMBC Chief Executive at that time Mr Greenwood.

What I found was absolutely alarming seeing that many Councillors had not updated their outside interests for as long as 5-12 years, this resulted in my complaint to the Chief Executive and copied to Prime Minister Blair seeing that the Council Leader himself had the longest period of no declared interests for almost 12 years.
Within 2 weeks an immediate rush to update and complete Councillors interests was carried out but no condemnation followed, and the local press were not interested in this very serious breach of legislated law.

Other issues were located when in TMBC`s annual financial report I found a Co named Modesole in Manchester had not repaid any of a £multi million loan for 20 years and it was displayed within the TMBC annual report, seeing the then Council Leader’s declaration of interests indicated he was a Director of Modesole which was connected to G-Mex (Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre), I discussed this with the District Auditor from Chorley and a partial explanation was offered.

Having then checked who was involved in the TMBC Standards Committee which was set up and chosen by those at the top of TMBC I noticed the Rev Thomas (a Religious Leader) was a member of this Standards panel, but TMBC would not disclose his whereabouts or his full initials and any interests he had. I then discovered the Rev Thomas was a high ranking most powerful regional member of the Freemasons Past APGM Central Area No1 and a P Dep G Chap who had a controlling influence over many Greater Manchester Lodges and even local administrations including the local Police, and he been a Chaplain to the Duke of Kent in the past.

At a District Assembly meeting I released a leaflet asking who was actually running TMBC whilst offering important information, but no response followed.

Having been asked to assist in the anti Mottram By-Pass campaign, and knowing that area well and also having been deeply involved in the large Kingswater/Waterside Park Public Inquiry I commenced establishing all the facts and composing a 400 page dossier which also questioned why TMBC and the Highways Agency had blatantly refused for many years to try a three month HGV ban on the rat run across the Peak Park (through Tintwistle onto the M67) as a common sense approach to determine any possible benefits.

My large dossier of DVD film, photographs, documents and collated evidence was presented to the PI which followed with a strong fact based section on the subject I have been devoted to for almost 15 years; that of the known Traffic related air pollution in Tameside and the serious diseases and deaths caused.

Checking on the Environmental Statement issued by the Highways Agency and TMBC I found they were to create false impressions. Two air pollution sites had been monitored in Denton
one 30 feet below traffic on the M60, and the other 100 metres from Manchester Road Denton in a quiet street, whilst over 40 sites had been monitored for air pollution along the main route from Mottram to Tintwistle, one of which was approx 7 feet from standing traffic exhausts pipes.

As you know the Mottram By-Pass was backed by an Andrew Gwynne MP. A letter he sent to a person outside our region became a £22 million costing Public Inquiry farce which when I cross examined the devious and manipulated evidence offered by TMBC/Highways Agency/Highly and paid technical experts shown as being "unfit for purpose evidence" by all those proposing the By-Pass plans.

Tameside Council itself spent almost £1 million of your money on its own By-Pass presentation which became an absolute waste of almost £1 million because the evidence was seriously flawed.

When the TMBC Planning Committee meeting passed its backing for the Glossop Spur/Mottram By-Pass, I was offered 3 minutes max (which I refused) to state my case seeing I had large volumes of data and evidence prepared to oppose the intended scheme.

During these past years events that I have mentioned my mission was simply to expose the 100% truth to the Tameside Public with a variety of discovered and well researched facts which local press preferred to ignore.

However, sinister developments followed when I received a large padded envelope one morning in the post.

At this stage Mr Roy West who I have never ever had contact with or his followers or any other fringe political movement may be interested at the following occurrence.

The large padded envelope addressed to me was not an expected, so I slit the bottom of the envelope and slid out a very sturdy and extremely well constructed thick board which had several primed large syringes containing blood fixed firmly in a line aimed at the recipients hand as the package became opened and any hand placed within.

My grandchildren or wife could have opened this in my absence and it required a serious investigation.

Two Tameside Police arrived and saw this seriously threatening package and informed me because of this serious threat it would be sent to Forensics for full investigation and I would be contacted and departed with the envelope and its contents .

Months later I had received "no further information" even after telephoning Ashton Police, so I vigorously pursued a Police Complaints procedure by passing details to the Chief Constable and the GMP Discipline and Complaints Department at Chester House.

I will not bore you with all the written communications and home visits by senior Chester House Officers except to say the package was then discovered, which had been secreted away in an Ashton Police station locker, but without any blood contents in the syringes, and an even greater mystery was then discovered that this serious incident had not even been logged by Ashton Police as an incident ever since the incident took place and regardless of my telephone calls seeking information during the months prior to the intervention of the GMP Discipline Unit.

During these months the incident had not been followed up whatsoever, regardless of its intended harm and threat to the lives of a Tameside residents family.

Result: The Police Complaints Authority and GMP investigated, and a formal misconduct case and hearing resulted. However, I was not permitted to attend the complaints meeting because only after the misconduct hearing was ended I was informed that if a Police Officer admits guilty to the offence the member of public is not requested to attend or made known when the hearing would take place.

Three Police Officers it was found had been involved and two had pleaded guilty with a written warning to the third Officer.

Four documents I received, two from Greater Manchester Police and two from the Police Complaints Authority in London are being placed with TC as substantiated proof of this
deplorable and confirmed negligence, which since I have heard nothing whatsoever re the actual reported incident.

If this serious threat had been made to a Council leader, a councillor, an MP or a Police Officer I have no doubt whatsoever in suggesting this would have been a large serious issue, handled correctly and with numbers employed to ascertain who and how many had been involved in this arranged serious threat which put my family including grandchildren at great risk.

So before the Labour Mafia hounds descend with their rhetoric on TC blog ,may I suggest that THEY OPENLY AND FULLY DECLARE THEMSELVES else those who continue to be Anon could well be thought as having information which could re-open this serious case.

Just in passing Andrew Gwynne MP was informed by myself and scoffed at my concerns, seemingly suggested the situation had no merit. I expect it would have, if his innocent family members were dismissed with no interest and had to take their own daily security precautions for some time).

If it had been Mr Gwynne, the Special Branch would have swarmed over him and his family and no doubt Police protection would have resulted to safeguard any future threat.

I do not know who or which organisation arranged this vile attempt to stop me exposing what the Tameside Public have a right to know, whether it be the chronic dangerous air pollution in this area, or the misleading information fed to them, or any manipulation of the truth which matters and affects the general public, however I hope for some time yet I can locate 100% facts which the public are being denied, and which the media prefer not release because they themselves depend on local authorities and organisations for advertising revenue and the release of information which is created to empowers and maintains the status quo in Tameside.

Such disgusting taken actions to harm quite elderly Tameside residents and the subsequent events that occurred, must surely prove that those who administrate our lives must have distorted and dangerous objectives when it comes to our required democracy which we all seek and deserve.

My regards to all those who seek openness, accountability, and probity from those who are supposed to serve "everyone" in Tameside.

J.Hall

So what do we have here then?

2011-11-18T18:04:00.001Z

I was walking through Hulmes Wood this afternoon with my old faithful hound when the brightly coloured objects in the picture above caught my eye. At first I thought they were multi-coloured plastic bags containing dog dirt. There is an epidemic in parts of Tameside where lazy/inconsiderate dog owners collect and bag the mess made by their dogs, but instead of binning it, they fling it into trees or brambles, which in my opinion is actually worse than leaving in situ on the ground because it creates an eyesore which lasts for years as the bags containing the dog dirt are made from heavy duty plastic which takes an age to biodegrade.

As I got closer I could see that the brightly coloured objects were in actual fact various pieces of ladies underwear. This is a bizarre one, could it be some kind of Pagan ritual where ladies deposit their soiled (yes - yuk!) underwear in trees or has a deviant pervert stolen a bag of laundry? I don’t have a clue, but I suspect there is an interesting story behind these bizarre going ons.

Hitler Vs Droylsden Metrolink

2011-11-14T01:48:00.002Z

Thanks to the person responsible for pointing me in the direction of this video. If you skip the annoying advertisement at the beginning it is quite funny and well worth a watch but nothing comes close in the hilarity stakes to the original Tameside Hitler parody video which can be viewed on Youtube after you type into the search box “Roy Oldham's Downfall“. That video is pure class and all that have followed since are mere imitations.

Remembrance Sunday 2011 Dukinfield

2011-11-13T17:27:00.001Z

What a wonderful turnout. Well done to everyone who took the time to attend.

Fox in need of help

2011-11-12T12:34:00.001Z

Anyone who feels no pity for this poor creature is not human in my opinion. The fox in the video is suffering from Sarcoptic Mange. It is a curable condition caused by parasitic mites, it also sometimes referred to as canine scabies.

This fox is clearly in a bad way. If you watch the video you will see steam rising from the raw infected area which is being devoured by the parasitic mites. Domestic dogs also suffer with this condition and owners can quite easily cure it with simple treatment. However due to the persecution of foxes by unenlightened man in years gone by, foxes have an innate fear of humans and providing treatment is difficult.

I have managed to treat a fox with mange in the recent past, it may even be this one which has become re-infected again, but looking at the condition of this poor creature and considering the time of year, I doubt if any treatment I can provide will be successful before the cold weather arrives. Because the parasitic mites cause the animals fur to fall out, animals in this condition cannot keep warm in cold weather and if a sudden cold snap arrives before the fur grows back it will literally freeze to death.

Lest We Forget

2011-11-11T00:25:00.002Z

Where ever you may be today at 11am, do remember to hold a two minutes silence in honour of our heroic dead. 11/11/11/11

Latest leaflet from Carl Simmons the Denton South Independent

2011-11-10T18:38:00.002Z

I suspect the site of Two Trees school will become yet another housing development. With the Tories seemingly as uninterested as Labour when it comes to stemming the tide of the immigration invasion, we can expect every vacant piece of land to eventually be concreted over to provide housing for the vastly expanding population. Look what they are planning for Millbrook in Stalybridge - it’s an outrage!

I believe the site of the Shakespeare pub Mr Simmons mentions in his leaflet is earmarked to become a Tesco. If this happens most of the small businesses, other than fast food shops, will probably disappear from the quaint little village of Haughton Green, and that is a depressing thought!

Councils fight against 'betting shop blight'

2011-11-08T19:55:00.004Z

The Local Government Association will today tell MPs that they do not have the power to shut down betting shops “causing misery for local people”.

They claimed some places in London have up to eight betting shops on a single street, leading to more crime and a higher cost to the taxpayer for policing.

David Parsons, chairman of the LGA environment and housing board, said efforts to keep betting shops away from town centres were frustrated by complicated and costly planning rules.

“The Government must give councils new powers to stop betting shops setting up if they are likely to cause a public nuisance. The same applies to places which have been taken over by fast food takeaways, strip clubs and late night bars.

“At the moment, numbers cannot be restricted and this results in crime, disorder and misery for local people. The government should look to tackle this issue. Daily Telegraph

I was walking through the formerly proud centre of Stalybridge the other day thinking how bizarre it was that betting shops appear to be flourishing while most other shops are suffering, and then today I read that this a nationwide phenomenon and not something which is exclusive to Stalybridge.

I suppose the reason the betting shops are not suffering like more traditional businesses may be due to the fact that the punters who frequent such establishments blow all their money on gambling which means they cannot afford cars and therefore they do not fall victims to the over-zealous traffic wardens which stalk the area scaring away potential town centre customers with cars. Tameside Citizen

Free deep fat fryers for social housing residents

2011-11-04T19:32:00.004Z

Housing association residents are being urged to replace their old chip pans with safer deep fat fryers to help reduce the number of house fires.

Tameside landlord New Charter Homes is giving its tenants the chance to trade in their old chip pan for a free new temperature controlled deep fat fryer.

Last year house fires cost the housing association around £122,000 in repairs and insurance work, with just one fire caused by a chip pan costing up to £30,000.

More importantly they can cost lives and the housing company wants to reduce the risk of fire hazards in the home.

Emma Marsh, New Charter’s Director of Communities, said: “It sounds simple but switching from an old chip pan to a new deep fat fryer or even oven chips can be life saving.

“Our free ‘trade-in’ offer will help reduce the risk of a house fire for more of our tenants and we hope it will encourage people to take note of the dangers of chip pans.”

Trade-ins will take place on Tuesday 15 November between 12.30 and 2pm at New Charter’s head office on Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne.

Tenants should bring along their old chip pans to be swapped for a new deep fat fryer.

There are a limited number of appliances available and they will be given out on a first come first serve basis.

Tameside Borough Manager Jon Heydon said: “Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is delighted to acknowledge the fantastic work that partner agencies and housing trusts are doing in conjunction with their local fire stations.

“The fire stations in Tameside Borough have worked hard to make all residents of Tameside safer from the risks of fire. The work that New Charter Housing Trust and GMFRS complete together continues to make Tameside a safer place to live and has already made a real difference to the tenants of New Charter housing. It is hoped that this fantastic opportunity for residents to significantly reduce the risk of cooking related fires is a great success.”

If residents wish to further reduce the risk of fire in the home they can either contact their local borough by calling 0161 608 5410, GMFRS Contact Centre by calling 0800 555 815, or speak to their social landlord who will direct them on how to receive a free home safety check and advice on how to make their home safer.

Tenants wanting to trade in their old chip pans should call 0161 331 2000. 24dash.com

And now for some wildlife videos zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2011-11-03T18:59:00.002Z

I know some people dislike grey squirrels and even call them nasty names such as tree rats but personally I find them interesting little critters. Check out the video below and watch how this squirrel digs out a well concealed acorn it had previously buried. There’s no denying that these are clever and resourceful animals.

The video above is of a badger I have been feeding. Over recent months it has ballooned in size and its girth could be considered enormous by badger standards. I guess that what happens when food is easy to come by, especially sausage rolls and peanuts which it cannot resist. Just in case anyone suspects I have used a special wide angled lens to make it look fatter than it actually is, I have included footage of a fox eating at the same place a few minutes after to put the size into context.

Hyde shopkeepers have been sold out

2011-10-30T18:31:00.003Z

According to J Garlick from Hollingworth who had a letter published on this subject in the latest edition of the Tameside Advertiser.

There was an interesting debate on this blog back in August on this subject with some excellent points put forward by Ronnie Rabbit, MRM and Every Penny Counts.

The astonishing thing is that Cllr Peter Robinson (parking enforcer and persecutor of motorists) and the Council cannot realise the false economy in the tactic they are pursuing. They may indeed get a return from the parking machines they are installing but this would become irrelevant compared to the money created by vibrant and bustling towns centres, which Hyde could become once again if managed properly.

The Council should think long term instead of focussing on short term gain, and they could do worse than tootling off down to Trafford to see how things are when long term strategic planning is used rather than knee jerk tactics designed to raise a quick buck.

Highwaymen spotted on Manchester Rd this afternoon

2011-10-28T18:18:00.002+01:00

Lying in wait to rob unsuspecting motorists. These modern day Highwaymen were strategically parked on Manchester Rd between Denton and Hyde just where the road dips and where even the most careful of drivers can exceed 30mph due to driving down hill. A big thanks to White Van Man for flashing his lights to warn us of the Highwaymen hazzard ahead.

The van used by the sneaks had Greater Manchester Partnership Casualty Reduction written on the side. Is this a legitimate organisation dedicated to road safety or just another local authority initiative to rinse money from motorists? Also, where does the money extorted by speeding fines from vans like this and speed cameras end up, does it go to the police, central government, the council or anywhere else not mentioned?

Hyde, Tameside. Disgracefully neglected Public Footpath

2011-10-27T00:22:00.002+01:00

Thanks to the gentleman who went to the trouble of making this video. I wonder if, Craig Halliday, Nigel Byrne or any of the other volunteers who have helped clean up eyesores which the council choose to ignore in and around the Hyde area would be interested in tackling this neglected footpath?

EU referendum: MPs told to vote against Monday's motion

2011-10-20T18:02:00.006+01:00

The three big parties at Westminster have told their MPs to vote against a motion calling for a referendum to be held on UK membership of the EU.

Although 60 Tory MPs have signed the motion, Downing Street says it expects them to vote against it. The Liberal Democrats are set to order their MPs to vote against, and Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would also order his MPs to oppose the idea.

A referendum would be an "irresponsible and terrible distraction". Read more on the BBC website

de·moc·ra·cy: 1. noun, plural -cies: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them.

Democracy and the concept of democracy makes for an interesting study but what is the relevance of this to the borough of Tameside? Well firstly our continued membership of the EU is something which affects us all in far more ways than many people suspect and it appears the big three political parties who between them have governed this country for longer than we can all remember only like democracy when it suits them.

The ‘Big Three’ say no to allowing us, the Proles a referendum on our continued membership of the EU. The Big Three do not like referendums. Referendums are the truest form of democracy but referendums have a nasty habit of upsetting the plans of the ruling elite, hence the reason why they avoid referendums on issues of crucial importance.

If the people of this country were given the chance to vote in referendums on issues such as restoring the death penalty, halting immigration, going to war on the pretext of lies, in all cases the elite would have their plans scuppered as referendums would almost certainly deliver the ‘wrong result’. To get around this ‘problem‘ our glorious leaders and their puppet masters from the lobby groups do everything they can to prevent true democracy in a bid to ensure the status quo remains firmly in place.

When Allan Young of the fledgling New Party contested the Ashton under Lyne parliamentary by-election in 1931, the New Party leader, former Labour and Conservative cabinet minister Oswald Mosley famously said when describing the Big Three, “they are all the same dog wearing a different collar”. When I look at the contempt in which the Big Three hold our opinions on the EU and other matters, I cannot help but think of how apt Mosley’s comment was then and still is now. Tameside Citizen

Huddersfield Canal brickwork update

2011-10-15T20:54:00.002+01:00

Back in May I took a photograph of the bridge over the Huddersfield Canal in Stalybridge after it had bricks removed/stolen. Having recently passed the same spot sadly I have to report the situation has deteriorated. If the disassembly of the bridge continues at the current pace there will be no retaining wall within a couple of years.

I cannot even think of a solution other than CCTV to prevent further damage due the fairly remote location of the bridge. In the dead of night wrongdoers could operate without fear of meeting a living soul anywhere near this bridge so the chances of them getting caught are slim.

Volunteers at Mind in Tameside

2011-10-14T19:50:00.005+01:00

Good people carrying out excellent work. Topaz vegetarian café seems to be the hub of this operation and I will certainly be visiting it next time I am in Ashton.

I have been trying to become vegetarian for ages and am now 80% of the way there. Giving up eating dead animals is easier than it sounds as old lifestyle habits die hard, especially for an undiagnosed OCD case like myself.

Key Found in Denton Woods

2011-10-13T19:05:00.002+01:00

On the main path close to the green iron footbridge. If by any chance anyone reading this knows of anyone who has lost such a key please email me their details.

Tameside MP’s promoted

2011-10-12T13:52:00.001+01:00

Jonathan Reynolds MP becomes Ed Miliband’s right hand man in his new role as private secretary to the Labour leader. In the reshuffle of the shadow cabinet Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne now becomes Shadow Health Minister.

Carl Simmons asks does Tameside need fewer councillors?

2011-10-11T17:22:00.001+01:00

Copied from the letters page of the current edition of the Tameside Advertiser

Déjà vu in Hyde Newton

2011-10-09T20:04:00.006+01:00

Good on Craig Halliday for trying to improve his neighbourhood but let’s hope he is aware these clean up initiatives have been tried many times before in this part of Hyde. What seems obvious is that firstly, clean-ups alone will not get you elected and secondly the local and inconsiderate litter louts have the potential to undo your good work in no time as they are just too lazy to use bins.

Local food campaigners call on supermarkets to put ‘taste before beauty’!

2011-10-08T19:51:00.006+01:00

On Sunday 9th October, Manchester Friends of the Earth food campaigners will be asking visitors to the Manchester Food and Drink Festival [1] to take the ‘taste before beauty’ challenge by trying a variety of apples and deciding which ones are the tastiest. The ‘taste before beauty’ campaign aims to highlight the avoidable food waste that is created when supermarkets reject large amounts of food because it is not cosmetically perfect.

Fruit and vegetables grown in the UK are governed by European Union food regulations [2] but supermarkets often require producers to meet even higher cosmetic perfection standards, which leads to even more perfectly edible food being ‘graded out’.

The Manchester Friends of the Earth ‘taste before beauty’ campaign will highlight the huge amount of perfectly edible food that is being wasted and ask people to tell their supermarket that, given the choice, they would be happy to buy this food as long as it tastes good.

The ‘taste before beauty’ campaign is asking people to:

* Send a postcard to their local supermarket chain telling them not to reject perfectly good food.

* Shop at local independent grocers where less stringent cosmetic grading processes will have been used.

* Sign up to a box scheme which supports local growers, as the amount of food wasted by small scale producers working with box schemes is far lower than the more highly packaged food offered in supermarkets.

* Buy fresh fruit and vegetables from a local farmers’ market, as direct sales to customers do not require producers to ‘grade out’ food produce.

Debbie Ellen from the Manchester Friends of the Earth food campaign said:

“Supermarket chains say that they are responding to what their customers want. Join our campaign to ask them to put taste before beauty by taking the ‘taste before beauty’ challenge in Albert Square on Sunday.”

Photo opportunity: 11am–3pm, Sunday 9th October, Manchester Friends of the Earth stall in the Kids Food Feast area, Albert Square.

What a wonderful campaign. The EU dropped Führer Directive 2257/94 after much ridicule regarding what was and what was not permissible when it comes to bent bananas and curved cucumbers. However supermarkets take this lunacy further and reject vast quantity of perfectly good produce for solely cosmetic reasons. Add to this the enormous amount of food wasted as a result of unnecessary expiry dates and you soon begin to realise how selfish it is to waste so much when so many are in need.

Did you know that Tesco will actually prosecute you for ‘stealing’ out of date food which they have already binned should you be so audacious as to help yourself to it?

These profit driven monsters of exploitation and destruction need reigning in and that is just one of the reasons why I support this campaign by Friends of the Earth. Tameside Citizen

Fox and badger eating together

2011-10-06T19:58:00.002+01:00

This fox has a lot of courage to get so close to the badger as it is eating. They both appear to share a mutual respect for each other, as I often observe them waiting to take turns when it comes to eating food I leave out, but on this occasion they seem happy to eat side by side.

Key 103 exec Chapman to head Tameside Radio

2011-10-04T11:35:00.003+01:00

Former Key 103 executive John Chapman has joined Tameside Radio as managing director.

The appointment comes several weeks after housing association New Charter Housing Trust stepped in to secure the future of the Ashton-under-Lyne-based community radio station.

After starting his career in newspaper advertising sales Chapman took on management posts in commercial radio at Key 103, the Transworld Communications Group and Galaxy 102. At Tameside he will be leading an executive and broadcasting team.

He said: "In some ways this is my dream job. I loved every minute of my time in radio and in local press. I can now use the skills I have gained over the last 30 years to make a difference at Tameside Radio and to give something back to the community that I am really proud to be part of.”

New Charter's chief executive Ian Munro said: “We are all delighted to have secured the services of such an experienced radio executive. John is a Tameside man and is passionate about the community, we were very impressed with his track record and his vision for the future of Tameside Radio.”

Tameside Radio was granted a licence in September 2007. www.howdo.co.uk

I wonder why Simon Walker has been replaced as MD? Tameside Citizen

Singer, from Tameside, closes the Labour Party Conference with rendition of Red Flag

2011-10-01T12:25:00.001+01:00

Well done to Sarah Petrie from Broadbottom. It would have took a lot of courage to perform in such an arena.

Denton Roundabout: a magnet for Tameside’s idiotic drivers

2011-09-25T21:52:00.005+01:00

Anyone who regularly uses the Denton M67/M60/A57 roundabout will probably agree that this roundabout attracts a particularly bad type of idiot driver. If you watch the video you will see such an idiot in a grey Ford Focus estate cut right in front of me. I had to add a little music in order to save your sensitive ears from the verbal tirade emanating from my lips following this incident. The fool in the Ford was in the left hand lane which is only for joining the M60 in the Stockport direction but he, as do many others decided he would go straight on instead and without any consideration for other road users he barges in. In this particular instance it was not too bad in my case because I was going straight ahead onto Manchester Rd but if I was going onto the M60 in the Stockport direction, something which is permitted from the middle lane it is likely that this moronic cretin would have crashed into me as I turned onto the M60.

It is no surprise that this location is the No1 accident black spot in Tameside. The junction is the responsibility of the Highways Agency and not TMBC but regardless of that; it is not the actual junction or road markings which is to blame. The blame lies squarely with bumbling idiots like the one I captured on video, idiots who should not be allowed onto the roads in any form of self propelled vehicle.

Ok, rant over!

Moronic vandals at work in Longdendale

2011-09-24T18:22:00.010+01:00

This mindless vandalism must have happened last night or early this morning. It is significant and affects many parts of the wall. It is certain the perpetrators would have been spotted by passing motorists - what a pity nobody stopped to challenge them or call the police!

An important message from Roy West

2011-09-20T02:15:00.001+01:00

Future of Tameside Radio secured thanks to deal with New Charter Housing Trust

2011-09-16T17:07:00.005+01:00

Tameside Radio has signed an agreement with New Charter Housing Trust that should enable the community station to continue operating.

Tameside, which is run by an army of volunteers, had been struggling to stay on the air, after public funding dried up and private support proved difficult to find in a challenging economic environment.

However, the deal with New Charter, secured after six months of negotiations, provides stability, with the two agreeing to work together on providing broadcast training modules for local youngsters through the New Charter Academy School. This is also expected to boost the station’s volunteer ranks.

New Charter’s group chief executive Ian Munro said of the tie-in: "Community engagement is the clear link between the two organisations and our aim is to build on our mutual strengths.

“By working together I have no doubt that we can deliver tangible benefits to the whole of Tameside through the creation of stronger communities via vibrant communications and sustainable initiatives."

Programme controller Andy Hoyle said that Tameside Radio’s “future is now secure” and “together we can plan to grow the stations profile, audience and a wider range of community initiatives." www.howdo.co.uk

I am pleased Tameside FM will not being going off air. It is an excellent local radio station with something for all tastes ranging from ear bashing old school techno and house right across the spectrum to brass band music. It also has interesting community items relevant to the borough of Tameside as well as unrivalled coverage of local sporting events. I listened to a fantastic half time report last week from a football match involving Hyde United. I cannot remember the name of the correspondent who was phoning in with the half time report but you could tell it was not a professional summariser and that is what made it so good. Instead of the usual smarmy types who are full of their own self importance, people like Alan Green of BBC 5 Live, here you had a local correspondent with a real passion for the game telling it as was in his own words - brilliant! Tameside Citizen

Was 9/11 an inside job?

2011-09-09T18:23:00.002+01:00

The writer of the graffiti pictured above seems to think so, but I disagree.

This bizarre piece of graffiti appeared sometime between 6pm on Saturday 3rd Sept and noon on Sunday 4th on a little used pathway off Stockport Rd in Denton. The only people who normally venture down this path are dog walkers and the occasional cyclist who would be heading towards Reddish Vale.

The 9/11 denier must have used this isolated location as a warm up act for a far bolder move soon after because the same person is almost certainly responsible for spraying the same message which appeared on the same date on the impressive all steel railway bridge which crosses the M60 close to Bredbury. If you are heading from Denton towards Stockport on the M60 you will see it and you will realise what an incredible, indeed life threatening risk they took to get their message onto this bridge in a way that it is visible from the M60 motorway.

My personal opinion is that the 9/11 outrage was not an ‘inside job’, well certainly not in the way that 9/11 conspiracy theorists view it, but I do believe that is possible that the Israeli intelligence agency knew something major was being planned and that they failed to alert the U.S. government for reasons best known to themselves.

Do we have any 9/11 deniers posting on the TC blog who may offer an alternate opinion?

Stalybridge Islamic convert: Guilty of preparing for acts of terror

2011-09-08T21:03:00.002+01:00

A former Taliban fighter and a British Muslim convert who tried to recruit undercover police officers to fight a "jihad" against British soldiers in Afghanistan were today facing jail.

Pakistani-born British citizen Munir Farooqi, 54, was at the centre of a plot to radicalise and persuade the officers to "fight, kill and die" in a holy war in Afghanistan.

Farooqi, of Victoria Terrace, Longsight, Manchester, was convicted of preparing for acts of terrorism, three counts of soliciting to murder and one count of dissemination of terrorist publications, following a four month trial at Manchester Crown Court.

British Muslim convert Matthew Newton, 29, of Rydal Walk, Stalybridge, Tameside, was convicted of preparing for acts of terrorism and two counts of dissemination of terrorist publications. Read more on the Manchester Evening News website.

Cable thieves operating in Denton?

2011-09-06T19:43:00.001+01:00

I made this short video of stripped cable casings dumped at the side of Denton railway station. It is almost certainly the work of cable thieves. Copper prices have gone through the roof recently and this has lead to a massive increase of cable thefts from our railways.

I have reported this to the Friends of Denton Station who I am afraid did not even have the courtesy to acknowledge receipt of my email. I have also reported it to BTP. If you are passing Denton Station, especially after dark, keep an eye out for suspicious activity as it could be cable thieves.

Tameside Tax Payers Alliance well received in Ashton

2011-09-03T18:02:00.007+01:00

I took a trip to Ashton today to see how the Tax Payers Alliance were getting on during their Tameside ‘day of action‘. I was pleasantly surprised to see lots of people signing their petitions and I decided to do a ‘mystery shop’ to see if they really could convince me that tax payers money was being needlessly squandered on unnecessary council schemes and projects.

I was fortunate to speak to a very attractive bespectacled lady representing the TPA and I am sure I could detect a slight Canadian accent as she spoke. This lady certainly knew her onions and she explained in great detail how the council is directly funding trade union activities in the borough of Tameside to a sum in excess of £300,000. She said that despite this considerable figure seeming enormous, it was only the tip of the iceberg in relation to the overall sums squandered on non-essential ‘pet projects‘.

It was a pity threats from the legal department of the council prevented the TPA handing out leaflets to shoppers in what was a surprisingly busy Ashton under Lyne (despite the traffic wardens who were out in force), but nevertheless from what I witnessed they got their message out to those who were prepared to listen and well done to all concerned for making the effort.

Council considers pay to park for the disabled

2011-09-02T12:03:00.004+01:00

Blue badge holders could be forced to pay for parking under new plans being discussed by Tameside council.

Residents are currently being consulted on the plans which would see disabled drivers charged for using council-run car parks.

Those with a blue badge were entitled to park all day for free until last year when it was cut to three hours.

Coun Peter Robinson, Tameside’s executive member for transport and development, said they had to consider all options while trying to save money.

He said: "This is part of a general review of all our car parks.

"The blue badge is to give disabled people closer access to where they want to shop, it’s not about their ability to pay for a parking space.

"Councils, in the past, were able to extend free parking but now it’s just something we are having to look at.

"I don’t want to prejudice the outcome of the consultation but charging is an option we have got to seriously consider."

The consultation is being carried out independently by Tameside Third Sector Coalition.

Possible options include levelling parking charges regardless of disability, or allowing blue badge holders to park for longer at a reduced rate.

Coun Robinson denied the move was simply about saving cash and said the number of disabled spaces across the borough was being increased, in car parks and on the street.

Permits are also available for £310-£360 a year.

He said: "My father-in-law had his leg amputated at the age of 85 so I am very open-minded because I know what it’s like to have someone who is severely disabled.

"I am aware that disabled people take longer to get from A to B.

"But there are no sacred areas for councils any more. Every single aspect of what we do has got to be looked at.

"We are trying to improve the car parks for everyone in Tameside.

"It’s an independent consultation so hopefully we will get the results right."

Residents have until September 14 to make their views on the proposals known online at www.tameside.gov.uk /carparks or by calling 0161 339 4985.

Opinions of non-blue badge holders are also invited.

The outcome will be discussed by the council’s speakers panel and a decision is expected before the end of the year. Manchester Evening News

So there we have it, all motorists are fair game according to Cllr Robinson. I believe it was also Cllr Robinson who was the main backer of the scheme to introduce parking charges on the top two tiers of the Hyde multi-storey car park.

I have been told, however it may just be unsubstantiated rumour, that councillors get free parking permits to use throughout the borough. Can anyone confirm if this is true?

According to the M.E.N. article the consultation is being carried out independently by the Tameside Third Sector Coalition. Who is the Tameside Third Sector Coalition and are they genuinely independent?

The most chilling thing of all is where Cllr Robinson says “there are no sacred areas for councils any more”. If this is true it may even mean the most sacred of all beings, yes the councils very own team of Diversity Enforcement Officers who at a reported cost of a mere £322,588 a year represent outstanding value……………………erm, don’t they? How would the borough survive without these champions of diversity? Maybe that’s what the council thought when they were looking at alternate ways to expand revenue and now they may have found the new cash cow - the disabled motorist! Tameside Citizen

Tameside TPA day of action this Saturday in Ashton under Lyne

2011-09-01T12:01:00.005+01:00

This Saturday members of the TPA team will be joining Liam Billington, our coordinator in Tameside, Greater Manchester, for an action day. We will be meeting in the Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, at noon for a couple of hours of campaigning. We will be handing out TPA recruitment cards, and collecting signatures for a petition against the taxpayer funding of unions in Tameside.

To back-up our paper petition, today we have also launched an on-line petition. Please sign it by clicking here and pass the link to your family, friends, and colleagues.

We want to continue to send a message to Tameside Council and the government that it is unacceptable for our money to be spent funding trade union activities. In Tameside alone, trade unions cost council taxpayers almost £337,000 a year. This is money that could – and should – be spent on front-line services.

Liam is doing some great work in Tameside. Not only has he helped expose...............to read more click this link to the Tax Payers' Alliance website.

Brilliant work from the Tameside Tax Payers’ Alliance. Anyone who feels strongly about the funding of trades unions, some of whom are good but many of which are totally hostile to British interests should take trip to Ashton on Saturday on show their support for the Tameside TPA team.

Have I ever mentioned that I have a friend who is a retired train driver who was and still is a member of the extreme left wing RMT union? He joined the railways and the union just after the war, firstly as a fireman on a steam train and then as a driver. He stayed the course right through the modernisation years, eventually becoming a diesel driver up until retirement.

When asked why he stayed a member of and even in retirement is still affiliated to such an unpalatable organisation he states that at one time it was a great union which fought for members interests; that was until the hard left gained control and subverted it. He paid his union dues but withdrew the political levy after the Red takeover. He says you can still be a union member which gives you employment protection but you do not have to pay a political levy which in the case of a union such as the RMT goes towards their Internationalist and inherently anti-British political agenda.

He tells a wonderful but depressing (for those who believe most union leaders have honourable intentions) tale of his union bigwigs and their stay at the luxury Midland Hotel in Manchester. It was during the TUC conference which was being held at the GMEX centre and for some reason he was dispatched to fetch one of the bigwigs as he was needed urgently at conference. The four union bosses were in the Midland Hotel’s wonderful French Restaurant enjoying dinner. Guess how much it reportedly cost for the four union fat cats? Just over £800 and that is when £800 was a considerable sum of money.

So as the paid up union members were lunching on sandwiches and hotdogs the freeloading big cheeses were lording it up in one of Manchester’s best restaurants at the members expense. What was it Orwell said about all animals being equal? Tameside Citizen

Save Our Town

2011-08-31T21:31:00.003+01:00

I come across the letter pictured above (click image to enlarge) in a fantastic community magazine distributed throughout Stalybridge. The magazine is simply called the Staly Mag and it is full of useful information and advertisements relevant to Stalybridge.

It would be nice to see this magazine expand to cover other parts of Tameside. It also brings back memories from when I was a mad United fan. I always used to get a fanzine outside OT called Red Issue. Red Issue was identical to the Staly Mag in both size and paper texture.

The letter by a concerned Stalybridge business owner is well worth a read as it perfectly illustrates the issues currently facing Stalybridge town centre.

What do badgers get up to in private when they think nobody is watching? (updated 31/08/11)

2011-08-24T19:20:00.001+01:00

Watch this short video filmed this morning to find out. How very cute they are - I want one!

Sadly one of these badgers is being badly bullied. I wondered what the scars were on the neck of the weaker of the two and now it is obvious.

Excuse the red/pink hue added to the ‘badger fight’ video. I did this in an effort to increase contrast. These videos are filmed in total darkness using a night vision camera so the quality will never be as good as footage filmed in daylight.

TMBC nets £600,000 per year in parking fines

2011-08-23T16:50:00.007+01:00

Interesting article in the current edition of the Tameside Advertiser. Apparently Tameside Council takes £600,000 every year in parking fines from motorists.

Traffic wardens or parking enforcement officers, as they are sometimes referred to are a necessary if somewhat unloved part of everyday life for many motorists.

I can appreciate they have a job do otherwise we would have total chaos on our roads and in our town centres. You need to travel no further than the A6, Stockport Road as it passes through Levenshulme and Longsight to see what happens when parking enforcement is abandoned. It is a recipe for chaos and frustration where the law biding road user faces huge delays due to the actions of thoughtless and selfish drivers who think it is acceptable to park where they choose, even if it does create bottlenecks and cause jams for others.

My gripe is not with traffic wardens or parking restrictions but I do get angry at the way wardens are often so eager to pounce on the unsuspecting motorist. I have witnessed on many occasions wardens loitering at the back of Wetherspoons in Stalybridge ready to ticket those who have exceeded the allotted time limit in a parking bay. These type of actions add to the woes of small towns who are already on their knees due to lack of trade. If I for one received a £50 fine for returning to my car two minutes after my ticket expired the chances are I would not return to that location again and if it were a shopping expedition I was on I would shop elsewhere in future.

This brings me to my next point; free parking and the lack of it. A poster on this blog recently claimed Cllr Sweeton was on the radio talking of a plan to axe free parking on the upper tiers of the Hyde multi-storey car park. During these times of exceptional economic hardship I could not believe that such a proposal was even being discussed. Hyde, like Stalybridge and other small town centres is really struggling and the council should be working to attract incoming trade not drive it away. It does not take a genius to work out that many motorists who regularly shop in Hyde will review their options when and if free parking is axed.

This is not the first time I have blogged about parking issues in Tameside. I could not believe it when I watched the crane getting a ticket in Ashton back in 2010 as it waited to go on site. The crane driver had no option but to grin and bear because he was working. After the event he undoubtedly had to go through the laborious motions of appealing against being wrongfully ticketed. Unlike the crane driver ordinary motorists do have other options and if the council think £600,000 per year in parking fines is ‘good business’, they are working from a flawed philosophy because for every £600,000 they make in parking fines they will lose threefold as once thriving towns are reduced to ghost towns.

Mottram Agricultural Show 2011

2011-08-22T10:44:00.001+01:00

Some random footage from yesterdays Mottram Show including the show winning vegetables grown by Jonathan Reynolds MP.

This is a wonderful annual event in a beautiful location, and to think the proposed Mottram bypass was planned to pass right through the showground where this event is held. Thank goodness sanity prevailed and the proposed monumental act of environmental vandalism was thwarted.

Dog walkers beware

2011-08-21T19:47:00.003+01:00

The fields and land around Hyde Hall are infected with Ringworm. It is advisable to keep yourself and your dogs out of this area as Ringworm is contagious and affects animals and people.

Tameside’s biggest X-Factor fans

2011-08-20T19:37:00.003+01:00

I had to photograph this newly erected shrine to Simon Cowell which I stumbled upon when walking the dog today. It is amazing that someone has gone to all this trouble to make what is an almost biblical themed shrine in their front garden to honour the new religion of X-Factor.

Personally I detest the programme and never watch it but I must say this shrine to St Simon did make me smile, especially the little people made out of bin bags - 10/10 to the makers for bringing a smile to my face along with the other admirers who stopped to look and marvel.

Sometimes it is the simplest things in life which can be the most amusing!

Denton goes pizza crazy

2011-08-19T20:42:00.001+01:00

Has anyone passing through Denton or Haughton Green over the last week spotted the incredibly happy looking Asian chaps walking round waving at cars and pedestrians while wearing, yes wearing super size Domino’s pizza boxes? I saw them on a number of occasions and thought what an embarrassing sales gimmick and a guaranteed fail.

How wrong I was. When I drove past Domino’s at Crown Point tonight I was amazed to see it so busy that people were literally queuing out onto the street in a bid to get their hands on the ‘any pizza, any size for £5.99’ deal.. In fact the photo does not do the queue justice because there were other people queuing who were out of shot.

So there you have it, if you have a retail business which is struggling in these challenging times, put on a promotional offer, kit yourself out in a large gimmicky sandwich board advertising your wares and before you know it you will have customers queuing down the street.

Hattersley Tesco to be built beneath high voltage electricity pylons?

2011-08-17T19:09:00.007+01:00

Coming out of the McDonalds drive through at Hattersley I looked over at the controversial Tesco store which is in the early stages of construction. I noticed that electricity pylons and cables run right through the site. I decided to stop and make a video and takes some photographs for this blog to see if anyone has any idea what the plan is regarding the pylons and high voltage cables. Surely the store will not be built beneath them? Especially when the health risks associated with pylons are well documented.

The Youtube video shows the site from one angle and most of the still images, which you can click to enlarge, are taken from another location to show that the pylons and cables do indeed run right through the site.

Remembering some of the Tameside victims of the Peterloo Massacre

2011-08-16T13:01:00.003+01:00

On this day in 1819 a meeting was organised by the Manchester Patriotic Union. The meeting was held at St Peters Field in Manchester and it was to be addressed amongst others, by the radical orator Henry Hunt.

60,000 people, many of whom were women and children turned up to attend the meeting, a meeting which was being held in response to the disastrous imposition of the Corn Laws. Calls for electoral reform were also to be made at the meeting.

The authorities were nervous when they heard this meeting was being planned as they feared it could radicalise the neediest in society to a point where they might openly rebel against their masters and the system which had subjugated them for so long. As a precaution the authorities placed regular soldiers and irregular yeomanry on standby. As the crowd continued to grow and as Henry Hunt mounted the platform to speak local magistrates read the riot act ordering the speakers to be arrested and the crowd to disperse.

The cavalry charged into the crowd to execute the arrests and what ensued become known as the Peterloo Massacre.

Many people from Tameside attended and were injured on that infamous day. The Stalybridge Old Band were at Peterloo on the day of the massacre and no deaths or injuries were reported. Less fortunate were:

Joseph Brierly of Charlestown, Ashton who was badly wounded by Sabre or shot.

John Britland who was trampled by horses.

70 year old Joseph Buckley from Dukinfield who received a sabre cut to the head and a crushed right leg.

John Clayton from Ashton a 53 year old weaver who received cuts to his arms and legs as well as being crushed under foot by the panicked and stampeding crowd.

Joseph Collins from Dukinfield who was knocked down and trampled by the constables horses which caused “dreadful bruising”

Ellen Garside, Ashton. Trampled on by Yeomanry horses.

Edmund Garside, Ashton. Trampled by horses, injured shoulder and leg.

Thomas Gobert, Ashton wounded by truncheons.

William Goddard, Ashton Hurst. Arm put out.

Thomas Knott, Ashton. Bruising caused by truncheons.

Joshua Prestwick, Droylsden. Severely sabred.

74 year old John Seal of Hurst Brook, Ashton. Knocked down and trampled.

Robert Seal of Hurst Brook, Ashton. Knocked down by trumpeter - injured knee.

Samuel Stafford, Ashton. Knocked down from a blow from a constable.

John Stanfield, Ashton. Knocked down and crushed by cavalry.

James Street, aged 70 of Ashton. Thrown down and sabred by cavalry.

Daniel Taylor, Haughton near Ashton. Severe sabre wound to the head.

Ann Taylor, Little Moss, Ashton. Trampled upon by cavalry.

William Thornley, Droylsden. Sabred in the head.

John Travis, Ashton. Wounded in the head by sabre or shot.

Henry Whitehead, Ashton. Sabred very severely in head, back and leg.

James Whitworth, Ashton. Knocked down and vomited blood.

Joshua Whitworth, Hyde. Shot in the head by a musket ball, since dead.

There are more names from Tameside which could be added to the list but I think it is clear from the injuries described that one can quite easily picture the scene on that terrible day.

There has been debate ever since the event as to whether or whether not ‘massacre’ was the correct word to use when describing the events that took place in Manchester on this day in 1819. In my opinion it was a massacre in every sense of the word. The professional soldiers, who themselves revelled in the slaughter, had to intervene on a number of occasions to quell the excesses of the irregular yeomanry which consisted largely of landed gentry along with mill and shop owners. Many of these people used this occasion to settle scores with radicals who they viewed as a threat to their own privileged status in society and expressed their outrage in acts of savagery not witnessed in England since the Civil War.

During last weeks riots and looting in Manchester, not too far away from where the Peterloo Massacre occurred, we saw a different approach to law enforcement. Whereas the peaceful and innocent meeting attendees at St Peters Field in 1819 were mercilessly hacked to pieces and brutalised, in Manchester last week we witnessed violent criminals running amok without any fear of the law.

This brings me to my final point on the subject. At the height of last weeks disorder I was queuing for a baked potato at Hyde market when I overhead a conversation between two strangers in the same queue regarding the previous nights trouble. A man in his 30’s said the police are too soft and they should have used plastic bullets to quell the rioting, an older man in his 50’s replied “never mind plastic bullets they should have used steel bullets” the younger man nodded in agreeance.

I was already nearing the end of a book I was reading entitled The Casualties of Peterloo by Professor Michael Bush when I overheard this conversion and I looked at both men casually chatting away about potentially massacring hundreds of people. People who were guilty of nothing other than crimes against property, which while deplorable, certainly didn’t warrant death.

As I listened to them I pictured the magistrates reading the riot act at St Peters Field and wondered if they knew or cared what the consequences of their words would be if they had the authority to unleash the modern day ‘yeomanry’ and I wonder what judgement history would have passed on them nearly two centuries after the event?

The sad state of Hyde Hall

2011-08-10T18:54:00.002+01:00

I passed by Hyde Hall the other day and made this short film. As you can see Hyde Hall which dates back to at least 1625 is in a desperately poor state of repair and in many places is on the verge of complete collapse.

In 2006 Andrew Gwynne MP quite rightly fought off a bid by Loxley Homes to convert this potential local treasure into houses and apartments The MP for Denton & Reddish correctly argued that green belt should not be built on and thankfully nothing has happened with regards to building on this site to date.

Hyde Hall has an interesting history and should be preserved for future generations. For example in In 1642 one of the residents of Hyde Hall, Robert Hyde, raised troops to aid the besieged Parliamentarians in Manchester during the English Civil War.

In the home counties buildings like this would certainly be preserved whereas we in the north seem prepared to allow our heritage to be dismantled in front of our eyes without a word of protest.

Last year I attended a lecture by the Denton Local History Society. The subject was the neighbouring manor house to Hyde Hall which was know as Denton Hall. Sadly all that remains of Denton Hall now are faded memories. The hall stood just off Windmill Lane close to what is now a brick factory. Apparently if you look closely enough you can still find evidence of a subterranean escape route linking Hyde Hall with Denton Hall which was used by clergymen fleeing persecution in the violent decades following the Reformation.

As far as I know Hyde Hall is now a private dwelling but it is desperately sad to see it in this dilapidated state. I for one would not argue against council or lottery funding being used to restore this ancient building. Would any readers of this blog have any objections?

Friends of Denton Station Inaugural AGM

2011-08-08T18:18:00.006+01:00

The inaugural AGM of the Friends of Denton Station will be held on 11th August at Victoria Park Community Centre, Market Street, Denton M34 2AP. Contact Information: e-mail: fodr.station@gmail.com or phone: 07756 024 708. AGM starts at 7.30pm. To learn more about the Friends of Denton Station visit their website by clicking here.

Chief Constable gives impressive performance at Dukinfield Town Hall.....meeting let down by Labourite apparatchiks

2011-08-07T11:58:00.004+01:00

Thursday's "Policing Today, Policing Tomorrow" meeting in Dukinfield Town Hall was well attended and well organised with The Chief Constable, Mr. Peter Fahy giving, it must be admitted, an impressive 20 minute or so presentation at the outset on the problems facing the GMP in these financially stringent times.

It was a pity that the Labour councillors (and activists)in the audience could not be as professional. Easily 75 to 80% of the "questions" from the audience were monotonous monotones from councillors / activists listing their achievments and praising the work of "their" local police officers (no doubt driving a vehicle sponsored or paid for by a local housing association or District Assembly). Kim Il Sung would have been proud of them!

There were two or three interesting genuine questions. One ex-policeman asked why the police ignored his report of ATM fraud when he mentioned the criminals were East European while BNP activist David Jones eventualy asked a question about the speed with which GMP arrested two men who killed intruders / robbers on their property.He was apparently being ignored and it took the loud intervention of several members of the audience pointing out that he wished to ask a question to get the chairman to take notice.

Mr Fahy answered both questions well, promising to look into the ATM question and pointing out that a swift arrest and investigation of any killing is the best way to clear the innocent person of guilt.

There was, however, a recurrent theme throughout the meeting which I thought was disturbing. This was the hint that some people would be "Best got rid of". Whether it was those drinkers whose lifestyle costs the NHS money in dealing with the harm they cause themselves and others, or the (un-named) families who single-handedly cause most problems of an "anti-social" nature in their estates.

Why we should single out drinking as a lifestyle which should be deplored as opposed to other lifestyles which have a high risk of illnesses such as Hepatitis and HIV / AIDS is beyond me.

Overall a useful 2 hours

Japanese Knotweed, Ashton under Lyne

2011-07-30T19:49:00.001+01:00

This is one invader we really do not want taking over Tameside. Well done to the lady who filmed and narrated the clip above. She is obviously aware of the devastation wrought upon the local flora and fauna by this invasive plant.

For anyone who is unsure of exactly what Japanese Knotweed is, if you click here you will find out everything you need to know courtesy of Devon County Council.

I myself was intending to take some pictures of this nightmare pest which is just beginning to encroach upon parts of Haughton Green Woods.

A couple of years ago I made a video of my dog attacking and destroying this cursed weed on the banks of the River Tame along with another alien invader called Himalayan Balsam. The clip can be watched below.

Policing today, policing tomorrow - Tameside

2011-07-28T13:49:00.002+01:00

Tameside is to host one of 10 public meetings across the county with the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Peter Fahy and chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA), Cllr. Paul Murphy.

Local people are invited to Dukinfield Town Hall, King Street, on Thursday 4 August from 5pm to 7pm to discuss policing today and tomorrow.

People attending will find out from the Chief Constable and Chairman how GMP is performing against the targets set by the GMPA and the challenges facing policing in the future.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “These are exceptional times for policing and we’re in a situation we’ve not found ourselves in before. GMP faces challenges to deliver the promises we made in the policing plan for this year to continue to reduce crime, protect vulnerable people, reduce antisocial behaviour and strengthen local policing, while continuing to deliver value for money.

“We are concentrating on preserving frontline services and will continue to focus on neighbourhood policing. To make the savings, we face some very difficult decisions between what we know works and what people want.

“This is an opportunity for Tameside residents to ask questions and discuss the difficult decisions that will be made to ensure that the people of the county are kept safe in the coming years.”

There will also be the opportunity to meet Superintendent Alan Lyon and other officers from the Tameside Division. Officers and staff from forensics and the automatic number plate recording team will be displaying some of the technology and techniques police use to deter and catch criminals.

Cllr Paul Murphy, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Authority, said: “We recognise that the public are rightly concerned about how budget cuts will affect their police service. These events are an opportunity for us to have a conversation with our residents about this issue and answer their questions as best we can.

“Tough decisions have and will be made but we need to make sure we continue to listen to the public of Greater Manchester and involve them in the challenges we face – this is what these events are about.”

The Southport Airshow featuring the mighty Vulcan

2011-07-26T19:06:00.000+01:00

No real relevance to Tameside but some people may find this short video I made at the Southport air show interesting.

The large delta winged aircraft at the beginning is a Vulcan bomber. The Vulcan was locally built (Woodford) and it was designed to deliver nuclear bombs to Russia during the Cold War if the Cold War ever escalated into a real conflict. The pilot flying the Vulcan was also the pilot who flew to the Falklands during the 1982 conflict and delivered the payload onto the occupying Argentinean forces.

The clip of the Spitfire and Lancaster is quite interesting as it shows just how big the Lancaster really is.

The Swordfish looks as if it was from a different era but unbelievably these aircraft were still used in WWII. I believe it was a Swordfish which delivered the torpedo which disabled the rudder on the Bismarck which eventually led to its sinking.

Traffic pollution deception?

2011-07-25T19:46:00.003+01:00

The image above is a 2005 TMBC map showing the air pollution areas where Government and EEC Air Pollution Targets are not being met.

From left to right are red line boundary markings for Tameside.

The M67/M60/A57 Interchange is in the middle of the lower large green blob, and the green area then proceeds to Denton Crown Point from where it peters out as it approaches Hyde.

From Hyde to Mottram no pollution is shown, then at Mottram a small very narrow almost impossible to see green line is present.

To the north of Junction 24 of the M60 you can note the Audenshaw reservoirs and the pollution area expands as it runs through Audenshaw.

You can see where deception appears by noting the spur to the left of the M67/M60/A57 interchange is, because that spur should be expanded to cover almost the full area of Denton West.

It certainly confirms all my comments.

John Hall

New Charter warning over the Welfare Reform Bill

2011-07-22T21:52:00.002+01:00

I can understand why New Charter are concerned about the proposed changes. I can imagine some New Charter tenants would be over the moon when they start getting large payments into their bank accounts to cover their rent. Undoubtedly some people would not be able to resist the urge to spend and worry about the rent another time - leading to massive arrears and eventual eviction.

Review: The Myth of Escape

2011-07-21T13:18:00.002+01:00

I had the misfortune of seeing a truly awful play at Hyde Festival Theatre on Tuesday 19th July.

My first surprise of the evening was that the theatre was virtually empty, with only 15 seats or so taken. However, this play is funded by the Arts Council of England and the Big Lottery Fund, so I don't suppose the producers care whether anyone turns up or not. They still get their loot.

The play, The Myth of Escape, starred James Jowett (no I haven't heard of him either) as Billy, and Andrew Roberts-Palmer (ditto) as Alex. Billy and Alex are prisoners locked up in adjacent cells, who discuss everything from sex and religion to philosophy and Che Guevara. The dialogue is peppered with swearing, crude sexual references, cheesy one-liners and pseudo-intellectual philosophizing that made me cringe with embarrassment. Amazingly, the writer, Rob Johnson, got up on the stage before the play started, introduced himself and proudly announced to the world (well 15 people) that the play was his "brainchild". Shameless is a word that comes to mind.

This play is also viciously anti-Christian, with filthy jokes and jibes designed to belittle Christianity. The play sunk to its lowest level with this joke: What is black and white, and wet all over? Answer: A nun after you've pis*ed on her. Nobody laughed. I look forward to Rob Johnson's future plays where Islam and Judaism are the butt of all the malicious jibes, snears and taunts, but I won't hold my breath.

I think this abomination of a play should be re-named, Two Hours From Hell. At least this would give prospective theatre-goers an idea of what they are in for.

Review by Nigel Byrne

A guest article by Mr John Hall (updated 16/07/11)

2011-07-15T17:35:00.013+01:00

To all those who should be thoroughly ashamed for allowing this national disgrace to exist in Tameside Greater Manchester.

Crimes against humanity do not only exist in Serbia, Africa or the Middle East, they exist on your own doorstep in the UK by deliberately ignoring the health damaging toxins which masses of public are being forced to daily ingest causing them Cancers, Heart Diseases, Lung Diseases, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Asthma, Strokes and even harm to Foetus’s and the Facts are easily available below.

The UK Government has repeatedly been threatened with huge financial penalties for not complying with EEC Directives. The Dept of Health in their objectives never refer to Air Pollution and the thousands of deaths occurring in the UK each and every year.

Greater Manchester Councils who administrate million of peoples lives have deliberately acted with utter contempt for the AQMA designated localities where chronic air pollution has been authenticated does not attain Government targets regardless of years of knowing the problems exists.

Local and National Politicians in the Tameside area know the location is No1 in the UK for Heart Diseases, its also No1 in the UK for increasing traffic volumes, life spans are far lower than other regions, and the Air Pollution is amongst the worst regardless of the Councils manipulations and deceptions linked to air pollution monitoring to hide the reality facts.

Councils, Local Heath Authorities and Directors of Public Health in the region all declare their prime objectives are smoking, drinking, obesity and life styles without any references whatsoever to Air Pollution as being a serious hazard to peoples health, in other words they are burying the facts along with the dead.

The reports denoted below confirm conclusively that millions die each year in the world each years (WHO)including many thousands in the UK, who are not all smoking, becoming obese, and drinking, but simply breathing to exist.

Clean Air is a basic Human Right, yet as an example in the location mentioned above well in excess of 350,000 daily traffic volumes converge and mostly stop/start at an interchange close to family homes, and seeing that the damage to health from pollution sources affects a minimum of a 500 metre radius, which in this case is involves almost 47,000 people in a compact urban location.

Anyone of the recipients of this Email cannot excuse this situation and do nothing about the horrendous diseases being experienced, and the decision to take no interest and discard the facts offered indicates a complicity in this national scandal.

Many of these Email recipients have previously been advised of these seriously dangerous facts over recent years, and preferred to ignore the plight of many thousands, which includes babies and infants, and even those sections of our society are being abandoned by all those already knowing the facts which alone is deliberate criminal neglect.

My accusations are based on Epidemiological Facts /Data/and Reports, and those directly involved in this massive scandal of Public Health gross negligence and avoidance should consider their positions and take stock of their own consciences.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Mohandas Gandhi's prophetic words of wisdom are highly relevant in this case except for those "many thousands who did not win" and are now buried and cremated whilst nothing has been done to alleviate the thousands of future deaths.

Scoff if you will, discard the facts which is your decision, but do not ridicule or excuse what has/is and will continue occurring even now with TMBC continuing to even create large extra volumes of traffic with many HGV`s included into a seriously depleted and destroyed environment which I could prove without the slightest doubt after 14 years of establishing the facts.

Locations of air quality monitoring stations in Tameside

I have just stumbled upon this recent report on the BBC News website which does appear to validate many of the claims put forward by Mr Hall and others with regards to traffic pollution causing serious health problems. Tameside Citizen

Care blunder leaves 85-year-old widow without food and water for 3 days

2011-07-14T19:33:00.003+01:00

It indeed is disgraceful that a mix-up between Tameside Council and care firm Care UK left an 85-year-old bedridden widow – a dementia patient - without food and water for more than three days --- and, come to think of it, the widow, Beryl Carter, has made an outstanding contribution to her country!

The apathy of the authorities is really reprehensible; more so when one learns that Carter proudly served her country during the Second World War, as one of the Land Army; and her husband had served in the RAF. Moreover, after the war, the couple - from Audenshaw, Manchester - travelled the world together in service to Britain.

It apparently was the council authorities’ switching of care that resulted in a situation wherein Carter – who is generally visited four times everyday and needs help in getting up, getting dressed, as well as eating and drinking - was left all alone for three days.

The new firm Care UK – which took over the care contract from Housing 21’s council - mistakenly believed that Carter was in hospital all the while, and help came her way only after neighbours raised the alarm. And, it goes without saying that Carter was found in a distraught state!

About the blunder, Care UK spokeswoman Sheila Roberts said: “As soon as we heard what had happened, we sent a senior member of the team round to the lady’s house and immediately put in place the care that she required. We are conducting our own inquiry as to how this delay in communications occurred”! www.topnews.nz

Review: The Myth of Escape

2011-07-13T21:36:00.002+01:00

Starting its run in this year's Not Part Of festival seems apt given Rob Johnston's newest piece's exploration of conformity, control and the place of the individual, with everyone trying to be a part of something for reason they struggle to explain themselves. This three-piece drama manages to keep the laughter coming whilst dealing with serious matters such as terrorism and the unregluated punishment dealt out by an unexplained dystopia, the audience getting only hints as to the state's fascist leanings in the face of those suffering under its yoke.

The focus of the piece falls on stoic prisoner Alex (a well-cast Andrew Roberts-Palmer) and his resistance to the interrogations forced on him by the faceless government, opening with a reluctant dialogue with cocky fellow prisoner Billy. The energy of actor James Jowett makes Billy's teasing attemts to draw an uncomfortable dialogue from the tightly-lipped Alex a fast-paced and highly amusing introduction to the characters, helped along by the quick changes and movement on a minimal set that only adds to the scenes's sense of containment. Forced though most of the conversations may be - there's always a unwanted question waiting to be answered on stage - the natural dialogue is filled with banter, mainly in part to the chirpier nature of Billy facing the immovably sobre natures of Alex, Chris and Ellie, with Susi Wrenshaw's portrayal of both Alex's now-deceased girlfriend and the indoctrinated interrogator managing to both tie the plots together pose more questions at the same time.

After the reasons behind the incarceration Alex and Billy are explored, the plot opens up and by the final curtain of act one the audience is left in no doubt that the long-hinted arm of the law is never far away, the mockery and disdain of the two disbutable troublermakers towards their captors that brought so much comedy during the first act becoming chillingly justified. The piece closes with a suitably more sober second act, a revealing final interrogation capped off with a touching and finally truthful Alex giving up the only answer he can in a monologue delivered with both sadness and feeling. With believable well-paced writing handled with skill and humour by three strong performances, The Myth of Escape is an alternative prison drama worth capturing before it heads out on a tour that's bound to be greeted with a wave of positive reviews. Review by Simon Fisher

The Myth of Escape
Tuesday 19th July
7.30pm to 9.20 pm
Hyde Festival Theatre
Corporation Street
Hyde

Tickets £6.00 from www.ticketsource.co.uk.

Only 46 tickets left according to the website. I am unsure if payment on the night will be accepted and considering it is likely to be a sell-out it would probably be advisable to book online should you wish to watch this interesting play. Tameside Citizen

I think my pet buzzards now have chicks to feed

2011-07-12T22:41:00.001+01:00

Frequent comings and goings from the feeding spot suggest to me that the two buzzards who visit this spot to feed (and fight) have hit it off together and produced chicks.

In the past there was one regular buzzard visitor with occasional visits from a trespasser who was normally seen off by the resident. Now the ‘trespasser’ seems to be allowed to visit and carry away food too.

Please excuse the dodgy playback speed on the top video as I was rushing the editing and made a bit of a mess of it.

Welcome to the coronary heart disease hotspot of all England

2011-07-07T17:34:00.003+01:00

Tameside has the highest proportion of the population dying from coronary heart disease (CHD) across England.

A new campaign launched today by MSD and HEART UK at the cholesterol charity's annual conference highlights a wide geographical variation in the risk of dying from CHD across England.

A North-South divide still exists with the North West having the highest number of deaths from CHD in the country compared to the South Central region which has the lowest CHD mortality rates in the country.

The CHD mortality rate for people in Tameside and Glossop, is almost four times as high as those living in Kensington & Chelsea in London (140.84 vs 36.91 people per 100,000).

Chief Executive of HeartUK, Jules Payne said she was astonished by the figures here: At Heart UK we are absolutely shocked by the rates in Tameside and Glossop. The rate is almost double the national average. What's even more concerning is the gender difference. For males, it's 185.85 with a national average of 111.56, and for women it's 99.93 percent with a national average of 49.75 percent. What we'd like to to is encourage everybody to understand their risk and take action. People don't need to change their lives overnight.

The problem with cardiovascular disease is it is a silent disease and a silent killer.

It does tend to be in the more deprived areas........ Read more on the website of Tameside Radio 103.6FM.

In 1854 Friedrich Engels published his historic work titled The Conditions of the Working Class of England. Below is an excerpt where he describes Stalybridge.

A mile eastward lies Stalybridge, also on the Tame. In coming over the hill from Ashton, the traveller has, at the top, both right and left, fine large gardens with superb villa-like houses in their midst, built usually in the Elizabethan style, which is to the Gothic precisely what the Anglican Church is to the Apostolic Roman Catholic. A hundred paces farther and Stalybridge shows itself in the valley, in sharp contrast with the beautiful country seats, in sharp contrast even with the modest cottages of Ashton!

Stalybridge lies in a narrow, crooked ravine, much narrower even than the valley at Stockport, and both sides of this ravine are occupied by an irregular group of cottages, houses, and mills. On entering, the very first cottages are narrow, smoke-begrimed, old and ruinous; and as the first houses, so the whole town. A few streets lie in the narrow valley bottom, most of them run criss-cross, pell-mell, up hill and down, and in nearly all the houses, by reason of this sloping situation, the ground-floor is half-buried in
the earth; and what multitudes of courts, back lanes, and remote nooks arise out of this confused way of building may be seen from the hills, whence one has the town, here and there, in a bird's-eye view almost at one's feet. Add to this the shocking filth, and the repulsive effect of Stalybridge, in spite of its pretty surroundings, may be readily imagined.

Looking at the high coronary death rate in Tameside in 2011, if Engels were to come back from the grave and once again spend time in Tameside I am sure he would have an interesting footnote to add to his monumental work which undoubtedly would illustrate that despite infinitely better living conditions enjoyed by today’s Tameside working class compared to their Victorian predecessors - in contemporary terms the ground rules remain the same and societies less advantaged inhabitants still die younger from preventable causes. Tameside Citizen

Thugs jailed after brutal attack in Stalybridge

2011-07-06T17:51:00.001+01:00

Drunken thugs who launched a 'sickening and brutal' attack on a stranger they found asleep at a bus stop have been jailed.

Dean Hayward and Dane Simms rained punches on their victim's head and body before one of the men kicked him in the face, a court heard.

Hayward, 26, and Simms, 27, had been on a ten-hour drinking binge for Simms' birthday before the street robbery, in Stalybridge, Tameside.

After the unprovoked attack they rifled through their helpless victim's pockets and stole a mobile phone, wallet, and cigarettes. Read more on the Manchester Evening News website by clicking here.

Bring back the birch and teach these thugs a lesson they will never forget. Tameside Citizen

St Peters Partnership / Tameside MBC DVD for the CBI

2011-07-04T19:55:00.000+01:00

The new Great Leader may not get his message over as eloquently as his predecessor but I can’t argue with the points he makes.

Well said Cllr Parker Perry

2011-06-27T15:54:00.004+01:00

I can think of many many things which could be considered a waste of money but commemorating our fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for us is not one of them.

Cllr Sean Parker-Perry was responding in this weeks edition of the Tameside Reporter after an anonymous caller rang the newspaper to complain the £11,000 recently spent on the Hollingworth War Memorial was a waste of money.

Snake on the loose?

2011-06-25T20:30:00.001+01:00

Watch the clip and you will see an object pops up from the ground. This was recorded on a motion sensing night vision camera in complete darkness and pouring rain.

I have no idea what this mysterious creature is but my best guess is a snake that lives in the thick undergrowth.

Does anyone have any other more plausible suggestions?

Fallen tree in Hardy Wood (Denton Woods)

2011-06-25T20:06:00.004+01:00

This tree must have fallen overnight because it wasn’t like this yesterday. It is in a particularly dangerous place as this path which runs beside Denton cemetery is the route many people take when going into the woods and to make matters worse the path passes directly under the fallen tree which could fall the final few feet to the ground at any time.

I have tried ringing Tameside Country Services who normally deal with this kind but not surprisingly there is nobody answering the phone as it is out of hours.

Any opinions on the new look Tameside Citizen magazine?

2011-06-24T12:51:00.001+01:00

I must confess I found the recycling bin information on page two handy. My green bin has ‘glass only’ printed on the front and as a consequence I only ever put glass into it. I was always baffled at how neighbours used to fill theirs every two weeks when mine took months to fill. Now I know the reason - because you can put cans into it too. Silly me!

Tameside’s Jobs for the Boys

2011-06-23T13:49:00.002+01:00

Back in 2010 in Tameside, we had a leadership battle between Labour councillors with the then incumbent leader Roy Oldham and Councillor Kieran Quinn. At the time Roy was suffering from cancer and had little time to rally support and ended up losing the leadership in May last year. He died just two months later. I always had respect for Roy, but we also had our disagreements. One of them was over political assistants, a position highlighted by the TPA as a non-job.

I remember Councillor Kieran Quinn’s first speech as leader where he promised that he’d change several things which would please Tameside’s bloggers who, at the time were questioning the need for political assistants in the face of incoming budget cuts. To Councillor Quinn’s credit, he removed both Labour and Conservative political assistants which saved the council £67,438 per year.

However, a year later it seems political assistants are creeping in under a different name. Tameside Council has just appointed Mike Kane as a “Senior Executive Assistant” to work in the leaders office. Kane has moved from working for Stalybridge and Hyde MP, Jonathan Reynolds as his office manager, a job he inherited when former Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell stepped down from the seat. He also briefly served as a Labour councillor for the Northernden Ward at Manchester City Council.

The above text is part of another brilliant article by the Tameside Tax Payers Alliance, to read the whole piece click here. Tameside Citizen

Taming a wild Buzzard

2011-06-18T20:54:00.003+01:00

There has been quite a few news items during the past couple of weeks regarding my favourite type of large bird - the Common Buzzard.

On the 8th June the BBC reported that a female buzzard had been shot dead.

On the 10th June the BBC also reported that 71 year old man was attacked and badly clawed by a buzzard.

The best recent article on buzzards was in the The Telegraph a couple of days ago where Robin Page penned an excellent article about the explosion in numbers of Buzzards and Red Kites. Even if you are only moderately interested in wildlife you may still find his article interesting, especially the ‘eyewitness’ description of buzzards “disembowelling” squirrels.

I am not what could be described as a Twitcher but I have taken a very keen interest in the buzzard in the video above.

I have been acquainted with this bird for less than a year but our ‘relationship’ has come on a long way in a relatively short space of time.

Some birds like robins are relatively tame when close to humans due to their special place in our nations psyche. After all, a robin is a symbol closely associated with Christmas and very few people would wish them harm and as a consequence they are comfortable to spend time in close proximity to humans.

Buzzards on the other hand have been, and unfortunately still are a persecuted breed and their shyness and fear of humans is very well justified. This is one of the reasons I feel especially thrilled at forming a relationship - albeit based on me being the provider of an easy source of food, with a totally wild buzzard.

When I first started feeding this buzzard it would not come near food I provided until I was long gone. I initially started by leaving the food at night and the buzzard would come for it early in the morning.

When it seemed comfortable with that arrangement I started bringing food in the afternoon instead. It knew the food was there as I could see it leave the trees and circle above to make sure I vacated the area. When it was sure I was gone and the coast was clear it would settle down to eat. This normally took place around two to three hours after I left the food.

Fast forward six months and the two or three hours had reduced to five or ten minutes.

Yesterday when I made this film the buzzard spotted me from afar and in a very purposeful manner it flew at head height towards me keeping its course until it was around 30 feet away. It then veered off and perched on a low branch while ‘dinner was served’.

While it still will not eat from my hand it has developed the courage to perch very close while I am laying food down. On some occasions it hops from branch to branch very close to me while making its buzzard call in the process - I am pretty certain that it is greeting me with this its calls and display of branch hoping.

Buzzards can live for up to 30 years and while I have no idea how old this particular buzzard is, I do hope that one day it feels confident enough to come and eat from my hand.

It was a year ago today

2011-06-17T18:40:00.003+01:00

that I praised Tameside Council for their efficiency in dealing with a potentially lethal missing manhole cover.

TMBC were quick off the mark and placed an emergency cover over the hazard. However and quite disappointingly a year later the temporary cover - minus the cones still remains.

The question is when will a permanent solution - i.e. a proper manhole cover be installed at this spot to replace the eyesore of the temporary cover?

Tameside Citizen

Councillors expenses - a document of historical interest

In defence of the councillors of Tameside

New and improved footage of a young Common buzzard

Speedwellbus to cease trading with immediate effect

An appeal to Tameside Citizen readers

Tameside FM explicit lyrics outrage

Is the TMBC Deputy Leader out of tune with the views of the electorate?

Hidden treasures of Tameside

Job Vacancy

Latest Conservative leaflets for Stalybridge South

A new buzzard appears

Tameside Hospital blasted by watchdogs over failure to raise standards

RSPCA Dog Dillon needs a home

A guest article by a TC reader from Dukinfield

Exclusive: Tameside Council's Cosy Relationship with the Tameside Labour Party

Are your children overweight? Do you live in Tameside? If so, you may be in danger of losing them

Plans to build on Tameside Greenbelt

Does anyone else find this a bit odd?

A Merry Christmas to all Tameside Citizen's

Another excellent leaflet from Denton South Independent candidate Carl Simmons

Help needed identifying a bird of prey

The Tameside Citizen newspaper Winter Edition

Environmen​tal destructio​n in Mossley

Britain's High Streets Reach 'Crisis Point'

Reduce councillors and cut pay

Tameside what does the GMFRS Corporate Plan really mean?

Coroner's withering verdict over death of David Askew

Worst case of fly tipping in Tameside?

Tameside Advertiser gets it wrong

Blue plaque in Ashton to honour fallen Communist fighter

Tameside Hospital death rates warning

Horrific animal traps discovered - and disabled on Bleaklow

180 Elderly a day die from the cold in Winter

Denton Sainsbury’s car enthusiasts meeting

Seeking Democracy brings Dangers

So what do we have here then?

Hitler Vs Droylsden Metrolink

Remembrance Sunday 2011 Dukinfield

Fox in need of help

Lest We Forget

Latest leaflet from Carl Simmons the Denton South Independent

Councils fight against 'betting shop blight'

Free deep fat fryers for social housing residents

And now for some wildlife videos zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hyde shopkeepers have been sold out

Highwaymen spotted on Manchester Rd this afternoon

Hyde, Tameside. Disgracefully neglected Public Footpath

EU referendum: MPs told to vote against Monday's motion

Huddersfield Canal brickwork update

Volunteers at Mind in Tameside

Key Found in Denton Woods

Tameside MP’s promoted

Carl Simmons asks does Tameside need fewer councillors?

Déjà vu in Hyde Newton

Local food campaigners call on supermarkets to put ‘taste before beauty’!

Fox and badger eating together

Key 103 exec Chapman to head Tameside Radio

Singer, from Tameside, closes the Labour Party Conference with rendition of Red Flag

Denton Roundabout: a magnet for Tameside’s idiotic drivers

Moronic vandals at work in Longdendale

An important message from Roy West

Future of Tameside Radio secured thanks to deal with New Charter Housing Trust

Was 9/11 an inside job?

Stalybridge Islamic convert: Guilty of preparing for acts of terror

Cable thieves operating in Denton?

Tameside Tax Payers Alliance well received in Ashton

Council considers pay to park for the disabled

Tameside TPA day of action this Saturday in Ashton under Lyne

Save Our Town

What do badgers get up to in private when they think nobody is watching? (updated 31/08/11)

TMBC nets £600,000 per year in parking fines

Mottram Agricultural Show 2011

Dog walkers beware

Tameside’s biggest X-Factor fans

Denton goes pizza crazy

Hattersley Tesco to be built beneath high voltage electricity pylons?

Remembering some of the Tameside victims of the Peterloo Massacre

The sad state of Hyde Hall

Friends of Denton Station Inaugural AGM

Environmental destruction in Mossley