Trafford Conservatives will propose Trafford's budget for 2012/13 at a full Council meeting on Wednesday night. It will continue their record of delivering massive savings from lower management and back office costs and more efficient and effective methods of service delivery.

By maximising efficiencies, local Conservatives are able to invest more in supporting the vulnerable, our town centres and resident priorities including community safety, whilst also freezing Council Tax for a record second year running (saving an average household over £100 in real terms).

Amongst other initiatives, Conservatives are proposing extra cash in the following area:

• £2.2m extra to support vulnerable children and older people;

• £0.75m extra to boost our town centres, including £0.3m to green our town centres;

• £0.65m cash to improve roads and pavements (equivalent of 22,000 square metres of additional footway repairs); and

• £0.2m extra to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, targeting the minority of persistent offenders who adversely affect residents' quality of life.

Services will also be boosted through the use of technology, including telecare for elderly or vulnerable residents (helping them to live more independent lives), e-books in libraries and electronic payments for school meals.

Trafford Conservatives are targeting management and back office staff to achieve efficiencies. On top of savings of £1.7m and £1.4m in reduced management and back office costs (human resources, finance, training, performance and communications) this year, a further £2.0m will be saved in 12/13.

As a result of the high level of efficiencies achieved and unlike many Labour Councils, Trafford Conservatives will:

• keep our library buildings open;

• maintain some of the lowest parking charges in the country;

• maintain school crossing patrols; and

• keep youth centres, community buildings and children’s centres open.

The Trafford Labour party continue to oppose the Council's efficiency programme (which will save £7.4million in 12/13) and opposed the Council's plans to reduce the number of administration buildings (which will save over £5million and reduce our carbon footprint by 30%). Their policies would result in a massive budget black hole that could only be filled by huge front line cuts or Council Tax hikes.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Matt Colledge, said:

"In Trafford our council faces a £60 million pound reduction in spending over the four years, equivalent to one third of our budget. As any householder knows this is a difficult task. However this budget for 2012-13 is clear, we will make a large step towards these savings but in a way that protects our front line services. Not for us are closures to Libraries, Community Centres and Childrens Centres. Careful budgeting and efficient use of money will keep these, and many more front line services, open. Trafford Conservatives are committed to keeping services running."

Exec Member for Finance, Cllr Sean Anstee, said:

"For the second successive year, Conservatives in Trafford have responded to the challenge of the Comprehensive Spending Review with a budget that roots out further efficiencies, protects the most vulnerable, keeps open libraries and day care centres and includes a significant investment in our town centres."

"Not once have the Labour party come clean to the residents of Trafford to explain how they would meet the challenge, most likely because they do not have an alternative that is credible or that would do anything other than randomly slash services and impose misery on the most vulnerable, through a cobbled together, unconsidered approach."

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Alex Williams, said:

"This budget will drive out even more savings from back office and management functions, allowing us to invest in protecting front line services, including supporting the most vulnerable."

"The Trafford Labour Group oppose our efficiency programme and would have to make massive cuts to basic services as a result."

As part of the 100 day campaign by the council, emphasising volunteer work within local communities, a litter-pick was organised in Hale Barns on 1st Feb 2012.  Despite the chilling cold morning there was a tremendous response from pupils who turned out from Elmridge Primary School and St Ambrose College.  

Hale Barns Conservative Councillor Dylan Butt was delighted with the response to the event, which went extremely well and showed the volunteering spirit within the community.  The schools in particular, demonstrated their commitment, respect and responsibility to the community in which they serve.

Councillor Dylan Butt with pupils from Elmridge Primary School, St Ambrose College and local residents at Halecroft Park.

As promised, Trafford's Conservative Council is delivering Phase 2 of the Urmston Town Centre Redevelopment.

Urmston Councillor Christine Turner, who took a lead role in negotiating with the developers to allow the project to move forward said: "The Conservative Council has been working with the developer to ensure that phase 2 could commence, despite the severe financial situation the country faces that started during the last years of the Labour Government.

My Conservative colleagues and I have also been working behind the scenes to make sure that empty shops are let, and the current vacancy rate in Urmston is far better that Stockport and Eccles where the vacancy rates are 30% and 30.3%.

It is a testament to the work of your local Conservative Councillors, the developer and Town Centre Partnership that phase 2 has started in the middle of a recession.

With over 80% of phase 2 shops let, this really is the catalyst to move Urmston forward. I am personally very committed to the redevelopment of the town centre, a commitment that I have made many times and one that I intend to keep."

Cllr. Christine Turner -

Working hard for Urmston

The Conservative Team in Village Ward have been working hard to ensure that an upgraded Timperley Library will remain at the heart of the community.

Cllr. Laura Evans said: "the Library is used by people from all over Village Ward, not just for books, but also to access Council services, use the internet and take part in a variety of activities. I am pleased that the Council leadership have confirmed that the Library will remain fully-funded and a focal point for our Village."

Matthew Sephton said "as Chairman of the Friends of Timperley Library Gardens, I am delighted that, thanks to fundraising by Cllr. Laura Evans and her team, funding is now in place for a new sensory garden and seating area in front of the Library. This will greatly enhance the local environment. We expect work to start shortly."

Cllr. Laura Evans and local campaigner Matthew Sephton at the site of the new sensory garden, which has been funded by donations.

After residents on Meadway, Ashley Drive, Fairway Drive, Coppice Avenue and Wincham Road in Sale complained about parking and obstruction problems at school pick-up/drop-off times, St. Mary‟s Ward Councillors John Holden and Rob Chilton worked with Woodheys Primary School to find a solution.

Cllr. Rob Chilton commented: "I am delighted with the proactive work that Woodheys School has been doing to tackle this issue. Volunteers from the school have been marshalling traffic and the children in the Road Safety Team have been working on a "Walk once a week‟ scheme. Trafford Council are also working with the School to establish a "Park and Stride‟ scheme in 2012. We have asked the Council to look at restrictions round Ashley Drive and designated parking bays on Meadway, and we will continue to work with the school to solve any future problems."

Please park considerately when dropping your children off, and consider walking or cycling to school if possible.

Trafford's Conservative Council has today launched a new, online information service showing residents where gritters are operating in their area in real time via a live online service.

It is believed that residents in the Conservative Borough are the first in the country to be able to get such detailed, immediate information about which roads are being gritted during this Winter.

This is the latest data to be opened up to residents online as the Trafford continues to make information about its services and how they perform more transparent for taxpayers.

Trafford Conservatives announce draft budget that delivers another £6.7m of efficiencies, protection of front line services and more support to the most vulnerable.

Trafford Conservatives have today released details of their draft budget for 2012/13. Additional efficiencies will be delivered through new ways of service provision, lower management and back office costs and increased use of technology to help protect front line services to residents. Council tax will be frozen for the second year running.
Key proposals include:

Local Councillors have taken action following a number of complaints from local residents  who are unable to legitimately park as a result of vehicles being  advertised for sale and left for long periods in the lay-by adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance on Devisdale Road close to its junction with St. Margaret’s Road. These vehicles are often left for several days, are regularly   offered for sale, while others carry commercial advertising.

Local Conservative Councillors from Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton and Umrston Wards all spoke out against proposals for a Biomass plant being heard by Trafford Councils Planning Committee tonight.  Over many months local Conservatives have expressed their concerns over health fears associated with the plans and tonight they took the opportunity to represent the views of their residents to the committee.

 

Local Conservative Councillors, including Cllr Alex Williams and MP Graham Brady visited the Taste of Trafford event at Altrincham market this weekend, sampling the food and refreshments on offer.