Deterioration of Public Realm and our local councillors

[Hoffnung]

Thank you Councilor Geoff,

For taking the time to offer your explanation about the road gullies.

I don't for one minute doubt your sincerity but I think that you are being misled. These road gullies are not being inspected 4 times a year and if they are then nothing is happening after that inspection. I agree, with less money 'something has to give,' but surely drains are fundamental.

We are bound to ask a question of our Council and our locally elected members.

If they can't devise,initiate implement and finance an operation that ensures our drains work, then what can they do, what are they for ?

Let me make a suggestion. I estimate that there are around 200/250 road gullies in North Marple although I don't actually know where North begins and ends and the same with south. Nevertheless, I'm sure that between you and Councillor Kenny, you have that knowledge.

What would it cost to have 250 gullies cleared, £1000, £2000, £3000?

As you and Councillor Kenny seem to be the only Councillors who talk to your electorate on this forum and as we don't seem to be able to get these drains done through Town Hall channels, why don't you and he devise a plan and pay for it out of local area committee funding? If my understanding is correct this is about £70,000 per year, so you should have plenty left over.

What do you say?

Anyway, I'll leave it with you, I'm off to the Canaries for a couple of weeks so Merry Christmas to all on the forum.     
 

[CllrGeoffAbell]

This is quite an interesting and intense thread.  I am a Lib Dem councillor, and my ward includes Brabyns Brow and Marple Memorial Park.
So a few comments:

1) Major roads are checked 4 times a year now.  This includes Brabyns Brow.  Less funds from central government means something does have to give.  There is £21m less next year, but the budget is not yet fixed, so please feel free to comment, here on my blog where there is more of a breakdown.  (Cllr Blair has commented - feel free to leave a comment too.)
http://marple.mycouncillor.org.uk/

2) I sat between Cllr Blair and Cllr Candler at the last full council.  Full council is quite long, so I applaud anyone who sat through it all.  The link to the webcast follows; the exchange between them is about 1 hour 45 mins in:
http://www.stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/152572

3) However, we are making local democracy (in the form of Marple Area Committee) more accessible - more details soon for those that did not attend the extraordinary area committee.   

4) There are undoubtedly good councillors on all sides of the political spectrum.  And, quite probably, bad ones too.  But political philosophy and the place you represent does affect where you put the biggest emphasis. 

5) Someone quite rightly mentioned that I had to honour a contact in Amsterdam for IBM when I was chosen to represent the Lib Dems in Marple North.  But I consider that being a councillor IS a full-time job so I am here 100% since I was elected.  And this time, 5 wanted the job.

Please feel to contact me (or any other cllr representing Marple).
My email is cllr.geoff.abell@stockport.gov.uk, my cllr phone is 221-1766.

[simonesaffron]

I agree CllrKennyBlair and I will do likewise, but at least we have established the honest reason as to why it has been changed.

[CllrKennyBlair]

Hoffnung,

Thank you for your comments and concessions.

Simoesaffran, the question is not too difficult to answer, as I have explained my reasons for holding my surgeries on a Monday already, so you can re-read the posts. It is not my issue if you think you know better. As you said, the surgeries on a Saturday continue, so in actual fact, residents of Marple Area have more choice, not less. On that note, i shall leave this debate as we appear to be going round in circles.

[Hoffnung]

CllrKennyBlair,

There is no point in us both ping ponging back and forth on this website until your next election in 2019.

I would though like to make reference to your reference to the Airport Relief Road and if that isn't what it is called then it should be. Everybody knows that this scheme is being driven by the airport in order to get more traffic to the airport and airport city. When The Airport says "jump" then Stockport Council says how high? This scheme has been openly promoted and supported over the years by both Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians alike.

High Lane Village is just a casualty of this scheme and I feel sorry for the people of High Lane who are victims of what is sometimes known as collateral damage. All High Lane residents will get out of this scheme is more vehicular traffic and all its implications. Talking about 'mitigation' is a nonsense. All that will happen in mitigation is that a few hundred thousand pounds will be spent on some silly piece of cosmetic traffic management that will have no effect whatsoever. It is about time local politicians in Marple( both parties ) were honest with their constituents in High Lane and said that there is nothing that they can do as this road is outside their sphere of influence. Feeble, pointless questions about mitigation at Council Meetings is just party politicking by another name.

I will though Councillor make two concessions to you.

1/ You are quite right, judge you, against your period in office, not in the first six months. It is a fair point you make.

2/Whatever our disagreements, you are at least on her arguing your corner with energy. That has to be respected.

Where are the Liberal Democrats?

In fact who are the Liberal Democrats? 
     

[simonesaffron]

CllrKennyBlair,

Councillors surgeries have been going on for as long as I can remember on a Saturday morning at Marple Library. It is probably the case across the borough too.

If you need/want to speak to a Councillor face to face, you pop into the library between 10:30 and midday and there is a Councillor in attendance, it is as simple as that. Everybody in Marple knows it. it works perfectly well. There has already been two real examples on this thread (one from myself and one from admin) relating how benefit was derived from this. You come along and you want to change it, yet your Councillor colleagues stick by it. I would have thought that you would have been guided by your own more experienced colleagues on this.

Alright if it isn't because of your work commitments and it isn't change for the sake of it, you tell us why. The question shouldn't be too difficult to answer.

[CllrKennyBlair]

Simonesaffron, so are you suggesting that I should lie that I can't do my surgeries on a Saturday because I work just to appease you? Well sorry to disappoint you. I don't work Saturdays, I work Monday to Friday and occasionally travel on a Sunday night. I have already stated the reasons why I have my surgeries on a Monday, but clearly you know my life better than I do, so I apologise if I was wrong.

[simonesaffron]

There is a element of hysteria creeping into your posts CllrKennyBlair.

You know only to well that it has not been suggested that the status quo remain for all things neither has it been recommended that there should be no challenge nor no new ideas.

If you'd stop skirting around the issue and trying to pretend that you are doing something original and new and just plain and simple admit that you CAN'T DO YOUR SURGERIES ON SATURDAY BECAUSE YOUR WORKING, and that's the reason you have changed the day, it would be better thought of.

[CllrKennyBlair]

I agree with you Simonesaffron, lets maintain the status quo, not challenge anything, never bring anyone new in to have new ideas or challenge the status quo or kick the backsides of those Councillors that may actually need it!

As for my surgeries, they have been well attended and surprisingly, not everyone can make a Saturday morning or make it to Marple Library. So i offer an alternative, which is well advertised, to those who cant make a Saturday by offering 2 surgeries every month (all other Councillors have 1 surgery every 6 weeks) in different locations (marple library and high lane village hall). But then, i am not committed or have the time!

[simonesaffron]

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago with some tyres that had been dumped. near the Roman Lakes.

Over three weeks, I reported it time and time again but nothing happened. So I reported the issue to a now former Councillor, I won't name him. I did it the same way you did Admin, Saturday Morning Surgery at the library.

As an aside CllrKennyBlair, one reason these surgeries are traditionally at the library on a Saturday Morning is so that members of the public know where to go if they need to speak to a Councillor face to face.

Anyway, come Tuesday midday, the tyres were gone.

There was a downside to this cosy LibDem coterie that had seemingly been around for years. But a definite upside was that collectively they had been around for years. It was hard to see any officer giving any of them the runaround. They knew the Council inside out and because they were the same politically the all advised and supported each other. Yes, in a lot of ways, a formidable political bunch in their day, the Marple 6.

After the next election, we'll have 5 Councillors who basically won't know who's backside(as admin calls it) to kick. Not to mention the party politicking which will obviously exist within the Marple group.

[admin]

You dont need to report it to local councillors just go on Stockport mbc website look for the revelent section that you want  fill the little box in and bingo its done .you can allso report
   faulty street lights just put you post code in it will even tell you the number of the light .that may be faulty .thought you would have known this Mr councillor. 
over and out for now .

Sometimes you can report things over and over again but nothing happens. At that point you should report it to a local councillor to chase up for you. I've done this a number of times, most recently when the new roundabout was installed the contractor left a load of heras fencing just outside the play area. It was loose and dangerous so I reported it to the Greenspace Team several times over a 2 week period and was repeatedly told it would be moved. It wasn't. Another volunteer also reported it several times via the council web site / phone. She was also told it would be removed. It wasn't.

So I reported it to Cllr Alexander on Saturday morning 7th November at the surgery in the library, she kicked some backsides and it was gone before the Remembrance service the following day. The response to her from the officer responsible: Oh, we thought it had been done!

So if you are not getting satisfaction via the normal route a councillor will often be able to kick the right backside for you.

[CllrKennyBlair]

Simonesaffron, merely pointing out the factual inaccuracies by Hoffnung and of course correcting their assertion that I am not committed as a Councillor simply because I have a full time job. It is not about the amount of time you spend on something but surely it is about getting results? Quality vs quantity. By all means judge me and the rest of the Councillors on our records when up for re-election but not after 6 months in the job and not solely because I have a full time job, but as you said, there may be some other agenda at play here.

[simonesaffron]

Hoffnung/CllrKennyBlair,

I know little about the issues that you both debate except that 3/4  years ago I attended a meeting of the High Lane Residents Association, that the Councillor speaks of. If my recall is accurate the committee members outnumbered the attendees. So I don't think that putting their name forward is as any kind of endorsement at all.

Sounds to me Hoffnung as if you have some sort of agenda that you are not telling us about and sounds to me CouncillorKennyBlair as if you doth protest too much.   

[CllrKennyBlair]

Thank you for the best wishes Hoffnung. Well what you heard must be true then and what I said couldnt be further from the truth.
I actually can make day committments and have done frequently. When I am not travelling, I work from home and work very flexible hours, so on that point you are incorrect.
I also did inform my colleagues that I couldnt or rather wouldnt do Saturday mornings. I wanted to do something differently, I have two suurgeries a month, one in marple and one in High lane which has been, in my opinion and those of some residents, sadly negelected by other Councillors.
I have been there for my constituents, ask those in High Lane where I managed to get the play park re-surfaced, or those on Windlehurst Road who have complained about speeding and the A6 MARR, the save middlewood way campaign, High lane residents Association, Hawk Green Residents association and so on. Your presumption that I cant be there is once again incorrect. As I said, Councillors are real members of society and to have every Councillor retired and not working does not represent the society we live in.
So please stop spreading these mis-truths and rumour. If you want to hear the real story, ask me through one of the many channels I have open -

twitter - @kennyblair77
Facebook - CllrKennyBlair
Website - http://marplesouth.yourcllr.com
E-mail - cllr.kenny.blair@stockport.gov.uk

[amazon]

Hoffnung, have you ever reported this to one of your Councillors? I for one have never received a phone call, visit to my surgery or email from you concerning this topic. If you send me the details and who you have reported it to i can look into it for you.

You dont need to report it to local councillors just go on Stockport mbc website look for the revelent section that you want  fill the little box in and bingo its done .you can allso report
   faulty street lights just put you post code in it will even tell you the number of the light .that may be faulty .thought you would have known this Mr councillor . 

      over and out for now .