Big heart’ that the Green zone prevent delays for thousands of patients
Radical budget puts us in good place to progress
on speed dial on my phone”, Gill Gallagher, who has been in the NHS for 35 years, says. “You just ring them and they come straight down within half an hour.
“We have never seen anything like this before. The only thing I can compare it to was CJD (mad cow disease) which was prevalent, but then faded.
“Or when HIV and AIDS was first discovered.
“That led to a lot of change with how the NHS has dealt with serious issues. But there has been nothing as vast as this.”
The team at the hospital has also been busy in the community, working with imams and local mosques to encourage vaccine uptake, and issuing leaflets in a variety of languages.
Jennie Curran, lead nurse for medicine and surgical wards, was involved in January’s vaccination centre roll out, which she describes as ‘a real privilege and an honour’.
“People have cried, and it has been emotional,” she says. “You absolutely see the emotion. In the first few weeks, it was every single patient. “It was just wonderful.” “We are just there to care for staff and patients,” she adds.
Kelly Mcdaid quotes a colleague as she describes life behind the doors of Rochdale Infirmary, saying: “We’re only a small hospital but we’ve got a big heart.”
If you pour fats, oils and grease down the sink, they can block your pipes and drains. Don’t suffer the misery of blocked pipes and flooding, which is a smelly and costly mess to clean up. Think before you pour! Cool fats and bin them instead.
PROTECTING jobs, boosting the local economy, investing in services.
Those were my three priorities in Wednesday evening’s council budget, which was supported with an overwhelming majority.
Any councillor who voted against the balanced package, costing less than 20p a day for a band A household, was in effect calling for services to be slashed, callous cuts to be made and fewer job opportunities.
They are on the wrong side of the debate.
I won’t deny that, as council leader, I have had difficult choices to make.
The biggest public health crisis for decades has altered the social and political landscape.
Many choppy waters remain, but leadership is about navigating a way through, not pretending there are easy options.
Short-term populism, opportunism and gimmicky proposals are not the answer.
In presenting the council’s budget proposals, which are fair, progressive and visionary, I was conscious that decisions reflect the reality of the situation we live in today, not 12 months ago.
As the government’s levelling up spin continues to unravel, the council budget ensures our borough is in a good position to move forward, as we journey along the roadmap back to normal life
et’s remember the most damning fact of all.
The economic straitjacket we constantly live in is because of decisions taken in Number 10 Downing Street, not Number One Riverside.
In the last decade around £184 million has been cut from council coffers.
That is an awful lot of services we have had to step in and save.
As each year goes the demands from Whitehall go up, in proportion to the cash we receive going down.
It becomes harder and harder to do more with less.
This year, we had an additional headache. Let down again by London based decisions, with no understanding of the challenges facing northern towns. The government’s failure to address the social care funding gap – which is rapidly becoming a chasm – has forced us to fund the gaping hole through council tax.
As a responsible council, we could not walk by on the other side, so we have stepped in to provide vital support for people on lower incomes, with discounts of up to 85 per cent available, and a hardship fund for those in greatest need.
Despite the government’s continued use of council tax as a political football, our budget has delivered.
From Milnrow to Middleton, Littleborough to Langley and Kirkholt to Heywood, the proposals are packed with progressive policies.
I am proud of the actions we took, in the best interests of all the borough.
The wider issue is this. Council tax as a means of funding services is not really fit for purpose.
We only have the power to raise the majority percent of income locally, so the government cannot control much of our
FUNNY END TO CAT’S TALE
Last week we were tickled with laughter
Was ever a cat story dafter? A pussy ran free Got stuck up a tree And so did the owner soon after revenue streams and simultaneously blame us for increases to council tax we have no choice over.
They fail to invest in us, then blame us when we step and protect our residents.
In addition, this budget has also had to address future funding deficits, with £5 million already needing to be saved for next year.
So as a responsible leader, I not only ensured adult care services are maintained and increased, but ensured many other pioneering policies were approved.
We have a great story to tell: a visionary plan for a new university, the greenest borough in Greater Manchester, leading the way on climate change, new schools, protecting our business community, investment in libraries and, starting in April a real living wage for thousands of frontline carers.
The rescue was soon underway They called the RSPCA And as you would do The Fire Service too Who scaled the tree without delay
But one thing they never foresaw
This job’s what the
It’s a record to be proud of.
So with a radical council budget passed, the green shoots of spring in the air, the hospitality and retail sector set to reopen, covid cases falling and the vaccination roll out continuing apace, there is much to be optimistic about. The storm is being weathered as we move into calmer waters.
We have matched words with deeds, aspirations with action.
A budget passed today, to create a better tomorrow for all residents.
Now is the time to stick together, unite for the challenges that lie ahead.
The recovery stage began on Wednesday, providing the much needed social, economic and wellbeing boost the borough needs.
A council on your side, building a brighter Rochdale, as we look forward to the welcome of better days to come. police are trained for
If your cat can’t be caught
Cos your reach is too short
You need the long arm of the law!
Ian Aitchison Stonehill Road Rooley Moor