Managed decline of our area by councillors VIEWPOINTS Rich must do their bit too
Viewpoints, M.E.N, Mitchell Henry House, Hollinwood Avenue, Oldham, OL9 8EF viewpoints@men-news.co.uk
YET more controversy over the widely opposed and universally unpopular plans by RBH to demolish College Bank flats (‘Take responsibility and resign’: Councillor sends message to landlord’s top brass after fire safety issues discovered at Rochdale’s Seven Sisters flats’, Manchester Evening News, September 23) reminds me that a whole host of organisations have seriously failed the residents of College Bank over a number of years to the point of managed decline.
For example, on the issue of fire safety, only last year an important consultation in September 2019 designed to inform constituents [1] regarding proposals for £12.8m in cuts to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, including reductions of fire engines, crew numbers and fire stations.
Quite understandably this too has been the subject of controversy due to a woeful lack of participation from our elected representatives across Greater Manchester.
The consultation report notes that “Updates were sent to councillors from across Greater Manchester through the consultation, to encourage them to respond and spread the information out to their local constituents. The email update was sent to 637 councillors and 259 opened the email.”
This means that 378 Greater Manchester councillors did not open this email.
I just wonder if a spokesperson for Rochdale Council would like to write in to ‘Viewpoints’ and let readers know exactly how many Rochdale borough councillors bothered to open this email and contributed to the consultation?
I’d also be interested to know exactly how many, if any, local voters received an email from their local ward councillor cascading information to them regarding the proposals to cut the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service by £12m and asking for their opinions to feedback to the public consultation.
Andrew Wastling, Rochdale
ANDREW Lloyd Webber bleats on about theatres needing government funding (tax payers money) - he is worth £800m! I hope he is contributing also!
Lower football league clubs are crying out for money; what about Premier League players contributing part of their £1m-amonth salaries?
Eric Weston, Cheadle Hulme
Colin Morrison, Whitefield