Recent News

Tonight I have had the pleasure of joining residents at a very well-attended meeting organised by the ‘Save Bamford Greenbelt Group’ which is coordinating opposition to proposals to build 450 executive homes on greenbelt land off Norden Road in Bamford. It was pleasing that so many people turned out, even on a night when snow was forecast, to…

Scout Moor is one of the many striking natural features in our area; one which is enjoyed by thousands of people. However, this beautiful landscape is constantly being damaged by the illegal and dangerous activity of off-road bikers.  These riders can arrive in Norden from as far afield as Merseyside, with vans full of bikes…

The revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is out now and it lays down a serious threat to the greenbelt in our area.  Created by the Labour leaders of the ten local authorities in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Labour Manchester Mayor, this plan proposes to give the green light to developers who…

Service provision from contractors dealing with Rochdale’s highways was on the agenda at last night’s Overview and Scrutiny meeting.  I had the opportunity to challenge officers and the portfolio holder on the quality of pothole repairs that are being made in the borough. It was noted that there are many complaints from members of the…

There has been a lot of discussion in the mainstream press recently about the use of Nitrous Oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, as a recreational drug.  The practice, which involves inhaling the gas, hit the headlines after reports of the deaths of young people who were using the gas as a so-called ‘legal…

In tonight’s full council meeting I have spoken out against a Labour motion which requested the Chief Executive of Rochdale Council to write to the Government, asking them to give the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, new tax-raising powers. The motion put forward by Cabinet Member for Business, Liam O’Rourke, suggested that a new…

Tonight I have had the pleasure of meeting up with members of the Rochdale in Bloom teams from across the borough, volunteers from each of our townships, businesses, groups and council team members, all of whom have made this year an exceptional one for Rochdale in Bloom. The greatest pleasure this evening however was the…

Following the armed robbery at Norden’s Co-op a few weeks ago, and subsequent robberies at other stores in the borough I am pleased to report that I have secured funding for an additional CCTV camera to be installed in the village.  This camera will be positioned on the new post office and will significantly increase…

This week I have been getting ready for our annual Christmas Lights Switch on in Norden, which is happening on Thursday 29th November.  This is always a very popular event and one which I am always pleased to support.  This year I will be working with Kate and Becky from Streetwise Magazine and together we…

Organised crime and the associated exploitation of vulnerable people is a major problem in our borough, so I am really pleased to read that Greater Manchester Police have today arrested 16 people in a series of dawn raids.  As part of the same operation, they have also recovered cash, drugs, gold bars and high-performance cars and…