Councillor Iain Lindley, Prospective Conservative MP for Worsley & Eccles South, has welcomed the launch of the Conservative health manifesto, which reaffirms the Party’s commitment to the future of NHS services, and in particular maternity services, in Salford.
Party leader David Cameron has announced that under a future Conservative Government, mothers will have a real choice over where to have their baby, with NHS funding following their choices. Conservatives will also introduce local ‘maternity networks’ to ensure that mothers can safely access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Reacting to the announcement, Cllr Lindley said:
“David Cameron has shown real commitment to the NHS here in Salford. It is clear that under these proposals, under a future Conservative Government, the maternity unit at Salford Royal Hospital could and would be kept open if the demand existed from the local community, and I firmly believe that will be the case. Labour are pressing ahead with their decision to close the Maternity and Neo-Natal Units at Salford Royal Hospital, and local residents have a real choice when they come to vote at the election.”
“I’m also pleased that under the new Conservative plans for a health premium, NHS resources for the City of Salford will be significantly higher, providing that Salford City Council and our Primary Care Trust spend those resources effectively”
Local residents and passengers in Walkden and Swinton are celebrating after the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority voted to restore Sunday services along the Walkden line.
A generation-long gap without Sunday services for the local communities along the Walkden line will end when the new service commences in May. The trains will initially run for a one-year period, with a review to see whether the service offers value-for-money.
Cllr Iain Lindley, Conservative Councillor for Walkden South, and the Prospective Conservative MP for Worsley & Eccles South, has been supporting the campaign to introduce Sunday services. He attended today’s meeting and said afterwards:
“This is terrific news for passengers and commuters, and I’m really pleased that the Transport Authority have agreed to support this service. I’m thrilled in particular for the Friends of Walkden Station who have campaigned tirelessly for Sunday services – it simply wouldn’t have happened without them. I hope that local residents make use of the new service and that it becomes a permanent fixture”
Under new Conservative plans, far-reaching new powers could be given to people in Salford to protect community assets from closure or demolition and take over the running of public buildings and community assets.
Matthew Sephton, Prospective Conservative MP for Salford & Eccles, has given his backing to the new ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would allow not-for-profit community groups across Salford to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks. Local landmarks like the Langworthy Hotel, threatened with demolition by Salford’s Labour Council, could be saved and reclaimed for community use under the proposals.
Under the Conservative proposals:
- Community groups, such as schools, churches or voluntary groups, will be able to bid to take over the running of publicly owned community assets, if they can manage them more efficiently and effectively than the state.
- When state-owned community asset faces closure or being sold, voluntary groups will have a right of first refusal to buy that asset for a fair price and maintain it for community use. The new rights to community ownership will cover assets owned by central government and quangos, not just town halls.
- The radical ‘Community Right to Buy’ will also allow community groups a first refusal to take over and run vital commercially-owned community assets when they shut down – for example, those post offices, pubs and shops whose continued survival is of genuine importance to the local community.
Matthew said:
“Under Labour, local neighbourhoods in Salford and across the country have lost too many essential local services and facilities. Gordon Brown’s Government has closed post offices across Salford and driven local pubs into the ground. People feel powerless to stop their communities losing access to vital services and facilities. I’m delighted that a future Conservative Government would give local residents the power to save local buildings like the Langworthy Hotel and closure-threatened Post Offices”
Local commuters across Salford face continued overcrowding after it emerged that the Government’s promise of over 180 desperatedly-needed new carriages for local train operator Northern Rail has been slashed to a maximum of 106. Passengers from local stations in Irlam, Walkden, Swinton, Moorside, Eccles and Patricroft will lose out due to these cuts.
Government officials had agreed to provide the extra carriages but have now reneged on this promise. Transport bosses including Cllr Ian MacDonald, Worsley Councillor and Vice-Chairman of GMITA, have written to Ministers and are working hard to secure these extra carriages for Greater Manchester.
Councillor Iain Lindley, Prospective Conservative MP for Worsley & Eccles South, said:
“Local people travelling on our rail lines through Walkden, Eccles and Irlam suffer terrible overcrowding and inadequate services. These carriages are desperately-needed - the Labour Government promised these extra trains and they have now betrayed that promise. Commuters will now continue to suffer on overcrowded services due to Labour’s decision to break their promise and slash the number of new carriages”
On Thursday 4th June, local residents across Salford will go to the polls for the European elections. If you’re voting by post, you may well have already received your postal ballot paper, or will do over the next day or two.
Local people have a real chance in these elections to show that they want change. We have a Labour Council, a Labour Government, and Labour MEPs who have all let our local area down.
By voting Conservative on 4th June you can:
- Send a clear message to Gordon Brown that he needs to change his mind and give us the referendum on the EU Constitution that he promised and then failed to deliver.
- Vote for change - if you’re sick of Gordon Brown’s hopeless Government and Labour’s debt crisis, this is your chance to show it.
- Support the Conservative vision for change - our plans to improve the NHS, for better school discipline, and to free our police from bureaucracy so they can get out and fight crime.
We have a strong team of Conservative MEPs and candidates who have shown a strong interest in standing up for the interests of local people in Worsley, Eccles, Irlam & Cadishead and Salford. Indeed only last week Cllr Alex Williams joined our team in Walkden to knock on doors and listen to the concerns of local residents. Unlike Labour and the Liberal Democrats who vote against the British interest, and unlike UKIP whose Brussels grouping has descended into a disorganised rabble, our Conservative team will always stand up for the North West and for Salford.
It’s time for change - vote Conservative on Thursday 4th June.
