Ann Marie Courtney
Labour Party
Norden Ward
Liberal Democrat Councillors have been in charge of Rochdale Council for the last 4 years and yet still do not accept responsibility for their own decision making, preferring to blame things on “The Council” as if they were not running the Council themselves.
Since 2006 Norden has had a Liberal Democrat Councillor, Wera Hobhouse, (formerly a Conservative Councillor), and she has been voting for these decisions. Over the last year this has resulted in one of the highest Council Tax increases in Greater Manchester, a failure to grit our roads and fill the grit bins in Norden during the bad winter weather and, through apathy, the closing of the Three Owls Bird Sanctuary.
Whichever story you choose to believe about the Three Owls Bird Sanctuary, the Liberal Democrat Councillors’ failure to act quickly, positively and proactively last summer has led to this well loved, well used, local and regional institution closing. Now, once again in Norden, it is local people who care who are trying to retrieve the situation and look towards the future.
On a more positive note, play facilities in Norden have been improved and a brand new children’s centre has been built at Norden Primary School as a result of extra money provided by the Labour Government.
Local businesses have once again worked together to provide our community with Christmas decorations and with hanging baskets throughout the summer.
The Labour Party in Norden has been asking since 2006 for more parking spaces in the village and for traffic calming measures to control the speed of traffic along Edenfield Road. A local business is now providing some extra public parking space but the Liberal Democrat Councillors have done nothing to address these problems.
Finally, despite what you may have read, the Old Library in Norden was saved because of the work of many Norden residents and the bus service around Shawfield has been temporarily reinstated because over 100 residents made their feelings known to the bus company at a public meeting and many more wrote and phoned.
For the sake of Norden and of Rochdale, there is an urgent need to change the Liberal Democrat control of the Council and halt the decline that has taken place, especially in the last two years.
It is my sincere wish to represent the community of Norden on the Council and I am committed to give all my time and efforts to this end. There are four candidates to choose from in this local election. However, it is only the Liberal Democrat who believes that it possible to be a Councillor for Norden and a Member of Parliament in London at the same time! It is not too late for this candidate to withdraw her nomination for the local election so that the voters of Norden know that they are voting for a person who will be committed full time to the community of Norden.
