Aasim Rashid
Labour Party
Castleton Ward
Address
17 Chamber House Drive
Castleton
Rochdale
OL11 3LS
Thank you for coming to read my request for you to vote for me in the forthcoming local election on 3 May.
I live in Castleton, on Chamber House Drive, with my wife and three children. My youngest children attend local schools and my eldest is a student at Rochdale Sixth Form College.
I am a governor of Matthew Moss High School and I have had the honour of being your councillor in Castleton for the past four years.
Having seen the difference I have been able to make on your behalf as a councillor, I am asking you to once again put your trust in me and vote for me to continue representing you and Castleton.
The role of a councillor is not easy but looking back over the past four years it has been rewarding, in particular seeing the positive changes in Castleton.
The newly built houses at St Martin's View have brought new families to the village and into what is now a wonderfully vibrant setting beside the canal.
I am sure you will all agree with me just how fantastic it is to see Castleton's most famous building, the Carnegie Library, restored to its original splendour by a generous local benefactor, who like many of us believes in Castleton.
The same benefactor is behind saving Castleton Baths from demolition, with the help of my Labour colleague, Councillor Billy Sheerin - who, with my backing and that of our colleague Councillor Jean Hornby, persuaded the Council to agree to a community asset transfer of the baths, which have now, after extensive refurbishment, reopened to the public.
Our village green is now a space to be proud of, well kept and maintained and with spring under way we are looking forward to a display of colourful flowers.
These improvements, amongst others, have all helped to make Castleton a better place to live, but there is much more to do, and with your vote I can help make sure the improvements continue.
As a member of the ruling Labour Party on Rochdale Council I, along with my Castleton councillor colleagues, can ensure that Castleton, its residents and businesses are listened to and their concerns and desires are acted on.
Four years ago you elected me with significant support from across Castleton and I have done my utmost in that four years to reward your faith in me, holding regular advice surgeries and helping hundreds of residents with their problems.
As a business owner I am familiar with finance and hence I have also served you on the Council by being responsible for council finances during what has been an exceptionally difficult time as the Conservatives have cut the amount of money Rochdale gets dramatically - since 2010 more than £200 MILLION has been cut by the Conservatives (and the previous Conservative/Lib Dem coalition) from the money we have to spend on local services.
Despite that brutal cut in spending power, the Labour party in control of Rochdale Council has worked hard to maintain essential services: no libraries have closed, no nurseries or Surestart centres have closed, no advice services have been cut. We have protected road sweeping and street services, and parks and ground maintenance services. We have also protected the social workers who look after our vulnerable children and the elderly.
We are allocating £12 million to improve roads and pavements and working with social housing providers to ensure more affordable houses are built, but encouraging such building on brownfield sites to protect our greenbelt.
I want this positive action to continue, to see our town thrive again and prosper and of course in particular to ensure that Castleton gets its fair share of the resources at the council’s disposal.
We are fortunate to live in a wonderful village that is improving all the time, yes there is lots more that can and should be done to make it even better and I can help to bring those improvements to fruition.
I therefore ask you to please show your support for me by giving me your vote on 3 May – you have my solemn promise that I will repay your trust in me.
Thank you and best wishes.
Aasim Rashid
VOTE LABOUR
VOTE AASIM RASHID FOR CASTLETON
