Colin William Lambert
Labour Party
West Heywood Ward
Address
12 Oulder Hill Drive
Rochdale
OL11 5LB
I am a family man married to Helen with two young children, who attend local nursery and primary school. I have represented West Heywood since 1997 and the new extended ward since boundary changes in 2004.
I have fought many campaigns with local residents - local transport has always been high on my agenda, I use local public transport everyday, and it has failed the people of Heywood since it was sold to First Bus. The number of services have been reduced and the timetables are not adhered to. As chair of township, I have lead the campaign to link Heywood to the National Rail network, and for this to be funded without the link to congestion charging.
My biggest campaign, without doubt was the battle to keep maternity services at Fairfield Hospital, the Special Care Baby Unit, will always remain special to Helen and myself, because of the outstanding services they gave to us and our children.
Everyone who knows me, will know how passionate I am about Heywood and home rule for Heywood. I believe that in every township, local decision making should take priority.
In Heywood we have produced our own Heywood Manifesto, which as chairman of our township I intend to deliver on, it is only the Rochdale Lib Dems who try to prevent us delivering on the manifesto for Heywood.
My priorities are the priorities of hard working families, our hopes our ambitions. I support hard working families like ourselves who play by the rules, not those who break the rules.
Locally I have proposed:
- All Heywood decisions to be taken in Heywood not Rochdale.
- 2% reduction in council tax for pensioner households.
- Return of weekly bin collections.
- Introduce a street cleaner in every ward, so that our estates are cleaned every week. The street cleaner can also report pavement repairs and grot spots for immediate action.
- Campaign for improved public transport.
- Campaign for local health service provision.
- Ban HGV traffic through our streets and restrict HGV traffic through our town to essential movements only.
- Through neighbourhood policing get the police in uniform back on our streets.
- Continue the extension of the alley gate scheme.
I qualified as a teacher in the late 1970's and taught in schools in the borough for nearly 20 years. I am now the Parliamentary Secretary for Heywood and Middleton Constituency.
I will continue to work hard for Heywood and hope that I am elected again as the councillor for West Heywood on 1 May.
