Local residents in the Blackfriars and Trinity Riverside are up in arms over a recent decision taken by local Labour councillors. Labour has rubber-stamped the relocation of the Salford Youth Offending Service (YOS) to the former Blackfriars Housing Office on St. Simon Street.
Local residents say that:
- Labour has refused to consult or inform the community.
- The facility should be located centrally where it can better benefit it’s users.
- The proposed building is wanted by the local community that could cater for all people in the neighbourhood.
- The police have indicated they could station up to 5 police officers/PCSOs in the building. Funding for the extra police officers will be lost if they cannot occupy it.
- The proposed building would need costly extension work (which would require planning permission) totalling nearly £200,000 of public money.
Local Liberal Democrats, including Irwell Riverside candidate Steve Middleton are backing residents in their fight to get a fair hearing and have been working with residents, community committees and local residents associations to make sure that their concerns are not ignored.
Lib Dem group leader on the council, Cllr. Norman Owen said “There residents of Blackfriars are very angry that Labour have brushed away their concerns. They feel that local Labour councillors are putting their party loyalty ahead of the area they are supposed to represent.”
Irwell Riverside Lib Dem candidate Steve Middleton commented “Local residents have some genuine concerns that should be addressed, such as high crime associated with the YOS service. They are motivated by real concern for this area, which has been greatly improved over recent years thanks to the efforts and hard work of the whole community. The council should be listening to them and they’re not even doing that.”
Cllr. Owen added “The Liberal Democrats back community created plans to convert the building into a much needed community facility.”
The excellent Vertical Villages website, has a full history of the planned YOS move, with detailed information pertaining to existing crime figures and the community’s proposed use of the St. Simon Street building as an “anchor” for the whole area to make use of.
[...] of you will remember that this is the same Labour Councillor that thinks it’s a great idea to plonk a Youth Offender Service slap bang in the middle of a residential cul-de-sac) then twitter’s about Holts Brewery’s campaign entitled “Not tonight Darling – [...]
I was impressed by the area around St Simon Street when we were out leafletting for the upcoming by-election. It’s a very pleasant area. I really feel for the residents whose representatives are more interested in their own agendas than the concerns of the those they are supposed to represent. I recently found out that one of Irwell Riverside’s Labour Councillors, Stephen Coen, has taken a job as Hazel Blears’ Parlimentary Officer. While I’m sure this will positively affect his bank balance, I wonder how the local residents will feel about it, especially when their current representatives are already failing to heed the cry of the people?