Star date: 28th November 2014

THE FIRST AND THE WORST ELECTED MAYOR OF SALFORD PACKS IT IN

"We as a Council must be more open and transparent with the public..." Ian Stewart 2012

Having earned over a quarter of a million pounds during his four year reign, Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart, is apparently to stand down at the next mayoral election in 2016.

In typical fashion, the Salford Star understands that Stewart told Labour leaders of other Greater Manchester city councils the news, before he told Salford councillors or the people of Salford.

Full details here...

Ian Stewart, the first and worst elected Mayor of Salford, is to stand down when his term of office ends in 2016. Stewart apparently told a meeting of leaders of Greater Manchester councils during devolution discussions of his intentions, before he let on to his own Salford councillors or the people of Salford.

Ian Stewart was elected in 2012 and the speech he made that night has since become a joke that has come back to haunt him...

"We need to learn from past experience where our judgement could have been better" he said "...There will be a changing model of governance. That change will be driven by meeting people's needs. There will be changing methods of communication.

"We as politicians are not very good at communicating with the public, and the public are making decisions without basic information sometimes" he added "That's our fault as politicians, we need to get better at that. Getting better at communication means that we as a Council must be more open and transparent with the public. I will seek to generate that openness and transparency in future…"

The `changing model of governance' was 13 paid Assistant Mayors, plus Councillor David Lancaster as his Deputy on £44,850. The `changing model of governance' was employing Labour Party spin doctor Matt Finnegan in the `politically restricted' role as head of PR, who was later to be found spinning for the Labour Party and had to resign.

The Mayor's `changing model of governance' involved branding anyone who challenged or opposed his policies, including parents of disabled children and adults, `rent a crowd', `extremists' and `liars'.

The `changing model of governance' also included launching an expensive bridge beauty competition, building fountains and `aspirational walkways', subsidising the rugby club, stadium and office developments, while cutting services for the old, sick and vulnerable. And saying nothing while residents were being brutalised by Greater Manchester Police on anti-fracking demonstrations at Barton Moss. There was also that little matter of the Mayor dumping his camper van in a Salford Council staff car park, where other employees were expected to pay for space.

Meanwhile, the `more open and transparent' council, involved Freedom of Information requests ignored, £164,000 given to Salford City Reds in secret (`a paperwork error'), members of the public barred from asking questions at Council meetings, sham consultations on cuts and developers being let off with millions of pounds worth of payments.

On Salford Quays alone, Peel Holdings was absolved from paying fortunes in planning obligations while the iconic blue Salford Quays Cranes were demolished. This, more than anything, is symbolic of Stewart's reign.

The `more open and transparent' council also included attacks on Salford City UNISON reps, and attempts to ban the Salford Star from covering local election results, a refusal to provide any quotes or comments to the Salford Star, or answer any questions from the Salford Star, or even answer Freedom of Information requests and legal rights requests to see accounts details...To the point where the Star actually took the unprecedented step of going on strike for two weeks in protest at `China on the Irwell'.

Next month, the Mayor also faces the indignity of Salford Council again being dragged to the courts when parents of disabled adults will be appealing a judicial review on cuts to transport – making a mockery of the city's motto read out by Stewart on the night of his election... "The welfare of the people is the highest law".

Ian Stewart will leave his post having earned £69,000 a year, or a total of £276,000, while also receiving a Parliamentary pension for his time as MP, and renting out his second home in London, financed with expenses while an MP. He will also, no doubt, be getting a `mayoral' pension from Salford Council.

In the meantime, unless he denies that he is leaving in 2016, Stewart will be seen as a lame duck Mayor...biding his time to retirement while the city's public service are flogged off, closed down or farmed out - while the city's council houses are privatised, and developers make massive profits from building on every spare bit of land on the edge of Manchester and Salford Quays, in return for giving nothing back to the people of Salford.

Now the race is on to succeed Ian Stewart, with some really nasty Stewartites jockeying for position to step into his metaphorical jackboots and huge salary. What Salford Labour Party won't want is someone who has had the guts to stand up to Ian Stewart and his cuts...step forward Councillor Peter Wheeler. The people's choice? Even the devil we know, John Merry, would be better than Ian Stewart and his cronies...