More articles...

SALFORD CITY COUNCIL SPENT ALMOST £10,000 ON MIPIM PROPERTY JAUNT Star date: 21st June 2018 COUNCIL SPENT £5,750 ON MIPIM PR IN SOUTH OF FRANCE Salford Council spent almost £10,000 on the jaunt to the MIPIM property orgy in Cannes. A newly published contract register shows that, as well as the £4,022 costs for the City Mayor and two officers to go to the South of France paid by unknown private sector companies, the Council also spent £5,750 on marketing and PR for MIPIM. The contract register also shows the Council is spending £9,500 on a 'Salford Story' press consultant, £118,000 on its failed 'digital community hub', over £14,000 on a 'leadership programme' and, er, £25,000 on milk and bread? Full details here...

NATIONAL GRID WILL NOT RE-THINK DEMOLITION OF SALFORD DIRTY OLD TOWN GASWORKS Star date: 20th June 2018 'WE RECOGNISE THE HISTORIC INTEREST'...BUT THEY'RE BEING DEMOLISHED! Despite musical protests and petitions, the National Grid is adamant that the Salford gas holders, made famous in the Dirty Old Town anthem, will be demolished. Campaigners are asking for the Grid to re-think a new use for the structures, like in many other towns and cities, but the company states that while "We recognise the historic interest in the Salford gasholder...the structure is being dismantled..." Full details here...

SALFORD COUNCIL REFUSES TO REVEAL WHO PAID FOR CITY MAYOR TRIP TO SOUTH OF FRANCE Star date: 19th June 2018 COUNCIL BLOCKS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST ON £4,000 MIPIM TRIP Salford City Council has refused to answer a Salford Star Freedom of Information request on which private company paid the £4,022 costs for City Mayor Paul Dennett and two staff to go to the South of France for the MIPIM property event. The Council states that "the commercial interests of the Council outweigh that of the public interest in disclosure". The Salford Star is to appeal the decision. Full details here...

DEVASTATING SURVEY OF NORTH WEST COUNCIL WORKERS SHOWS LOCAL SERVICES COLLAPSING Star date: 18th June 2018 OVER 80% OF COUNCIL WORKERS HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN SERVICES AND ALMOST 50% THINKING OF LEAVING THEIR JOBS A survey of almost 1,500 local council workers in the North West reveals that 81% have no confidence in the future of local services, 49% are thinking of leaving their jobs, 54% believe their council no longer delivers quality services, and 45% think that their employer doesn't make the right decisions for the public. The other results of the survey by UNISON to coincide with its local government conference make equally depressing reading, as the union states that "Vital local services in the North West are collapsing". Full details here...

SALFORD TIME OUT FOR CARERS Star date: 18th June 2018 TRIPS, CAKES, MASSAGE, ADVICE AND CHAT AS CARERS TAKE TIME OUT "I was absolutely weary...I needed to get out of the house" Ernie Caring for a loved one is indeed a labour of love but it can also be life consuming and draining. So a group called Time Out For Carers is making a difference, running weekly sessions where escapism is the order of the day. There's free massages, trips out, advice on allowances, tea and coffee and cakes, but, most importantly, relaxed informal chats with carers who are all in the same position. Full details here...