Star date: 28th December 2017

PEEL HOLDINGS WINS SALFORD STAR DICK TURPIN AWARD

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 11th annual Salford Star Mary Burns Awards, which are given out to honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past twelve months.

In the months leading up to Christmas, the new Barton Lifting Bridge didn't lift, as Peel Holdings held Salford City Council and Trafford Council to ransom over the £150,000 per year costs. So, ladies and gentlemen, roll up your tolls, and stand and deliver the Dick Turpin Award For Services To Bridge Hold Ups to...Peel Holdings!

Full details here...

DICK TURPIN AWARD FOR SERVICES TO BRIDGE HOLD UPS

Goes to...

PEEL HOLDINGS

At the beginning of November the Salford Star exclusively revealed that Peel Holdings was holding Salford City Council and Trafford Council to ransom over the opening of the Barton Lifting Bridge, next to the M60 flyover.

The new bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, backed with £30million of public money - including £15million in loans and grants from Salford Council - was at the centre of a legal wrangle over who should pay for the estimated £150,000 per year maintenance, operation and liability costs (see here).

Peel, it is understood, threatened to make the bridge into a toll if the company didn't get its way, while Salford Council was urged to "force" Peel to open the bridge by Irlam Councillor Roger Jones, also the Council's Lead Member for Transport (see here).

The row simmered on, as the traffic chaos around Barton grew, and residents took matters into their own hands, via a Force Peel Holdings To Open The Barton Lifting Bridge Facebook group and some direct action – which included one bloke driving his car over the closed bridge, residents doing an unofficial bridge opening (see here) and taking the protest direct to Peel by blocking off the main road to the Trafford Centre (see here).

Just before Christmas, the bridge was finally opened as residents claimed a 'people power' victory over "corporate bullies" (see here). Meanwhile, the legal wrangle over who is to pay for the thing rumbles on behind closed doors, with the parties putting a positive spin on it, declaring that they have "agreed a way forward", without giving any details. The issue is set to continue well past the New Year but in the meantime at least the bridge finally opened, despite Peel's threats...

So, ladies and gentlemen, shuffle your Garfunkels, sing 'Like a troubled bridge over water', don your facemasks and kiss your Black Bess for the winner of the ...2017 Salford Star Mary Burns Dick Turpin Award For Services To Bridge Hold Ups

PEEL HOLDINGS!!!!
 
If someone from Peel Holdings would like to make an acceptance speech please use the comments box below

Winners of 2017 Salford Star Mary Burns Awards...

Feed The Rich (part 1) – Fred Done – click here

Disappearing Salford Award – Villafont – click here

Carly Simon Award For Vanity – Councillor Derek Antrobus – click here

Feed The Rich Award (part 2) – Conservative Government and the HCA – click here

Corbynista Council of the Year Award - Salford City Council and Mayor Paul Dennett - click here

Grenfell Tower Urgency Award – Salford City Council – click here

Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government – Salford City Council – click here

Shameful and Unacceptable Practices Award – Greater Manchester Police – click here

Self Destruction Award – Salford UKIP – click here

Our Friends In The North Memorial Prize – Salford City Council – click here