MARY BURNS AWARDS 2007

Welcome to the MARYS, the most glittering occasion in Salford’s community calendar. Here we honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past 12 months.

Please dress up in a monkey jacket or yer best frock while you read this and grab a glass of warm white wine. We would be grateful if you could applaud to yourself after each award is announced. Now, without further ado, let’s get on with the ceremony…

THE GEORGE BUSH `READ MY LIPS’ AWARD

Goes to…

COUNCILLOR JOHN MERRY

The first Mary of the evening goes to, who else, but the Leader of Salford City Council who told the Salford Star in an interview just before our first issue…

“We’re not just going to put up nice big apartments that no-one can afford to buy…it’s not going to be a question of just doing lots of luxury accommodation.”

Errm…In the last two years 81% of all dwellings that have been built in Salford have been apartments. During that time a mere 628 houses have been built in the whole city, while 2731 flats have gone up.

Meanwhile, 88% of all future housing in Salford that had planning permission at the end of March this year was for flats - nearly 15,000 of them.

Salford’s Director of Housing reckons that “the proportion of flats/apartments will continue to dominate new residential development within the City”…