WOW!!!  IN ONE MONTH SALFORD COUNCIL SPENT…

ALMOST £150,000 ON CONSULTANTS! ALMOST £10,000 ON FIREWORKS! OVER £2500 ON FLOWERS! OVER £30,000 ON HOTELS!
OVER £120,000 ON THE LOWRY! OVER £20,000 ON OPINION SURVEYS!
ALMOST £250,000 ON DEMOLITIONS!

Today for the first time Salford Council has had to disclose all its spending over £500. And there's 83 pages of it. Every company, every consultant and every cent over £500.

THE SALFORD MEDIA FACTORY

Nigel Pivaro gets a tour around MediaCityUK and wonders about the media product that will be manufactured there.

Work on the old Salford Docks was uncomplicated. Hi tech Media City is something else – both for workers and consumers.

NIGEL PIVARO GOES TO NATIONS AND REGIONS CONFERENCE

Recently, media people came to Salford from all over to discuss the present and future of TV in the UK.

We sent Nigel Pivaro along to The Lowry to attend sessions on the `future of local tv', `the MediaCityUK move north' and the revolutionary YouView gadget that's going to change viewing habits forever. Oh, and Nigel also listened to his former Coronation Street writer, Daran Little, being interviewed by former producer, Mervyn Watson. 

FUNKEY DAY AT LANGWORTHY CORNERSTONE

Today the community took over The Cornerstone in Langworthy as the keys for the building were formally handed over by Salford Primary Care Trust in a full day of family fun, live music and nasty Bush Tucker Trials that had the kids squirming.

SUPER SALFORD STUFF FYLDE

What's all this talk of Salford City superstar Steve Foster going to Altrincham FC? He played one game. Alty thought they were getting the City's crown jewel forever. No chance!  As Fozzy hit another hat-trick for the Ammies at AFC Fylde this afternoon!

HEAVENLY BODIES OF ART
The Angel Urban Art Gallery until May 2010

Prints and paintings from University of Salford students are currently on display upstairs at The Angel Centre, off Chapel Street.

From portraits to tree prints to scenic triptychs, the exhibition displays a wide range of styles and genres.

A Salford Star Exclusive

TESCO STORE WARS CONTINUED…

As Salford Estates unveil new plans for a complete makeover of Salford Shopping City, we reveal how Salford Council managed to turn a potential £8million profit on an integrated Tesco/Precinct site into a potential loss of over £1million.

We also reveal that Tesco dropped its price for Salford Council land on the superstore site by £2.6 million. Meanwhile, we understand, Salford Estates is taking the Council back to court for yet another judicial review over the Council's planning decision…

OVER 60% OF COUNCIL HOMES NOT FIT BY 2012

A new Salford City Council report has revealed that, by next year, over 60% of Council and Salix homes will be classed as `non decent'. This represents well over 5,500 homes.

The Council estimates that to bring these houses up to standard by 2015 will cost over £66million…

COUNCILLOR BILL HINDS `A BROKEN MAN'

"You can't pretend that £49million of cuts won't affect people – it will devastate this city" Steve North

Salford Councillor Bill Hinds was described as "looking like a broken man", and the Council's Cabinet members had "tears in their eyes" after making decisions on £40million+ worth of cuts to the city's budget.

This is how Labour Party members described their colleagues at last night's Salford Against The Cuts meeting.

Those who attended the meeting voted to "oppose all cuts" but stopped short of calling on Salford Council to set an illegal budget.

SALFORD STRIKES CALL

A Salford trade union is calling for strike action against public sector cuts. Salford UNISON Branch Committee recently passed motions that include calling on the TUC to call a "one day public sector strike against attacks on jobs, pay and pensions as a step towards a general strike of all workers".

And for Salford, the branch has called for a ballot "in respect of industrial action" should its members' terms and conditions be attacked.

CORNERSTONE'S FUNKEY DAY SCARES CELEBS
FunKey Day
Saturday 29th January 11am-4pm free
Langworthy Cornerstone

"I'm a celebrity, but you won't get me in there to eat that" Coronation Street's Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone.

A nasty Bush Tucker Trial in a specially designed `jungle room' at The Cornerstone is scaring off celebs from a taste of The Cornerstone's FunKey Day this Saturday.

The Trial - which includes scary starters, a main course and a pudding - is part of a full day of family events to celebrate the community taking over The Cornerstone in Langworthy from the PCT.

The day includes live music from rappers Misfit Music and Fresh Connections, plus stalls, kids' arts and crafts, a treasure hunt, cookery demos and that Bush Tucker Trial – try it if you dare!

MAPPING SALFORD'S DISAPPEARED STREETS

ReTracing Salford
Launches Sat 29th Jan runs until April
Langworthy Cornerstone, Liverpool St

The superb ReTracing Salford project launches another exhibition at the Cornerstone in Langworthy this Saturday when the team will be there with maps, photos and street signs from Salford's demolished terraced streets.

Everyone's invited to bring in old family snaps that will be scanned and added to the growing archive of Salford's Lost Streets. The launch is part of The Cornerstone's free family FunKey Day.

GREENGATE WARRIORS TRIUMPH

Twelve teams from around Salford today took part in the first Broughton Football Tournament at Albert Park.

The tournament, eventually won by Greengate Warriors, came from an idea put to the East Salford Youth Forum by young people in Broughton who organised and promoted the competition themselves.

Salford City 1 Witton Albion 0

SALFORD ARE BACK!

After three consecutive defeats, Rhodri Giggs' Tangerine Army got back to winning ways yesterday with a 1-0 home victory over formerly high flying Witton Albion.

Salford City are now back on track for promotion, just six points away from a  play off place…

THE JOHN MERRY INTERVIEW: Part 3

THE £32.7MILLION PUBLIC FUNDED STADIUM AND THE WILLOWS LEGACY…

John Merry: "There's been no secret….we've been supporting the club for a while…" How much? JM: "Does it matter?" Yeah, come on…

Mention the cuts in Salford and two subjects always brought up are the Council's £20million BBC Philharmonic Orchestra grant and the £22million loan for the new stadium for Salford Reds, which will be almost 50% joint owned with Peel Holdings, one of the richest companies in the UK.

COUNCILLORS SLATED ON TOWN HALL STEPS

"Do what you were elected for and represent the people of Salford"

Ruling Labour councillors were today berated when they appeared on the steps of the Town Hall to address a protest rally by Council workers, service users and activists.

Council workers were angry after hearing of the horrendous cuts coming, including proposed £6.5million cuts to the personal care budget for the elderly and disabled.

SALFORD COUNCILLORS TOLD NOT TO CUT JOBS AND SERVICES

"…it inevitably means that front line staff are going to lose their jobs and young people are going to suffer." Connexions worker

Last night outside Swinton Civic Centre, the fightback against the cuts in Salford began as trade unions, activists and staff from Connexions facing cuts of almost 50% handed out questionnaires and leaflets, and lobbied the city's ruling Labour councillors, urging them not to make horrific cuts. 

A Salford Star Exclusive

£9 MILLION CUT TO ADULT SOCIAL CARE!
WELFARE RIGHTS SLASHED!  46.5% CUT TO CONNEXIONS!
ORDSALL AND CADISHEAD LIBRARIES TO GO?

SALFORD'S MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE ARE IN THE FRONT LINE - NOW THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS!

TODAY 17th January 5:30pm Civic Centre, Swinton – Lobby of Salford's ruling Labour Councillors

Wednesday 19th January 8:30am Civic Centre, Swinton – Lobby of Salford Council Meeting
Wednesday 19th January noon Civic Centre, Swinton – Demonstration

Saturday 22nd January 10:30am-5pm Friends Meeting House, Mcr – Greater Manchester Against The Cuts Conference
Tuesday 25th January 7pm Salford Arts Theatre – Salford Against The Cuts Public Meeting

A Salford Star Exclusive

SECRECY AND SCANDAL SURROUNDS ALMOST £6 MILLION OF `COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT' MONEY FOR MEDIACITYUK: Part 2

"We're fed up with big organisations just dropping in and taking all the money"

£320,000 of public money spent on marketing MediaCityUK…Over £500,000 spent on management, consultancy, research and overheads…and over £4.5million spent on three very similar MediaCityUK ventures…

A whole industry has grown up around getting Salford's community `engaged' with MediaCityUK. But is that money reaching Salford's communities? And is it having any affect?

Salford City 1 Radcliffe Borough 2

REF HITS AMMIES PROSPECTS

Two shots at goal – one clearly offside and one an ultra soft penalty – allowed Radcliffe to sneak the points at Moor Lane, thanks to a feeble excuse for a referee, and an `assistant' who must have been one of the Borough players' dads running the line…

SALFORD'S CARERS AT DE LA SALLE

Last week, the Claremont, Weaste and Seedley Carers Group dropped into De La Salle College for a full free day of pampering by students.

The nine carers got hair treatments, pedicures and manicures, before having a three course meal in De La Salle's restaurant.

A Salford Star Exclusive

SECRECY AND SCANDAL SURROUNDS ALMOST £6 MILLION OF `COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT' MONEY FOR MEDIACITYUK: Part 1

"I knew nothing about this community engagement money going out…and I'm pretty annoyed that we didn't at the very least get the chance to put in a proposal" John Phillips, Salford Community Media Partnership

A whole industry has grown up around getting Salford's community `engaged' with MediaCityUK, all financed with public money. But is that money reaching Salford's communities and the community media organisations which work with those communities?

The latest scandal surrounds £161,000 about to be dished out by Salford Council for the "appointment of the organisations to deliver the pilot phase of the MediaCityUK Community Engagement Plan". And Salford's community media groups ain't happy…

THE JOHN MERRY INTERVIEW: Part 2

ON SALFORD SHOPPING CITY AND TESCO

`Don't you think Salford Council was a bit too comfortable with Tesco during the whole process?'

At the end of last year a war broke out between Salford Council and Salford Estates, which owns Salford Shopping City. In the middle were the Precinct stall holders and shop workers, worried about their jobs. And coming up is a potentially volatile court case as Salford Estates and the Council go head to head.

THE JOHN MERRY INTERVIEW: Part 1

A TALE OF TWO CITIES… SALFORD 2011

`You've given a £22m loan to the Salford Reds stadium, £3million to the BBC, £150,000 to opera at The Lowry and things – now when you come along and say `We're going to have to cut this service or that service', what do you think people are going to say?'

Over the last decade, Salford's had hundreds of millions of pounds of public money pumped into its regeneration – so where's it all gone? And why is Salford Council still funding prestige projects around MediaCityUK while making savage cuts to public services?

HUNDREDS MARCH AGAINST PEEL HOLDINGS

`Down with Peel … Down with Peel'

School kids, mums, grannies and dads all joined in chanting anti Peel Holdings slogans as a huge march against the company's plans to build an incinerator in Barton took place yesterday.

Protestors say that toxic emissions from the plant will affect everyone in the area, including those living on Salford Quays and working at MediaCityUK. Objections to the proposed incinerator have to be lodged by 12th January.

Curzon Ashton 1 Salford City 0

UNLUCKY SALFORD JUST MISS OUT ON A POINT

Curzon Ashton, unbeaten at home since the first week of the season, were lucky to scrape all three points against Salford City yesterday in a flurry of yellow and red cards and injuries.

But the good news for Salford supporters is that Steve Foster, scorer of 17 goals already this season, seems to have rejected an offer from moneybags Chorley.

SALFORD STAR GRILLS SALFORD CITY COUNCIL LEADER

Is there a two tier Salford happening? Prestige projects like MediaCityUK, The Lowry’s opera and the Salford Reds rugby stadium are hoovering up the city’s money, while budgets for social care, schools and sports are being slashed…

Just before Christmas the Salford Star spent two hours with Salford City Council Leader, John Merry, debating these questions and loads more. All will be revealed in a whole series of articles starting next week - only on Salfordstar.com! 

Don’t Miss!!!

SALFORD CITY CRASH

Salford City 1 Garforth 2

Salford City's ten game unbeaten run came to a shuddering halt yesterday as lowly Garforth escaped with the points. But where was everyone?

SALFORD GOES YANK IN MANC
`Thank God there's people out there who still want a good time' Graham Williamson

Salford band, Jealous, get their first album out this month via an American record label. Their rocky sound has hit a vibe in the States but what would a local audience think?

Salford Star music reviewer, Graham Williamson, was well impressed when he went to see Jealous at The Academy. With photos by Emma Short.

SUPER SALFORD UNDEFEATED IN TEN

Clitheroe 4 Salford City 5

What a day in Clitheroe yesterday, as Salford City, 5-2 up at half time, hung on to stuff the second in the league hillbillies and stretch their unbeaten run to ten league games.

Now a win at home to Garforth on Monday (Moor Lane, 3pm) could put Salford City into fifth place and ready for a serious stab at promotion.

THE TOP TEN STORIES ON SALFORD STAR WEBSITE DURING 2010

What were the most popular stories on the Salford star website this year? There was the General Election, complete with Hazel Blears' expenses controversy… There was loads of stuff about Salford City Council and MediaCityUK… There was the Irlam gas explosion making national headlines… 2010 was a very, very busy year for Salford and the Salford Star.