THREE WEEKS TO PROTECT MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN SALFORD   

Salford's community has exactly three weeks left to save the day care centre services that Salford City Council is threatening to shut. The decision is being made by Councillor John Warmisham, the Council's Lead Member for Adult Services on February 20th and there's all sorts of demos, actions and protests planned before this date.

The latest meeting to discuss action took place last Saturday in Ordsall with Labour councillor, Howard Balkind storming out at one point…

BROUGHTON REC – OPEN OR CLOSED?

The Future of Broughton Recreation Centre
Feedback Event, Tuesday 31st January
11am-7pm plus presentations 1-2pm/5-6pm

Last year saw demos and protests against the possible closure of Broughton Rec due to Salford City Council cuts. The Fit City Centre, on Camp Street, Lower Broughton, was popular with sports clubs, community groups and climbing enthusiasts but was destined to be demolished, until Broughton Database looked to take over the centre.

Tomorrow sees a community feedback event on the Database's consultation for the future of Broughton Rec and everyone's invited…

SALFORD ART CLUB SETS THE STANDARDS

Salford Art Club's Annual Exhibition opened on Saturday at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

Salford Star art critic, Gareth Lyons, went along to sample the works and found a real life triumph over tragedy moment…

Warrington Town 4 Salford City 2

SALFORD CITY'S NINTH KEEPER OF THE SEASON FAILS TO KEEP OUT WARRINGTON

Salford City have used an incredible nine goalkeepers, including three outfield players, this season, and we're only just over half way through the fixtures. The latest hopeful, Danny Jackson, failed to keep out Warrington Town, who had just four efforts on target – and scored four goals…

CLIMATE ACTION GROUP HIT PROFIT GRABBING ENERGY COMPANIES

For anyone who is gobsmacked by the 22% rise in gas and leccy bills this month… For anyone who is sickened by a quarter of all UK people living in fuel poverty… For anyone who is disgusted by the thousands of people who will die this winter because they can't afford to put the heating on… And for anyone wants to vomit over obscene profits being made by the big six energy companies… This is for you...

…courtesy of the Manchester Climate Action Group, who did a bit of DIY subvertising on billboards yesterday in support of Winter Warm Up Weekend…

SALFORD MAYOR ELECTION IN MAY

Salford will have a mayoral election in May, after yesterday's referendum vote went in favour of an elected Mayor. Only 18.1% of the electorate bothered to vote, with 17,344 of those votes in favour of an elected Mayor, and 13,653 against, in what will be seen as a massive defeat for the ruling Labour Party in Salford which campaigned for a `No' vote.

SALFORD MAYOR – YES OR NO?

On Thursday 26th January, Salford citizens are being asked to vote on whether the city should have a Mayor or not.

The Salford Star never tells anyone how to vote, so here we look at what an elected Mayor would mean and consider both sides of the argument. Oh, and we also try to figure out where Hazel Blears is coming from on this matter – after all, it was her idea in the first place…

SALFORD COUNCIL ACCUSED OF `MURDERING' ELDERLY

"This Council is now killing Salford people…it's literally murder" Salford Pensioners Association

On Saturday over 150 people, including day care centre workers, carers, service users and activists, met in Swinton to oppose Salford City Council's plans to withdraw funding from at least two day care centres.

In a passionate speech, George Tapp of Salford Pensioners Association accused Salford Council of `murdering' the city's elderly.

LENGTHIEST RIOT SENTENCE FOR BBC RADIO MANCHESTER CAR TORCHER

Last Friday, Salford man Zac Challinor got five and a half year's in jail for torching the BBC Radio Manchester car at Salford Precinct. It was the lengthiest sentence doled out for any rioter. But, so far, most media hasn't bothered to report it.

Anne Czernik was in court for the Salford Star, reports on the background to the case and asks whether both the sentence and the crime was symbolic of the city's polarity with MediaCityUK…

ABLE TO DRINK WITH BIPOLAR?

Mental health trusts and universities have launched a huge research programme called Able, which stands for Assessing Bipolar Lifestyle Experiences, to study psychological approaches to the bipolar disorder.

As part of this they are looking for Salford people with the condition who also drink alcohol in any amount.

Salford City 2 Bamber Bridge 2

TEN MAN BAMBER STIFLE PAY OFF HOPES

Salford City were heading for victory at Moor Lane yesterday when ten man Bamber Bridge rustled a penalty late in the game to earn a draw.

Goals from Gavin Salmon and Jamie Baguley had seemed to put the Ammies back in touch with the play off positions before Bamber penned Salford back.

SALFORD DAY CARE CENTRES IN PERIL FROM COUNCIL CUTS

"It's going to upset a lot of people, particularly the elder ones who can't cope with it" Dorothy Mainwaring, 79.

Defend Our Day Care Centres Public Meeting
Saturday 21st January 12-2pm
Swinton Royal British Legion, Cheetham Road

Tomorrow's public meeting in Swinton will see people from all over Salford continue the resistance to Salford Council cuts to day care centres – with Humphrey Booth in Ordsall, Craig Hall in Irlam, Brierley House in Little Hulton and St George's in Charlestown all under threat. Here, people at the sharp end of those cuts give their views and tell their stories.

PEEL HOLDINGS WINS SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARD

The Salford Star Mary Burns Awards 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 12 months.

The Feed The Rich Award, handed out in recognition those using public funds to help subsidise the well moneyed, is usually the most hotly contested Mary - with past winners including the Homes and Communities Agency, Urban Splash and Peel Holdings. Peel couldn't have won it again, could they?

Ladies and Gentlemen, wave your wallets in the air and rattle your jewellery for the winner of the FEED THE RICH AWARD…

A Salford Star Exclusive

HOW PEEL HOLDINGS HAS CASHED IN ON MEDIACITYUK – WITH PUBLIC MONEY

As Peel Holdings records profits of £55million, Salford Star reveals the huge amounts of public money that have been sunk into MediaCityUK, virtually covering all of Peel's £490million costs on the development.

Meanwhile Salford Council has waived  its financial contribution policies on the site which remains in private hands, with Peel's private security company ejecting anyone it feels like…

16 JOBS FOR SALFORD PEOPLE AT BBC MEDIACITYUK COST SALFORD COUNCIL TAX PAYERS WELL OVER £200K EACH!!!

The 16 proper jobs for Salford people at the BBC's new base at MediaCityUK, as revealed today, have cost Salford Council tax payers £187,500 each, and that's just from the annual £3million BBC Philharmonic Orchestra sponsorship, the Salford Star can reveal.

The £3million BBC sponsorship can be added to almost £6million of `community engagement' funding from various pots of public money, plus the £650 per day `deprived areas consultant' Chris Marsh is being paid to find Salfordians jobs at Media City, plus events costing over £500,000 `welcoming the BBC to Salford'. It's a proper scandal and disgrace…

ONLY 1% OF MANCS AND SALFORDIANS WHO APPLIED TO BBC SALFORD GOT JOBS

`You were twice as likely to get a job at BBC Salford if you were from London'

Out of 15,238 people from Manchester and Salford who applied for jobs at the BBC's new base at MediaCityUK, 154 got jobs, which is only 1%.

The figures are revealed today by The Guardian newspaper's Northerner Blog following a Freedom of Information request. The Northerner also reveals that, proportionately, people from London who applied to the BBC were more likely to be taken on than those from Manchester or Salford.

Update 17th Jan: The MEN today reveals that only 16 people from Salford got a full time job at the BBC. 

ECCLES TOILET WINS SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARD…

The Salford Star Mary Burns Awards - 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 12 months – has a brand new category this year, devised specially for one very special loo…

Ladies and Gentlemen, chuck your toilet rolls in the air for the winner of the IN FOR A PENNY IN FOR £26,500 AWARD…

IT STARTS AGAIN FOR SALFORD'S JOHN HERRING

It Starts Again
Download on iTunes

Top Salford singer songwriter, John Herring, begins a 2012 of activity with a new single release this week, followed by live dates with a full band and a second album in March.

The single, It Starts Again, is currently available as a download on iTunes, and features a zillion Salford people who attended his gig last summer…

CARRY ON CLARION – THE PAPER THAT CHANGED LIVES

The Clarion
Working Class Movement Library
Until March 30th free

The Salford Star can only dream of what the 19th Century Clarion newspaper achieved during its print time. The paper inspired its readers to set up the famous Clarion cycling clubs, as well as bands, choirs, rambling clubs and it even had its own café in Manchester.

Now, as part of the 2012 Manchester Histories Festival the Working Class Movement Library has launched a major exhibition about the Clarion and is putting on loads of events to go with it…

AFTER TEACHER SACKINGS OASIS RECRUITS MATHS TEACHER

Just before Christmas, Oasis Academy MediaCityUK made 13 teaching staff redundant as a part of a gross cost cutting exercise which led to a bitter dispute including five days of strikes and a pupil riot at the school.

Now, Salford Star can reveal that Oasis is trying to recruit a maths teacher, having just made one redundant, and is employing a costly PR company to "promote the new £25million Oasis Academy MediaCityUK"…

HAZEL BLEARS IN HOSPITAL SHOCKER

In the wake of David Cameron's visit to Salford Royal Hospital last week, Salford MP Hazel Blears announced in the House of Commons on Tuesday that 400 nursing posts will be cut over the next few years.

Health Minister Andrew Lansley replied that Hazel was, er, "confusing a cost-improvement programme with a cut"...

SALFORD COUNCIL WINS SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARD…
FOR SERVICES TO REGENERATION

Salford City Council has won the first of this year's Salford Star Mary Burns Awards. The annual awards 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 12 months.

Ladies and Gentlemen, break out your banana skins and rotten tomatoes for the winner of the Salford Star Mary Burns Award for Services to Regeneration … SALFORD COUNCIL

Salford City 1 Ashton United 0

AMMIES UP FOR THE CUP!

Salford City overcame Ashton United of the Evo-Stik Premier League to storm through to the semi finals of the Manchester FA Premier Cup.

Ashton United, a league above Salford City in the football pyramid, were undone by a Ben Beresford goal after only ten minutes. Salford to be kings of Manchester?

61% INCREASE IN POTENTIAL HOUSE POSSESSION NOTICES – SALFORD IN TOP 10% WORST AREAS IN THE COUNTRY FOR COURT EVICTIONS.

Both Salford City Council and homelessness charity, Shelter, have produced figures showing that Salford is in the midst of a homes repossession crisis.

A Salford Council report states that there has been a 61% increase in potential house possession notices, compared to the same point last year, while a new Shelter report states that over 1400 households were taken to court last year for eviction from their homes, an increase of almost 8% in a year. Salford's Citizen's Advice Bureaux is calling it a "housing crisis ticking time bomb…"

SAY `NO TO CUTS' MEETING AS SALFORD COUNCIL PREPARES TO HIT MOST VULNERABLE

Public Meeting
Saturday 21st January 12-2pm
Swinton Royal British Legion

As Salford Council begins to slash more spending on the city's most vulnerable people, Salford City UNISON has called a public meeting to discuss a campaign to fight back.

As well as day care centre closures, the welfare rights and debt advice services are up for the axe together with home care services and the youth service. Meanwhile, Salford Council continues to splash out on MediaCityUK and other `prestige' projects.

ORDSALL FIGHTS BACK AGAINST PROPOSED HUMPHREY BOOTH CLOSURE

Salford City UNISON, Salford Against The Cuts, Salford Pensioners Association
Public Meeting
Saturday 14th January 2-4pm
St Clement's Church, Ordsall

Despite Salford Council saying nothing about its proposed closures of day care centres for the old and vulnerable, official consultations with service users begin tomorrow...

…And the fightback against closures starts on Saturday with a public meeting at St Clement's Church in Ordsall, led by its Reverend Sandra Kearney who says "These day centre closures are an injustice to the vulnerable"

Harrogate Railway Athletic 2 Salford City 0

SALFORD CITY PLAY OFF HOPES MUDDIED

The Ammies' play off hopes were temporarily delayed yesterday as wind, mud and a wildly sloping pitch combined to hand home team Harrogate Railway an advantage against the usual silky skills of Salford City.

A Salford Star Exclusive

BABY JAYDEN – FIRST SALFORD BABY BORN 2012
BUT NO HOPE IN NIGHT OF DRAMA

"Can you imagine… `BBC whoever had baby on the floor in Salford'? It would be front page news but because we're just normal Salford people…" Great granddad Phil Hamer 

Jayden Hamer was born three minutes past 4am on New Year's Day – and as far as we know he was the first baby born in Salford in 2012.

After the closure of Hope Maternity Unit late last year, Jayden should have been born at North Manchester General but his mum, Nicola, was sent home to Salford minutes after midnight on New Year's Eve with no transport, only to have the baby on the bathroom floor a few hours later. This, says Nicola and her granddad Phil, is why Salford needs the return of Hope's Maternity Unit…

HUNDREDS ATTEND CANDLE LIT VIGIL FOR ANUJ BIDVE

Last night hundreds of people attended the candle-lit vigil for Anuj Bidve, the Indian student who was murdered on Ordsall Lane on Boxing Day. The hour long ceremony was held in silence other than prayers, as people from all over the country paid respects.

Salford City 1 Prescot Cables 1

SALFORD'S KEEPER CURSE STRIKES AGAIN

After only five minutes of play Salford City's goalie, Chris Howarth, had to go off injured, only to be replaced by midfielder Jamie Buguley. With no sub keeper on the bench this is the third time this season that the Ammies have had to hand the gloves to an outfield player. But Salford still held on to win a point.