POLICE BROUGHT IN ON SALFORD MP'S EXPENSES…

We interrupt this Award ceremony to bring news of a possible police investigation into Hazel Blears' expenses…

The Hazel Must Go! campaign has, this afternoon, written to Scotland Yard formally requesting a criminal investigation into the Parliamentary expenses claims of Hazel Blears, MP for Salford….

THE MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009 

Ladies and Gentlemen of Salford…

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.

Every day until New Year we will be announcing the winners – so please dress up, grab a glass of warm white wine and applaud to yourself after each award is revealed…

So now, without further ado, we present the SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARDS 2009…

Thanks for all your support during 2009 and, hopefully, we'll be back in print in 2010...

Have a top year Salford!

With attitude and love...xxx 

Now That's What I Call Wrapping!!! 

SALFORD STAR SPORTS AWARDS 2009

While Ryan Giggs has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, his brother Rhodri Giggs - who plays for Salford City in the Unibond First Division North - has pipped him to become the Salford Star Sports Personality of the Year.

This award is given by Salford Star magazine to the sports person in Salford who has given the most `attitude and love' on the field of play, and Rhodri Giggs, signed by Salford City at the start of this season, epitomises these ethics to perfection…

SALFORD STAR SPORTS AWARDS 2009

Salford City FC has won the Salford Star Team of the Year Award for its incredible Great Escape in the Unibond First Division North last April, and its superb cup runs this season.

IT'S THE 2009 MARY BURNS AWARDS!!!

Yes, the Salford Star Mary Burns Awards are back by popular demand! So who will win the most uncoveted gongs in Salford?

Last time there was almost a clean sweep by Salford Council, which picked up a total of 10 awards, including the `What A Great School! Let's Shut It!' Award for its work at St George's, plus the `Uncle Joe Stalin Award for Open and Democratic Government' for its work in Seedley South, and around its `democracy day'.

Peel Holdings picked up two Marys, including the `Feed The Rich Award' for no affordable housing at its blocks in the Quays. Other winners were Urban Splash, NDC, Oasis UK, Council Leader John Merry and, of course, Hazel Blears, who won the `Special Award For Being Hazel Blears'. She's red hot favourite to scoop more Marys this year...

Manchester Evening News and Salford Advertiser To Be Sold ?

The Guardian Media Group (GMG), which owns the Salford Advertiser and Manchester Evening News, has admitted that it's in "exploratory talks" about flogging the titles.

Rumours this morning hinted that the Trinity Mirror group, which owns the Daily Mirror, is about to buy all of GMG's regional titles, which include the Manchester Evenings News and Salford Advertiser…

AFFORDABLE? OH YES IT IS!

Jack and the Beanstalk
Salford Arts Theatre
Until 23rd December

The most affordable panto in Salford opened yesterday as Jack and the Beanstalk began its run at Salford Arts Theatre. 

Featuring a giant beanstalk and a full traditional cast of panto characters, there's a Salford twist to the old story of poverty, social climbing and giant gestures.

SO MUCH FOR REGENERATION

Unemployment has fallen everywhere in Greater Manchester – except Salford.

The total number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance fell by 3.9% in Oldham, 1.7% in Trafford, 1.6% in Rochdale and 1.2% in Wigan. But in Salford it rose 1% to 7,847.

These are incredible figures when the sheer volume of public money that’s been pumped into the city for `regeneration’ is taken into account…hundreds of millions of pounds. So where has it gone? On creating jobs for the regenerators who live outside Salford? Shocking!

Salford City 4 Mossley 1

MOSSLEY PANTO AT MOOR LANE…

The three wise men were nowhere to be seen in the Mossley line-up last night as their panto rolled into town, gifting Salford a first home win of the season.

So roll up, roll up…for a fantastic slapstick tale of A-lad-in-goal, beanstalks and pussies in boots…

COUNCIL AND NHS TO SPEND ALMOST £200,000 TO FIND OUT WHAT WE THINK OF THEM!

Salford Council, together with Salford NHS, has just appointed Ipsos MORI pollsters to find out residents' views – at a cost for three years of £164,850 plus another possible £29,700 for a `youth survey'.

SCMP TASTER DAY 9am-3pm
Wednesday 16th December
Cornerstone, 451 Liverpool St, M6

Wednesday sees the return of the unique SCMP (Salford Community Media Partnership) taster day at the Cornerstone in Langworthy. Anyone who's over 19, unemployed and living in Salford can try out workshops in Graphics, Photography, Journalism, Radio, Web Design and Film Making.

It's all dead informal and you can just drop in for a chat or get stuck into some new skills…

ANTONIA GOES LARGE IN PICCADILLY

Walk up Market Street in Manc city centre and as you get to Piccadilly you'll see a huge advertising billboard featuring Eccles girl, Antonia Callaghan…

It's part of Antonia's prize for beating 800 people to jointly win Manchester Arndale's High Street Stars competition…

JILL BAKER FALL OUT
John Merry, Barbara Spicer and John Warmisham Refuse to Resign

After the sacking last week of Jill Baker, head of Salford Council's Children's Services, the Salford Star again called for the resignations of other accountable Council big wigs - Leader John Merry…Lead Member for Children's Services John Warmisham… and Chief Executive Barbara Spicer. 

In a statement to the Salford Star, Council Leader John Merry doesn't mention whether the trio are going to resign or not, just that he is "satisfied that each of us has discharged our responsibilities" and that "Progress is being made and we are holding people to account to maintain that progress…"

Everyone but themselves?

SALFORD UNDER THE WATCHDOGS' MICROSCOPE…

The Government has launched a new website called OnePlace which kind of collates independent reports on areas all over the country into, er, one place. 

Now anyone can instantly get hold of all the reports on Salford's public services like the Council, the Fire Service, the Police and the Primary Care Trust without spending a lifetime digging around the internet to find them.

BEST SALFORD PRESENTS THIS CHRISTMAS

No 5:  The Unexpectable: The Great White Hope (Coolshade Records)

Yep, it's the best Salford album of the year – spittin' thrillin' skillin' Salford rap and hip hop, and way more, at its very, very top. Even Radio 1 made it Record of the Week in the autumn when it was first unleashed. If you're buying any music this Christmas, or ever, don't leave this class collection behind…

Walkin' with an attitude
Through this concrete city
With a fightin' mentality
To reign in this city
Feel the pain in this city…

FC Halifax 6 Salford City 1

SANTA SALFORD GIFTS HALIFAX SIX GOALS…

Six goals, three of them absolute presents, saw Salford City get stuffed in the run up to Christmas by a Halifax team heading for promotion and greater things.

Oh but it could have…should have been so different…

And what's with the fox?

SALFORD MPS' STRANGE EXPENSES CLAIMS…
HAS HAZEL GOT DIVORCED???

Details of expenses claims made by Salford's MPs Hazel Blears, Ian Stewart and Barbara Keeley for the years 2008 and 2009 released by Parliament yesterday expose more odd stuff…like the end of Hazel's marriage?

JILL BAKER SACKED AS OFSTED AGAIN CRITICISES CHILDREN'S SERVICES…

Jill Baker, Director of Children's Services at Salford Council has been sacked this morning for "gross misconduct".

Councillor Bill Hinds, chairman of the cross party disciplinary panel which made the decision said that "there had been a loss of trust and confidence…in Mrs Baker's ability to lead and manage the Children's Services directorate…"
 
But, as OFSTED today again criticises Salford Council's Children's Services in its annual letter to the Council, we ask why those who are also responsible for "significant weaknesses" in the service have not resigned…

Pathfinder Part 2

IT'S ALL GOING WRONG…BUT THE DEMOLITIONS CONTINUE

WHAT PANORAMA MISSED ON HAZEL BLEARS...

NO TURN UNSTONED presents…

Following last month's launch of the No Turn Unstoned live night at The Racecourse pub on Littleton Road, it's back this Saturday by popular demand…

Throw 'Em A Kipper, which kicks off around 8pm, will see one live open mic night of raw explicit entertainment featuring poetry, live music, tall tales, comedy and way more – and it's all free!

HALO! HALO! HALO!

Salford Choral Society
Handel's Messiah
Saturday 12 December  7.30pm
Royal Northern College of Music

This Saturday the Salford Choral Society are bringing it on with a heaven lifting, halo scorching, angel snogging mix of Handel's Messiah at the Royal Northern College of Music…

BBC IN SALFORD...

CAN YOU FORGIVE YOUR MP?

PANORAMA - BBC1 8:30pm tonight

Tonight, Panorma is doing a programe about MPs' expenses and the public response. Some of the programme was shot in Salford, interviewing the community and following the Hazel Must Go! campaign...

Salford City 0 Prescot Cables 2

After all the incredible Salford City battles in the cup competitions, this back to league fixture was supposed to be start of the big climb up the Unibond First Division. But it wasn't to be as two soft goals, two more injuries and too much rain put City to the sword at Moor Lane…

Pathfinder Part 1

£360 MILLION REGENERATION PROJECT INFORMS DEVELOPERS BUT NOT THE COMMUNITY…

The Audit Commission has slated the multi-million pound Government housing regeneration project, Pathfinder, for informing everyone of what it's up to – except the community that's at the sharp end of its practices.

SALFORD COUNCIL PR GAFFE OF THE YEAR!

On the eve of this year's opening of Salford City Council's ice rink, rugby players from Salford City Reds - sponsored by Salford City Council - were featured on tv last night enjoying a fab skating session.

So has Salford's infamous £228,450 ice rink finally got the PR for the city that the Council's been desperate for? Er, no…

BEST SALFORD PRESENTS THIS CHRISTMAS...

No 4: SALFORD STAR T-SHIRTS, HOODIES AND BABY GROWS!

Become a proper Salford Star this Christmas by buying someone you really, really love (like a councillor or MP) a genuine Salford Star hoody or t-shirt. Or what about a Salford Star baby grow for the coolest drooler in town?

If you order before December 10th we can guarantee delivery by Christmas... 

EVERY CHILD MATTERS…
…OR EVERY £90k MATTERS?

"The Council? I think they're a load of rubbish – they're shutting three schools down and opening one that's too small – what's going on there?"
Pauline, parent

Why is Salford Council shutting schools, merging schools, bulldozing schools and selling school land? Is it about "the best interests of our young people" as Children's Services Lead Member, John Warmisham claims – or is it about saving money?

As Seedley, Langworthy Road and Tootal Drive primary schools get merged into a new school that's too small we check out the £££s behind the hype…