AS EXECS CASH IN SALFORD ART GALLERY SEES HUGE CUTS AND AT LEAST EIGHT JOBS AXED

First Ordsall Hall was facing partial closure and jobs cuts. Now Salford Museum and Art Gallery is getting slashed, as Salford Community Leisure aims to make savings by closing the Gallery one day a week, cutting heritage services and axing at least eight posts.

Meanwhile, a fortune is being spent on doing up Salford Art Gallery, and two execs at Salford Community Leisure saw income packages rise by over £18,000 last year.

FRACK OFF!!!

"Fracking is a disaster waiting to happen…but they just want the money" Stephen Hall

The financial and environmental exploitation of land around Barton Moss continues with future gas and methane mining proposals confusing residents and councillors alike.

As Chloe Glover tries to unpick the mining mess, residents argue that the Salford City Stadium, Port Salford and now possibly fracking will bring nothing to the area apart from more traffic and pollution – and, so far, not a job in sight.

A Salford Star Exclusive

PENDLETON NOT TOGETHER - SP+ £430MILLION REGENERATION IN DOUBT 

The £430million regeneration of Pendleton has stalled again, with the Government refusing to sign off the project, citing a lack of value for money to the taxpayer.

Salford Council's other PFI projects – for high schools and an SEN centre – will end up costing up to four times their initial capital costs, and the Government has now drawn the line, telling the Council and its partner, the consortium SP+, to `assess alternative financing options'.

BBC ON STRIKE AT MEDIACITYUK OVER JOB THREATS

`Why would the BBC be taking on local people whilst sacking staff?' NUJ official

Picket lines were mounted at three BBC entrances at MediaCityUK today as staff went on national strike over compulsory redundancies at the Corporation.

In Salford, jobs are threatened at Five Live, Children's BBC, Sport, Future Media, North West Tonight and Radio Manchester, as the BBC intends to cut 2000 jobs over the next five years. So much for anyone from Salford actually getting a decent job at the BBC.

DAYS OF ACTION AND REGION-WIDE CAMPAIGNS TO FIGHT HEALTH CUTS

The Greater Manchester Health Emergency summit yesterday resolved to widen the fight against cuts to health services in the region with co-ordinated campaigns and more days of action.

Chloe Glover went to the Conference for the Salford Star and reports on the cuts, campaigns and action discussed.

SALFORD GOES FOR NATIONAL WITH HOMOPHOBIC KNIFE CRIME PLAY

Tomorrow Iʼll Be Happy
Tuesday 5th March 8pm £4
The Lowry

Young people from Salford are aiming to get to the National Theatre with their adaptation of a new play by top writer Jonathan Harvey, called Tomorrow I'll Be Happy.

The freshly re-named MORPHIC Young Peopleʼs Theatre Company (formerly CRIS), has a virtually untrained cast of 13-19 year olds, who are up against the likes of the Royal Exchange and The Lowry's own theatre groups to perform at the National Theatre.

HILLBILLIES FOILED BY AMMIES STUNNER

Clitheroe 2 Salford City 2

A last gasp free kick by debutant Martin Ormesher rescued a point for battling Salford City, up in the Clitheroe hills. Nathan McDonald had earlier pulled a goal back and the Ammies also hit the bar three times in an entertaining match.

WITCHES, OUTSIDERS AND WONDER WOMEN

Wonder Women: Radical Manchester
Working Class Movement Library
Saturday 9 March, 2pm free

International Women's Day is being celebrated in Salford with an event on 9th March themed around outsiders – from witches to asylum seekers. The day is also part of a month long series of activities to commemorate 100 years since women `rioted' at Manchester Art Gallery in the fight for the vote.

VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE FOR RANGERS IN SALFORD  

For years, Salford Council has been proclaiming its love for the city's green space. Now it's about to end that romance by slashing the Ranger Team which cares for our spaces, from six people to just two, if current cuts proposals go ahead.

And it looks like the two rangers who might be left will be spending most of their time tarting up the area around MediaCityUK, to the detriment of parks and spaces elsewhere in Salford. Alice Searle, from Friends of Kersal Moor, says "people should be very, very concerned"…

CRISIS IN HOME CARE FOR OLD AND ILL – AS SALFORD COUNCIL ATTEMPTS TO PRIVATISE ITS SERVICE

"Apart from saving our jobs, this is about the need to help people" Salford home care worker

Salford Council is proposing to privatise what remains of its home care services, just as a Care Quality Commission Report, issued today, finds that a quarter of providers are failing to meet quality and safety standards.

The Council is proposing to `outsource' or privatise its home care service, which looks after ill and elderly people, to cut £639,000 from its Adult Services budget…

MIGHTY DROYLSDEN PUT TO THE SWORD BY SUPER SALFORD 

Manchester Premier Cup Semi Final
Salford City 1 Droylsden 0

Salford City tonight humbled the mighty Droylsden to reach the final of the Manchester Premier Cup for the first time in over ten years. A goal by Danny White was enough to stuff the East Manc team, who play two leagues above the Ammies. Salford now meet Mossley in the final, to be played at Stockport County's Edgeley Park. Can Salford now be kings of Manchester?

SALFORD UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLORS MARTIN HALL AND ADRIAN GRAVES CALLED TO RESIGN OVER EXCESSIVE LIBEL COSTS

University acted "to stifle criticism of Dr Graves and Professor Hall" says judge.

Dr Gary Duke, who spent three years battling a libel action brought by the University of Salford, has called for the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Martin Hall and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Adrian Graves, after a High Court judge ruled that to continue the case would be "an abuse of the court's process".

The University spent, what Dr Duke reckons, is `possibly in excess of  £100,000' bringing the libel action against him at a time when staff members were being axed to save money. Now Dr Duke wants a full investigation.

SALFORD COUNCIL PAYS £1.23MILLION FOR MEDIA CITY AND UNIVERSITY RIVER PROJECTS – TO `REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT'?

Cash strapped Salford Council, currently making £23million cuts, is funding MediaCityUK and Salford University river schemes at a cost of £1.23million, including Water Taxi landing stages, walkways from Manchester to Media City, and, initially, cycle routes from the University to Media City.

The schemes, costing a total of £3.1million of public money, are being justified as they will "reduce high rates of unemployment" in wards like Pendlebury, Langworthy and Weaste. But only 5.3% of the money is earmarked for routes that go anywhere near those wards…

SALFORD COUNCIL HORRORS CUTS AS WORKERS SPEAK OUT!

`If you're not prepared to fight these cuts, we will fight you…' resident

For two hours yesterday, Salford Council workers and residents spoke out against the cuts that are crippling the city. An audience of over sixty people heard from mental health service users, park rangers, home care workers, youth workers and Ordsall Hall workers, before passing a motion calling on Salford's Labour Council to stand up to the ConDem Government – and to demand the return of £100million stolen from the people of Salford.

SUPER SALFORD COME FROM TWO GOALS DOWN IN LATE LATE SHOW

Salford City 2 Cammell Laird 2

An injury time header by Danny White earned a deserved point for Salford City as the tangerines battled back from two goals down. The Cammells had hit two goals in two mad minutes to go in front before the interval before a strike from Nathan Taylor had got the Ammies back into the game.

FACE PAINTS, CRAFTS AND CRITTERS

Wed 13th – Fri 15th February
Salford Shopping Centre 12-4pm

During the half term, Salford Precinct is putting on free activities for children, which range from mask and puppet making, to face painting and Ranger Rob showcasing reptiles, rabbits and guinea pigs.

REDUCTION OF SERVICES `A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION' SAYS NATIONAL DEAF CHILDREN'S SOCIETY

Brian Gale from the National Deaf Children's Society has criticised proposals for services for children with disabilities as a `step in the wrong direction', following a meeting with Salford City Council yesterday.

SALFORD CITY REDS LOANS QUESTIONS PROVOKE PUERILE PR RESPONSE

Questions concerning outstanding loans to Salford City Reds have been met with an amazing outburst about the `negative' Salford Star from Salford Council's so-called `Public Relations' department.

A Salford Council finance decision notice showed that public money loans to the rugby club of over £1.5million were not to be transferred to the new company running the Reds, set up by Marwan Koukash. The Salford Star asked for clarification – which was all too much for the Council's press office…

A Salford Star Exclusive

COUNCIL SAYS `SORRY' AFTER WAR PENSION CUTS ERRORS

`I nearly killed myself...'

A disabled ex soldier from Salford almost committed suicide under the stress caused by horrific cuts in his Council Tax and Housing Benefits which would have left him living off just £30 a week.

Following weeks of worry and, after an investigation by the Salford Star, the Council's Assistant Mayor for Finance, Bill Hinds, has apologised to the former soldier, and others like him, for the "admin error" which was "distressing for them".

OVER 600 RESIDENTS VOICE OPPOSITION TO PEEL'S GREENFIELD HOUSING PLANS

Last night, over six hundred residents met to unanimously oppose plans by Peel Holdings and Taylor Wimpey to build hundreds of houses on greenfield sites in and around Worsley, Roe Green, Ellenbrook and Boothstown.

A steering group has been set up and people are being urged to join the campaign to fight planning applications which are expected in the immediate future…

SALFORD'S WORLD FAMOUS WET HOUSE GETS AXED

"…if they're thrown onto the streets some won't survive beyond weeks…" John, former resident of Royal Court

While Worsley has the highest drinking rate in Salford, those who are not so financially fortunate, and who are trying to cope with alcohol dependency, will see their unique `wet house' at Royal Court in Winton close on 31st March. This, despite Salford Council passing a formal decision to keep it open until November 2013.

Now people who work at Royal Court, and both former and current residents, fear for the future of those chucked out. Life and death situation? It could well be…This a very long article but we urge our readers to stick with it. These people must be heard. And, so far, no-one is listening

SO MUCH TO FIGHT FOR IN SALFORD

Salford Against the Cuts Public Meeting
Saturday 9th February 11am
Swinton Royal British Legion

Want to fight back against the cuts in Salford? Like, where do start – mental health services, day care centres, kids with disabilities, bedroom tax, council tax benefits, Ordsall Hall? The list goes on and on. But Saturday morning's Salford Against the Cuts public meeting will be a forum but everyone to air everything against the axe people in the ConDem Government and Salford Council.

ORDSALL JUNIORS UNDER 9's LOOKING FOR SPONSOR

Ordsall Juniors football club was only born a few years ago, and while the original mega successful team has now moved up into the City of Salford Soccer League Under 13's, a new team has been started for the Under 9's.

The Under 9's team is looking for a sponsor to join Peter Hook, whose Hacienda brand adorns the kit of the older team, so we went to check them out as they played Monton Rebels yesterday.

Mossley 2 Salford City 2

BATTLING SALFORD BRING POINT HOME FROM THE HILLS

Salford City, with no manager and half the first team either gone or suspended, battled hard in the hills to earn a well deserved draw at table-topping Mossley. Two weird goals for the Ammies were enough to secure the point.

MARWAN KOUKASH COMPLETES REDS DEAL

At a press conference yesterday businessman Marwan Koukash finally announced his takeover of Salford City Reds promising an "amazing journey" while remaining tight lipped on the details of the deal.

Meanwhile, the latest accounts of Salford City Stadium, joint owned by Salford Council and Peel Holdings, reveal a loss of £4.3million.