A Salford Star Exclusive

ARRIVA AMBULANCE SERVICE GETS OVER 100 COMPLAINTS IN FIRST MONTH

Arriva Transport Solutions, which took over the non-emergency ambulance service from the NHS on April 1st has had complaints at the rate of almost four per day since it began operating.

One woman, who complained to Arriva about the "utter disgust I felt at the state my mother came home in", has since seen her mother, unfortunately, die…

SALFORD COUNCIL £1MILLION OPTIONS SPEND - INC £250,000 ON CONSULTANTS

Hard up Salford Council, which states it hasn't enough money to make its home decent to live in, is this year spending around £1million, including £250,000 for consultants, on "costs associated with the stock options". This is basically the price tag around the vote on whether to privatise its social housing, currently run by Salix Homes. The Bedroom Tax adds spice to the upcoming debate...

SWALLOW STUFF ON SALFORD QUAYS

Wildlife Quays Cruise
Saturday May 11th 8am £11

The incredible wildlife that has survived MediaCityUK and all the other development at Salford Quays will be showcased in a special cruise around the area. If you can't afford the Caribbean this year, this is definitely for you.

From the decks you'll be watching for mute swans, lapwings, grey herons, kingfishers and cormorants. But will the story of how hawks were used to clear the area of birdies for MediaCityUK be told?

STEVE EVETS DOES POEM FOR FIREBOMBED BOOKSHOP

Last February, the famous Freedom Bookshop in Whitechapel, London suffered a firebomb attack, destroying some of its 127 year-old archive of publications.

Now a new anthology of Poems For Freedom has been published to help fundraise for the stricken Freedom company – including one by top Salford actor Steve Evets called Two Heads Are Better Than One.

CATHERINE TYLDESLEY DOES MONKFISH FOR STARBITES

Little Hulton's Catherine Tyldesley, currently starring in Coronation Street, has given a special stress reducing recipe for a new cook e-book in aid of children's cancer research charity KidsCan.

Ten celebs including Salford's Catherine Tyldesley, plus Kolo Toure and Lisa Riley, have donated recipes for StarBites, hoping to sell one million copies at only £1 each.

AMMIES GIFT OSSETT THREE GOALS – AND THEN THE FIGHTBACK

Ossett Town 3 Salford City 2

With twenty minutes barely on the clock, Salford City found themselves three goals down to Ossett. But that was almost the last look-in the Yorkshire team got, as the Ammies nearly got a gallant draw. Unfortunately, despite constant pressure, the equaliser just wouldn't come.

FLOWERS FOR AGECROFT COLLIERY MINERS

International Workers' Memorial Day
Sunday 28th April 11am
Albert Square, Manchester

Flowers were laid at the entrance to the former Agecroft Colliery yesterday to remember Salford miners killed in the quest for coal under the city. The commemoration was a forerunner to International Workers' Memorial Day on Sunday, when there is a `Remember The Dead and Fight For The Living' rally in Albert Square.

BIG TURNOUT IN ORDSALL AS LABOUR COUNCILLORS REPRESENTED BY CABBAGE

Ordsall Against The Bedroom Tax held a big meeting last night to fight against the dreaded Tax, with more horrendous stories of unfairness recounted by residents.

Ordsall's Labour councillors and Salford's Deputy Mayors were invited but didn't show up, and so were substituted by a cabbage.

LITTLE HULTON AND WALKDEN AGAINST THE BEDROOM TAX TAKES ON CITY WEST

Protesters from Little Hulton and Walkden Against The Bedroom Tax occupied the City West Housing office in Little Hulton District Centre this afternoon demanding answers from the social housing company. Will City West reclassify houses and guarantee no evictions? What support is City West giving to its hard up tenants?

CITY WEST AND SALIX `EXPLORING' RECLASSIFICATION BUT DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH

Social landlord City West and Salix Homes are `exploring' reclassifying homes to get around the Bedroom Tax and are holding talks with Salford councillors.

But City West, which made a £11.278million surplus during 2011-12, states that reclassification would only be "viable in exceptional circumstances", while Salix, which paid its executive officers £435,000 in 2012, talks of "significant financial implications". Today there is a Bedroom Tax demo at City West's office in Little Hulton. Chloe Glover reports…

NHS PRIVATISATION WILL MAGNIFY SALFORD HEALTH DIVIDE

Today the House of Lords is voting on Section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act which, in effect, opens up the privatisation of the NHS. Campaigners say that it will create a health service that benefits those who can afford to pay.

In Salford the geographical health and wealth divide is almost the same. If you live in Worsley and Boothstown you're a health winner. Central Salford or Winton? You're a health loser.

BEDROOM TAX…CRISIS LOAN CUTS…LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING…UNEMPLOYMENT… SALFORD SET TO SUFFER

"It is expected that the number of rough sleepers to increase as the result of the new legislative changes introduced by the government" Salford Council  

Latest reports by Salford City Council show horrendous predictions for the near future with the old, young and abused all set to suffer as a result of ConDem Government welfare changes, the grim economic outlook and, er, Salford Council's own policies…

BRIDGES, FOUNTAINS AND NOW A £MULTI-MILLION PARK IN GREENGATE

After the £13.3m `Greengate Square' fountain, the £30,000 competition to build a bridge by The Meadows and the £multi-million MediaCityUK walkway tart up, Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart, is set to approve a payment of £125,000 for consultants to start work on a new `green lung', or park, in Greengate costing well over £3million.

RED FLAG WALKS THROUGH RADICAL SALFORD 

Radical Salford
Sunday 28th April 10.45am
Black Lion pub £6/£5

Another series of Red Flag Walks includes Salford's radical past, which takes in the site of the old Flat Iron Market, Bexley Square and sites from the 1842 General Strike, all led by local history expert Michael Herbert.

SALFORD CHORAL GLORIOUS BAROQUE CONCERT

Saturday 27th April 7.30pm
Royal Northern College of Music £15/£10

And now for something completely different as Salford Choral Society performs a programme of French and English Baroque music, featuring an array of top singers, from tenor to soprano to baritone under the baton of guest conductor Justin Doyle.

BEDROOM TAX HORROR STORIES ON SALFORD MARCH

Salford people marched from Mocha Parade in Lower Broughton yesterday to join the Manchester protest against the hated Bedroom Tax. On the march was Kelly Shortman, who is getting told by Salix Homes that her fostered niece has to share a room with her seven year old son – or face massive financial penalties.

NEVER MIND THE SCORE SALFORD HAS FUN IN THE SUN

Salford City 1 Radcliffe Borough 1

With nowt to play for other than pride, Salford and Radcliffe drew the local derby before a crowd of almost 200. As the sun shone for the first time in millenniums, even the ref laughed at his own belly, while keeper Ritchie Branagan, saved a penalty before picking up the supporters Player of the Year Award.

Saturday 20th April
1pm Mocha Parade
Lower Broughton

Tomorrow's Salford Against the Bedroom Tax march to join the Manchester protest begins at Lower Broughton's Mocha Parade. The due-to-be-demolished shopping centre is all that's left in an ocean of scorched earth that used to be affordable housing. Now it's earmarked for private housing only, courtesy of Countryside Properties.

WHAT ARE SALFORD ASSISTANT MAYOR AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS TEACHING OUR KIDS?

Salford parents may well be asking what is going on in our primary schools at the moment. And might particularly want to ask Assistant Mayor for Children, Councillor John Merry, what on earth is going on around stuffing loads of kids into small schools or sacking support staff. The Salford Star did. And the GMB union did. Here's what happened with St Mark's in Worsley and Springwood in Swinton…

64 ADULT SOCIAL CARE JOBS TO GO…SPECIALISED SOCIAL WORKERS FOR KIDS AXED…CLOSURE OF DAY CARE CENTRES

"There is a distinct lack of openness and honesty about all of this…" UNISON

Salford Council's massacre of services for the most vulnerable adults and young people in the city is well under way, with its decision to shut Humphrey Booth and Craig Hall day centres, with the subsequent loss of 64 adult social services jobs. Meanwhile, young people with disabilities are to lose their specialist social workers.

Salford UNISON calls the ConDem Government-led cuts "discrimination".

A Salford Star Exclusive

SALFORD CITY COUNCIL BALES OUT STADIUM WITH MORE LOANS

Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart, has approved another secret loan to the City of Salford Stadium to cover `liabilities'. The Stadium, a joint venture between Salford Council and Peel Holdings, has already had a loan in excess of £20million from the Council. According to its latest set of accounts, the Stadium has made losses of over £4million.

CLASS ACTIONS DO M IS 4 MAGGIE

'Thank you very much and what you did for me, there's no such thing as society. Greed is good because of you, here's my tribute to the lady in blue'

Salford rap collective Class Actions have re-released their tribute track to Margaret Thatcher, especially for her funeral.

"Margaret Thatcher was always my definition of evil" says Class Actions' Aslan AK.

BIG SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR SALFORD RANGERS AT CLIFTON COUNTRY PARK

With Salford Council proposing to axe three park rangers' jobs, green space users, trade unionists and volunteer rangers today put on a display of support for the team at Clifton Country Park.

Virtually everyone using the park signed petitions calling on Salford Council not to cut vital green space jobs.

SALFORD CAMPAIGN AGAINST BEDROOM TAX HITS THE STREETS

Saturday 20th April
1pm Mocha Parade
Lower Broughton

Next Saturday, Salford Against The Bedroom Tax launches into action with its first major activity – a march from Mocha Parade to Albert Square in Manchester to meet up with other campaigners from around Greater Manchester and Leeds.

EMMERDALE STAR DIRECTS STRANGE VIDEO SHOOT

Emmerdale star, Jason Merrels, directed a wild video for Salford band Death To The Strange last week. The video shoot for the new EP, Sign On, was filmed outside the Job Centre in Eccles and around the town centre. Graham Williamson went along to join in the fun…

SUPER SALFORD BACK TO WINNING WAYS

Garforth Town 0 Salford City 2

Salford City finally got a long awaited victory at Garforth today, with goals from Nathan Taylor and Nathan McDonald. The Ammies will now be looking to complete the season in style with a final push up the league in the remaining half dozen matches.

THE CRANES IN SPAIN STAY MAINLY IN PLAIN VIEW

While Salford Mayor, Ian Stewart, seems determined to demolish the iconic blue cargo cranes at Salford Quays, in Tarragona, Spain, they make a massive show of their industrial heritage – as Suzi Hoffmann discovered on a recent trip.

CLASS ACTIONS LEAD HILLSBOROUGH COMPILATION ALBUM

Brilliant! Brilliant Brilliant!!! These are the only words to describe an absolutely top collection of tracks led by radical Salford rap collective Class Actions to raise awareness on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Entitled Rip Up The Sun, R.I.P The Victims, the free download compilation features a massive variety of music styles and poetry all with a hard core angry theme steaming through the middle of them. Must listen stuff!

THREE RANGERS JOBS CUT BUT TWO CREATED AROUND MEDIACITYUK

Support Salford Park Rangers
Sunday 14th April, 1pm
Clifton Country Park

Three Salford Rangers' jobs are to be axed as part of a £93,000 cut to the service – but two new posts will be created to tart up the `Irwell River Park' around Salford University, Manchester City Centre and MediaCityUK.

As outlying green areas of Salford lose out to the prestige sites, supporters of the Rangers service have arranged a public event to recognise the vital work it does.

ARRIVA PRIVATISED AMBULANCE SERVICE CALAMITIES CONTINUED... PART TWO

`We are sorry for any distress this may have caused' Arriva

In Part One, the Salford Star revealed how Arriva Transport Solutions, which took over from the publicly owned North West Ambulance Service at the beginning of April, had driven a frail lady almost to the end of her physical tether.

Here we print the full story in e-mails we received from the woman's daughter cataloguing one disaster after another – with reactions from Arriva and the NHS.

LONG WAITS, ANXIETY AND FINALLY A HEART ATTACK – WELCOME TO THATCHER'S WORLD OF THE PRIVATISED NHS…

"I wholly believe this is nobody's fault except Arriva's, as this has never happened before" Caroline Connelly

From the beginning of April, Greater Manchester's non-emergency patient transport service transferred from the public North West Ambulance Service to private company Arriva Transport Solutions.

In just one week, the cock ups, calamities and tragedies can be summed up by the treatment of Caroline Connelly's mother, a frail lady needing dialysis. Yesterday, she had a heart attack.

BBC PHILHARMONIC GETS ANOTHER £3M IN MEDIACITYUK JOBS DESERT

This month, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will pick up another cheque for £3million from hard up Salford City Council, as a Freedom of Information request to the BBC reveals that, since its arrival at MediaCityUK, only around three dozen Salford people have actually got jobs there.

THATCHER DIES AS SALFORD REMEMBERS WITH BITTERNESS

Margaret Thatcher has died today, as benefit cuts she could only dream about become reality this week. Only last Friday, a film was premiered in Salford showing two old men sat on a bench in Eccles Precinct still remembering the Iron Lady's impact on the city… "She shut the pits, the engineering works…everything's gone"…

SALFORD GEARS UP TO FIGHT THE BEDROOM TAX AS SALIX MESSES UP

Salix Homes, Salford Council's arms length housing company, has admitted sticking around 160 single people in two bedroom flats last year, despite knowing that the Bedroom Tax was coming.

Now Salford is getting organised to fight against the Bedroom Tax, with two meetings. Tonight, 8th April there is a meeting of Broughton Against The Bedroom Tax at 6pm, and it's followed on the 16th by a Little Hulton Against The Bedroom Tax meeting.

WORLD WAR II MUSICAL FOR MORPHIC

Pack Up Your Troubles
Friday 12th – Saturday 13th April
2:30pm and 7:30pm £5 for Salford Star readers
Royal Northern College of Music

With a cast of forty young Salford people, Morphic's dramatic World War II musical Pack Up Your Troubles explodes on stage at the RNCM this week. Tickets are available for Salford Star readers at a special price of just £5.

ORDSALL JUNIORS FC SECURE NEW SPONSORSHIP

Two months ago, the Salford Star ran an article about Ordsall Juniors Under 9's needing sponsorship for a new kit. Salfordian, Richard Johnson, from the Sports Therapy Foundation, read the piece and decided to get involved. Yesterday we went down to Ordsall Park to see the Juniors sport their new kit…

FRED ENGELS: THE MOVIE OF THE THEATRE RE-MAKE

This week, as millionaires get tax cuts and the poor get the Bedroom Tax, it was fitting that the film of the making of the theatre re-make of Friedrich Engels' The Condition of the Working Class was premiered almost around the corner from the revolutionary's old mill in Weaste.

Has anything changed since Fred first exposed The Condition of the Working Class in 1844? As if!

NO DEFENCE AS SALFORD SHIP SIX AGAIN

Salford City 2 Burscough 6

Salford City shipped six goals for the second time in a week against opposition that was hardly Barcelona. But the good news is that the Ammies managed to score goals for first time in over three hours of football. And, believe it or not, star keeper Ritchie Branagan was the man of the match.

BEDROOM TAX LOBBY OF CONTOUR HOMES OFFICE IN SALFORD QUAYS

"To make a 15 year old, someone who's almost an adult, and a six year old share is ridiculous" Vanda Smith

Yesterday, Contour Homes residents from Hillock Estate in Whitefield invaded Contour Homes office in Salford Quays, protesting about the Bedroom Tax and forthcoming arrears, evictions and social injustice. Chloe Glover hears the horror stories.

`The Government's mission in five years is to smash the public sector and welfare state' Dave Vincent PCS

Civil servants across Manchester and Salford went on half day strike again against constant ConDem Government attacks on their terms and conditions. Unions believe that the attacks are aimed at getting another layer of the public sector ready for privatisation.

As, PCS union's Dave Vincent told a rally of strikers outside Manchester Civil Justice Centre this afternoon, the issues go wider than the civil service, and are linked to benefit attacks like the Bedroom Tax...

INDEPENDENT REPORT DESTROYS PEEL HOLDINGS CREDIBILITY

"It is hardly surprising that there is a perception Peel has local governance – if not local authorities themselves – in its pocket"

Over just two months of last year, Salford City Council handed three different Peel Holdings companies almost £2million of public money. Yet those companies, ultimately controlled offshore, have no accountability.

Salford's experience of Peel is being mirrored in Liverpool, where the Peel `beast' is virtually running the region via its massive Liverpool and Wirral Waters projects. A new independent report from ExUrbe takes an in-depth look at Peel. And its critique and research is devastating…

SALFORD NHS SUPPORT GROUP BOOTED OUT OF FIT CITIES

The Salford NHS Support Group, which is trying to safeguard public health services in the city, has been banned from Fit City centres. Previously, the group had permission from staff at the centres to collect signatures for petitions and to raise awareness of changes to the NHS.

Now Salford Community Leisure, which runs the centres on behalf of Salford Council, is treating the well meaning group like Al-Qaeda. Chloe Glover reports…

PROTEST AGAINST RIPPING THE HEART OUT OF THE NHS

The NHS literally had the hart ripped out of it today – firstly with new ConDem Government `reforms' being active, and secondly, via a graphic operation performed on the public piazza at Media City by campaigners, who explained through song, theatre and banners what the privatisation of our health service will mean.

CLASSIC WORKING CLASS HISTORY BOOK 50TH ANNIVERSARY

EP Thompson Exhibition
Working Class Movement Library
4th April – 5th July free

EP Thompson Conference
People's History Museum
Saturday 13th April £10/£5

EP Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class, the book that put the working class back into a British history suffused with kings and queens and the rich, is fifty years old. There's an exhibition in Salford on the historian's life and work, plus a conference in Manchester to sort his legacy.

SALFORD BLOWN AWAY

Trafford 6 Salford City 0

With star goalie, Ritchie Branagan out injured and suspended, and centre forward Rob Kinsella suspended, and the wind contributing to five second half goals, Salford offered little resistance to an Easter crucifixion at Trafford.