FINANCIAL HARDSHIP CAUSING HUGE INCREASE IN HEALTH PROBLEMS SAY DOCTORS

A survey by The BMJ reveals that 94% of GPs believe their workload has increased in the past year because of financial hardship amongst their patients, while two thirds state that their patients' health is being harmed by benefit cuts.

Benefit cuts brought in by the ConDem Government are leading to debt and housing problems, which in turn are leading to mental and physical health issues. The new research is released as Salford Council confirms that it is cutting its Welfare Rights and Debt Advice service.

TRUTH OF BARTON MOSS POLICING COMPLAINTS REVEALED

A Freedom of Information request to Greater Manchester Police has revealed that the number of complaints against the force's policing of Barton Moss was actually more than double the number stated by Chief Constable Peter Fahy in a public statement earlier this year.

As the number of complaints was described as "truly shocking" by Barton Moss solicitor, Simon Pook of Robert Lizar's, yesterday at Manchester Magistrates Court two protectors involved in a lorry lock-on in January were acquitted, while two others were given conditional discharges.

A Salford Star Exclusive

SALFORD COUNCIL MAKES HUGE PAY-OFFS TO SPICER AND VICKERS  DESPITE CUTS

As Salford Council was formulating cuts to transport for disabled adults, the Salford Children's Camp and more, it paid out huge sums to senior staff who left their posts, the Salford Star can reveal.

Chief Executive, Barbara Spicer, who quit the Council in October last year, got a £93,000 pay-off, while Martin Vickers, who left the Council in August last year and then controversially walked almost straight into a job with Salford City Reds, was handed a pay-off of £78,817.

SARAH BROOKES SELECTION FIASCO COMPARED TO EXPENSES SCANDAL

Controversy continues to rage in the Salford Labour Party, with Karl Brookes writing to members of the Selection Committee who picked the shortlist of candidates to stand in Hazel Blears' vacant seat for the next election, comparing their actions to the MPs' expenses scandal – of which Hazel was the poster girl.

Karl is the husband of Sarah Brookes, who came joint second in Labour Party branch nominations for the candidacy, only to be overlooked by the Committee in favour of a candidate who got just one nomination.

LAST FEW DAYS OF THE FRINGE AT THE KING'S ARMS SALFORD 

The Greater Manchester Fringe Festival draws to a close on Thursday 31st July but before that there's still lots of music, comedy and theatre going off at the King's Arms in Salford.

Tonight sees the opening of the new Lucy Davis Vaults in the cellar of the Kings with Ransack Theatre's production of Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter. There's also music and comedy, including An Evening of Filth and Despair.

…AND SALFORD WOMEN HAVE THE FOURTH WORST LIFE EXPECTANCY

More horrific data has emerged on the early deaths of men and women in Salford, with the city recording the third worst life expectancy in England for men at 76.1 years, and the fourth worst life expectancy for women at 80.5 years.

Meanwhile men living in the posh area of Kensington and Chelsea can expect to live six years longer than Salford men, and women living in Richmond upon Thames can expect to live almost five and a half years longer than Salford women.

SALFORD PEOPLE UNANIMOUSLY IGNORED BY SCRUTINY COUNCILLORS AS £4.4MILLION CUTS GET GO AHEAD

"It's gobsmacking and you would really question your faith in Salford City Council's political system today" Steve North, Salford City UNISON

There was fury yesterday as six councillors sitting on Salford Council's Budget Scrutiny Committee unanimously voted to reject a `call in' to reconsider over £4million of cuts to services for vulnerable people in the city.

The call in was brought by three Labour councillors, who, backed by service users, argued against the cuts on both financial, safety and moral grounds. But UNISON's Steve North said afterwards, "We put our faith in the democratic process, were patronised and then told unanimously that we needn't have bothered."

SALFORD COUNCIL UNDERHAND SALE OF OPEN SPACE LAND CLAIM WALKDEN RESIDENTS

Walkden residents are up in arms against Salford Council's proposed sell off of land at Hill Top Moss, part of Blackleach Country Park, after they were given just two weeks to object to a statutory notice of intent – when Council agents had been in discussions for two years with developer Redwaters.

Redwaters wants to put up dozens of houses on the green open space land that's classified as a wildlife corridor, and now the residents of Hill Top are accusing Salford Council and Deputy Mayor David Lancaster of underhand practices, while hundreds of people have signed petitions against the sell off.

SURE START CENTRES SURVIVE AFTER PROTESTS AND THOUSANDS SIGNING PETITIONS

Campaigners fighting for their Children's Centre sites to stay, after the Council proposed to close them, have won a substantial victory following protests and petitions.

The Council wanted to close three centres in Irlam, Walkden and Lower Broughton but it has now agreed to keep two of the centres in operation - Fiddlers Lane in Irlam and River View in Lower Broughton… "The campaign definitely has made a difference!" says Bek, one of the Lower Broughton campaigners.

CONTROVERSIAL OASIS ACADEMY INADEQUATE AND PUT IN SPECIAL MEASURES

Oasis Academy MediaCityUK has been absolutely slated by Ofsted which ruled it `inadequate' on every scale that it has… `Achievement of Pupils', `Quality of Teaching'; `Behaviour and Safety of Pupils', and `Leadership and Management'.

The controversial Academy, hailed as a `flagship' for Salford,  was at the centre of a riot a few years ago as pupils objected to the mass sacking of teachers half way through exam courses.

BENEFIT STREETWISE SALFORD PEOPLE HIT BACK

As the ConDem Government and its media chums try to bracket everyone on benefits or in poverty as `a drain on society', a new group called NICE has got its voice and is hitting back.

Last Friday members of the group held a media briefing and panel discussion where some truths were told by those hardest hit by welfare `reforms' and Salford Council cuts. As ex-offender Tony said, "If no-one says nowt, nothing's going to change."

MONDAYS, HOOKY, GRAEME PARK IN FUNDRAISING SPECTACULAR

Chico's Kickin Cancer Fundraising Dinner Ball
Friday 25th July
Palace Hotel

This Friday sees the maddest thing ever, as Happy Mondays, Hooky and co perform at a one-off extra posh black tie dinner at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.

It's a fundraiser for both The Christie Hospital and Chico, the 12 year old son of Happy Mondays' Salfordian bass player Paul Ryder, who's currently in the USA kicking Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer.

£3MILLION WORTH OF CARS COME TO SALFORD  

"I wouldn't drive one 'cos everyone would look at you and think `What an idiot'"...

Cuts? Poverty? Hard times? What the hell! When three million quid's worth of in yer face supercars come to town it's hard not to gawp. So we grabbed our junior reporter, cranked up the Salford Star banger and crossed through security into MediaCityUK to stroke the obscenely priced petrol guzzlers.

IF YOU'VE GOT KIDS YOU NEED TO EARN OVER £27,000!!!

A new study released by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation asks the public how much money people need for an adequate standard of living and compares it to previous years.

Amongst other things, the research found that if you've got kids you need to be earning over £27,000, up a whopping £12,000 since 2008. The results should send shockwaves around Salford.

TAXI FOR IAN STEWART!

"Mr Stewart why not come and have a day with us? Maybe this is the only way to shame you…"

Parents and carers of severely disabled adults have told Salford Mayor, Ian Stewart, to spend a day with them and see the affects of some of the £4.4million cuts he's just passed, including those to day centre transport.

Parents and carers met at Swinton Royal Legion this week and voted to continue to fight the cuts which will see over forty disabled people left with virtually no transport to day centres. Three Labour councillors have already `called-in' the Mayor's decision.

SALFORD MAYOR IN MELTDOWN

Labour councillors who sit on Salford Council's Budget Scrutiny Committee have criticised Mayor Ian Stewart, suggesting that he and Council officers should be "more open and transparent about the budget process".

The rebuke comes on top of a `call-in' notice against almost £4.4million of cuts to services for vulnerable adults by three other Labour councillors and the resignation last week of Matt Finnegan, the Council's head of communications and one of the Mayor's closest allies..

LANGWORTHY ROYAL BRITISH LEGION OPEN DAY

First World War Centenary Celebration Open Day
Saturday 19th July 
Royal British Legion, Langworthy Road
10:30am-5pm free

The Langworthy Royal British Legion hosts a family fun day this Saturday to mark the centenary of the First World War. Attending will be the Police, St John Ambulance, Fire Service, Royal Navy, British Army, veterans and more…

LABOUR GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES ON FRACKING, MAYOR, HOMES, CHARITY AND TRANSPARENCY

Before the next General Election, sitting Salford and Eccles MP Hazel Blears is stepping down, and over the next few weeks Labour Party members will be selecting their chosen candidate to stand in her place.

Given that Salford is almost a safe Labour seat, the Salford Star asked all the candidates to guarantee to do five things - oppose fracking, live in the constituency, stand up to City Mayor Ian Stewart, give 1% of their pay to charity and be transparent in their dealings. Would they agree?

THOUSANDS PROTEST AGAINST BBC BIAS

Thousands of people converged on MediaCityUK yesterday to protest against the perceived bias of the BBC in its current reporting of the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.

A banner on one of the buses said it all… `It's not about religion, it's about humanity'…

CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF AGAIN AS FORTY SEVERELY DISABLED PEOPLE LEFT WITHOUT TRANSPORT

"This proposal will disproportionately impact people with learning difficulties, who form just over 70% of current service users" Salford Council report

Save Our Adult Transport
Tuesday 15th July 7pm
Swinton Legion

On Tuesday, parents and carers of some of Salford's most vulnerable people will be meeting as a last chance to try and stop Salford Mayor, Ian Stewart, cutting transport to day care centres and Granville respite centre. The decision to axe the service has already been `called in' by three Labour Party councillors to be reconsidered. All welcome.

SALFORD STAR SEES OFF TOXIC MATT FINNEGAN AFTER POLITICAL SPINNING STORY

Matt Finnegan, Salford Council's £65,000 Head of Communications, has resigned following an article in the Salford Star. Finnegan had a `politically restricted' role at the Council but the Star printed the contents of a leaked email to local press pushing Salford Mayor Ian Stewart's support for Rebecca Long-Bailey, a Labour Party candidate for the seat of retiring MP Hazel Blears.

Finnegan's resignation will further undermine Ian Stewart's power base at Salford Council. This week, three local Labour Party councillors signed a call-in notice against the Mayor's horrific cuts to services for vulnerable adults in the city.

SALFORD STRIKES AGAINST CONDEM GOVERNMENT

"I literally have to take a calculator when I go to the supermarket so that I don't go over budget. We need a pay rise because it is getting stark now…"

Public sector workers from all over Salford took part in a one day strike today against the ConDem Government's pay, pensions and austerity policies. Teachers, firefighters, refuse workers, admin staff and more all walked out as everywhere from schools to fire stations to libraries closed.

"This was a fantastic turnout from our members" said Salford City UNISON's Ameen Hadi "There's very little that operated properly today across the city."

A Salford Star Exclusive

LABOUR COUNCILLORS OPPOSE LABOUR MAYOR'S CUTS FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE

Three Labour councillors have `called in' City Mayor Ian Stewart's cuts to services for vulnerable people, asking Salford Council to `look at alternatives'.

On June 30th, Stewart agreed cuts of over £4million to services which the Mayor's report itself stated "are likely to affect some of the most marginalised citizens in the city". Now even Labour councillors have had enough.

A Salford Star Exclusive

MATT FINNEGAN PUSHES PRESS RELEASE FOR LABOUR PARTY ELECTION CANDIDATE

Matt Finnegan, Salford Council's £65,000 `politically restricted' head of press, has been spinning on behalf of a Labour Party candidate to stand at the next General Election, the Salford Star can reveal.

Finnegan's job description states that his post is "politically restricted as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989" and that he must ensure "probity in all communications".

A Salford Star Exclusive

SPIRIT OF SALFORD WEEKENDER LOST £17,000 – DESPITE MAYOR SAYING IT WOULD COST NOTHING

The Spirit of Salford weekend event at the end of May, which City Mayor Ian Stewart said publicly would cost tax payers of Salford "not a penny extra", actually cost £24,921 with income of just £7,760.

Salford Council has revealed details of the £17,161 loss in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Salford Star. The flop event saw just 200 tickets sold, while money was spent on fireworks and bottles of bubbly - as campaigners protested on the Civic Centre lawn over a cut of £50,000 to the Salford Children's `Jam Butty' Camp.

`APPALLING' SALFORD COUNCIL SLATED FOR FLOGGING OFF ST GEORGE'S RC SCHOOL GREEN FIELD SITE

Last week, Salford Council formally agreed plans to sell off the green field site on Hilton Lane in Walkden formerly used by St George's RC High School as its playing field and lately used by local sheep farmers. 

The sell off includes a clause that `discussions are held with Peel Estates [Peel Holdings] regarding matters of joint interest', and now opposition Conservative Party councillors, calling in the decision, have slammed the Council for "flogging off our green field sites to the highest bidder whilst organising cosy behind-closed-doors meetings with developers".

TEACHERS, FIRE FIGHTERS, COUNCIL WORKERS AND CIVIL SERVANTS JOIN NATIONAL STRIKE

Thursday will see up to one and half million public sector workers take industrial action against the ConDem Government's 1% pay offer, attacks on pensions and huge workloads as unions including UNISON, Unite, GMB, NUT, FBU and PCS go on strike for a day.

Picket lines will be set up all over the city in the morning with a huge strike rally from 12:30pm-1:30pm in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester.

NEVER MIND THE TOUR DE FRANCE HERE COMES GRAHAM AND CURTIS

As the Tour de France hit Yorkshire, Salford's own Graham Cooper and Curtis White arrived home in Salford this week for a quick community reception en route from John O'Groats to Lands End.

The charity bike ride, which will benefit Salford4Good, is due to finish in Lands End this Thursday.

A THOUSAND ISSUES WOKEN UP ON MARKET STREET

Hundreds of shoppers in Manchester City Centre had their psyches awoken this afternoon as issues not covered by the mainstream media were brought to their attention via song, leaflets, speeches and dance.

The now regular Wake Up Manchester pop up event on Market Street drew attention to everything, from fracking to genetically modified food… "We're here to wake up Manchester, wake up Salford, wake up the whole country to exactly what's going on" singer Darren Nesbit told the Salford Star.

DAVYHULME ANTI-FRACKING CAMP TOO TOXIC FOR PEOPLE

Last night, Bez joined around fifty anti-fracking protectors to dramatically hand back to owners Peel Holdings land near the Trafford Centre that has been occupied for the last few weeks.

"The air pollution is so bad that everyone's become ill so people have got to leave and we recommend that people stay away" Bez told the Salford Star "The people using the Trafford Centre's sports facilities should be warned about the consequences of being in the area for too long – we need it investigating…"

SALFORD CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY CAMP SAVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

After a five month battle by campaigners from Save The Jam Butty Camp, last night the Management Committee of Salford Children's Holiday Camp announced that it had "rescinded its decision to close the camp".

The Holiday Camp in Prestatyn, attended by thousands of Salford's children over the past decades, was due to close following a cut in its funding of £50,000 by Salford Council. But after a fantastic campaign by the Save The Jam Butty team - which included storming the Mayor's Spirit of Salford festival and fighting off dirty tricks tactics - the money was raised and the Camp is saved.

£300,000 LOSSES AT `PINK ELEPHANT' INNOVATION FORUM

Back in 2008 the Salford Star asked the then Salford Council Leader, John  Merry, if the £multi-million, publicly funded Salford Innovation Forum on Frederick Road was just a big pink elephant… "It's magenta" he replied.

Now a new Salford Council report on the Salford Innovation Park (which includes the Forum) shows losses in the last year of over £300,000 …

SALFORD COUNCIL'S TOXIC SPIN DOCTOR OUT OF CONTROL

The Salford Star has received an apology after Salford Council's spin doctor, Matt Finnegan, tried to ban its editor from covering the local election count in May.

"It was wrong" writes the Council's Strategic Director Ben Dolan before apologising. But the Salford Star isn't allowing the matter to end there. The Council's toxic spin doctor is out of control and something needs to be done.