SALFORD SHOPPING CENTRE GETS MAKEOVER

As exclusively revealed by Salford Star last January, Salford Precinct is to be revamped, adding 13 new shop units, a new market and an estimated creation of 300 jobs.

The planning application for the new Precinct, which was at the centre of the recent riots in Salford, has been submitted and is due to be decided in November.

ORDSALL WATERFRONT WALL EYESORE

Salford Council's plan for what it calls an `Aspirational Walkway' on Ordsall waterfront is already backfiring. The Council spent £15,000 on removing "the growing problem of graffiti" along a stretch of the Waterfront which was formerly covered in stunning artwork.

But the blank wall it created has just been covered in shockingly bad `tags' and amateur scrawl. Basically, it has created an eyesore, where there was formerly a huge outdoor art gallery…

Prescot Cables 1 Salford City 1

SALFORD MAKE IT FOUR UNBEATEN

Salford City made it four games unbeaten, putting in a dogged defensive display to come away from Prescot Cables with a draw.

Salford City 3 Trafford FC 1

SUPER SALFORD STUFF LOCAL RIVALS

Salford City came from behind to put three past sorry Trafford as the Ammies unbeaten run extends to three games – and the decibel levels at Moor Lane hit 102, that's the same as a chainsaw…

THE MOOR THE MERRIER 

After the morning's torrential rain, the sun came out on Kersal Moor for the annual celebration of one of Salford's most historic sites.

With games, exhibitions, stalls, a brass band and more, the day, as always,  was a great success.

JOURNALIST WHO WENT ON HUNGER STRIKE WINS CASE

James Fallah-Williams, the human rights journalist who went on hunger strike for 19 days after the UK Border Agency tried to chuck him out of the country, has been given leave to stay in the UK for three years.

A huge campaign was launched to help James, who sought asylum in the UK 13 years ago, after his articles infuriated the Sierra Leone Government. Thanking everyone who helped with the campaign, James said "You stood by me because you believe in human rights and justice…"

Full story here…

SALFORD COUNCIL CUTS £140,000 FROM MENTAL HEALTH ACCOMMODATION

While Salford Council talks about saving £40million through `efficiency savings', behind the scenes a series of vicious cuts are affecting some of Salford's most vulnerable people.

Nowhere is Salford Council using the word `cuts'. Instead it uses baffling terms like `reconfiguration' or `redesign' – and hides behind a cloak of secrecy and non-information to do its deeds. The latest is the `re-configuration' of supported accommodation for people with mental health problems – a £140,000 cut.

Salford City 2 Garforth Town 2

SALFORD GO SO CLOSE

An exciting first half that could have seen Salford score five ended 2-2 as Jack Redshaw netted twice to underline his impressive start to the season.
In the end, Salford had to be content with a draw to extend the Ammies unbeaten run to two games…

SALFORD COUNCIL'S £1.6 MILLION TO PEEL MEDIA AND COUNTRYSIDE PROPERTIES…

In expenditure details released last week, Salford Council has handed over £673,000 to MediaCityUK owners Peel Media in `capital grants', while loaning Countryside Properties over £1million.

The payments came in the same month that Salford City Council finalised over £40million of cuts in the city.

A CELEBRATION OF KERSAL MOOR
Saturday 27th August 2011
Moor Lane M7 free 1-4pm

Kersal Moor, the historic site of Chartists, horse races and sport since the 12th Century, has its annual celebration next Saturday with live music from Bessie's Boys Band, plus lots of activities, stalls and prizes for the best costumes…

Bamber Bridge 0 Salford City 3

SUPER SALFORD CITY GET FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

Salford City earned their first win of the season with an emphatic victory over Bamber Bridge.

A fab goal from outside the area by Adam Morning, followed by strikes from Liam Coyne and Gavin Salmon wrapped up Salford's first win of the season. Promotion here we come…

SALFORD COUNCIL'S PRE-CUTS HANDOUTS - Coffee, PR and, er, Conflict Management…

In March, the last month before the cuts came into force, Salford Council spent almost £70,000 on Marketing and Publicity; £8,500 on Public Opinion Surveys; £57,406 on Miller Homes, which is yet to build a house in Charlestown; £25,000 on the now folded Central Salford URC; and over £3000 on a coffee consultancy.

Salford Council also gave a grant of over £7000 to the Centre For Good Relations which specialises in showing councils how to "manage conflict"…

JILL BAKER V SALFORD COUNCIL

"SHAMEFUL…POOR PRACTICE" AS SALFORD'S VULNERABLE KIDS PUT AT RISK

"I was answerable, I had to take responsibility" John Merry, who never resigned over Salford's `inadequate' Children's Services

For up to four years or more, Salford's most vulnerable children were put at greater risk due to "shameful…poor practice" within Salford Council Children's Services an Employment Tribunal heard yesterday.

Jill Baker, the former Director of Children's Services, is taking Salford Council to the Tribunal with her case for unfair dismissal, and yesterday, John Merry, Leader of Salford Council, was the latest to stick the knife into Mrs Baker's back…

Lancaster City 1 Salford City 0

SALFORD WILL RISE AGAIN…

Salford City are still looking for the first points of the season after another defeat in this second game. But on the basis of this encouraging performance a win is just around the corner – at Bamber Bridge on Saturday…

HIGHER BROUGHTON MESS NO CLEARER

Inpartnership, one of the three companies involved in the failed regeneration of Higher Broughton, has been bought by Sigma Capital Group.

However, Inpartnership's new owners couldn't give the Salford Star any timescale for the completion of the so-far flopped Broughton Green scheme…

SUPER SALFORD SATURDAY BIG SUCCESS

Yesterday's annual Super Salford Saturday event took place in Chimney Pot Park with bands, face painting, an afternoon tea tent and lots of stalls.

Just 100 yards from the trashed Lidl supermarket that Prime Minister David Cameron visited last Friday, this top community event shows the side of Salford that never interests the media.

Salford City 1 Warrington Town 5

SECOND HALF HORROR IN SALFORD AS VOODOO HOODOO STRIKES!

How did this happen? Salford, 1-0 up at half time, fell to the opening day fixture curse that has engulfed the club for the last zillion years.

Was voodoo afoot?

UNISON ATTACKS SALFORD COUNCIL YOUTH CUTS

"Our members…are determined to try and provide these young people with a chance to do something better than pull the shutters off Lidl, but reduced staffing numbers make it harder everyday." UNISON

In the wake of the riots, and on the day Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in the city, Salford Council workers' trade union, UNISON, has rounded on Council Leader, John Merry, with an open letter imploring him to reverse cuts to youth services in the city. The trade union points out that `child poverty in Salford stands at 60% and in some wards youth unemployment is as high as 40%'.

REASONS TO BE ANGRY AND REASONS NOT TO RIOT

Here, Nigel Pivaro argues that no matter what happened or didn't happen in Salford on Tuesday night, the Salford riots were wrong – just ask a Syrian!

WHIT LANE RESIDENTS TOLD TO WAIT AGAIN – AFTER TEN YEARS OF NON-REGENERATION

"Are our houses coming down or not? Where's the £53million gone? Whit Lane has been abandoned…" resident

Last night, a meeting of residents from the Whit Lane estate in Charlestown were told to wait a further three months to discover the fate of their houses – after ten years and £53million of supposed `regeneration' by Charlestown and Lower Kersal New Deal for Communities.

BLAME THE PARENTS!!!

The following open letter has been recieved by the Salford Star...

LANCASTER HOUSE CAMPAIGNERS ACCUSE "ILLEGAL AND UNDEMOCRATIC" SALFORD COUNCIL

Campaigners fighting the cut in funding to the Lancaster House homeless service have accused Salford City Council of "illegal and undemocratic" actions in both the way that the decision was reached and its blocking of any challenge to the decision.

Now they are taking the case to the High Court which they claim will cost Salford tax payers in excess of £50,000

HAZEL BLEARS OFFICE HIT IN RIOTS – THE AFTERMATH 

Hazel Blears' office on Langworthy Road was attacked last night as the riot which hit Salford Precinct spread to surrounding areas.

Today, Hazel Blears was on Salford Precinct condemning the "criminals" who had taken part in the disturbances and refused to blame Government and Salford Council cuts to youth services for the riot.

9pm Latest

A VERY SALFORD RIOT

Around 300 people gathered around LIDL next to Salford Precinct tonight as its shelves were cleared and cars were torched in its car park.

Earlier, The Money Shop and Bargain Booze were amongst many shops on the Precinct which were attacked. By evening there was no police presence at all, only a helicopter whirring overhead.

SALFORD POLICE BLOCK OFF PRECINCT AS RIOT FEAR SPREADS

4pm latest. Photo Exclusive.

"Tell everyone this is because of the Government cuts"

Police swooped to block off Salford Precinct this afternoon as people gathered around its perimeter in a riot stand off.

The police sealed off access from Pendleton roundabout to the shuttered down Precinct as more and more squad cars arrived with their sirens blazing. By 4pm the whole area around the tower block side of the Precinct was cordoned off.

SALFORD COUNCIL EMPLOYEES EARNING OVER £50,000 INCREASES... HOLD ON A SEC, AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE CUTTING BACK?

Shutting down homeless hostels, `reconfiguring' youth services and slashing adult social services… £40million of cuts? But the number of Salford Council employees earning over £50,000 has increased.

What the hell is going on at Salford Council? The fat cats just got fatter!

SUPER SALFORD SATURDAY
Saturday 13th August
Chimney Pot Park 12-5pm
Langworthy Cornerstone 12-3pm

Too huge for one site, Super Salford Saturday returns this year split over two venues – outdoors at Chimney Pot Park and indoors at the Langworthy Cornerstone.

Starring loads of bands, stalls, eating tasters and kids entertainment Super Salford Saturday is going to be the best one yet.

THE FORGOTTEN ESTATE STILL KNOWS HOW TO PARTY!

Salford's forgotten estate, around Whit Lane, still knows how to throw a party as Saturday's Party In The Park was another huge success with bands and family entertainment going all day and into the evening.

While Salford Council dillies and dallies and doesn't know what to do about the so-called `regeneration' of the area, Party In The Park lives on. And then some…

UNLEASHING THE SALFORD MOVIE

Behind the back of the BBC and MediaCityUK there's a film being made every day in Salford, out in the community where the real stuff goes off. Now CRIS: Unleashing Creativity is aiming to gather in all the people who have had a taste of movie making and mix them all together to make one huge Salford Feature Film. And anyone with a few skills can be part of it.

BITTER SWEET BOXER ROLES

A new comedy drama feature film is being shot in Salford and volunteers are being sought to work alongside industry professionals in its production.

Roles range from hair and make up artists, to lighting, sound and camera assistants, to runners and location scouts.

CELEBRITIES KICK OFF FOR HENSHAWS

AFC Monton v Celebrity All Stars
Sunday 14th August 1pm Family donation £5

Ex professional footballers, and celebs from Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks are to play in a special footy match against AFC Monton to raise money for Henshaws Society for Blind People in honour of Neil Splaine, from Worsley, who died in a tragic motorbike accident last January.

MANC JOURNO ON HUNGER STRIKE

Manchester NUJ branch journalist, James Fallah-Williams, has now been on hunger strike for one week, protesting against the UK Border Agency's handling of his asylum case.

James, who has been living, working and studying in Leigh, and now Manchester, for 13 years has had death threats after his articles appeared in papers in Sierra Leone. He accuses the Border Agency of "institutional vindictiveness and abuse of power"…

HOOKY DOES JOHNNY CLARKE THEN THE LOWRY

In what should be a Salford legend spectacular, Peter Hook is interviewing John Cooper Clarke on Radio 4's Chain Reaction next week, while Hooky himself is being interviewed tonight on the same show by comedian Simon Day.

Meanwhile, Peter Hook And The Light have announced a special homecoming gig at The Lowry in November where the band will be performing both Joy Division albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer for the first time ever.

WHAT GOES ON BEHIND SALFORD COUNCIL'S CLOSED DOORS IN THE SUMMER? COULD IT BE THE DREADED FACS OPTION 3?

Is it just co-incidence that Salford Council is pushing through its nastiest cuts during the peak of the summer holidays in the city?

Last Monday, £272,000 was cut for single homeless people, including funding for Lancaster House. Next Monday, at the Council's Adult Social Care Lead Member meeting, 17 items on the agenda are being discussed and decided behind closed doors.

We believe that this is the start of almost £4million in cuts for services for the most vulnerable adults in Salford. And it's all being done in secret. At the height of the summer holidays.

COUNCIL AXES LANCASTER HOUSE FUNDING DESPITE PROTESTS

After weeks of sustained campaigning, ending yesterday with a march through Salford, a noisy demo outside the Civic Centre and the handing over of an 8000 signature petition, Salford Council yesterday axed funding for Lancaster House, arguing that it meant "improved support for homeless".

Now campaigners are taking the fight to the High Court and vowing to stand against Councillor Peter Connor, Head of Salford Housing and Salford MP Hazel Blears at the next elections.

SALFORD'S FREE COMMUNITY FILM FESTIVAL TO FOLD?

As untold millions of pounds are sunk into MediaCityUK, the Salford Film Festival, now in its eighth year, is in grave danger of folding following a £20,000 cut in its funding from Salford City Council.

The Festival does not appear in the Salford Council's `art and culture' brochure this year.