ED MILIBAND PROMISES TO HAVE A WORD WITH SALFORD MAYOR IN DROP-IN CLOSURE FIGHT

Salford mental health campaign have taken their fight to the Labour Party Conference this weekend, gatecrashing Ed Miliband's Question and Answer time yesterday, where he promised to talk to Salford Mayor Ian Stewart about the closure of drop-in centres.

Today they joined hundreds of protesters outside the Labour Party Conference centre, urging the delegates to promise to repeal the ConDem Government's Health and Social Care Act, and to start acting like the party that cares for the vulnerable.

BLACK LION CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY WITH WEEK LONG FESTIVAL

Not Part of the Bullingdon Club
Monday 1st October – Sunday 7th October
The Black Lion pub

The Black Lion pub on Chapel Street is celebrating its first birthday since being re-opened as an arts venue, pub, café with a week long festival titled No Part of the Bullingdon Club – a reference to the elitism of Cameron and co.

The Fest includes a screening of the ace John Cooper Clarke documentary, first shown on the BBC 4 and filmed at the pub, plus the live comedy sketch show Slaughterhouse and three nights of the drama Cupcakes and Carousels.

ED BALLS SCORES TWO AS LABOUR MPS HAMMER PRESS

Labour MPs 3 Lobby Press 0

Labour MPs took a break from their Party Conference in Manchester this morning, arriving at Moor Lane, home of Salford City FC, in the official England bus. They hammered the Lobby Press team of journalists 3-0 to win the cup, and afterwards Ed Balls who scored two. Asked if he was pleased by his performance Ed told the Salford Star, "Yeah, on the odd occasion Andy Burnham passed to me…"

CLASS ACTIONS, TROJAN HORSE, RAPID PIG AND SALFORD MEDIA CITY GANG UP AGAINST THE CUTS

Salford Against The Cuts Benefit
Friday 5th October from 7:30pm
Islington Mill

Mental Health cuts…Day Care Centre cuts…Home Care cuts…cuts to everything and everyone in Salford. For the past five years, Salford Against The Cuts has been there holding public meetings, putting out leaflets and campaigning for better lives for the people of Salford. And it all costs money.

This Friday a fab line up of some of Salford's top bands and rappers appear at Islington Mill to raise money for the best cause in the city. It's only a fiver to get in. Be there. Or be cut…

MUSIC, BEES, STALLS, OWLS AND APPLE TREE PLANTING AT THE MOOR

Kersal Moor Fruits of the Earth Festival
Sunday October 7th 1:30-4:30pm

Kersal Moor, famous for its Chartist political rallies and racecourse, is also a site of biological and conservation importance, and next Sunday this will be celebrated with a special Fruits of the Earth Festival.

There will be lots of stalls, music from the Yiddlesticks, Barn Owl Bill and his owls, the planting of new apple trees for the Moor and loads more on the Moor.

AMMIES STUFF LANCASTER TO HIT SEVENTH IN TABLE

Lancaster City 0 Salford City 1

Salford City bounced back from the disappointing FA Cup defeat to FC United last week by digging in to get a hard won victory at Lancaster City this afternoon.

Adrian Bellamy got the goal just before half time to secure the points, as the Ammies move up to seventh place in the Evo-Stik First Division with the play-offs firmly in sight.

REMARKABLE ETHAN'S £10,000 CHARITY SWIM

Ten year old Salford schoolboy, Ethan Evans, is aiming to raise £10,000 for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital cancer unit by swimming 1.5miles next February. Ethan, who's battled a whole catalogue of life threatening illnesses himself, is doing the swim for a mate who is undergoing treatment for cancer at the hospital. Natasha Bolton reports…

PROTESTS AT WEEKEND LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE AGAINST LABOUR PARTY COUNCILS CUTTING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Labour Party Conference Protest
Sunday 30th September 2:30-3:30pm
Outside Manchester International Conference Centre (GMEX)

A demonstration will take place outside the Labour Party conference this weekend to highlight Labour Party councils slashing jobs and services for people with mental health issues. Campaigners from Salford will join groups from Manchester and the North West to show Ed Milliband and co that they should be opposing cuts, not imposing them.

CRAIG HALL AND HUMPHREY BOOTH CENTRES BACK IN CUTS SPOTLIGHT.

"If we withdraw services we haven't kept our promise that we've made" Labour councillor Jim King

Last February, after huge protests, Salford Council did a last minute U-turn and agreed to do "further work" before cutting day care services for some of the city's most vulnerable people. It would have meant the closure of the Humphrey Booth centre in Ordsall and Craig Hall in Irlam. 

At a Council scrutiny committee meeting today, it was confirmed that the £816,000 cut to day services is still very much on the agenda.

SALFORD COUNCIL TO MAKE BLACK BIN COLLECTIONS EVERY TWO WEEKS – AS REFUSE COLLECTORS COULD LOSE UP TO £10,000 A YEAR…

Salford Council is proposing to make its black bin collection fortnightly, from April 2013. It's also aiming for weekly food and garden waste collections, while bringing blue and brown bin collections back to every two weeks, instead of monthly.

The Council is introducing these moves as part of proposals to save £1million on its waste levy – but comes at a cost to refuse collectors and drivers, who could lose up to £10,000 a year.

COURT BATTLE OVER BOTCHED EXAMS FOR SALFORD'S YOUNG PEOPLE

Salford Council is taking court action over this year's GCSE exam results, where the grading goal posts were moved between January and June, excluding possibly hundreds of the city's young people from getting required grades.

Salford is joining around one hundred councils around the country in taking legal action which, while aimed at the exam regulator and awarding bodies, is clearly targeting Tory Education Secretary, Michael Gove, and his role in the grades fiasco.

`IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH' DROP IN USERS TELL MAYOR – AS HE PROMISES NOTHING

`Where's our caring sharing Mayor?' placard

At Saturday's Salford Council `Democracy Day', placard waving campaigners confronted Mayor Ian Stewart at his Question Time, pleading with him to reverse the decision to close down drop-in centres for people with mental health issues.

Stewart was told by one service user that the drop-ins were, for him, "a matter of life and death". The Mayor responded "I'm not going to promise something I can't deliver".

JUSTICE4GRAINGER CAMPAIGN WANTS POLICE CHARGED WITH MURDER

"I just want this police officer charged because he's killed my son for nothing" Marina Schofield, mother of Anthony Grainger

Following this week's `not guilty' verdict for the men who were in the same car as Anthony Grainger when he was shot dead by police last March, campaigners were out on Salford Precinct yesterday. They were handing out leaflets and getting shoppers to sign petitions to keep up the pressure on the authorities to charge the police officer who shot the unarmed Salford man.

CLASS ACTIONS TEAR IT UP AT ENGELS HAUNT

Last night a posse of bands showed out at The Crescent pub for the Salford Music Festival, and Ian O'Brien went down to check on Class Actions and The Mothpopes. He wasn't disappointed.

THE FALL AT LOWER KERSAL SOCIAL CLUB

Last night Mark E Smith and The Fall turned Lower Kersal Social Club into a seething, sonically twisted pit. Whoever thought that The Fall would ever play down Littleton Road? Another one of those historic events that could only happen as part of the ace the Salford Music Festival.

FC UNITED GET OUT OF JAIL IN LAST MINUTE AS AMMIES RUN THE REBELS CLOSE

FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round
Salford City 2 FC United of Manchester 3

Salford City came oh so close to getting into the FA Cup draw on Monday, as they fought back to score two goals in the last five minutes. FC United thought they had eased through to the next round but the game exploded in the final moments with the Rebels relieved to hear the final whistle.

KIDS SCREAM AND DANCE AS HATTY KEANE, HEIDI ANNE AND FTW WOW THE LOWRY

With a lot of the gigs at this weekend's Salford Music Festival taking place in pubs, organisers put together a Kids Special last night as up and coming pop stars took over the Studio at The Lowry.

With a top line up of Julie E Gordon, Heidi Anne, FTW, Girl Peculiar and Hatty Keane the kids were soon dancing and screaming – and getting on the mics themselves.

`THERE WAS MORE DEMOCRACY TWENTY YEARS AGO AT SALFORD CITY COUNCIL'…
BUT THE MAYOR'S BIG NEW IDEA IS A BUS TOUR

At yesterday's full meeting of Salford Council, new proposals were approved to introduce government style Select Committees to try to improve its lamentable record on accountability and democracy. As Tory opposition leader, Karen Garrido, said the Council was more democratic twenty years ago, Mayor Ian Stewart unveiled his big new idea – a bus tour of Salford.

Will it all make any difference?

BROUGHTON DATABASE QUESTIONS MAYOR ON DISCRIMINATION

"the new procurement system is exactly the same for purchasing toilet rolls as actually changing people lives in Salford…" Christine Brett, Broughton Database

At this morning's full meeting of Salford Council, Mayor Ian Stewart will face questions from Broughton Database about discrimination "against its third sector in favour of organisations from outside Salford".

Salford's `third sector' companies are based in the local community, and employ people from that community to work around reducing poverty and unemployment, and increasing life chances. Why would Salford Council not want to support them?

SALFORD CARE WORKERS ALREADY AXED AS CONSULTATION BEGINS ON THEIR FUTURE

"Should these drop-ins and groups cease to exist, these service users would relapse into severe depression and become isolated again, which could lead to self harm and potentially suicide…" Steve Cullen, service user

As Salford Council begins a consultation with Mental Health service users around its proposed axing of three community care workers who organise and support their weekly drop-in sessions, staff have already been told they're getting sacked.

"We want service users, carers, volunteers and the public to have their say" it states on the Council's consultation webpage. But the cut is already a fait accompli. Service users have organised to defend their drop-ins, with a huge public meeting organised for 1st October. They've called themselves the United Services Users Committee, or USUC!

FA CUP ULTIMATE DERBY DUEL AS SALFORD CITY MEET FC UNITED

FA Cup
Salford City FC v FC United of Manchester
Saturday 22nd September
Moor Lane, Kersal, kick off 3pm £7/£3

This Saturday Salford City take on FC United. It's the proper Salford team versus the Manchester/Bury team with Salford roots. It's the biggest game in Salford City's history. We urge everyone in Salford to get Cup fever and get down to Moor Lane to cheer on the Tangerine Army!

MEGA FRIDAY KIDS SPECIAL AT THE LOWRY WITH HATTY KEANE, HEIDI  ANNE, GIRL PECULIAR ET AL…And the Salford Star has 20 free tickets to give away!

Kids Special
Friday 21st September 5-7pm free
The Lowry

With so many of the Salford Music Festival gigs being in pubs, the organisers have put on a Kids Special at The Lowry this Friday between 5pm and 7pm. It stars a wealth of up and coming popstrels, including Heidi Anne, whose latest video features T Pain, and Hatty Keane, who's supported Pixie Lott and Chipmunk. Also appearing are boy band FTW, electro due He Met Her, and Salford's own adopted star, Girl Peculiar.

200 BANDS. 20 VENUES. EVERY AREA OF SALFORD COVERED. WELCOME TO THE THIRD SALFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL…

Salford Music Festival 2012
Thursday 20th- Sunday 23rd September
Various venues. 95% free

The Fall playing two dates at the Lowry and a night at Lower Kersal Social Club just about sums up the Salford Music Festival which splats bands all over the city in pubs and clubs - from the Ashley Brook in Langworthy, to the Deli Lama café bar in Bexley Square, to the Blue Bell in Monton, to The Ship in Irlam. So many bands. So many places. So many free gigs.

LURELLE GOES FOR MISS TEEN GREAT BRITAIN

Salford's Lurelle Bancroft, a pupil at Buile Hill Visual Arts College, has made it through to  the final of the Miss Teen Great Britain. The national competition, which isn't a mere beauty contest, takes place in Blackpool at the end of September and Lurelle will be representing the city after being crowned Miss Teen Salford 2012.

REF SPOILS CUP MATCH AS AMMIES LOSE OUT

FA Trophy
Skelmersdale 4 Salford City 2

The referee and his so-called `assistants' spoiled a top cup match by sending off player manager Darren Sheridan and awarding Skelmersdale a controversial penalty with the game poised at 2-2. Down to ten men, Salford couldn't hold on and go out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle. But next week, the FA Cup and that long awaited duel with FC United of Manchester takes place…

SALFORD COUNCIL `CONSULTS' ON COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT CUTS

"the funding cuts will have a substantial impact on working age claimants" Salford Council

As revealed by the Salford Star in August, over 20,000 people in Salford will have to pay more Council Tax, due to ConDem Government cuts and Salford Council's determination to impose them, while other authorities are not.

Yesterday the Council launched its consultation on the cuts, which could see low paid families forking out around £50 a month more for Council Tax. The consultation, which the Star believes is slanted, goes on until December. Turkeys voting for Christmas???