This week began with a Sunday morning visit to the BBC at MediaCity for my first time on Politics North West. I’ve done some live radio before, but this was my first time appearing live on TV. I watch the programme every week, so it was exciting to be part of it and see how it all works behind the scenes. The producer and team were very welcoming, and I was surprised by how much the presenter, Claire Hamilton, managed to fit into a 29-minute show. I was also relieved to get through those 29 minutes just about in tact. If you’re interested, you can catch up with the programme here.
The rest of the week has mostly been about getting ready for the new council year, which starts next week. I had a couple of meetings with Labour Group colleagues, including our AGM on Monday. This gave us a chance to record our thanks to colleagues who stepped down and also show appreciation for our friends who were sadly not re-elected, which will take some getting used to. We also officially welcomed two new colleagues to the group—Clare Sheridan for Urmston and Mark Tobin for Lostock & Barton. They are both great additions, and it was good to spend some time getting to know them better during the week.
Alongside decisions about committee roles, there was also plenty of usual work to do. Regeneration was a big focus, with three meetings on Friday covering some exciting updates on new and existing projects. Earlier in the week, I joined colleagues on a visit to Lumina Village, one of our key projects. We toured part of the site called Podium, which is the tallest building in the development. The Council is closely involved in this project through a partnership with Bruntwood. During the visit, we looked at two different apartment styles on the sixteenth floor, which had amazing views, and we also saw the shared indoor and outdoor spaces. What stood out to me most was the high quality of the building and spaces, and the excitement of seeing people already moving into their new homes. I’ve watched this development from my office window since work started in January 2024, so it’s great to see it nearly finished.
During the week, I also had my usual meetings at the Town Hall. These included my weekly catch-up with the Chief Executive and a finance update as we plan ahead for the 2027/28 budget. I chaired this month’s Locality Board meeting, where we look at local health services. We heard some very positive news about extra funding for district nursing, and we also received useful updates from Trafford Healthwatch and Trafford Community Collective. At a Greater Manchester level, I chaired the latest meeting of the GM Food Partnership Board. We looked at new information comparing school meals across Greater Manchester. This work will be shared in a report soon, and it is likely to lead to a lot of discussion about school meals.
Finally, on Wednesday, I joined Trafford Council staff for a wellbeing walk around Sale as part of Greater Manchester’s Walking Festival. We walked from Sale Town Hall to Walkden Gardens and back. It was nice to step away from the office, enjoy the surroundings, and chat with colleagues. Later in the week, I returned to Sale to speak at a local constituency meeting for Wythenshawe & Sale East. I talked about the work the council has been doing in Sale and then answered questions. I also spoke with Mike Kane MP and enjoyed listening to his update. It was great to see familiar faces from Trafford and catch up with friends from Manchester Labour too.