It has been another busy and dramatic week in the world of politics. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister announced his intention to resign. Later that day, Andy Burnham returned to Westminster. I watched the Prime Minister’s speech before going into several meetings. Like many people, I tried to keep up with what was happening during the week.
Back in Trafford, it has also been very busy and exceptionally warm.
Last Saturday, I joined my colleague Jane at two events in Stretford. First, we went to the Victoria Park Junior School Summer Fair. It was very popular event, helped along by thesunshine. I was also obliged to try an inflatable obstacle course whilst on uncle duties, and I was glad to get through to the end in one piece!
Later that day, we went into the town centre to see the launch of GRUB, a new place for food and drinks. I thought it would be popular, but I was surprised by just how many people came. The town centre was very busy, and the launch was a big success. It shows that people support our investment in Stretford.
On Sunday, I went to the Bridgewater Hall to support young musicians at the Greater Manchester Music Hub concert. Many children and young people from Trafford performed, and some even played more than one instrument (though not at the same time!). We are lucky to have such a great music service in Trafford.
On Monday at the Town Hall, my first meeting was about our “Improving Lives Everyday” work. We heard updates from the Adult Services team. After that, there was a flag-raising ceremony to mark Armed Forces Week.
Later, I travelled by tram into the city centre for a CyanLines Board meeting. I am very excited about this project. It links parks, rivers, and canals, and encourages people to walk and enjoy nature in urban areas. It helps people see their surroundings in a new way.
On Tuesday, I returned to Victoria Park Junior School for a governor meeting. After that, I went to Humphrey Park Community Centre to meet with local Labour Party members. We talked about recent election results and council updates. Even though it was very hot, there was good attendance and lots of discussion.
Next day, I went to Altrincham Football Club for the launch of the Alty FC Foundation. The club already does a lot of work in the community, and this new foundation will help them do even more. Activities include holiday sports clubs, walking football, and exercise for older people. Trafford Council works with them, and I look forward to continuing this partnership.
Thursday was a quieter day, mostly spent catching up on emails and staying cool.
Over the course of the week, I’ve had meetings with people interested in investing in Trafford and caught up with some councillor colleagues. At the end of the week I travelled to Tameside for a Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting. This was our first meeting without Andy Burnham. It was shorter than usual because of the election period. It was, however, good to hear praise for Trafford from the Chair of the Greater Manchester Race Equality Panel, Kofo Kego Oyeleye, regarding the Council’s approach to the GM Civic Leadership Programme.
Although Andy was not at that meeting, we saw him later at the launch of Bev Craig’s campaign to become the next Mayor of Greater Manchester. It’s a pleasure to work with Bev- she puts people at the heart of her politics. If she is elected, she will work hard to support residents and businesses, and make sure everyone benefits from future opportunities. I look forward to supporting her campaign.