Supporting community cohesion is an important part of what we do at Trafford. We’re fortunate to have a diverse Borough people are proud to call their home. Each different faith makes a huge contribution to Trafford and over the past year it’s been so welcome to see all faiths coming together as part of the Trafford Faith Action Network- an initiative my colleague, Cllr Eve Parker, has led on. Everyone in our community should feel safe and last week’s horrendous antisemitic attack at Heaton Park Synagogue has caused our Jewish community fear and sorrow on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. I value the contact I’ve had with our local rabbis and community leaders over the past week- the bond between local government and our community and faith leaders is so important. At Trafford Council we will continue our efforts to promote cohesion and standing together in the face of hatred and division.
My review this week covers a couple of weeks as I’ve had a few days away over my birthday. Over that time I’ve been back out on doorsteps, attended events and had a brief visit to Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where I joined a panel discussion on the circular economy.
Campaigning continues as part of the current by-election campaign in Broadheath Ward. I’m incredibly proud that our candidate, Mahvish Masood, continues to work hard and lead such a positive campaign. Postal votes started to land on doormats last weekend, so voting has commenced. I hope Mahvish’s hard work pays off; she would be a great local councillor and community champion. I’ve also been out in my ward, joined colleagues in Sale, and spent time with Flixton councillors on a tour of their ward.
It was a privilege to join some of our wonderful foster carers at their annual celebration, and to have the opportunity to thank them for their dedication and care of some of our younger residents. I also joined a local Walk of Hope, which aimed to raise awareness of suicide prevention. I spent some time walking with Mike from 3 Dads Walking and had the opportunity to hear about his daughter, Beth, and his all the efforts he goes to around raising awareness of suicide prevention. Thank you Mike, I found our conversation very valuable.
Last week I also visited Trafford College’s campus in Stretford to hear Principal James Scott’s review of the College’s past year. I’m delighted to see the College continue to grow and support young people with a range of courses and skills. The College is a very important strategic partner to Trafford Council and that link is critical as we look ahead to the skills we need to support Trafford (and Greater Manchester) in the future. We’re lucky to have Trafford College on our doorstep along with such an engaging and inspiring leadership team there.
This week I caught up with more engaging and inspiring people- our latest cohort on the Civic Leadership Programme. I last met Aliyah, Jackie and Martina a few months ago at the start of the programme and I was delighted to hear how much they had all valued their time with us in Trafford. They had the opportunity to contribute to meetings and meet both officers of the council and other councillors. We had a wide-ranging discussion, including where they see themselves in 1, 3 and 5 years time. The Civic Leadership Programme aims to increase diversity in civic and public leadership roles and it’s a very welcome initiative- however we need to avoid it being a ‘tick box exercise’ and I want to see the scheme help deliver meaningful outcomes over the next few years.
At the end of this week, I chaired a meeting of the Greater Manchester Five Year Environment Plan Partnership and one of the highlights was a study in green infrastructure resilience and mapping. The study highlights the strain much of our green infrastructure faces, how it can vary from place to place and how it’s being mapped out. You can read more about the study here.
Finally, on Saturday I joined colleagues, including Mike Kane MP and Councillor Bilal Babar, for an event to celebrate Black History Month. There were some brilliant speeches and a recognition of what we can celebrate across Trafford, but also what more we need to do to narrow inequities across the Borough.
