Hulme and Moss Side Market future in doubt

News is filtering out that the future of Hulme and Moss Side Market is under threat.

A recently set up Facebook group, ‘Save Hulme Market Community Protest’ expressed the concerns of many of the traders and members of the public.

According to the posts, the 10 year old market, owned by French company Geraud, has been sold to B&M.

This news means that the Market as it stands may disappear and prospects for the Hulme traders seem gloomy.

But the traders are not taking these reports lying down, with plans build support from local people, launch a petition and get assurances from the new owners that the Market will remain.

Local trader Leana Dixon-Rowe said ‘If things carry on we will be pushed out by the big businesses and will be left with nowhere affordable to trade from.’

Hulme's 'larger than life' trader and personality Candy Scent said 'The mere thought of Hulme Market's closure makes my chest hurt'.

People are urged to join the facebook group as a first step and contact their Council representatives.

Deyika Nzeribe from the Hulme Greens said ‘This is surprising news, we need to confirm the new owner’s plans for the future. Its important that Hulme and Moss Side’s local businesses are supported and encouraged to grow. We hope this view is shared by B&M.’

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MGP Public Event: Why Equality is a Green Issue

Manchester Green Party is pleased to announce that the next monthly public meeting discussion will be ‘Why Equality is a Green Issue’.

The North West coordinator of the Equality Trust, Mary Curran, will be talking about ‘The Spirit Level’, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

Thursday July 14th 2011, 7pm - 9pm

Friend's Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester.

So, what is the book about?

Or...

Physical Health -People in more equal societies live longer, a smaller proportion of children die in infancy and self-rated health is better.

Mental Health - People in more equal societies are far less likely to experience mental illness.

Drug Abuse - People in more equal societies are less likely to use illegal drugs.

Education - Children do better at school in more equal societies.

Imprisonment - Unequal societies are harsher, they imprison a higher proportion of people.

Social Mobility - There is more social mobility in more equal societies.

and several more indicators.

And from the authors

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Birley Fields Public Meeting Tuesday June 21st

The Birley Fields Campaign will be holding a Public Meeting on Birley Fields held on

Tuesday June 21st, 7pm

The Yard Theatre, Old Birley Street, Hulme.

For more information: http://birleyfields.org.uk/?p=656.

The petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/birleyfields/

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Support for the Hulme's Birley Fields campaign

Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) proposal to build a £120 million campus development on Hulme’s Birley Fields is likely to go before Manchester City Council’s planning committee for consideration in late June or July 2011 regardless of some reports jumping the gun.

Local resident’s concerns about the development, some of which include the

• size of buildings
• effects on the community
• loss of open space
• traffic, congestion and pollution

remain despite MMU’s attempt to address some of these worries.

In response, local residents have

• set up a website
• held workshops on how to write ‘letters of objection’
• taken their concerns to the press with stories in the Manchester Evening News and InsidetheM60.

The group is also encouraging people to sign their online petition, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/birleyfields/, which currently has over 250 signatures on it.

The Hulme Green Party supports the resident's campaign to stop MMU’s development until the issues raised can be addressed.

The Hulme Green Party also calls on Manchester City Council to make the effects on the Hulme community a higher priority with planning applications.

We note that currently

• MMU is doing a large scale development of its All Saints main campus
• There is the Birley Fields development, mentioned above, going for planning permission
• There is a large 650 bed student accommodation block on Coupland Street proposal going for planning permission
• There is a student accommodation building currently being built on Stretford Road
• The community is waiting to see if plans will be submitted to build more student accommodation on the ‘Gamecock pub’ site on Boundary Lane
• MMU have purchased Hulme’s ‘The Salutation’ pub and its future is now uncertain.

Its a huge amount of activity in Hulme and the combined effects could have a severe effect on the community without careful consideration.

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Hulme Local Elections 2011 Results and Response

First of all the Hulme Green Team would like to thank everyone voted for us, we greatly appreciate your support.

We also would like to thank everyone who put in time, were on the streets, commented, advised, talked to us from your windows and rang us up, it all helped make our campaign.

The issues raised during our campaign, we will continue to pursue, we will make ourselves as accessible as we can to our community.

Finally, we congratulate Labour on their victory in Hulme and particularly Manchester. We hope that they take on board the comments on representing all the community and in Hulme, take on board community concerns on the big changes planned for our area.

It will be our job to help them do this.

And so the results:

Mary Murphy Labour 1689

Ruth Bergan Green 742

Jamie Williams Conservative 302

Andy Hardwick-Moss Liberal Democrats 211

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Hulme May 2011: VOTE GREEN, VOTE BERGAN

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Service Charges: Hulme Green Party reaction

In reaction to the service charges concern, Hulme Green Party candidate Ruth Bergan issued this statement

"These plans are an outrage. The Labour Council said it would uphold City South's promise not to introduce further charges, they must stand by this. Mary Murphy claims to be a voice for Hulme residents, so why is she even considering this proposal? Hulme residents deserve good, affordable housing. It is a terrible reflection on Labour that, at a time when everyone is facing money problems, they are part of plans to introduce new charges."

No reaction has been forthcoming from local Labour Party candidates.

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MMU Campus Plans begin to concern Hulme organisations

Local Hulme campaigners opposed to Manchester Metropolitan's plans for £120 million super-campus recieved a boost recently when social landlord 'Places 4 People' wrote a letter of concern to Manchester City Council's Planning Department.

The Housing Trust, with over 250 properties in Hulme, outlined the main concerns of its residents.

The commentary on the Birley Fields website, also pointed out the lack of support from the local Hulme councillors, all of whom are Labour, "And forget about asking the local councillors, they don’t seem to have a clue outside of the party line on this issue."

Hulme Green Party candidate, Ruth Bergan said "Birley fields is an important green space for local residents. The scale of building proposed will take all this away, residents will see traffic increase on roads that can already be difficult to cross, and they will have reduced sunlight coming into their homes. The Green Party thinks it's healthy to have a diverse community and students have a place in that, but the scale of this development is not justified. We need to preserve our green spaces for both the environmental and the health benefits they bring".

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Shock Service Charges Planned by City South Manchester Housing Trust

Stunned tenants fear extra charges

Along with a letter telling of rent increases, tenants of City South Manchester Housing Trust (CSMHT) were shocked to also get letters on their "Rights and Obligations" under Service Charges.

CSMHT promised NOT to introduce services charges for the work it’s doing now, in its offer document when it took over council property. That was only 4 years ago. The document, called ‘Your Future, Your Choice’ says (on page 28):

“The rent after transfer would pay for the full range of services you now get from the City Council – managing the estates, repairing your home and maintaining the landscape.

“There would be no services charges for any of the planned improvement works described in this booklet. In the future, if you want City South Manchester to provide extra services, these would be paid for by a new service charge, but this would not happen without a full consultation with all tenants affected by the change.

“So, there would only be a new service charge for a new service, not an improved service.”

What is written in this offer document is LEGALLY BINDING as it is part of a contract between CSMHT and Manchester City Council. Page 18 of the document says,

“City South Manchester would be independent from the City Council. However, Manchester City Council would have a legally binding contract with City South Manchester, through which the City Council would make sure that the promises made in this booklet are kept.”

This means the promise not to impose this proposed service charge is legally binding.

Residents are angry that this is even being considered, despite promises made, and massively disappointed that 2 labour councillors, including Hulme’s Mary Murphy, the Vice-Chair, are on the board that have agreed it.

Leaked papers from the Trust show costs will vary between £10 and over £1000 per year, with the higher charges being aimed at tower block tenants.

Residents have called upon the Housing Trust and Councillor Mary Murphy to confirm or deny that

• A service charge for new tenants was introduced on April 1^st
• service charges for existing tenants in flats and multis will follow at a later date
• the offer document promised no services charges for current services
• the offer document is a legally binding document that was guaranteed by Manchester City Council.

Because depending on the answers given, there are implications for the Trust, the City Council and the Councillors involved.

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The Arch Bar: Hulme Icon

The Arch Bar (later Zar Bar) was the troubled but iconic Hulme pub that was based on Stretford Road. Persistent disorder led the bar to be closed by the police and eventually it was torn down and more student flats are currently being built in its place.

Despite problems, local residents were hoping that the building could remain, and used differently, as a café or other community resource, especially as the building had a restrictive covenant on it.

In a recent angry exchange between Mary Murphy and local green activist, Nigel Woodcock, more information came to light.

On the public Hulme-Residents-Online-Group, Nigel argued that the local councillors at the time had removed the ‘restrictive covenant’, which gave the company that wanted to build flats “a green light to destroy the Arch building”.

Surprisingly, as part of her response Councillor Murphy replies “it was I who set up a meeting with our Deputy Chief Executive to discuss the removal of the covenant" … "At time of the removal of the covenant Myself and Nigel (Murphy, another Hulme Labour councillor) were representing our constituents.”

But which constituents? Not the hundreds who campaigned with petitions and direct action to keep the building open.

It was eye-catching and could have been a useful community centre resource for Hulme with a little bit of creative thinking.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of creative thinking from our local councillors. And with the closure and removal of services from Hulme, that is not good the area, not good for me and you.

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Hulme Newsletter March 2011 Online edition

The online version of the Hulme Green Party Newsletter: March 2011 is now available featuring

• Manchester City Councils Cuts: Is there no choice
• MMU Birley Fields Campus Plan: Low Marks for Consultation
• Salutation Park: Whats happening?
• Hulme Local Business

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Hulme Newsletter March 2011 Online edition

The online version of the Hulme Green Party Newsletter: March 2011

http://tinyurl.com/5uqckrs

featuring

• Manchester City Councils Cuts: Is there no choice
• MMU Birley Fields Campus Plan: Low Marks for Consultation
• Salutation Park: Whats happening?
• Hulme Local Business

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Hulme Green Party Alternate Budget

Hulme Green Party believes the budget proposals suggested by Manchester City Council starts in the wrong place. Cutting frontline services and creating unemployment only adds to the problems created by this Coalition Government. This Council should not be scaring their staff into unemployment by forcing unfair redundancy packages on them.

Below is an idea about how the budget could be approached.

* The figures are units of millions.

Years	2011/12	2012/13	2014/15
Details				Total
CUTS
Staffing and efficiency (1)	10*	10	10	30
First Street Cultural Facility (2)	9	10		19
Football Museum (3)	7			7
Subtotal	26	20	10	56
INCOME
Mcr Airport (4)	27	27	27	81
Birley Fields (5)	7			7
Mcr City Stadium (6)	15	15		30
Subtotal	49	42	27	118
Total	75	62	37	174

We believe that by looking at cuts AND assets, jobs and services can be safeguarded in Manchester.

The CUTS section of the table shows areas where spending can be reduced. The INCOME section shows where money can be raised from council assets.

1) We in the Hulme Green Party believe that if cuts are to be made, jobs should go by a recruitment freeze along with voluntary redundancies. The Council is already planning to reduce costs through efficiency savings.

2) The planned ‘Cultural Facility’ (page 18) should be a lower priority than jobs and services.

3) The planned spend of nearly £7 million by the Council when the 2 richest football clubs in the country are in the city does not seem a good use of money.

4) Manchester Airport repayment of the debt to the Council it owes over 3 years. The amount owed is £83 million

5) A repayment in cash from MMU for the land acquired from the Council for its planned campus development. The land is estimated to be worth £10 million. The council gave the land away for free.

6) The Council owns the City of Manchester stadium at Eastlands, where Manchester City Football Club play. Selling a portion to fans of the club will raise a significant amount of money. If the council were to sell the stadium to Manchester City, who have offered to buy it from them, it would raise between £200 – 300 million pounds, possibly more. It would solve the budget crisis in one sale.

By doing this, the Council will be able to maintain employment while the predicted growth in Greater Manchester creates the hoped for 74000 jobs (slide 26).

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Manchester Budget Cuts Proposals and the Consultation Process: The Green View

Manchester City Council’s budget cuts, will have a huge effect on communities in Manchester.

BUT the announcements made are just proposals. They are available to comment on the Council website until February 22^nd.

Final decisions will be made on March 9^th 2011.

The Hulme Green Party says that

“Although the Council Cuts proposals are online, there are a lot of papers and they are difficult to understand.

We call for a series of public meetings for the organisations and the communities affected.

The Council, the organisations and the people should talk about the hard choices ahead and the best way to support the communities affected.

We especially urge the Council to be open and honest in this process. As far as we can tell, the results of the Councils earlier budget plan consultation, which ended January 17^th 2011, remain unpublished.”

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Manchester Cuts: A severe blow

There is no doubting the severity of the cuts announced by Manchester City Council.

While its understood that budget reductions have been imposed from the Coalition Government, the Council’s pledge to defend front line services is nonsense.

Cutting the majority of youth services and SureStarts in Manchester, then hoping the voluntary sector could take over them could make sense. Unfortunately the voluntary sector is being slashed by 22%.

In Hulme and Moss Side its expected that at least Hulme Library, the Martenscroft SureStart Centre, debt advice service and youth centres will go.

There has been no call to local groups and unions to discuss the best way of saving services, no consultation on how to support the most vulnerable in our communities.

Add this to the increase in charges from Council services and Housing Trusts, VAT increase, cuts to Manchester Advice services, reduced support available from Job Centres, it is not a stretch to imagine serious hardship coming back to Manchester. The Council wrings its hands and says there is nothing to be done yet the Airport owes it £83 million.

And when the dust settles, the Council will look to cut another £60 million next year.

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