Mick Coats
Green Party
Spotland & Falinge Ward
Local politics is a mess.
Thank you for reading this. Again I am giving you the opportunity to vote for a different sort of councillor, being both truly living locally and representing Green policies which are desperately needed.
This election is about what we can do locally and why it is important to vote. We do not need another party hack elected in Spotland, who will be more concerned with obeying orders than addressing the issues in the ward. I believe in Green policies and would promote them actively to the benefit of all of us that live locally.
First, a word from Carl Faulkner who has stood as an independent in the ward over several elections. We have fought together on a number of issues, both believing that Rochdale has had a poor deal from the main political parties and their politicians.
Carl says' Locally I have been very concerned with issues that affect us – particularly the pitiful standard of our local councillors. We cannot rely on them to represent us in the way that they should. They have done nothing to protect our open spaces, done nothing to deal with the old, highly toxic Turner Brothers site or even to tackle the problem of speeding. I have worked with Mick on these and other issues. Unlike the other candidates, he actually attends meetings and questions councillors. The actions of some councillors are really questionable. Recently our money has been used to provide a memorial bench and tree for a recent leade,r despite him being a poor advertrt for the town. Mick is the only candidate worth your vote.'
We have fought to resolve the problem of the old Turner Brothers Site. It is a 72 acre wasteland of toxic material, mainly asbestos. It is too dangerous for housing and the safest solution is to turn it into a country park. What does the Labour Party candidate say about it? Nothing in her latest leaflet.
What does the Labour group running the council say about the site?. They say that the site is not contaminated, to be exact - 'It does not meet the legal definition of contaminated land'. There is also confusion as to who owns the site which changed hands in November 2021. Is it safe for development? We need convincing before any building takes place.
Another problem is cars speeding. It is a problem for us all, but in the Labour councillors latest leaflet it is not mentioned. Why have they resisted putting traffic calming measures in place? Edenfield Road and Rooley Moor Road are a danger to us all. I know because I live on the road!
What could be done?
To start with we need to recognise that the Turner Brothers site is a highly contaminated site and treated as such..
We need traffic calming measures on our roads and more of them should have a 20mph speed limit.
Locally we should be ensuring local work is done by local companies with local people. In the past we even had consultants coming into the town. Why do we need consultants costing a fortune telling us what we need? Other towns (for example Preston) have kept services local and reaped the benefits.
Locally, and nationally we should not be building on Green Belt land. Nor should we be building anything other than affordable houses to buy or rent. There is enough land available for housing that has previously been used in other ways. (Where there was once factories and shops for instance).
These derelict sites could also be given over to local groups to use prior to being built on. There is a lot of land all over Rochdale that has lain unused for years. Let people use it for recreational purposes until it is needed.
I do not understand why there is a threat to demolish some of the 'seven sisters' against the wishes of residents, and I fully support their cause. Another issue that does not make sense.
These are local elections, but national Green Party policies are relevant locally. The council should clearly and openly oppose fracking. Integrated publicly owned railways and buses are common sense. These should also be electrically powered. Building laws should insist that all new buildings incorporate environmentally sound measures such as solar panels. Policies to improve the environment are of particular concern to me. Having experienced pollution elsewhere I know how important it is to stop choking the planet. These measures should be in the minds of the local council and opportunities should be taken to further them where possible.
Our policies are vital and we would encourage main stream parties to adopt them. We can take credit for some policies already but the important thing is to get them introduced, not for us to look important.
The Green Party is also backing the independent parliamentary candidate, Chris Furlong, rather than put up a Green Party candidate as Spotland and Falinge is being moved into the new 'Heywood County' parliamentary seat. We are backing Chris because he shares our values and is a proven hard working local campaigner. He has a track record that puts our local representatives to shame.
This might be seen as unusual for local politics but I feel that it is a sensible way to go.
Just a personal note; I live in Spotland, married with three sons and have three grandchildren. I support Rochdale Football Club (Up the Dale!), play in the Rochdale quiz league and am a supporter of several local drinking establishments.
Make a change, give me a chance to shake up the local political establishment and hold them to account. We have been labelled a 'rotten borough' for far too long. Just complaining is not enough, you have a vote, use it.
