Local Election 2015

Ruth Yasmeen

Labour
Norden Ward

I am very pleased to be the Labour candidate for the local election in Norden and I will work hard to represent all the people in Norden. I will not make half-hearted promises that cannot be delivered and I will deliver if I can and say so if I cannot.

• I am Chief Executive Officer of Spidervision Productions, a local Rochdale company, and I was nominated for a BAFTA this year for the short film “Three Brothers”
• I am a member of the BBC Northern Writers group and have worked in the UK and Bollywood, making over 30 short films and five feature films.
• In 2001 and 2005 I was nominated for Business Women of the year by Bolton Business Ventures for the Domiciliary Care Agency that I ran catering for minority ethnic groups in Greater Manchester.
• I was born in Bury and now live in Syke.

Norden has always had two or three Conservative councillors. It is time for a change and I will offer a real alternative and a different political perspective to addressing the many local issues in and around Norden which have remained unresolved by Conservative ward councillors for many years.

The Environment of Norden

The expansion of wind farms around Norden has been a major concern to the community. I share these concerns and believe that Norden has already got its fair share of turbines.
The Labour Party in Norden is campaigning to protect and enhance our environment. The Conservatives have weakened and centralised the planning laws so that the greenbelt around Norden is threatened. I am ready to challenge any planning requests that imperil our greenbelt or the rights of householders. If elected, I will work hard to protect our community from the worst excesses of unplanned development and from decisions taken centrally.
Norden Labour party and I are opposed to plans to allow fracking all over the North West. This will have a devastating impact on our countryside and communities and as a fossil fuel only adds to the serious problem of climate change.

The Family

Families in Norden have been worried about the cost of childcare and the fact that their children are leaving University with large debts. I am pleased that Labour has promised to expand free childcare from 15 to 25 hours for working parents and will introduce wrap around childcare from 8am to 6pm in primary schools. Paternity leave will also be doubled to four weeks. Rochdale Council has protected the family centre in Norden from the savage Conservative cuts to public services and I am pleased Labour will restore the role of Sure Start centres as family hubs. I believe it is right for all children in Norden’s schools to be taught by a fully qualified teacher and Labour’s plans for education will ensure this. Finally students will have their tuition fees reduced to £6,000 a year to help reduce the amount of debt that they will leave University with.

Norden’s health

The perilous state of the NHS resulting directly from the Coalition’s top down reorganisation affects everyone in Norden. Labour’s commitment to the NHS will enable, for example, 8,000 more GPs to be recruited to ease waiting times and it will help our local surgeries to recruit doctors. More people in Norden now require care at home and Labour will recruit 5,000 new home-care workers and extend the limited time imposed on social care visits at the moment.

The Community of Norden

There are several issues that affect everyone in Norden. If elected I will work hard to deal with these and as a result everyday life will be improved.

• Illegal and inconsiderate parking poses a danger to pedestrians, older residents, and people with a disability and parents with pushchairs. I would campaign for township money to be allocated to Norden to increase the signs for parking and promote a “good neighbour” scheme to encourage considerate parking. There also needs to be disabled parking spaces outside the Old Library
• Speeding traffic, especially lorries, continues to be a safety issue. A small investment could provide better signage at each end of the village
• Several years ago a national building company got planning permission to develop the Blackpits site. Part of the agreement was to repair Blackpits chimney which is part of Norden’s industrial heritage. The company has been contacted by Rochdale Council on several occasions. Conservative Councillors expressed concern but NOTHING has happened and very soon it will be us who will have to pay the bill for repair or demolition. It seems that there is one rule for the large companies and lots of rules for small businesses and individuals.

With your support I will work hard to protect and develop the community of Norden.

I hope that you will vote for me on Thursday 7 May, so that I can speak up and represent ALL the residents of Norden, Ashworth, Birtle, Caldershaw and Red Lumb.

It’s time for a historic change in Norden, elect a labour councillor for the first time.

Thank you.

Ruth Yasmeen.

Twitter@ryasmeen12