Dobir M Miah
Labour Party
Norden Ward
It is my privilege to be the Labour candidate for Norden in this year’s local election. It is a chance to elect a Labour councillor for the first time in Norden and end the Tory/Lib Dem monopoly which has had a detrimental effect on the ward. With your support, I would represent all the people in Norden, Birtle, Caldershaw and Red Lumb and do my best to defend Norden from the massive Coalition cuts that have already reduced funding for our Council by £64 million with further huge cuts in the next two years.
I am married and work as a business consultant for a local firm. I am a qualified youth and substance misuse worker and have been a community mediator for Rochdale MBC for 3 years. In addition, I sit on the Independent Advisory group for Greater Manchester Police. I also know the effects that the Coalition cuts are having on ordinary people as I was made redundant as a direct result of budget cuts after 8 years’ service with Rochdale MBC.
Locally there are serious issues to tackle:
- Firstly the unacceptable reduction in the 167 bus service that will leave many residents in Norden without a direct bus link to Manchester outside of the morning rush hour. The last Tory Government deregulated bus services and this allowed this situation to happen, not for the first time, in Norden.
- There is a need to closely monitor the Tory/Lib Dem Government’s new planning laws which have been called a “Developers Charter.” The National Trust and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England have expressed their concerns with the ideas and the lack of clarity in the new laws. Although Green Belt in Norden should still be protected, local residents will have fewer rights to protect Norden’s green spaces and it makes it much easier for developers and businesses to build.
- Over the next 3 years the National Health Service, our NHS, is under a massive threat from Tory/Lib Dem policies. For example, the Health and Social Care Bill now allows up to 49% of local hospital beds to be filled by private patients. This top-down re-organisation of the NHS will cost £3 billion and will lead to more privatisation and a health service where the ability to pay is more important than one’s needs.
Despite the disproportionate cuts to Rochdale’s budget compared to councils in the South East, the Labour administration has managed to protect Norden library and Norden Family Centre. The Council tax has also been frozen for this year.
Recent measures in George Osborne’s budget will hurt the majority of Norden residents. While a millionaire will get a tax cut of £40,000 per year, he introduced a “Granny Tax” on pensioners. He put a tax on hot food, refused to postpone the 3p tax increase on fuel and families with children will lose an average of £511 a year from changes to tax and benefits (figures from the Institutes of Fiscal studies). Let’s also not forget Osborne’s attack on people wanting to donate significant amounts of money to charities.
On May 3rd, send a message to Mr.Cameron and Mr. Clegg that you don’t like what they have done to our health service, that you don’t like their attack on pensioners’ tax allowances and you don’t like the lack of any policies to promote growth and reduce the increasing number of unemployed people, especially the young.
The only way you can send that message to Mr.Cameron and Mr.Clegg is by voting. Labour. Elections in Norden are now between Labour and Conservative.
The Liberal Democrats have collapsed in Rochdale, the evidence is clear to see:
- In Rochdale, the Lib Dems crashed from 32 councillors to just 10 in 18 months
- In the space of a year, no fewer than 12 Lib Dem councillors in Rochdale defected to other parties – the biggest number in Britain.
- In last year’s council elections, the Lib Dems failed to win a single ward out of the 20 wards in Rochdale
- The Lib Dems are in coalition with the Tories in Government and the current Lib Dem councillor for Norden was first elected as a Tory before changing sides.
- Labour is the only alternative to the Conservatives in Norden and it is time for a change.
With your support I can work with you to protect and develop your community. I hope you will be kind enough to vote for me on Thursday May 3rd so that I can speak up and represent ALL the people in Norden.
IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE IN NORDEN.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please vote on Thursday 3 May.
Dobir Mohammed Miah
Email: mdmiah@yahoo.co.uk
Twitter: @dobirmiah
Facebook: facebook.com/dobir
