Cllr Nathan Evans is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Trafford Council.
Like many other parts of the country, it’s the local people of Trafford (in Greater Manchester) who have shone a bright light in these dark times. Whether it’s collecting food and prescriptions for elderly neighbours, looking after pets, or just being that person at the end of a phone (or Zoom) to talk to.
In response to the pandemic, the Council, along with its partners, mobilised six Community Response Hubs located in Altrincham, Sale, Urmston, Partington, Stretford, and Old Trafford. The centres were set up to ensure that those most severely at-risk of illness could receive essential food and medical parcels to their front door – and they have received over 2,000 calls, of which over 600 have been passed to the Community Hubs.
The call for volunteers has received an overwhelming response, meaning help has been at hand for the borough’s most vulnerable residents during the lockdown period.
Us local Conservatives (as the Opposition on Trafford Council) have been generally supportive of the approach that the Council is taking during this time and I have been appreciative that I and the Shadow Executive are being kept up-to-date with the latest challenges and developments.
The Council believes that it will face a funding gap of around £37 million this year due to Covid-19 and Conservatives are willing to work with the Labour administration to identify how to fill the gap. However, there are three key areas where we feel the Council is failing:
Whilst I’m on the subject of waste, household recycling centres – under jurisdiction of the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester – were closed. This was made worse by Trafford Council cancelling green waste collections. Residents rightly asked the question as to what they were to do with their green waste as it wasn’t being collected by the Council and the tips were closed. The Council’s response was to announce a one-off green waste collection, but the goal posts were moved again as a fortnightly collection was announced. Collections now appear to be sporadic. Residents are rightly confused.
In good news, Conservatives across Greater Manchester, including Laura Evans, candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor, lobbied hard for tips to be re-opened. I was delighted when Labour caved-in and announced the centres will be re-opening (in most cases) within the next two weeks.
It is important to point out, however, that our Council staff are not to blame for Labour’s mismanagement. Colleagues have gone above and beyond what is expected of them, whether it is staff moving into care homes to support residents, or colleagues in early years and social care who have come together to support the most vulnerable under twos by opening Council nurseries.
Overall, the picture in Trafford is not too dissimilar to other metropolitan boroughs. Conservatives will continue to support the Labour administration in its handling of the crisis, but we are not afraid to challenge mismanagement or indeed highlight when ideology gets in the way of good governance.