MINUTES from Friends of Levenshulme Meeting, The Bluebell Inn, 3rd August 2008

Present: Nasreen Choudhary, Jamie Summers, Mohammed “Sonny” Anwar Usman, Pat Walsh, Ellen Meredith, Stuart Calton, Audrey Sluyter, Lydia Merrill, Kes Robinson, M Yousaf, Sharon Glendon, Dick Brown, Jan Brown, Jenni Viitanen, Isobel and David Lee

Apologies: Sue McPherson, Charlotte Smith, Angelique Bueler, Nicola Adshead, Rachel Ramchurn, Roland Pare, Lawrence Hennigan


Closure of Barlow Road (Greenbank) Post Office

The final decision by Royal Mail will have been made by the 12th August. The petition, on Post Office users alone, racked up nearly 1000 signatures in three weeks, proving that any claim of under-use is pure nonsense.

A report was given from the full council meeting on 9th July where the PO closures were debated. The whole Council (LibDem and Labour, the views of the one lone Tory were not recorded) agreed that they were opposed to the central government policy of PO closures. (Labour cllrs pointed out that they too thought the Labour Government had got it wrong on this one.) However, a LibDem motion to look into the possibly of local authorities running the POs instead of letting them close (known as the Essex Model, since they’ve done this down there) was defeated by Labour on the grounds that it gave Royal Mail and alibi to press ahead with the closures. It was suggested that the motion was opposed for party political reasons, and as a way of shelving the issue until after the Royal Mail decision date.

We haven’t heard back from Gerald Kaufman yet about his meeting with Royal Mail, details of which he agreed to feed back through the local Labour party via Julie Reid when we lobbied him a few weeks ago.

Sharon has written to the Council to ask about the possibility of running the “Essex Model” in Manchester, which she sent over a month ago, but has not got any response, not even an acknowledgement of the email’s receipt. It was agreed on the basis of this non-response that the question needs to be asked publicly as well as privately, otherwise it’ll be ignored.

It was suggested that Adult Social Services might be a good department to speak to.

It was also suggested, since the LibDem cllrs have already proposed the Essex Model as a motion, that we contact them and see if they have any leverage with whatever sub-committee is dealing with the POs.

Another possibility is to follow the model used in Rochdale, which is for the Council to subsidise the POs, in order to keep them running.

Also there was talk of MCC including other services in the PO such as a benefits office, which was regarded as a very good idea.

It was agreed to petition outside Tesco at 11:00 on the 16th August (by which time we’ll know the decision) with placards and stickers. Also, it was agreed that as many people as possible to should write to the press either proposing the Essex Model or the Rochdale model.


ACTIONS:
► Stuart is designing some stickers, Pat will get them printed.
► Stuart to email cllrs regarding Essex Model and sub-commitees.
► Lydia to check out what department would best deal with PO issues.
► Pat, and anyone else, to write to paper
► Stuart to chase Gerald Kaufman via Julie Reid.

Levenshulme “GP-Led Health Centre”

A handout which lays out the arguments against the new privately-run GP clinic has been produced, and okayed with the GPs at Levenshulme Health Centre for factual accuracy etc… An A3 poster has been produced too which can be put up around the local area to raise awareness. The website has been updated with all the information we know. A letter has been received from local GPs, stating publicly their objections. The British Medical Association are also opposed nationally and locally. A press release has already gone out to local media, but also to Pulse (the GPs in house magazine) publicising the campaign.

It was generally agreed that the consultation by the PCT has been completely inadequate, since the document that came through peoples’ doors was merely a “wish-list” of possible services, and made no mention of any private element, or of any of the possible problems in relation to existing NHS facilities.

It was questioned why these new services couldn’t be provided through the NHS, rather than by tendering out the contract to the private sector, since Levenshulme does indeed need more GPs and more health services in general.

It was agreed that we campaign not just negatively, against the private element, but also positively, in support of NHS General Practise and for more services provided through public channels.

Handouts will be put in the foyer of Levenshulme Health Centre, along with a petition and FoL contact sheets. Also, we’ll approach West Point and Ashcroft surgeries too, to seek their involvement.

It was agreed too, that we combine the PO petitioning on the 16th August with petitioning on this issue, since the two issues are linked by the common theme of protecting our public services. We will also be out on Saturday mornings petitioning and giving out handouts every weekend until the end of August, raising awareness on this issue.

It was also suggested that once the real issues at stake have been aired locally (13/09/08 was suggested as a possible date) we organise a meeting with someone from the BMA, and someone from the PCT to put each side of the case in a public meeting. That way we can have the full debate. The PCT have already agreed to this in principle.


ACTIONS:
► Stuart will get the handouts into Levy Health Centre and start to put posters up.
► Sharon will contact her clinic, Ashcroft, to see if they’ll take the leaflet too, Kes will speak to West Point. Isobel is in touch with GPs at Brunswick Street Health Centre about it.
► People who object should be encouraged to write and email directly to the PCT: Nick Gomm, Manchester PCT, 6th Floor, Mauldeth House, Mauldeth Rd West, Manchester, M21 7RL email: nick.gomm@manchester.nhs.uk

Elbow Street / St Mary’s site Development

Kes has persuaded the developer of the Elbow Street site to host another public consultation meeting where the plans can be fully discussed, since several issues remain to be properly dealt with, e.g. parking etc... The date and time, still TBC for certain, are 19:00, 26th August at St Mary’s Hall.

It was also pointed out that the proposed development hovers very near to the old Community Centre site, and given possible parking issues raised by the 137 new proposed homes, all efforts should be made to preserve that site in public ownership and for public use.

It was agreed that whilst we can publicise this for free on the email list and website, we don’t have the money to do the developers’ publicity for them.

Our Response to the Levenshulme District Centre Plan

Several of us went to the Stakeholder Workshops held at St Mary’s Parish Hall back in July.

The general feeling was that the plans are over-focused on retail and undervalue our community facilities.

Those of us at the workshops had argued for an extension of the district centre zone away from a narrow shopping strip on the A6 to include the Baths and the library, making a cross-shaped area stretching into the dense residential zone too.

The Council’s emphasis on a combined supercentre (including a new pool and library and community facilities) somewhere on the A6 was felt to be a bad idea. Whilst some traders at the workshop were keen on this because it would focus more attention on the shopping street, all those present felt that it made more sense to renovate and improve our existing bath and library than to demolish or “apartmentise” them and build a new facility elsewhere.

Given the lack of Council money being put into the plan, it was agreed that we need to enquire as to the exact role of MMC in the implementation of the plans.

It was pointed out that it’s not in the interest of local people to have companies like Serco running our facilties.

The idea of creating an entrance to the train station from the carpark met with general approval, and by emphasising the East-West bus routes from Albert Road, it was thought a more general “Transport Hub” could be created. Since our local cllr Keith Whitmore is now on the executive committee of GMPTE, he may be able to help with this.

There was also talk of creating Green Links between the Fallowfield Loop and Chapel Street.

Andy Wilson, of the South Manchester Regeneration Team, had suggested at one meeting that a disused piece of Council land in the area could be sold in order to cross-subsidise a Council-run Community Centre connected to the Arcadia site. This met with general approval, and is something we will follow up specifically. We may also write specifically to Cllr Amesbury (he of Leisure sub-committee) to point out what a very good idea this is.

It was agreed that FoL would draw up an “alternative plan” and forward it to the Consultants and to MCC, in order to have our ideas on record in a written form, and in order to see what local people’s reaction to our ideas is like before the full public consultation begins later in the year.



Any Other Business

Community Garden / Tesco Donation

At the end of June, Tesco Levenshulme approached FoL to offer us a £1000.00 donation to the Community Garden project. Because of the way Friends of Levenshulme is constituted, with clauses stating that we operate "independently of any business interests", and that we believe "public services should be provided with public money", we decided that we couldn’t accept donations from Tesco, or any other commercial venture.

So we suggested instead that they contact Delamere Neighbourhood Group, as they've been closely involved with the project and they might consider accepting the donation in order to carry on their work at the site. They also have a different constitution to Friends of Levenshulme, and therefore more freedom to accept the money.

DNG have since voted to accept the money, and get to work on the garden. They’re planning to built up a working party and get planting in the Autumn and also to get kids from surrounding schools involved. They may also consider painting proper football pitch markings on the tarmac area. We’ll support and advertise DNG’s initiative with publicity on the email list and the website.


Interactive Map of Levenshulme

Jenni is planning to put together an interactive map of Levenshulme. On this, people will be able to click and report anonymously any problems or make comments on anything affecting that area. This data could then be used to locate problem areas and for lobbying purposes. It was agreed that this could be hosted on the FoL website, providing there’s no technological or contractual problem with it.











(Taken down by Stuart)