Dale Mulgrew - Balderstone and Kirkholt

Thanks for taking the time to spend a few minutes discovering what I have to offer - I hope what you read will convince you to support my candidacy for our council as an active, vigorous, passionate and engaging representative for the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward.

Well, this a crucial year for Rochdale; more important than any year in recent times because there are pressing issues currently requiring all of our attention for the short and long term planning of our town.

And because you live in the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward - which will be one of only a handful of key marginal seats that will be fiercely contested in May - your vote is not only vital to who wins this seat on our council, but consequently whoever wins this seat will be critical to the overall picture of who governs Rochdale!

Balderstone and Kirkholt for the first time in a generation will determine which direction Rochdale faces in the immediate and for the longer term, and I cannot stress how much your say will impact on the local governing agenda - let me explain further if I may, so I present the facts concisely and without bias.

At the General Election your local Councillor Paul Rowen was elected as the town's MP. Following this both the Labour and Conservative parties got together to form an alliance excluding the largest party on the Council - the Liberal Democrats from decision making.

Unfortunately, two diametrically opposed forces coming together for short term gain, rarely works in any form. This has caused the bitterest of internal disputes within the local Rochdale Labour Party, causing it to be suspended by the National Party. And the conservatives as the very junior partner (with only 9 council seats out of 60) being ridden roughshod over with little input into the decision making process.

So what? You may say - Why does it affect me? Well, there is a raft of important issues coming up that require careful consideration and action from our local council for both the Balderstone/Kirkholt area and the wider Rochdale Borough:

For Balderstone - the need to harness constructively the impact the new Kingsway Business park will have to further improve the areas surrounding this new development; the urgent need for improved Queensway/Kinsgway Leisure resources; further regeneration of the Kirkholt Estate and the allocation of grants; Maintaining Springhill Hospice and overcoming the grant cuts it is having to experience; Recycling and waste collections; and other environmental protection issues.

For Rochdale - the proposed cut in services provided at the Infirmary - we are vehemently opposed to all downscaling of both the maternity and A&E services; Metrolink and transport infrastructure - we are constantly pressurising the government to hold them to their pledge to provide our town with this much needed transport link; the possible building of a new bus station and what to do with the old site as a prime piece of Real Estate; the discussion of ongoing educational provision; and how to improve the Rochdale dentistry deficit.

The prospects of success on some of these issues are inextricably dependent on the local governing body and YOU will decide the make up of this council at the next local election here in Balderstone and Kirkholt.

We have a vision for Rochdale, a united vision for Rochdale. We believe in the principle of localism and we don't want to dilute further Rochdale's identity. As stakeholders in the Rochdale community we all have a role to play to once again put a little pride back into our town.

Yours Sincerely and a happy polling day to you all (let's all hope that it is not as wet as last years!)

Dale Mulgrew