MESSAGE TO THE TOWN......

The following piece is in this week's Hebden Bridge Times .

Newsflash: I have hopefully ditched the egg mayonnaise sandwiches ( would rather die than eat one) insisted on meat pies, and as Things Can Only Get Better for the Left I have decided that my campaign tune for the year will be Eddie Reader's version of a Dick Gaughan song called It's What You Do With What You've Got...... Comrades, this is going to be fun!

In 1996 I boarded a removal van and headed here from Salford in search of green spaces and a peaceful place to live. If someone had told me then that in 2008 I would become Mayor of Hebden Royd I would have been absolutely astonished. To be honest, I knew absolutely no one when I came here. Twelve years on, it is literally impossible to walk down the street or visit the Co-op without someone saying hello. Despite what people say, “Offcumdens” like myself find a welcome here which is all embracing and, I think, unique to this part of the Calder Valley.
I was born in Manchester 50 years ago and work from home as a freelance journalist. Most recently, I have also taught media studies as a lecturer at Huddersfield University and I’m Chair of Calderdale National Union of Journalists.
In 2003 I was elected as a Labour councillor for Fairfield ward. Since 1976 I have been a Labour Party member and, along with fellow councillors Dave Young and Janet Oosthuysen, am a member of the Labour Representation Committee – a growing group of socialists within the Labour Party campaigning to end New Labour policies
Locally, Labour councillors have bucked national political trends by working hard and backing a range of initiatives which have proved enormously beneficial for residents in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd. It was our idea to appoint an Environmental Community warden, and a Part-time Project Officer to attract more investment and public funding. Both initiatives have paid off handsomely. Last year, both our officers worked their socks off to win some £55,000 in additional funding from a variety of bodies. They were also instrumental in making us winners of the People’s Millions TV poll and now we’re all looking forward to the opening of the new Calder Holmes Park Play facilities in time for the school holidays.
In the next 12 months, I hope to work with and support as many community groups as possible within Hebden Royd.As Mayor, I will be instrumental in supporting Labour’s ongoing “Fair Wage” campaign to ensure everyone is paid at least the Minimum Wage and hopefully more. We also desperately need more social housing for rent as well as “affordable” homes so I will be pro-active on that issue. And it’s also vital that the Hebden Royd Town Council offices are turned into a vibrant fully accessible community space. On an international note, I’m looking forward to renewing links with people I have met from our twin towns of St Pol and Warstein.
I’m also looking forward of course to next Wednesday May 14, when the mayor-making at the Good Shepherd RC Church in Mytholmroyd will be attended by friends old and new, my fellow councillors and of course our outgoing Mayor Coun Nader Frekri. But there are two people who sadly can’t be there. They are my mother and my elder sister, both of whom died far too young from cancer. In their memory, and in solidarity with the many families in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd who have shared similar losses, I am making my charity for the year the Overgate Hospice. And I shall work tirelessly to raise money for that cause. I’m sure the people of Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, who are quite remarkable in their generosity of spirit , tolerance and community engagement, will be more than glad to help me do that.