CARNIVAL PARADE VIDEO

If you are having problems downloading the carnival video it is probably due to your internet connection speed. I have 10 free CDs of the parade to give away to those who can't download it. Its first come first served so be quick. Send your Name and Address to free@failsworth.info

THUG BANNED FROM FAILSWORTH PUBS

CARNIVAL A HUGE SUCCESS!

Final Poll Results in

Thank you to all those 74 people who completed the questionnaire, I have changed the questions now so please have another go. The results below are overwhelming, in that most of you consider yourselves to be part of Manchester.

The main reasoning for this is that it our postcode is a Manchester one rather than an Oldham one. I don't think the Council can go on to much about this until they start to write Oldham instead of Manchester themselves.

You may also take from these results that the majority (36%) consider the Council to be Poor, although 5% feel the Council is excellent.

Perhaps we can increase this 'excellent' vote with our new Labour administration, already they have allocated 24 new street cleaners, due in a couple of months, PLUS 24 Community Safety Officers. This is hammering their promise of a Clean, Safe and Working borough. And what a good start!

A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

Above you will see Millhouses from Bunkers Hill at Woodhouses. The white blot in the centre is a huge fridge mountain built up by Britannia Recycling. They have been a thorn in Failsworth side since Oldham Council foolishly gave them planning permission to store redundant fridge units in many towns across the borough, including two sites in Failsworth.

This stinks to me, why did they not say no? Would it have anything to do with the fact that it is Oldham Council who pays Britannia around £25 per unit to remove from Civic Amenity sites across Oldham, maybe they were worried that if they refused then the Council would be responsible for the safe destruction of units - not a cheap task! Who I am to say why this has happened, I do know that they are only allowed to store the units 3 high, and as you can see from the photo below they are much higher than this.

I will forward these photographs to the Councils Planning Dept and also to the Health and Safety Executive, its about time action was taken against those who damage our town!

Its also worth saying that whilst I was taking the photo below I was subjected to verbal abuse by the 'rats' on the top of the fridges - Failsworth deserves better than this.

I am keen to hear you views, which I will publish jim@failsworth.info

FIRM FINED OVER FLY TIPPING

A Failsworth speedboat company and its director have been fined £1,200 for fly-tipping trade waste.

Oldham Magistrates Court heard that boxes containing catalogues and brochures from Power Sport Ltd of Failsworth Industrial Estate, Morton Street, were dumped on woodland close to the River Medlock in Park Bridge.

The company was fined £1,000, and director David Kingham, 29, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £199.50.

Acting Assistant Director of Environmental Health and Trading Standards Carol Brown said the successful prosecution underlines the Council's stance on fly-tipping.

She added: "This should send a signal to individuals and businesses who indiscriminately dump waste, cause eyesores and make additional work for the Council that they will be vigorously pursued and put before the courts."

POSTCARD PRINTING

WANTED

I am looking for photo/prints of old Failsworth to use with the historical information and stories. If you have some lying around please get in touch and I will scan them in and return within a few days jim@failsworth.info

READERS POLL

I have included the results of the readers poll so far. As you can see many consider themselves to be part of Manchester and also rate the Council as being poor. Perhaps there is a link somewhere in these results, for instance if we had an excellent Council would the majority consider themselves to be part of Oldham?

It is worth pointing out that this poll will run for a month, and to date only 16 replies have come back so its early days. if you haven't completed your poll yet please reload this page and it will pop up.

You may of noticed a box pop up when you came on to the site. This is a readers poll and the idea is to give me a better understanding of the views of the residents, so that I can properly represent you at Council and Public meetings.

As an co-opted member of the Failsworth and Hollinwood Area I am suppose to express the views and feelings of all the residents, not just my own.

I will change the format of the poll and publish the results when there has been enough response, so can I ask those who closed the pop up box to reload this page so that you can fill it in, it only takes 30 seconds!

DISTRICT CENTRE

The Failsworth and Hollinwood Area Committee were told that work has started on the Health Centre and Shops and that we will see major developments in about 4/6 weeks. The Health Centre will then take about a year to build with the completion date set for June 2004.

We were pleased to hear that two supermarkets are interested, Asda and Tesco both of which are the type we are hoping for!

I will keep you all posted of new developments!

I have been informed that the plans for the new centre are on display in the Health Centre on Ashton Road West.

HOUSING UNITS EXPANDS

A NEW £4m development by home furnishings group Housing Units is underway at Hollinwood.

The project by the Failsworth-based company will see a 52, 000 sq ft warehouse and a 15,000 sq ft office complex being built on the newly purchased land near the M60 motorway.

The firm said there is also scope for further development on the five acre plot.
Nick Fox, project manager, said: "The completion of this new centre will see tremendous benefits for Housing Units.

"Over the last three years the business has grown at such a rate that out current warehousing and offices have become inadequate for our business needs."

He added that when the development is operational, more than 13,000 sq ft of existing warehouse space will be transformed into retail units and the firm is inviting retailers to contact it.

CEMETERY HEADSTONE UPDATE

How are neighbours are dealing with the situation.

I have included this press release from Stockport MBC, they are in the same position as Oldham MBC, in that the Health and Safety Executive has warned councils to take action against unsafe headstones.

INFORMATION ABOUT SAFETY TESTING OF HEADSTONES AT STOCKPORT BOROUGH CEMETERY (LAWNED SECTIONS), CHEADLE CEMETERY AND CLOSED CHURCHYARDS

Stockport Council, as the local Burial Authority, is obliged under Health and Safety legislation and the Local Authoirty Cemetery Order 1977 to ensure headstones are safe in its cemeteries.

From Monday 16 June 2003 the Council will be inspecting and testing headstones for stability and safety in Stockport Borough Cemetery (lawned section). This will be followed in the week commencing 23 June at Cheadle Cemetery and then closed churchyards.

Unstable headstones in immediate danger of falling will, where possible, be temporarily stabilised to remove the hazard. Where this occurs, grave owners will be contacted by letter or by telephone, according to our latest records.

Where safety action has to be taken, the Council strongly advises headstone owners to contact reputable memorial masons to make good the defects. If the memorial is less than six years old, the monumental mason who erected it should be contacted in the first instance as there may be a residual guarantee.

The memorial safety process has been concluded at Highfield Cemetery, Romiley, and Willow Grove, Reddish. Every effort has been made to contact headstone owners from the records provided.

Stockport Council acknowledges the distressing nature of this essential work, and will endeavour to contact headstone owners wherever possible, and as soon as possible.