please print correction notice for report on turnout for may 2008 elections. May 2007 was all time low for rmbc area when north ward turnout was an all time low of 18%.

   The mixed election results tell a very interesting story and will be a wake up call to all parties.

Personal performance appears to be more important than the national party label. A notable example is Allen Brett's old ward. A Labour drop in vote but a rise elsewhere. People have been heartily sick of bullying and aggression. The unfortunate thing is that if retirement means working behind the scenes for the Rochdale parliamentary candidate then we could expect more nasty politics. Working behind the scenes can mean power without responsibility.

The Liberal Democrats should also take heed to.

Rochdale is a metropolitan borough but there is now a clear divide. The current administration seems to look after its own in Rochdale at the expense of Heywood and Middleton. An example of this is Metrolink paid for by congestion charging. Such a scheme will do little for Heywood and Middleton who will be penalised with a stealth travel tax of £100 a month for all cars. Metrolink expansion will have absolutely no benefit for the vast majority in Rochdale metropolitan borough- especially those in Middleton and Heywood. It won't benefit most commuters in Rochdale as most commute to Manchester and won't go on a magical mystery tram tour through Oldham for over an hour to get to Victoria when the train can do it cheaper and in 18 minutes via Castleton.

People won't forget the arrogance of a council that wouldn't let the people decide about a unwarranted transport loan for billions that we will all be paying off for decades to come.

When the Metrolink engineering works commence and last for well over a year, expect sheer road traffic madness as they replace the old stone road bridges over the railway between Rochdale, Milnrow, Newhey etc to make way for electrification. Oldham loop train users will be provided with a bus service but will this will be absolutely gridlocked. Commuters in Milnrow and Newhey will need an extra hour to travel just a few miles out of their areas. When this happens - remember those who pushed this grossly expensive folly through. All so that empty trams could come up Drake Street and wander through the tumbleweed of Kingsway business park.

A classic example of so-called public servants’ tails wagging the dog. Hundreds of millions being wasted in schemes pushed forward by very senior council executives. Sounds depressingly familiar? Kingsway, Rochdale Town centre, Metrolink? All hoovering up obscene amounts of our money but redistributed to a few wards in central Rochdale.

The next Labour party leader of Rochdale council needs to distance himself from the old leader. For the sake of fairness and representation for the whole borough he needs to come from Middleton and Heywood.

And to really show up the waste and inequality of past decisions made by Rochdale Council we must have the East Lancashire Rail link through Heywood to Castleton. A simple improvement of existing rail links would cost pennies but will delivery new public transport where it is really needed. Compare such common sense to the unaccountable egotistical waste that Metrolink represents to most of Rochdale Borough.