News

| Submit CommentSubmit Comments | View CommentsView Comments(10)

advertisement

Why did council vote yes?

Chris Jones
2/ 8/2007

EXCLUSIVE

A MIDDLETON councillor opposed to the Toll Tax has accused the leaders of Rochdale Council of ignoring mass opposition from backbenchers after it backed the congestion charge bid.

Cllr Alan Godson, who represents North Middleton Ward, says the cabinet of Rochdale Council ignored the majority of councillors when it joined seven other Greater Manchester authorities in backing the controverswial congestion charge bid last Friday.

The Council, which is made up of four different townships, including Middleton's, is led by members from the Rochdale Township.

Out of the four, only Rochdale Township support the congestion charge bid, with the remaining three townships of Middleton, Heywood and Pennine all opposed.

But in a council cabinet meeting held 16 July the decision was made to support the bid for government cash for public transport in return for road pricing. Only the ten cabinet councillors were allowed to vote, despite three out of the four township committees being against the bid.

With seven of the ten seats on the cabinet in the hands of pro-charge Rochdale township Councilliors, opposition from Middleton, Heywood and Pennine councilliors was over-ridden when the cabinet voted almost unanimously in favour of supporting the congestion charging bid.

The vote left councilliors in Middleton, Heywood and Pennine townships unable to register their opposition to the scheme, despite having voted individually to oppose the bid.

It comes just a few months after Rochdale Council's dramatic u-turn after initially supporting a Middleton Guardian campaign against the congestion charge.

Cllr Godson says a full and open vote on congestion charging would show the majority of the council opposed to the bid and the C-Charge.

He said: "I asked Cllr Taylor [leader of the council] at the cabinet meeting how the council can support the bid when three of the four townships were against.

"But he just gave me a routine answer and told me that if we didn't support the congestion charge at the start we might not get the money from it.

"I asked for a named and open vote so people would know who was for and against but they said they would not sign up for it."

Cllr Godson also expressed fears that improvements in public transport promised from bid supporters, such an extending the Metrolink system into Rochdale town centre, will by-pass Middleton and the other townships of Rochdale Council.

"We have to pay for it and we're getting nothing from it. In fact in Middleton we're likely to be in a worse position because we will be so close to the border of the congestion charging zone, so people who perhaps only work 100 yards away will have to pay."

Rochdale Council Leader Alan Taylor said: "An independent survey shows that more than half of local residents and businesses support the £3bn bid to improve public transport across Greater Manchester and want us to vote yes to this proposal."

Rochdale Council said the survey, undertaken by GfK National Opinion Polls, recorded 68 per cent of people and businesses in Rochdale were in favour of backing the bid.

Following the AGMA's majority vote last Friday, officials submitted their plans to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund on Tuesday.

  • Middleton and Heywood townships lost their places on the Cabinet when Liberal Democrat councillors formed a new administration in May.

| Submit CommentSubmit Comments | View CommentsView Comments(10)


Most recent 2 of 10 user comments

   living in birch we will not gain any benefit .the only town to benefit will be Rochdale It has always been my beleaf that local goverment was democratic having read how the yes vote was arrived at in my view i am sure lots more peoples view this was not a democratic decision
G Belfield, Birch Heywood
21/09/2007 at 22:14
   "Half of all people polled voted for congestion charge"Lies Lies and more Lies what planet are some of these councilors from,In my poll not one single person was in favour of congestion charge in fact all were totally against. My poll was not fiddled or directed at certain people but put to average Middleton people as they travelled in my taxi (yes i am middleton taxi driver)When you ask a non driver, by introducing a congestion charge we will improve public transport massively ,would you vote yes to congestion charge ? Of course the non driver will say yes . When asked would you like all the scroats taken off the streets of Middleton ,again the answer would be a resounding yes but that will not happen ,the powers are so intent on spending time and money on lunatic schemes there is nothing left to deal with important to us the average local persons issues.
driver, middleton
21/08/2007 at 13:55
Have your say
 
Have your say Got an opinion you want to share?
Register now and have your comments heard.

Register now

Latest stories
 

 
Personal Finance
 

Customers with a 'good' credit profile
Company Typical APR
Platinum Exclusive Loan 7.8%
Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Halifax (Semi-exclusive) 8.6%
Alliance & Leicester 8.7%
Sainsbury's Personal Loan 8.9%
HASH(0x2ba4c05361d0)
Provider AER*
ICICI BANK
HiSAVE Savings Account 		5.50%
SAINSBURYS FINANCE
Internet Saver 		4.00%
FIRST DIRECT
Everyday e-Saver 		2.75%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
Online Tracker 		6.00%
ABBEY
Instant Access Saver (Special Issue 2) 		6.00%
ING DIRECT
Savings Account 		6.00%
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER
eSaver - Issue 2 		6.30%
ABBEY
eSaver Direct 		6.00%
POST OFFICE
Instant Saver 		3.75%
Fees may apply