On Monday, it was an honour to welcome veteran school crossing patroller, Heather Morris MBE, to Trafford Town Hall to personally thank her for 53 years of loyal public service.

For more than half a century Heather, 84, has been making sure children cross Glebelands Road and Park Road junction in Ashton upon Mersey safely.

Heather continues to have an astonishing career and it was a privilege to acknowledge her service by presenting her with a bouquet of flowers – and to say thank you – for her hard work and dedication.

For the rest of the day, I was based in the town hall attending meetings and preparing for the week ahead.

On Tuesday, I chaired the Ambitions for Children Board, the work being undertaken here aligns with my key priority to give children the very best start in life.

It also demonstrates our commitment to improve the lives of the borough’s youngest residents – and I am very grateful for the commitment shown across many of our public services to support our children and young people.

On Wednesday evening, I was delighted to see George Devlin selected as our new Labour candidate for Gorse Hill and Cornbrook in May’s local elections.

I’ve known George for many years, and he has been a huge support to our voluntary and community sector in Trafford.  If elected in May, he will be a fantastic local councillor for the area.

However, this does mean we will lose Cllr Laurance Walsh following his decision to retire from public service next year.

Laurence has been a fantastic councillor representing the Gorse Hill community for more than 23 years – and he will be missed by all his colleagues, council officers, and residents.

On Thursday, I had a catch up with James Scott, Principal and CEO of Trafford College, at the Altrincham Campus. I really enjoy working with the students and staff at Trafford College – and it was helpful to hear how the new college year was going.

I also took the opportunity to ask about the ongoing work Trafford College is doing around the green skills agenda.

It is vitally important that we strive to support the borough’s young people especially when it comes to education, training, and apprenticeships.

On Friday, I met with Mike Kane MP.  We had a good catch up – and spoke at length about local matters – and I’m looking forward to speaking at his Business Breakfast event in Sale next month.

Later that morning, I met Fay Selvan and John Ryan, from Fair Housing Futures (FHF).  They work in partnership with the Nationwide Foundation, and their aim is to improve the renting experience for vulnerable tenants while shaping good housing policy, practices, and options.

We had a fascinating discussion – and I was really impressed with their vision to help deliver a genuine mix of housing for residents, families, the vulnerable and older people across Greater Manchester.

Our discussion included an update on the Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter – and we explored other ways in which local authorities can work together. You can find out more about FHF by clicking here.

In the afternoon, I was joined by Cllr Aidan Williams to meet the council’s new head of Climate Change and Sustainability.  Addressing our climate crisis is one of our top priorities at Trafford and I’m really looking forward to working with Aidan and our new head of service to deliver our Carbon Neutral Action Plan.

On Friday evening, I attended the Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce annual Business Awards Ceremony, held at the Lancashire Cricket Club.

The yearly event proved to be yet another huge success – and congratulations to all the nominees and award winners. You can access more information here.

And finally, this weekend gives us all an opportunity to remember the people who have served in our armed forces and people who have given their lives to protect our freedom.

I will be joining one of our services on Sunday morning; to access further information about Remembrance Day Services please click here.

Best wishes,

Tom.