We have so many fantastic teams of people working at Trafford Council and on Monday the Chief Executive and I had the difficult job of shortlisting some of them for consideration at our Employee Recognition Awards in the New Year. Each entry had been nominated by other colleagues at the council and each testimonial served as a reminder of the fantastic efforts our employees go to every day on behalf of Trafford Council.

The other main meeting I had on Monday was November’s meeting of the Executive. We had some interesting items to consider, including an update on the delivery of our Poverty Strategy, work underway to adopt the Socioeconomic Duty, and the Greater Manchester Children’s Homes initiative- Project Skyline. One of the biggest talking points of the evening was the publication of our list of Local Heritage Assets- the list covered an array of historical and sometimes quirky assets we have in the Borough- from a former prisoner of war camp to historic fingerposts. It’s wort visiting this page to see documents covering each area of the Borough.

Tuesday was a very busy day with meetings from 10am through to 8pm. Each one was at Trafford Town Hall so I didn’t have to travel far. The meetings ranged from updates regarding our local health services to information on community rail partnerships.

The following day we had our final full council meeting of 2024. At the meeting, the Labour Group put forward motions regarding the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Affordable Housing, which both passed. However one item dominated much of the evening- the situation at the Cresta Court in Altrincham.

I provided an update to members at the start of the meeting and responded to a question. Later that evening the Conservative Group proposed a motion relating to the Cresta Court, which the Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat groups could not accept in its original form. We agreed to a version amended by the Labour and Green groups. I’m not going to spend any time reflecting on the disappointing contributions made by members of the Conservative Group, I think they let themselves down. In contrast there were some incredibly powerful contributions from members across the other political parties- considered, informed and understanding of the need to work together and support both our residents and people seeking asylum. For me, Cllr Eve Parker gave the speech of the evening.

On Thursday I had several meetings with colleagues- including council committee chairs and the ward councillors for Gorse Hill and Cornbrook. Over lunchtime I visited Stretford Public Hall to take part in a Q&A Panel organised by Trafford Carers Centre for Carers Rights Day 2024. I was joined by our Lead Member for Healthy & Independent Lives, Jane Slater, and there were some great questions, which often reflected the lived experience of carers we have across the Borough. I got to hear about the challenges carers face and suggestions about how things could be better. At the end of the session the panel members agreed we should do more events like this.

Later that day it was a pleasure to join many of my group colleagues at Waterside Arts Centre in Sale for the launch of PRISM 2024. PRISM is a winter festival of light and music, and we all saw some brilliant visual displays and some amazing sounds. A big thank you to the team at Waterside for hosting a memorable evening!

On Friday I visited Broadoak School in Partington where I had the opportunity to meet some of the students and discuss my role, the role of a local council and how to turn ideas into policy. It was a pleasure to meet a really engaging group of people and I look forward to returning to Broadoak again soon.

After that I travelled over to Wardley Hall with our Lead Member for Climate Change, Aidan Wiliams, to meet the Bishop of Salford and to see the Laudato Si Centre, which is a great green initiative. The garden had raised beds for growing produce, a living willow sculpture, outdoor classroom and woodland and the project aims to bring people together and highlight the importance of nature. We then had a chance to discuss how faith, civic and other community leaders can work together as we address the challenges caused by climate change. It was really valuable time spent with the Bishop, his colleague Dr Emma Gardner and Revd Ian Rutherford from the GM Faith and Belief Advisory Panel.

Finally, at the end of a busy week it was a privilege to join the Mayor of Trafford pedalling away in Altrincham at this year’s Christmas Lights switch on- with VIP Dame Laura Kenny. Once again Altrincham BID put together a brilliant event and it was lovely to see so many people enjoying the occasion and what Altrincham Town Centre has to offer.