Richard later presented our motion about further proposed Post Office closures. His pitch, timing, research, structure and body language was spot on. All parties voted to support our Motion voicing our concerns and objections to further closures as well as a need for a more community centred approach that is sustainable too. More creative approaches to services being supported are needed.

Marking late coursework, an exam board key skill quality visit, case work and our councillor group meeting have filled the rest of the week nicely. The only fly in the ointment is being mis-quoted in this week’s Jewish Telegraph by Dr Wise. When Richard Baum and I met with him, he wanted to know why generally I avoid the press unless absolutely necessary – this is a stark reminder!

I was fortunate to be at our annual North West Lib Dem dinner last night - Nick Clegg’s after dinner speech was superb, motivational and without a prompt sheet! He’s knowledgeable and focused with the right carefully considerred policies to make a difference as well as a growing supportive army of MPs and party members! It’s a shame it wasn’t being filmed! He was also good at answering questions put to him. I liked the way that he didn’t over use hand gestures or sound bites - which the other two party leaders do - which makes them come across as puppets without originality! I also had the amazing opportunity to ask advice on how to approach Dr Wise and his article in JC from Jim Hancock. It was strange to be able to talk with somebody whom I’ve listened to on the radio, for so many years! He’s personable and genuinely interested in people, without the know-it all arrogance of many, which is how it should be.

It’s a showery day, making me not looking forward to touting for petition signatures against Post Office closures in Bury and Radcliffe! However, its important that we get our message across to people adn make sure they know whats happening! I also need to get our Focus leaflet into letter boxes this week before we circulate another about Bury’s Mayoral Referendum. My leaflets are delayed for a number of reasons, one being a war my chiropodist and I have been waging on a small army of warts on my foot, making walking painful for a while!

In the wake of the announcement that dozens of post offices in and around Greater Manchester, 5 in Bury and 11 across the Stockport Borough, are scheduled for closure, Liberal Democrats from across the area have launched a petition to ‘Save our Post Offices’.

Hazel Grove Constituency MP Andrew Stunell, Cheadle Constituency MP Mark Hunter, Manchester Withington MP John Leech and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen, along with Lib Dem Councillors and activists launched the petition today in central Manchester by holding a demonstration to oppose the plans and asking local residents to sign up in support of the protest.

Speaking after the launch Mr Hunter said: “It’s not too late for action on this issue. I hope local people will speak out and sign our petition to save their local post office. Many are under threat now and many more will surely follow if the Government gets is way.

“Post Offices are a vital part of the community; they often help to keep local other shops afloat and are relied on by a very wide variety of people particularly the elderly and young mums. It seems to me that Labour is fast becoming a Government that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The Liberal Democrats are committed to the future of the Post Office and we will keep up our campaign to show the Government that local people want to keep their Post Offices open.”

Mr Stunell added: “We lost a lot of Post Offices in this area when the Conservatives were last in Government, and now we are faced with a Labour Government that does not understand how strongly people feel about their local Post Office.

In fact the situation could soon get even worse - the Post Office Card Account that many pensioners rely on for drawing their pensions and benefits is being reviewed and if that work is lost by Royal Mail than even more Post Offices will surely be closed in the future.

The Liberal Democrats have a viable plan to prevent further closures and help to sustain the network; a plan that wouldn’t cost the earth that would invest in our local Post Office network not chop it up. Post Offices should be local and should be supporting our communities and we will continue to fight with our local community to save them.”

Close to our home a few nights ago, a neighbour disturbed his late night burglar and was very seriously assaulted. I hope he recovers and can come home from hospital soon. Being hurt in your own home by an unwelcome predator is both a very nasty invasion of your privacy and personal feelings of safety and security and worryingly, on the increase.

Mayor Wilf
A Special Local Liberal.

He did ask why we hadn’t put ‘A Special Local Liberal Democrat’ but I pointed out that as its £2 a letter for engraving, we had to fit within budget! And he was a Liberal – not SDP member on merger! Anyway, we enjoyed a super afternoon with his family and friends. It was good to be able to relax and catch-up with people.

Today Andrew and I visited a resident about a neighbour’s planning application and I wriggled out of leafleting due to a poorly foot!

Fellow St Mary’s Lib Dem Cllr Donal O’Hanlon and I were at the first meeting of the Scrutiny Commission for Environment, Economy and Transport last night and a report about re-cycling was tabled for our discussion/comment/scrutiny.

Apparently there is a review taking place to work out how to use the equipment (trucks) and staff teams more effectively in order to be able to extend re-cycling more efficiently. It’s hoped that more brown bins will be available by the end of 2008 and that the Council, can take recyclables from schools by incorporating them into new collection routes.

As to the green bags for paper/card/catalogues/directories - although it’s accepted that the green bags are not fully sufficient/fit for purpose and they blow around - alternatives explored at present have not turned up anything more viable - as yet. And if households need more than 2 green bags they can have them - just phone Bury council (253 5000) or email me and I’ll deliver them with your Focus.

I am shocked to find out that households are still only enabling the Council to collect 26% of possible material for re-cycling of what they produce - this is ridiculous! We all need to do more!

All the Greater Manchester Councils (except Wigan) all work together for re-cycling and waste disposal to develop a joined-up approach as well as keep costs in check. There are new re-cycling sorting plants coming on-line over the next 2-3 years which will also increase the quality of re-recyclable materials that the Greater Manchester Councils can jointly sell/pass to companies to then re-cycle. The more companies want different materials from household rubbish to re-cycle, the more that can then be collected from us householders.

An interesting development, is that a Bury charity called re-Build, refurbishes furniture for needy people. The Council now takes bulky items that are suitable over to them to mend/repair instead of putting it in landfill! This is what should be happening. Re-build also have volunteers who need to have work experience working for them, too - so its more than a furniture re-vamping process but a real community-based approach.

However, for may residents, the issue of re-cycling is blood-boiling stuff – as much of our rubbish, ie unsolicited letters and unnecessary packaging, we have to dispose of, we didn’t ask for in the first place!

Yesterday, we took our youngest son out to lunch at Sam’s Chop House. He was delighted to be able to eat as well as watch the Monaco Grand Prix! Celebrating the end of his BTEC studies and hoped for results, it will not be long before he’s also away at Uni. Whilst the ‘boys’ were sorting out their mobiles, I escaped to buy some new makeup ready for both an evening out and a course I’m being sent on in a few weeks. Jodie on Selfridge’s Clinique counter was a marvel. She not only showed me new colours and how to use products better, I left with newly ‘painted’ face and step by step chart ….. as well as new bits and pieces …

By half nine this morning, my husband still in bed, I had my arm down a drain. I’d been putting this job off for weeks. Being mucky and smelly, I decided to finish digging a tree root out of the back garden, move a fir tree and a few bushes around, ‘turned’ the compost heap and take up some of our crazy paving to plant herbs. All I need now is a cool rainy day to ‘bed’ everything in again! A day’s rain is all I need as we’ve got leaflets to get out and I haven’t done any all weekend …. so need to show willing ….