Year in Review: 2023

Cllr Will Frass rounds up for the Christmas/New Year period updates on Trafford Council things here in Timperley.

The Trafford Lib dems have been incredibly busy this year, tackling issues for our residsents. That's why I decided to wait until after the Christmas/New Year period before posting updates on Trafford Council things here in Timperley. Over a few paragraphs, I'll share a few updates from the end of last year.

Part 1: Weeding programme for 2024 

This issue comes up every time we are out and about speaking to local residents. It's never the 'top' issue - that's different in every area - but weeds is an underlying frustration everywhere.

Amey always start in North Trafford, so it can be October before they do Timperley / Altrincham. Three problems:

• It makes our village look scruffy and untidy;

• Weeds growing blocks grids and damages the surface - more potholes next year if left too long;

• The weeds have time to propagate even more seeds for next year if left too long.

I put forward a plan to force the Council to rotate North/South each year so we are not always last and it's fairer - and I was ready to force a vote on it.

However, in the event, the Council got ahead and come up with a plan to have two teams start from both ends of Trafford in future; Timperley Lib Dems accepted that was a good way forward.

Why worry about this now, it's mid-winter? I wanted this all nailed down long before the schedules are drawn up and they say 'too late for this year'.

Part 2: Road Resurfacing

BROOK LANE: Cllr Jane Brophy has been asking for a section of Brook Lane to be re-surfaced because a wheelchair user was badly injured. Quite rightly they expected us to push for this, and we did. I'm pleased to report it has finally been properly re-surfaced.

FOUNTAINS AVE / GROVE LANE: I have been helping Marc Ramsbottom from Hale Barns Lib Dems (in photo!) raise awareness with the Highways Department about the urgency to tackle the stretch of Grove Lane that was utterly appalling. I went to meet Highways at their depot in late October, and was mighty relieved when they finally got a budget pot and earmarked some for Grove Lane.

RIDGEWAY ROAD: In Timperley Central, Cllrs Simon Lepori, Shaun Ennis and Julian Newgrosh have also been busy in discussion with Highways about Ridgeway Road and persuading them any "end of year budget" needs to be allocated to re-surfacing the worst parts of Ridgeway Road because the surface is damaging cars.

Plus they have just been sorting the pothole outside the Stonemasons.

Part 3: Parks & Bins

Last summer, there were issues with dog fouling on the tennis courts, it took ages to persuade Amey to buy new signs - but just before Christmas we heard they'd bowed to pressure and told us they had ordered new signs to replace the faded, graffitied, old ones.

No evidence of them up yet - but I live in hope!

Wood Lane / Raven Road bridge has a new bin at last. The old one was literally rusting away. This bin is often missed, it's one of those we're always chasing because it overflows.

Just before the Town Hall closed for Christmas I had an email to say they'd ordered a new one for us - tonight (Wednesday 3rd) I saw it has been installed.

We can't share everything - but that's a flavour of just a few things over the last 3 posts lately!

Meena, Simon and Marc and the team will of course be out and about in 2024!