I will be standing as the Labour Party candidate in the local elections on the 6th May and if any reader of this blog would like to ask me questions about local issues and what I will do for Ashton if elected I will be happy to answer them.
Two conditions:
1. I would prefer any questioner to give their name
2. The questions should be reasonable and preferably be about local issues.
If you wish to ask the Labour Party candidate a question about her policies, local and national, then you can contact her by email at yfovargue@aol.com or on her website yvonnefovargue.com
17 comments:
Nigel
As I would think are many, I am not sure who my vote is going to go to. Can I ask you what your hopes and aspirations are for Ashton? It does seem as though we are the 'poor' relation of the borough, although we are one of the biggest Townships. Where is our 'Lift Centre', where is the funding for our 'bypass' for the Town Centre? We have major issues with traffic and yet after so many years of Labour rule we still have no other solution other than proposals to make it worse. I am not just aiming this at Labour, as I have not heard anyone else come up with any suggestions, but as you are the party that have been in control since the year dot you must have, by now some plan?
Thank you
Debbie,,,Don`t expect our Nigel to answer big issues like that because you know he has no clout with Lord Peter Smith and his cabinet.You can`t even get little issues sorted out like putting welcome signs up at Stubshaw Cross,or getting more than one memorial plate up inside the Heritage garden when I requested many more heroes should have them as well,and there`s much more that you fall short on.. like not supporting our local shop over the bus stop position....Ray Davies
Well Nigel
I have left my posting up this week, but I still haven't had a reply. I put a similar one up for Gary Wilkes and I did get a response. I would have thought that at a time when all votes really do count some kind of feed back from yourself would have been forthcoming...but then again maybe not. You did ask for the public to respond.
I totally agree with the argument that Ashton needs more inward investment in the town centre and my vision for Ashton town centre is to attract that investment. I do not believe that doing nothing is an option. We already have a large retail shop empty and as I understand it there is another one due to close this summer.
The need for investment has been apparent for some time now and that is why together with Ian McCartney we set up the Ashton Forward campaign last year to put pressure on Wigan council to seek ways of regenerating the centre.
Out of this campaign came an independent survey of how the centre could be regenerated which is with the Council and which will be a subject of on going discussions after the election. We do at least have a blueprint for development which did not exist before. I will be happy to go through the detail of this document with you.
Wigan Council has invested money into the town centre which can be seen in the new benches and street furniture and I will be pressing them to do more.
I want to see the derelict areas of Ashton town centre regenerated and cleaned up, for example
1. the old gas works site
2. the shop frontages on Wigan Road
I will be in discussion with the site owner of the gas works site to see if the site can be used on a temporary basis.
There is progress on the derelict looking shop front - the old Chemist's shop - as after much pressure from local Councillors, myself included, the Council will be decorating it with an art installation
The problem with Ashton Town Centre is that of what is called leakage eg over 80 per cent of food shopping is done outside the town. There was some time ago a plan from the private sector to create a supermarket in Ashton Town centre which for various reasons did not materialise. And given that since then to my knowledge there has been no further interest from the private sector to invest in the town centre we now have to look to the public sector to increase development in the town.
In view of this my vision for the town centre is for public sector investment to stimulate growth. I have had assurances from the PCT that they are committed to establish modern health facilities in Ashton and if elected, I together with the Council and the new MP for Makerfield regardless who h/she represents, will continue to press the PCT to create a new medical centre in the town centre.
The issue of traffic is an extremely difficult question.I will support any plan that decreases the amount of traffic running through the town centre and which also has the support of local people.
On a local level I have recently been involved with the Ashton Town Centre event, part of which was to encourage local people to walk to the town centre if they live in Ashton instead of using the car.
Again, if elected I will work with Wigan Council and the new MP to look at acceptable options.
I do 60% of my shoping in Ashton and the other 40% at Wigan Asda....And no amouint of improving the town centre would change those percentages so why don`t you be honest and tell Debbie the truth that your party have not the slightest intention of spending any money on providing a by-pass to solve Ashton`s real problem of congestion. You would much prefer to spenf your money on fancy new headquarters in Wigan centre and saddle Ashton with big super schools and industrial estates..You`ll only be happy when you`ve choked Ashton to death...I won`t hold my breath waiting for a sensible reply ,I`m used to you ignoring me! Ray Davies
I agree with the sentiments that you have said Nigel, but, as I think that we are all now aware we are entering a new political era and words cannot just be bandied around just when it comes to election time, and that goes for all parties.
Surely, (as possibly with the General Election) all parties have to work together, the old ways of thinking and working are just not hacking it with the electorate any more.
What is to stop all councillors getting around a table and working out a viable and workable solution to Ashtons problems. I imagine that if you all stood up in chambers and united it would send a clear and determined messsage to the powers that be that their way of working is now old hat, because in my mind, it is! I feel that if this is not done all the parties are doomed and eventually a new way of governance will emerge.
I am awaiting for a new leader to emerge with forward thinking ideas
who will hopefully lead the way.
Sorry forgot to leave my name for the above!
Answers for Ray
1. I was not aware that people in Stubshaw Cross want a sign there. I have sat in various residents meetings and this issue has not been discussed. I would certainly support such a move.
2. On the memorial plaque to commemorate other brave soldiers from the area now I would be happy to meet with the British Legion and the Stubshaw Cross residents group to put this proposal forward. However, I must stress that it would be their decision to go ahead with this project not mine. Please contact me if you wish to discuss this further.
3. On the issue of the shop and the bus stop Ian McCartney, myself and Paul Tushingham all were involved with this issue and there were other residents' views that had to be taken into account. The final siting of the bus stop was a compromise which all three of us thought would be acceptable.
4.On traffic it is not true that Wigan Council do not spend money here. First of all it must be recognised that it is not in the Council's power to invest millions of pounds in road investment. That would be the remit of the Highways Agency or a private developer. What the Council can do is to facilitate inward investment if they think that it would benefit the area. There are two examples of this:
1 Not so long ago there was a scheme for a development in the middle of Ashton to bring a supermarket here and with it a new road and a new school. The Council at the time thought this to be a good plan and did invest time and money into helping the developers. Subsequently this plan was abandoned.
2.Another example was the scheme to build a warehouse in the Stubshaw Cross area and with it a new road. Again Wigan Council's officers will have spent time on this project which again was finally rejected.
On the issue of industrial estates
I have consistently supported local residents in opposing the building of warehouses on the land behind Stubshaw Labour Club and will continue to do so if re-lected.
It is important that the new MP will lobby the Highways Agency and the North West Development Agency to invest in an acceptable road structure for the area.
In my opinion it is very unlikely that Ashton will be part of the Building schools for the Future programme given that it is in phase 3. The reasons I think this are twofold.
1. The finance will not be available given the cuts that will have to be made shortly
2.If the Government changes it might not be a part of their agenda
Debbie
There have already been meetings with Ian McCartney and the six local Councillors to discuss the Ashton Forward project and there will be definitely such meetings after the election. I cannot speak for the other 5 Councillors who are not in the Labour Party and who seem to be having their differences at the moment but I will be happy to work with anyone who wants to invest in the future of Ashton regardless of politics
you haven`t on any meetings of the Residents group or you woukd have known that your friend the secretary blocked my proposal on the groundsthat I had no right to propose them in the first place because he considers me to be non-existant etc. and if you agree that Stubshaw Cross deserves and is entitled to have its own welcome signs then do it and that goes for the other two councillors. as for you supporting the MAD campaign I don`t deny that but why has the decision to turn that green fields brown not been reversed to make sure it never comes back to life again.AS for the Bus stop farce I suggest you don`t revive that occasion or I will have to prove to you that you did NOT respect or act on the majority of the customers of our village stores desire not to have a no stopping box in front of the store and you completely let down the owners and I could take hundreds of pictures to prove it was a bad move...And I still have copies of the three hundred customers signatures which you dismisses as not acceptable on the flimsyist of grounds...
"The issue of traffic is an extremely difficult question.I will support any plan that decreases the amount of traffic running through the town centre and which also has the support of local people."
Does this mean that you are finally in favour of the Northern Bypass, and a 4-way motorway junction at Marus Bridge, as advocated by our Independent Councilors for many years?
Or are you still toeing the Labour Party line that we should instead be investing in a guided busroute for Leigh, which would mean buying land from Lord Peter Smith, to his immense personal benefit?
The request for a sighn welcome to Stubshaw Cross muat be a joke. If every area of Ashton asked for a sighn then we wouldnt have any room on the footpaths to walk. When did Stubshy become a principality!! its just that it appears to have more militant people in the area who are self self self for stubshy and not the Town on a whole selfish to a MAN
What is your position regarding the relocation of the First Bus depot to The South Lancs Industrial Estate? we seem to be getting this so the Saddle Junction can be improved, it seems a case of "all pain and no gain." Especially when one bears in mind a new depot will most likely lead to less jobs eventually, through a more efficient workshop.
You say you are in favour of improvements to the road infrastrucure depending on local agreement. How do you intend to measure "local agreement"?
At the local election you will either be returned or be out of office through our democratic process.What are you views of non elected bodies being given money to spend, and large sums being spent supporting these quango's that could go to the greater good. At least through universal suffersge we will have the opportunity to express our opinion how YOU have exercised this power.
Agree with you or not i do think this blog is something you should be given credit for, thank you.
Alan
Your recent leaflet/newsletter states that you are in favour of a skateboard park in Ashton, and have supported that with Brighter Borough funding.
However, to the best of my knowledge, the only funds that you ever pledged to a skateboard park were what was left of your Brighter Borough fund the day before you lost you seat in 2004, and you did that solely to deny your successors access to those funds.
Since being re-elected in 2006, you have actually reduced your pledge to the skateboard park, in order to spend the money on other things (such as promoting Ann Rampling in the local press when she stand as a Labour candidate).
Can you explain to us how reducing your financial contribution to the skateboard park demonstrates your commitment to it?
To the person who thinks that Stubshaw Cross does not deserve its own welcome signs did you also oppose those at Bryn,Bamforlong,Bryn Gates,Spring View New Springs ,Standish and in fact,nearly every other area in the borough?What harm will it do to Ashton or you for that matter?If you live in Stubshaw Cross and you don`t have any pride in your heritage that`s your loss,not ours..
I am not against signs, there are a lot of things I am not against, in fact.
But at the end of the day, we are living through the worst recession in modern times (thank you Gordon). How much do all these signs cost? and is any one really any better off? By all means let's have signs, when we can afford them, I know it is a very small percentage of the total budget, BUT ALL THESE SMALL ITEMS ADD UP.
I ask all the people responsible, do you want to deny an old person within the area of the sign proper care, for that is the reality of all these small amounts.
Alan
Nigel
There has been lots of criminal damage and Anti-Social Behaviour in the past three weeks. Hot spot areas are Skitters Wood, Winchester Avenue, Townfields, Bowling Green (off Liverpool Road) and Jubilee Parks. Gangs of 50 youths have been congregating at weekends and intoxicating themselves on alcohol and drugs before going on a destruction mission in these areas. I have a few questions: (1) Is it true that Police only patrol alternate weekends in Ashton?
(2) How many Police Officers and PCSOs are detailed to patrol Ashton on Friday and Saturday during the afternoon, evening and through the night? (3) Do you think that there are sufficient Police patrolling Ashton at this current time?
Hi Nigel
Tried to respond to your general answer, I could not.
I will be brief, I very much appreciate your posting, it was frank and honest.
Regarding Independents, the other side of the coin is, however much I rate you as a local politician the fact you and Ann are labour and the "baggage" that carries stops me voting for you both.
The answer regarding quango's is a I believe very brave and straightforward and a credit to you.
Getting back to Independents I would ask you to bear in mind the UK is a representative democracy, otherwise Gordon Brown would have had to call ann election before becoming Prime Minister.
Now to the annoyance of many other parties and "Non" parties , win or lose i think you work hard as a councillor.
Good Luck and may you only lose by one vote!
Alan
ps if it is between you and the BNP welcome back to Wigan council
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