The Leader's blog

Successful elections show the strength of local democracy

I must thank everyone who voted in the council and mayoral elections as it showed that local democracy is alive and kicking in Trafford as we had an excellent turnout across the borough.

This was one of the most challenging election periods we have ever had to manage, with a lot of work going into making polling stations and count venues Covid-safe to give our residents the confidence to come out and vote so additional thanks must go to the council staff who helped make it happen.

People in the borough understand just how important the work of the council is, and how it impacts on so many different aspects of daily life whether that is social care, schools, roads, parks, libraries, leisure centres, transport, the local environment, our town centres and much more.

From a political point of view the local election results are a vindication of the work this administration has done to date and we’re grateful for the faith voters have placed in us to continue to drive improvement and make Trafford the best place it can be to live, work and do business. However, we are not complacent and know there is still a great deal of work to be done. We will continue to govern for everyone in the borough and listen to what you say. Current consultations can be found on the Citizen Space area of the council website – and we would encourage all residents to visit this regularly to make sure your views heard on a wide range of issues.

This is also a good moment to revisit the Council’s corporate priorities and ensure they are still appropriate and relevant. So much has changed in the last 14 months and as a Council we are determined to emerge from the coronavirus challenge equipped to meet the needs of Trafford’s residents and businesses in the post-pandemic world.

We have now moved into step three of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown and it’s been great to see those first images of hospitality businesses reopening and welcoming customers indoors once again. While the pandemic is of course not yet over, this is encouraging progress and as a council our focus is now firmly on recovery; building back our local economy and ensuring that employment returns for those who have lost jobs or had to close businesses.

Since the turn of the year, Covid vaccinations have given many of us increased protection against the virus, but we are not out of the woods yet. Everyone though should still exercise caution and follow the health guidance where appropriate because the virus is still in our communities and the spread of the Indian variant is a worry. I would also urge everyone who is eligible to make sure they get their vaccination when asked to do so. I had mine at the Larkhill Medical Centre in Timperley and I must say thanks to the staff and volunteers there who ensured the process has been running smoothly.

Finally my message to everyone is please continue to do everything you can to stay safe and keep the spread of Covid to a minimum. We all want to see a full emergence from lockdown this time and we all need to do our bit to make that happen.

Thanks Andrew.