Everything is Fine at Trafford Council!

Things are getting really bad in Trafford!

The honest assessment as I see it is that Trafford is almost at breaking point.

You've seen the figures that show delayed discharges from hospital put Trafford in the bottom two of the league table for the whole country. Those are real figures, not some tame consultancy's award.

Those figures are more indicative of how Trafford is performing than any amount of corporate propaganda. And the effect is shortened lives as we all know.

This hasn't happened overnight. It's been the product of the coalition's long term economic plan sacrificing local services and Labour's been shouting it for years.

Trafford's problem is that it started the cuts from such a low base. And having Tories in control has meant a culture of denial. Just keep telling everyone that all is well and they won't notice.

But senior officers do know and reputationally, the signs are there that working at Trafford is no longer the plum job it once was. All the corporate directors from even five years ago have either left, leaving or have tried to leave. Trafford no longer seems to be attracting the best from outside and increasingly promotes from within, which can work, but obviously lessens its ability to refresh.

Things are dire. The visible signs are there for all to see It would be easy to put the blame on our private sector 'partner', Amey for the state of our roads and parks. Indeed Amey Plc are a symptom of that sort of global private equity me, me, me, greed that's beset us, but Sean Anstee's Tories have to take the real blame.

The Tories have relied upon throwing a few crumbs out to wards they need to keep voting Tory. And they paint an implied, and often explicit threat that because Labour says it will try to be fair in its policies, that will somehow be worse for Tory voters.

It's a proven electoral strategy and it doesn't cost them very much in 'crumbs'. When you look at Davyhulme, Flixton, Sale, you see it really is crumbs. The cake goes to Hale and Bowdon.

It's almost satire that Hale is having millions spent on its new library, Where's the business case in social value terms, especially given the proximity to Altrincham? – (also getting a new library)

I'm angry that my town, my neighbourhood is getting such a raw deal. I'm frustrated that that the Flixton and Davyhulme's don't demand the same 'cake' that goes to Hale and Bowdon. Why don't they ask where are Flixton and Davyhulme's libraries? Will there ever be a breaking point?

I look across at a Tory Party in total denial as to Trafford's plight.

Comfortably Numb in their indolence.