Manchester council

Caribbean Carnival back in Alex Park this weekend!

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It’s been fifty years since the first Manchester Caribbean Carnival took place, and this weekend will see the full two-day event returning to Alexandra Park after a hiatus caused by the Covid pandemic.

There will be an early morning ‘j’ouvert parade’ to get things underway on Saturday 13th at 7am, followed by the main parade from 12 to 2.30pm. In the Park itself will be plenty of stalls and eight stages with many acts from 12noon to 8pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The routes of both parades and more information about all the events of the weekend are on the Carnival website.

Whalley Range Labour councillor Angeliki Stogia has this message: “A great many Whalley Range and Moss Side residents have family roots in the Caribbean islands, and during the last five decades the Carnival in Manchester has grown from simple beginnings to become a highlight of Manchester’s cultural year. But above all it’s about having fun – I hope everyone can come along to events in the park this weekend, join the parades, be considerate of those around them, and enjoy themselves”.

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Alexandra Park pavilion cafe – councillors’ update

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Many people have been surprised and saddened by the news that Coffee Cranks, who currently operate the cafe facility in the Alex Park pavilion building, have decided to close when their current lease terminates at the end of this month. The three Whalley Range Labour councillors (Angeliki Stogia, Muqaddasah Bano and Aftab Razaq) have made this statement about the closure:

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In Council today – encouraging active travel to school

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Cllr Angeliki Stogia speaking in Council today (click to view)

The increase in car journeys to and from school over recent years is harmful to the environment, raises the risk of accidents, and damages the health of schoolchildren, parents and public alike. But the reasons why more parents are choosing to drive their children on the school run are complex – shortage of time, longer distances to travel and ironically concerns about road safety can all be factors.

At today’s meeting of full Council, Whalley Range Labour councillor Angeliki Stogia seconded a motion on this important issue, and noted the action to encourage more active travel to schools led by some of our local volunteer groups including Whalley Range Climate Action and WalkRide Whalley Range.

The latest action will be a ‘school street’ (where cars are prevented from going up to school gates at drop off and pick up times) on College Road in the vicinity of Manley Park Junior School. It will be taking place this Friday 15 July at the start and end times of the school day.

Aftab wins Whalley Range for Labour

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Angeliki, Bano, Afzal Khan MP and local supporter Jaffar with Aftab at the election count

The Labour Party candidate Aftab Razaq has won another four year term as one of three Manchester City Councillors representing the ward of Whalley Range. The full result of the election (on a turnout of 30%) was:

MCGUINESS, AndrewLiberal Democrat Party174
POTTER, LauraGreen Party721
RAZAQ, AftabLabour Party2,318
SHAHID, M OmarConservative Party173

Aftab says “It has been a great honour to serve the residents of Whalley Range for the last eleven years, and thanks to the help of many friends and supporters, it is a privilege to have been chosen as councillor for another term. My colleagues Angeliki and Bano and I work as a team for the whole community. We do not take anyone for granted. We work hard, but we know that problems still arise, and there is always more that we can do. Please contact me or my fellow Councillors if there is anything you would like to discuss with us”.

Vote Labour, vote Aftab Razaq in Whalley Range today

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Today is election day. The Whalley Range Labour candidate, Aftab Razaq, says “A vote for Labour is a vote for a strong council in Manchester which can stand up to the Tory government in Westminster. I hope you will support me, and my fellow Labour candidates across the city today – but whoever you support, for the sake of our democracy please remember to vote!”

More information about how to vote, including returning a postal vote if you haven’t sent it back yet, can be found in yesterday’s post.