Mary Watson

Election 2021 – Bano wins for Labour in Whalley Range

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Following the election yesterday and the count today at Manchester Convention Centre which concluded at 6.30pm, Muqaddasah Bano has been declared the new councillor for Whalley Range. The final tally of votes on a turnout of 34.8% is as follows:

BANO, MuqaddasahLabour2,733
MCGUINESS, AndrewLiberal Democrat102
MCMANUS, BethGreen955
TANG, AndrewConservative210

Bano says “I am really honoured to have been chosen by the residents of Whalley Range to represent them on the Council. Of course I have much to learn as a new councillor, but I will work really hard to repay the faith you have put in me. And of course thanks also to Mary Watson, who has served as councillor here for fifteen years and is so well respected in the community. I will do my best to follow in her footsteps”.

Go Postal – apply to vote early this year

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Mary, Bano and Angeliki have all gone postal

The government has reconfirmed that the local election postponed from last year will take place on Thursday 6 May. While electors can be confident that voting on the day at polling stations will be completely safe, it may be less convenient than usual – for example, some polling stations may have to temporarily relocate (especially those normally in schools), and voters may have to queue outside at busier times.

So if you haven’t already, why not Go Postal this year? You can easily apply to vote early by post online – follow this link to find out more on the Manchester City Council and download the form. After completing and signing the form, you can submit it by email with either a scan or a clear, legible photo of the completed form attached.

Muqaddasah Bano, Labour candidate for Whalley Range, says “I usually vote at my local polling station, but this year is different – I’m going postal. It only took a couple of minutes to apply, it was quite a simple form.”

If you still have questions about applying for a postal vote, contact us.

Going walkabout in Whalley Range

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Mary joins Whalley Range residents on the ‘benches walkabout’

Thursday (October 1st) was International Older People’s Day – to celebrate the occasion Age-Friendly Whalley Range organised a (socially distanced) walkabout, visiting some of the age-friendly benches in Whalley Range and providing an opportunity for some of our less mobile older residents to meet others at their nearest bench for a quick chat.

Councillor Mary Watson joined the walkers – she says “We had such a good time – so lovely to see each other, the first time we’ve been able to (other than on screens) since the lockdown started in March!”. She adds “From the calls that Aftab, Angeliki and I have received in the last few months we know that that the Covid risks and restrictions on movement and socialising have disproportionately affected older people in the area, especially those living on their own. We all need to carry on looking out for and supporting our neighbours”.

More information about Age-Friendly Whalley Range is here, or you can call 0161 881 3744 or email agefriendlywhalleyrange@gmail.com.

Eid Mubarak from Whalley Range Labour

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To all Whalley Range residents and families celebrating the festival of Eid – Cllr Aftab Razaq, Cllr Angeliki Stogia, Cllr Mary Watson and Assia Shah wish you a joyful occasion. Please remember, the best gift you can give to your loved ones this year is… Stay home, stay safe.

GM bus consultation – our councillors’ response

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The public consultation on proposals by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to bring the region’s bus services back under public control has now closed. The three Whalley Range councillors (Angeliki Stogia, Mary Watson and Aftab Razaq) are all strongly in favour of the plans – you can read their submission to the consultation here.

Whalley Range Labour candidate Assia Shah says “Angeliki, Mary, Aftab and I will continue to push for the improvements we all need to our public transport infrastructure, including better buses. We’re looking forward to hearing about the outcome of the consultation and the next steps in this process”.