Shawclough & Healey March 2018

Why I am standing
to be your Councillor
We catch up with local Healey candidate
Robert Mclean on the campaign trail.
What made you want to stand
for the Lib Dems Rob?
I got involved out of a desire to serve local people.
It’s no secret that I was a candidate for the Conservative
Party at the last round of local elections, but I did not
agree with the decision to support Labour’s 34%
increase in allowances whilst at the same time freezing
council workers’ pay, enforcing unpaid leave and even
cutting jobs.I was raised believing I could improve things,
not just for me, but for those around me, and to work
hard and to have a sense of fairness. Those are the
principles I live and work by and the principles I want
to bring to council. Speaking with Cllr Andy Kelly, and
observing how he, and Cllr Davidson, put the interest
of Rochdale people first, impresses me. Our priority is
to serve local people.
So, what are you involved with
currently and what ideas do you
have for Healey in the future?
We have been busy talking to residents and getting
results for them. In the big scheme of things dealing
with street signage, flytipping, traffic issues, bad roads
and pavements may seem trivial, but they matter to local
residents. So we’ve been there to not just listen but
actually to take action. I’ve been particularly shocked
by the level of fly-tipping in the ward and the knock on
effect this is having on residents. On Tintern Avenue we
have seen this contribute to flooding down a walk way
that has been ignored for too long and caused a hazard.
On Dell Road, we are regularly seeing large and small
tipping into Healey Dell. We have started a campaign
to tackle this, residents feel this doesn’t matter to our
council - but I can assure them it matters to your local
Liberal Democrat team.I’m raising my young family in
this ward, my children are in school here and I want
to promote an area that is clean, safe, secure and
enjoyable to be in. This is a task far bigger than just
me, so promoting community co-operation is also a key
priority. We have some great local groups working hard
for our community, they deserve attention and support.
What can we expect if you
become our newest Councillor
then?
I will:
• Be accessible to my electorate, through whichever
channel suits. (I never understand why politicians
call an opportunity to meet with them a ‘surgery’
- it sounds like a painful experience to me!)
• Give opportunities for as many residents as
possible to meet with me, throughout the ward.
• Reply to ALL correspondence from Healey
residents. I am here to serve you.
I have already stated that I opposed the 34% increase
in Councillor allowances. But I will go further. My pledge
is that, if elected, any allowance that I accept will be
LESS than the level paid to councillors BEFORE the
unjust increases last year. A new rate, sending a new
message from a new breed of Councillor. Instead of
these funds coming to me, I will also promise that this
money is ploughed into our own ward not just written
off- Providing the grit bins that have been denied
for years, contributing to maintaining our roads and
pavements and looking after our green spaces. I will
join my fellow Liberal Democrat’s in fighting to protect
our green spaces. Protecting and promoting Healey
Dell, actually seeing a solution around Syke Pond - not
just more words and making St Wilfrid’s playing fields
accessible and usable by the community once again.
More than anything it’s being the voice and the listening
ear that Healey is crying out for.
Robert McLean is the Liberal
Democrat candidate for the
Healey Ward on the 3rd May
2018. He can be contacted on
robert-mclean@sky.com
(Published by A.Kelly on behalf of Rob McLean, both Lib Dems,
at 144 Drake Street, Rochdale OL16 1PS)
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