On Saturday 29th January the City Centre Labour team will be proudly joining the TUC, NUS and individuals from up and down the country to march against cuts to further education funding and their impact on young people.

Local resident and campaigner Kevin Peel said:

“What this Tory-Lib Dem government is doing to young people is a disgrace. Trebling tuition fees, scrapping the Future Jobs Fund and scrapping Educational Maintenance Allowance – without which I would not have been able to go to college – is a direct attack on the aspirations of hundreds of thousands of young people here in Manchester and across the country.

“I’m proud to add my voice to those who say enough is enough. These are the wrong cuts at the wrong time.”

Marchers will assemble at 10.30am outside Manchester Museum on Oxford Road. The march will set off southbound at 11am and end at a rally in Platt Fields Park at 1pm.

Get in touch if you want to march with us.

Local campaigner Kevin Peel has launched 5 new year pledges to local residents for 2011:

Strengthen the voice of residents in licensing & planning decisions
I want a duty placed on those making applications to hold a meaningful consultation with affected residents and, in the case of licensing, a clearer feedback mechanism for residents to report issues about existing premises.

Secure more green spaces across the city centre
I will set up a Green Taskforce for the city centre and bring together the council, businesses, developers and residents to come up with proposals for more green spaces and general greening in the city centre, including improved recycling facilities.

Crackdown on dodgy managing agents
I will be lobbying the council to introduce a Code of Practice for city centre managing agents, which will lay out a set of basic standards for agents to adhere to and introduce an accreditation scheme so residents can assess the quality of potential agents.

Clean up the city centre
It is unacceptable that some people come into the city centre and treat it like a tip. I’d like to see more bins, including recycling bins, in the city centre and a more aggressive strategy from the council to tackle litter and cleanliness issues on our streets.

Get tough on noise nuisance
I will bring together the police, the council and local bars to devise a new strategy to deal with noise nuisance issues which blight local residents. City dwellers welcome the diverse nightlife but have the right to live in peace.

Kevin said:

“These pledges are what local residents told me are important and I will deliver. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

City Centre resident and campaigner Kevin Peel is calling a summit of city centre managing agents after receiving a string of complaints from local residents about bad service.

Kevin said:

“One of my pledges for 2011 to local residents is a crackdown on dodgy managing agents. I want to see an accreditation scheme and Code of Practice implemented by the Council to regulate city centre agents. This will be discussed at a summit I am holding in February.”

If you’ve had a bad experience with a managing agent, please let us know.

Local Labour campaigner Kevin Peel is setting up a Green Taskforce to lobby for more green space in the city centre.

Kevin recently invited Labour Leader Ed Miliband to the city centre to discuss green issues and other problems affecting local residents.

The Taskforce will bring together individual residents, tenants groups, local charities, businesses and the City Council and will put forward proposals for development of new green spaces in the city centre.

Kevin said:

“There is currently very little green space in the city centre and it’s a major issue for many local residents. I have pledged to secure more green space and I want to see innovative schemes to create more greenery and green spaces in the city centre for residents to use.”

Put forward your ideas and sign up to get involved.

Local Labour campaigner Kevin Peel is calling for a new strategy to tackle noise nuisance which blights city centre residents.

City Centre resident and campaigner Kevin Peel has teamed up with Council City Centre Chief, Cllr Pat Karney, to call for council officers, the police and local businesses to join forces with local residents and devise a new strategy to tackle noise nuisance – an issue which is increasingly affecting city centre residents.

Kevin said:

“One in three e-mails I receive is a complaint about noise nuisance. People who live in the city centre welcome the diverse nightlife, but also have the right to live in peace. I want to see a new strategy to tackle this issue urgently.”

Do you have a particular issue with noise nuisance? Let us know.

- Developer Peel Holdings told to go back to the drawing board after objections from residents

- Local Labour campaigner Kevin Peel meets with local residents and developers to discuss the plans

Local resident and campaigner Kevin Peel recently met with residents and developers of the Jacksons Wharf site to discuss potential changes to their planning application.

Kevin said:

“The decision of the planning committee in December after our pressure was to side with residents and ask Peel to take another look at their plans. I am pleased Peel agreed to meet with us and hope to see improvements before the plans go back to the planning committee.”

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- £110m of cuts are being forced on Manchester City Council this year by the Tory-Lib Dem government, meaning 2000 job losses and cuts to services.

City Centre resident and Labour campaigner Kevin Peel has launched an attack on local Lib Dem Councillors over their support for massive cuts to the council’s budget, which are being imposed by their friends in government.

Kevin said:

“I’m appalled that Lib Dem Councillors support this Tory-led government when Manchester is being forced to make cuts of 25% to its budget, which will also hit the local economy hard.

“People need to send a strong message to the Lib Dems at the local elections in May that these are the wrong cuts at the wrong time.”