On Saturday I was on the street in Westhoughton and Horwich with a group of local volunteers. We were handing out leaflets for the Public Meeting that's happening on 7:30pm Friday 30th March in the Reebok Stadium to discuss the Sustainable Communities Bill.
We got talking to people, one of the interesting sides of doing this sort of thing. In Westhoughton there is a Sainsbury's planned to be built on the cricket club, local people weren't happy. The indoor market is also to be reduced, people weren't pleased about this either. And as always local people, especially older people, were angry and frustrated about Post Office closures and bus service reductions.
I went into local shops and pubs and they were all interested in the public meeting... "Put up a poster in the window!" said a hairdresser, "Yeah we know already, the landlord has been telling the customers." said a barmaid. Local people are not apathetic, they're just fed up with the current political system - this Bill can change that.
Local MP Ruth Kelly has the power to allow the Sustainable Communities Bill to become law by the summer. This Bill will help local people get what they want for a change, rather than being dictated to by distant executive bodies. A big turnout at the public meeting on 30th March will influence Ms Kelly - so if you're reading this and you want more of a say, be there.
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