Maintenance of Waterways Motion Passes!
A plan to stop rubbish and litter clogging up Salford's waterways is set to be launched.
Salford City Council today agreed new steps to tackle the problem after growing concerns about the impact of rubbish ending up in waters around the city, especially in Salford Quays.
Quays residents have sounded the alarm about "commercial" level waste washing into the area from Greater Manchester's rivers, with one local claiming fire extinguishers and other large items are being pulled from the water during litter picks. The new plan to address the issue will bring together businesses, community groups, and council officials to find ways to reduce the amount of rubbish in the city's rivers and water systems.
This includes calling for owners of waterways to clean up and maintain the waters under their control. The matter was raised at a council meeting on September 18 at Salford Civic Centre by Coun Paul Heilbron, who represents the Quays ward. The Lib Dem councillor urged developers in the area to "do their bit" to sort the problem out and welcomed expanding the plan across Salford.
He said polluted waterways are the "most pressing concern" of residents in the ward, but that the "complex ownership of the waterways" in the Quays - split between four different owners and developers - has made it difficult to stamp out. Mr Heilbron added that there is a perception among the public that the council owns all the Salford Quays waterways, and this is letting developers "get off scot-free" from taking responsibility for clearing rubbish.The rubbish has become a "blight" on Salford Quays, which he described as "one of the most iconic and vibrant areas of our city."
The journey…
January – Elected
February – Motion idea created on the back of finding out all the waterways are owned by different companies and the council (The quays alone have four different entities in control of different patches) and to act on my number one pledge to clean up our waterways.
March full council – After some political manoeuvring the motion was moved to the back of the order paper, preview article can be found here - It's one of Greater Manchester's most sought-after destinations - but there's a filthy problem - Manchester Evening News
May Full council – Session time expired to debate
June Full council – Due to illness unfortunately had to withdraw the motion
September full council (Today) – Motion PASSED! Preview article can be found here - It's an iconic part of our city but one problem is dragging everything down - Manchester Evening News
The motion simply put has three elements;
1) Instruct the council Chief Executive to meet with waterways owners to formulate a plan to clean up the Waterways and stop raw sewage being dumped. The waterways in the Quays alone are owned by Peel, the council and other private companies (Urban Waterside & Manchester Shipping Canal) all should play their part.
2) To create a Forum with representatives from each of the owners of the waterways and relative members of the council I.E. ward councillors to be tasked with the upkeep, cleanliness, and improvement of the waterways.
3) To provide regular reports on progress made on the above collaborative approach to improving the issue of litter in the waterways.
A Conservative/ Labour amendment made the motion for the whole of Salford rather than just the Quays which is a great success for the entire city and it was great to see the chamber finally taking the mess in our waterways seriously.
