SALFORD COUNCIL - A LESSON IN HANDLING AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS

I have to admit that in the past I have voice many criticism's of Salford City Council and I can assure anyone reading this that I will most definitely have more of those critical words to say in the future, but as the world slowly tore itself apart with toilet roll hoarding and fights breaking out in supermarket isles over pasta and corned beef, the cogs had long been starting to whirl within Swinton Civic Centre and what happened next shocked even my critical mind.

Whilst the government was in disarray on how best to handle the impending crisis, a spark was lit which would bring a little ray of light to Salford through some of its darkest days on record. A spark which would ignite the long quietened heart of Salfordians and go on to ultimately save lives and reduce the misery that so many of us were staring in the face.

It is absolutely true to say that Salford has endured some of the most savage cuts to public services during this last decade, so maybe it could be forgiven if its response to the coronavirus pandemic was lacking, but nothing could be further than the truth.

As other towns and cities struggled to cope, Salford delivered a master class in how to handle a crisis.

Weeks before the lockdown was ever implemented and long before the full extent of the impact of the virus was obvious, preparations were already being put into place should the unimaginable happen. The council had done its homework and liaised with all of the key players within the city in order to coordinate a response, from the NHS to the CVS, the council prepared for the worst and it was that forward thinking that led to one of the clearest responses of any city within the UK.

From day one, local councillors sprang forth to set up groups on social media in order to coordinate directly with those in the community who most required their aid. The Spirit of Salford Network as it came to be known, was a key asset in delivering the correct and reliable information, coordinating food deliveries for vulnerable people and allowing people to get in contact with those who could best aid them.

Some councillors even took to turning into chefs to cook meals for countless people in need, in order to ensure that no one went unfed or was left to suffer.

The City Mayor - Paul Dennett, came under a little criticism on social media at the start of the lockdown for a lack of communication but in reality that turned out to be a blessing as other cities were overwhelmed by officials giving conflicting advice to people, statements from multiple sources within councils which clashed with each other and often made little sense.

In Salford we had none of that, what we did have was clear concise leadership at a time when it was needed.

Rather than take to the podium to give blustering diatribes about the Tories response, the Mayor opted for a calmer more clinical approach as he struggled to keep Salford ticking over. Ultimately that approach worked and I think it is fair to say that Salford managed a lot better than some much larger and more affluent cities because of it. The correct information got put out to the correct audiences and panic and confusion were minimised as a result.

I can guarantee that below the water the Mayors legs were kicking like a sinking duck to keep it all afloat, but above water, his composure remained calm which sent out the correct message to the people and helped keep them calm in turn.

What happened over those following months was nothing more than astounding. Thanks to an army of council workers, the bins remained emptied, key infrastructure was maintained and Salfords heart kept beating strong. 

Heroes in the community rose, NHS workers were lofted to their rightful respected position in society and shop workers were recognised for their courage and bravery in and essentiality in keeping shelves stacked and a city fed.

The most inspirational thing though was the resurgence of community, neighbours who had never spoken before took to the streets to applaud the NHS on a weekly schedule, colour, race and all of those other things which divide us were put aside and for the first time in a long time, Salford came together and acted as one all encompassing community. Yes, it is true that some people acted selfishly and foolishly but they were in the minority and I truly hope that it remains that way in the future.

If there is one thing that this pandemic has taught us it is that when Salford is united under a common cause, we are stronger. Despite decades of the decimation of local communities, new ones were born and the real face of Salford shone through the darkness, one full of compassion and love.

The acts of kindness from people to strangers was nothing short of inspiring and there were far to many to mention. One however which does stand out for me personally was the selfless act of one mother who had managed to obtain extra baby milk and rather than hoard it for herself she offered it to another mother who was struggling to find some for her child.

That for me defines what this amazing city of ours truly is.

We still have a distance to go before we can say that this is all over, our local economy is in dire need of help and I was shocked when I heard the amount of money that the response had cost the council I was shocked and left a little worried that they would struggle to get compensated by the Government. I truly hope that after such an amazing response, Salford Council is not left picking up the whole tab. This is not only true of Salford but in other towns and cities which are struggling already too.

So, I am happy to say that when Salford council were needed to act like a council, they preformed admirably. Their actions and early responses had a huge effect in how things panned out and if it were not for those actions, things in this city would have been far far worse. Something that I honestly do not want to even contemplate.

Yes, the gutter press also had a few words to say about Salford, the Murdoch owned rag 'The Sun' ran an article which tried as usual to paint Salford as an out of control wild west town, but in reality nothing could have been further from the truth.

For those who read my posts on our SalfordOnline group, they will know that praise for the council is something which I don't often bestow, but in this case I am more than happy to give it for a job well done.... so far.

I say so far as the virus is still out there, Salford needs to get back on its feet and safely open for business, which is WE come in. 

In order to do that it is vitally important that we continue to maintain our social distancing for the foreseeable future, and although the science behind mask wearing is full of opposing views from the medical profession and Facebook Karen's, I go for the old adage that if it can possibly help then why the hell not?

The speed of the spread of coronavirus has shown clearly that personal hygiene is imperative and it is vitally important to keep our hands clean to cut down on infections from not only this virus but countless other bugs and pathogens we come into contact with on a daily basis.

If we want Salford back on its feet again we need to help it stand and keep it steady so we don't fall over. We do that as a community, united and together.

And on that note I shall say thank you to the councillors, essential workers and support staff who came together during this crisis, you truly did this city proud and we are all forever indebted.