The Levenshulme Community Forum public meeting will take place on Friday 25th July, 19.00 at the Klondyke Club (1 Burnage Range, Levenshulme).
The meeting is about the future of our current library after the library moves to the new Arcadia building in 2015.
Other issues can be raised as well. The focus is on ideas for the library as a community facility but this is an open public meeting for all residents of Levenshulme so bring your ideas and issues along.
For the past few years there has been a quarterly meeting called ‘The Ward Coordination meeting’ where Council officers, ward Councillors, residents’ representatives and other Levenshulme organisations such as the Traders’ Association have come together to discuss matters of common concern.
These meetings have been the only regular opportunity for the LCA to put Levenshulme residents’ point of view before relevant Council officers.
At the end of the most recent meeting in June, the Councillors announced that future meetings would be ‘closed’ – meaning that it would just be officers and Councillors. Residents and all other organisations will now be excluded.
This announcement came out of the blue – there was no prior consultation and no sensible explanation as to why they have made this decision! It was just a very autocratic “We’ve decided. That’s it!”
Given that none of our current Councillors actually live in Levenshulme, the LCA is most concerned that residents have lost a very valuable voice and that there is no satisfactory alternative being proposed.
As an alternative, Councillors say they will be organising forums twice a year at which residents will be able to raise issues concerning Levenshulme which they will then take to the Ward Coordination meetings.
We’d very much like to hear what people living in Levenshulme think of this development.
Peter Naughton
LCA Chair
The new Levenshulme Library and Baths development on Stockport Road is now ready for public exhibition.
Plans for the proposed centre design will be on display in the cafe at Levenshulme Inspire from Saturday 14th June to Thursday 26th June, where there will be a chance for you to comment on the proposals. Members of the project team will also be there for you to discuss the plans, on:
There is a dedicated page on Manchester City Council’s website HERE.
Plans for the new development will be available HERE from 14th June.
This is an exciting stage in the development and close attention has been paid to ensuring that the new facilities meet all of the requirements and specifications worked out through lengthy and detailed consultation with Levenshulme residents over the past year or more. The new facilities will include:
Manchester City Council will be investing over £8,000,000 in these new facilities that will dramatically improve services in Levenshulme and serve a wide area of south Manchester.
Relocation of users of the Arcadia roller skate rink will happen in tandem with development of the new facilities. A £250,000 investment is being made separately by the Council to enhance, extend and improve facilities for Arcadia users at Ardwick.
This commitment to public services in Levenshulme by Manchester City Council at a time of austerity and struggle for many people is hugely welcome. This is also a result of the massive local campaign to save Levenshulme’s existing Baths and Library from closure which was a huge success for the people of Levenshulme. The creativity, dynamism, imagination, persistence and dedication of Levenshulme residents and careful collaboration with local councillors and the council is really showing dividends now.
Levenshulme Community Association will continue to consult with residents and work with the council to ensure the best possible outcome for the people of Levenshulme.
A press release from Manchester City Council is expected tomorrow (Friday 7th June 2014) and will be added here when available.
Levenshulme Community Association is pleased to announce an election hustings meeting on Thursday 8th May at 19.30 at St Peter’s Church, Stockport Road, Levenshulme.
This is an open public meeting and everyone is welcome.
The Levenshulme Community Association now has a new constitution and completely new structure fit for our work and our community.
The LCA is now an organisation with groups as members and a clear focus for the future. I’m pleased Peter Naughton, Malcolm Cowen and myself managed to achieve this change with the support of the AGM on Saturday.
In the past year we have reached out with a new website and social media and radically reformed the Association.
The success of our plan to bring more people into being actively involved in the LCA and refocus the Association as a network to share ideas, experience and knowledge across all groups in Levenshulme as well as continuing to represent all Levenshulme residents is very pleasing.
This places the LCA in a much stronger, more outward looking and effective position than it has been in for many years.
I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Peter and Malcolm alongside Beth Marshall, Stuart Fear, Lawrence Hennigan and Aiden Lawler on the new Core Group (managing committee) this year.
The election results were as follows:
Core Group
Download the new LCA Constitution as a PDF document here: LCA constitution 2014
Jeremy Hoad
LCA Secretary 2013-14
The South Levenshulme Post Office is being upgraded to the status of a main post office.
Sunil Chauhan, your local Postmaster, invites you to celebrate a new look for South Levenshulme Post Office at 14.00 on Friday 21st February. If you would like to contribute food or drinks for the party, please email <Sunica@yahoo.com>. The LCA is happy to support this expansion and improvement of services in Levenshulme. Together we can show a thriving neighbourhood, good shops and businesses! The new look post office will provide:
The new post office will open on Friday 21st February at 13.00 and will need to close from Thursday 6th February at 17.30 for refurbishment. In the meantime the North Levenshulme and Burnage Post Offices will remain open as usual.
The AGM of the LCA will be held on Saturday 8th March 2014 at 10.15 in Levenshulme Library.
Any items for the agenda should be submitted by Saturday 1st March. You can submit items using the form below to Jeremy Hoad, LCA Secretary.
The next LCA meeting will take place as follows:
DATE:
Saturday 7th December
TIME:
10.00
VENUE:
Levenshulme Library
We hope people from as many groups as possible across Levenshulme will come along to raise and discuss any issues and share information.
If you have an item for the agenda please notify Jeremy Hoad, LCA Secretary (you can use the contact form on this site). Any agenda items must be received by 17.00 on Thursday 5th December.
I have been asked by the police to let people know that there are a lot of burglaries taking place in the area at the moment.
Asian families in particular are being targeted for women’s jewellery with gangs of up to five men breaking down doors and ripping necklaces off. This is obviously very frightening and intimidating. It is not only Asian families that are suffering but that is a particular target at the moment.
(Jeremy Hoad, Levenshulme Community Association Secretary)
PLEASE:
* Keep your doors and windows locked even when you are at home.
* Use your alarm if you have one.
* Don’t leave valuables on show
* Make valuable items traceable and take photographs.
* Register property at www.immobilise.com for free.
* Dial 101 to report any suspicious activity to the police (non emergency).
* Dial 999 in an emergency or if you see or suspect a crime in progress.
More crime prevention advice is available at www.gmp.police.uk
Sorry for the website being unavailable. We are back up and running now.
There will be a meeting of the Levenshulme Community Association as follows:
DATE: Saturday 21st September 2013
TIME: 10.30-12.30
PLACE: Levenshulme Libary, Cromwell Grove, M19 3QE
NOTE: The meeting is earlier than usual because of the current opening hours of the library.
Newspaper reports today confirm the suspension of Amanda Thain (Head, Levenshulme High Schools for Girls) by the Governing Body of the school. This follows an Ofsted inspection earlier this year which resulted in the appointment of Patsy Kane (Head, Whalley Range High School) as Executive Head at the school.
There is concern at what impact this will have on plans for Levenshulme Library and LHS taking on the building, running the library and developing a school facility for pupils until the new library opens in 2015. To date no work has been undertaken regarding the conversion of the library for use by the school.
Assurances had been provided by Cllr Rosa Battle (Executive Member for Culture and Leisure) that the plans for Levenshulme Library were unaffected following the appointment of Patsy Kane as Executive Head at LHS after an Ofsted inspection and report in July.
Jeremy Hoad (Levenshulme Community Association Secretary and Chair of the Friends’ of Levenshulme Library) said: “It is not wise to jump to conclusions based on newspaper reports but it is wise to determine progress on the Library plans and ongoing commitment to these plans in light of the different circumstances at the school now. I am attempting to clarify the situation with Neil MacInness (Head of Libraries), Rosa Battle and Levenshulme and Gorton South Councillors.”
Further updates will be provided as the situation becomes clearer.
Read the Manchester Evening News article HERE
Read the Daily Mail article HERE
Do you have news about something going on in Levenshulme?
Are you organising an event?
Do you run or support a community organisation?
Please send us your news, information, event or details of your organisation and we’d love to add you to the Levenshulme Community Association website or publicise what you are doing.
Get in touch and share what you know about Levenshulme!
Contact the LCA HERE
Thanks.
Jeremy Hoad (LCA Secretary)
Facilities lists related to the major redevelopment of sports, leisure and library provision that will take place in Levenshulme over the next two years are provided here. There are three documents, all provided as Microsoft Word document downloads:
You are invited to attend the AGM of the Community Association at Levenshulme Library at 2.00 pm on Saturday 23rd March. Nominations are sought, with seconders, for the roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
LCA is working with a large group of campaigners and groups, like the Over 50s Swimming Club and Asian Ladies Swimming Group, who want to make sure the Council keeps the baths open and that they understand the need for privacy, which is the joy of having two pools at levy baths.
Library users are being asked to write letters as well as complete the Consultation forms to show what the Library means to each of us – not just a source of book borrowing, but a place to meet, a heart of our community.
Decisions will be taken in mid-April about keeping our Carnegie Library open until a new Library is established for Levenshulme. Please write to Cllr Richard Leese with your views. Copies can also come in to the LCA. Please sign the Petition available in POD and the Inspire Centre.
Closing the Baths and Library?
We protest proposal to close community buildings in Levenshulme.
The Levenshulme Community Association is surprised that a previous promise to keep Levenshulme Baths open until a new centre is ready appears to have been totally abandoned in response to Government cuts to Manchester’s Rate Support grant. It seems to be symbolic of defeat! The Community Association wishes to protest about this precipitous decision. Local people want to be involved. We will seek an amendment to the budget recommendations, which have not yet been signed off.
Record of Meeting 8th Dec 2012