Sian Astley for Reform UK

Today I spent a number of hours with Council Officers and non-elected staff learning how their roles fit into what I will do as a Cllr and how they can help me help residents. We did a mini tour around the Forum and saw the music and performance space used by a wide range of young people. I took part in a steering group session about the Wythenshawe Live events in the Park, listening to plans from the organisers and information about how the events propose to help the community. More details needed and will be asked for, but it’s clear how much community engagement is sought, which is good. Residents present and being vocal - love it.

Canvassing in the Makerfield constituency with The Boss Nigel Farage today ☀️ Lots of support for Reform UK on the doorsteps and it’s so funny when kids and teenagers come running up the street shouting ‘Nigel Nigel Can we have a selfie?’ 📷😍 Super cute video incoming on next post

This week I’ve been uploading various enquiries on behalf of residents, getting to grips with how all the Scrutiny Committees work in the Town Hall, meeting Officers to arrange the two small Reform meeting rooms for our team of 7, and starting to understand how decisions get made. The behind the scenes stuff. Meeting the Neighbourhood teams and the relevant GMP representatives for our areas. Tomorrow we’ve an induction session in Etrop Court for a couple of hours, meeting the full time officers who we’ll be working with. It’s a lot to take in and I suspect that I’ll be watching the training sessions a couple of times, but it’s all very interesting!

Sharing this for residents in and around my ward of Baguley:
A centenary celebration at Wythenshawe Hall on the weekend of the 13th & 14th June 2026 marking 100 years since Ernest and Shena Simon bought Wythenshawe Hall from Robert Henry Granville Tatton and donated it to the Manchester Corporation. The surrounding land became with Wythenshawe Park. 

Makerfield needs Reform 🇬🇧🩵
A sunshine filled few hours yesterday evening (whilst residents were watching the rugby!) chatting to people and delivering leaflets in the Makerfield by-election constituency for Rob Kenyon for Makerfield. This is a fascinating microcosm of British politics, completely different to Gorton & Denton. As someone who’s never done politics before, to have been involved in one by-election was eye opening enough, to dip into yet another is quite the electoral experience. Good to meet the candidate and to get out and speak to voters 👊🏻

PLEASE DON’T LEAVE YOUR AIR-FRYERS ON! No people involved, luckily, but a fully burned out flat this lunchtime in the heart of Fallowfield. Terrible to lose all your belongings in this way, and so avoidable. Turn appliances off, and unplug them to be safe kids.

Back in the saddle this morning doing all our election expense paperwork with candidates and Councillors, an important requiring which is also a legal requirement, I now know. Going to head up North after lunch for some sunshine canvassing for candidate Rob Kenyon for Makerfield ☀️

For residents of Baguley, (my ward!), I do have an apology. I’ve been participating in lots of training which is on-going until the end of this week on things like governance, council budgets, safeguarding, IT and planning. Our emails and contact number are in place, and letterheads / cards are incoming. Our small group of Reformers are finding their feet and setting up surgery times and locations. For me, as most of you know, this has been complicated by personal matters which have made things challenging and slightly slowed up my progress into Councillor Mode. I’m writing my dad’s eulogy today, heading to Costco for food to pad out the buffet and dressing the room with photos. I might stay in Costco longer than necessary if it’s still 30* outside. Many of you will have trodden this path and know it takes focused time and mental energy, as with every step, respects are paid as part of the process. A process I’ve not been through as a ‘funeral organiser’ before. So if you’re wondering why your new Cllr has been a bit low key up to now, that’s why. I promise I’ll be taking it up a gear or two next week x

On Bank Holiday Monday near my house, a massive plume of black foul smelling smoke went up with students in a nearby house running out, scared their whole garden was going to go up in flames in the 30* heat. Two young men had a huge pile of builders rubbish (including painted items and plastic) on fire in the middle of this chaos, with the pine tree next to it on fire also. Apparently their landlord has simply fenced off part of the garden, and turned it into this tip and builders yard complete with shipping container. The two boys there who admitted in broken English to me and the fire brigade that they’d been told to burn this stuff. Planning issues, safety issues, employment issues, housing issues. Happy Bank Holiday! It’s my dad’s funeral tomorrow so this problem will need to wait till Friday but srsly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. These are the sort of landlords which Manchester City Council needs to clamp down on!