So what’s been happening at Wirral Council in the last week (22nd March 2020 to 29th March 2020)?

So what’s been happening at Wirral Council in the last week (22nd March 2020 to 29th March 2020)?

So what’s been happening at Wirral Council in the last week (22nd March 2020 to 29th March 2020)?

                                     

Councillor Pat Hackett (Leader of Wirral Council) and Paul Satoor (Chief Executive of Wirral Council) 23rd December 2019
Councillor Pat Hackett (Leader of Wirral Council) and Paul Satoor (Chief Executive of Wirral Council) 23rd December 2019

By John Brace (Editor)

The House of Commons and House of Lords are now no longer sitting (due to return on the 21st April 2020) so this is an update on roughly a week of activity at Wirral Council as it is important people know what’s been decided. Due to delayed publication of decisions unfortunately this will lead to delayed reporting.
Continue reading “So what’s been happening at Wirral Council in the last week (22nd March 2020 to 29th March 2020)?”

15,033 people sign petition opposed to proposals for banning dogs on Wirral’s beaches and parks

15,033 people sign petition opposed to proposals for banning dogs on Wirral’s beaches and parks

15,033 people sign petition opposed to proposals for banning dogs on Wirral’s beaches and parks

                                                    

Cllr Chris Blakeley presenting a Say No To The PSPO petition to Wirral Council on the 9th July 2018
Cllr Chris Blakeley presenting a Say No To The PSPO petition to Wirral Council on the 9th July 2018

Yesterday evening, Cllr Chris Blakeley presented a petition on behalf of Wirral Good Dogs and Peaceful Protest Wirral Dogs Ban of 15,033 people opposed to Wirral Council’s proposals to ban dogs from parts of Wirral’s beaches and parks.

Wirral Council’s consultation on the Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Orders ends on Sunday 15th July 2018.
Continue reading “15,033 people sign petition opposed to proposals for banning dogs on Wirral’s beaches and parks”

What are the Conservative and Liberal Democrat budget proposals for Wirral Council for 2018-19?

What are the Conservative and Liberal Democrat budget proposals for Wirral Council for 2018-19?

What are the Conservative and Liberal Democrat budget proposals for Wirral Council for 2018-19?

                                                      

Councillor Ian Lewis (Leader of Conservative Group) Wirral Council (Council, 11th December 2017) who proposed the Conservative Budget Objection
Councillor Ian Lewis (Leader of Conservative Group) Wirral Council (Council, 11th December 2017) who proposed the Conservative Budget Objection

As a declaration of interest, I will start by stating that I’m married to someone will have to pay the 5.99% council tax rise (if agreed tonight).

This evening, all 65 councillors at Wirral Council have been invited to a public meeting in the Council Chamber at Wallasey Town Hall to decide on the Council’s Budget for 2018-19 (1.4.18 to 31.3.19) starting at 6.00 pm.

The ruling Labour administration (who hold 38 out of 65 seats) proposed their Budget at the Cabinet meeting held on the 19th February 2018.

However both the Conservative Group of 21 councillors and the Liberal Democrat Group of 5 councillors have proposed alternatives to be considered this evening.
Continue reading “What are the Conservative and Liberal Democrat budget proposals for Wirral Council for 2018-19?”

So what happened each month in 2017?

So what happened each month in 2017?

So what happened each month in 2017?

                                    

Cllr Phil Davies on Hoylake Golf Resort at Hoylake Community Centre 9th December 2017
Cllr Phil Davies on Hoylake Golf Resort at Hoylake Community Centre 9th December 2017

2017 was such a newsworthy year it’s hard to know where to start.

January

The year started with councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority furious over the refusal of planning permission for a new fire station in Saughall Massie.
Continue reading “So what happened each month in 2017?”

Who’s leaving Wirral Council and what is a 20,085 signature petition against?

Who’s leaving Wirral Council and what is a 20,085 signature petition against?

Who’s leaving Wirral Council and what is a 20,085 signature petition against?

                                      

Mayor Cllr Ann McLachlan , Council (Wirral Council) 10th July 2017
Mayor Cllr Ann McLachlan , Council (Wirral Council) 10th July 2017

Yesterday’s email from Mr Tour, ended with “you are required to return to the public gallery”.

However when I did return to the entrance to the public gallery above the Council Chamber, after asking my question, Wirral Council’s Community Patrol unsuccessfully tried to stop me re-entering.

I have however sadly learnt in life to ignore a lot of Wirral Council employee’s more bizarre requests and slipped past him. The guy from Community Patrol tried to grab my arm to stop me but lost his grip.

Ironically as I had had a stand up protest downstairs over the nonsense over the seating arrangements, typing away notes on my iPad, in the hot weather my bare arm was so sweaty by then that his hand couldn’t grip on to me.

So I thank Surjit Tour for putting into place a chain of events that thwarted another Wirral Council employee.

As I’d forgotten to turn my tape recorder off downstairs there’s a tape of the whole matter and conversation.

Maybe Community Patrol will have better luck at the next Planning Committee?

Indeed Wirral Council losing its grip seemed to be a running theme of the evening.

The petition against the planning application for a fire station (on Council owned land) in Saughall Massie presented by Cllr Chris Blakeley has reached 4,034 signatures. The report from Wirral Council’s planning department recommends it for approval. The matter will be decided at the Planning Committee on the 20th July 2017, after a site visit on the 18th July 2017.

Another large petition, of a mere 20,805 signatures, submitted by Cllr Chris Blakeley on behalf of Cllr Jeff Green opposed the introduction of car parking charges in the country parks (which goes to a call-in meeting on the 18th July 2017).

Cllr Phil Davies (Leader) and the Labour councillors however does not agree with Cllr Chris Blakeley on many policy matters.

After questions for Cabinet Members from various councillors, there were general questions, followed by just over half an hour of debate about senior managers’ employment status.

A quick summary is Julia Hassall (Director of Children’s Services) resigned, Tom Sault (Assistant Director: Finance) is entering a “phased retirement”, Surjit Tour (Assistant Director: Law and Governance, Monitoring Officer and Senior Information Risk Officer) has resigned and Clare Fish (Executive Director for Strategy) has requested early retirement.

The Chief Executive, Eric Robinson also wants to regrade the Director for Children post to the £140-£155k band and create a new post for a senior manager (Director of Strategy and Partnerships) on a salary range of £103k-£115k. He also wants to increase the salary range for the Assistant Director: Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer post to a maximum of £93k. Those are most of the changes (there are some other ones too).

The changes to the senior management team that were recommended in a private meeting of the Employment and Appointments Committee were agreed by Council yesterday evening on a 35:25:1 vote (for:against:abstain). The 1 is the Labour councillor who is the Mayor abstaining. The other 35 are Labour councillors and the 25 were a combination of opposition councillors.

The effect is that Surjit Tour remains serving out his notice (until some point in September 2017), Clare Fish’s early retirement request is agreed, Tom Sault retires (but phased) and Penna (the external recruitment consultants) have a massive pay-day from advising Wirral Council on recruitment to all these posts (estimated by one councillor at ~£12k a post).

The senior management team was restructured last in November 2016 and at least one councillor suggested that changing again so soon implies that the previous model hadn’t worked.

Cllr Bernie Mooney referred to people being paid, “too bloody much”.

Certainly the senior management team hasn’t been changed this much since 2012, when a large number of them were suspended, then paid large sums to leave as the suspension wasn’t done properly.

There was also a short debate on wildlife sites.

Most people however were there in the public gallery (patiently waiting around two hours before the meeting got to that point) to hear debate on a Notice of Motion about the New Ferry explosion.

Cllr Warren Ward received cross-party plaudits for his work as a ward councillor for this area.

Labour councillors blamed it on the government.

Conservative councillors said that part of the response was the responsibility of Wirral Council.

In the end though, after just over 30 minutes of debate, councillors of all parties agreed a notice of motion that will result in Wirral Council writing a letter to the Prime Minister and a letter to the government minister for Communities and Local Government.

After that agreement, the Mayor called for a ten minute adjournment (which turned into a fifteen minute adjournment).

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