A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers
A blog about Wirral Council's public meetings, Wirral Council's councillors, Bidston & St. James ward and other public bodies on Merseyside
Chilcot Report to be published today; is the future never-ending austerity?
Today, the Chilcot Report will finally be published. You may well ask what has this to do with local politics?
Well the tax revenue that goes on war can’t be spent here in the UK on schools or hospitals or a thousand and other matters that the people would like more of.
Continue reading “Chilcot Report to be published today; is the future never-ending austerity?”
What were the top 10 most popular stories on this blog last month in June 2016?
Below are links to the ten most popular stories read on this blog last month (June 2016). Eight involve Wirral Council, one Liverpool City Council and the other Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service/Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority. All except one (the one about the regeneration of Birkenhead Town Centre) were published in June 2016. Two are on the topic of the recent First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) public hearing involving myself and Wirral Council.
I’m surprised the EU Referendum stories didn’t feature higher up in the list, but as the EU Referendum was held in the last week of June, those stories have had less time to be read than articles published nearer the start of June.
1. Why has Wirral Council sunk deeper into the quagmire of poor corporate governance surrounding a complaint about Cllr Steve Foulkes? (published 29th June 2016)
2. Secrets about Wirral Council’s Birkenhead Town Centre Regeneration revealed (published 27th December 2013)
3. Labour councillors reject Green Party proposal to reduce Mayor of Liverpool’s Allowance by £89,000 over a 4 year period (published 1st June 2016)
4. Surjit Tour asks Wirral councillors to agree to changes to how complaints about councillors are dealt with (published 3rd June 2016)
5. £206,000 extra for Wirral’s potholes, £170,000 for selling “ornamental pleasure gardens” and a land swap to a body that doesn’t exist! (published 13th June 2016)
6. What did Surjit Tour answer to questions about a Freedom of Information request to Wirral Council at the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) hearing (EA/2016/0033) (continued)? (published 22nd June 2016)
7. Disclosure of 46 pages of PFI contractor’s banking details by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service described as “oversight” (published 14th June 2016)
8. What was in the 11 A4 page witness statement of Surjit Tour (Wirral Council) about a Freedom of Information request for the minutes of a meeting of the Headteachers’ and Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee (EA/2016/0033)? (published 17th June 2016)
9. Where is your polling station (for Wirral voters) for the 2016 EU Referendum vote? (published 23rd June 2016)
10. Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist calls for cross-party unity on Wirral Council on issue of EU funding withdrawal (published 27th June 2016)
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Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist calls for cross-party unity on Wirral Council on issue of EU funding withdrawal
Below is an email from Cllr Phil Gilchrist (Liberal Democrat Leader on Wirral Council) to Cllr Phil Davies (Leader of Wirral Council).
It asks for a unified cross-party approach on Wirral Council to the issue of EU funding if the UK withdraws from the EU.
Cllr Phil Davies did make some remarks at the start of the Cabinet meeting this morning, but the video is yet to upload at the time of writing.
From: Gilchrist, Phil N. (Councillor) <philgilchrist@wirral.gov.uk>
Sent: 25 June 2016 14:40
To: Davies, Phil L (Councillor) <phildavies@wirral.gov.uk>
Good afternoon Phil
I have begun to pick myself up after the outcome of the Referendum, an outcome neither of us desired.
However the result is what it is and I’ve no idea when the Government will set Article 50 in motion.
In the meantime I would welcome any briefing papers you can supply on the on the European funding stream that exist currently
I expect there will be streams we have expected and planned / hoped for and still are working to gain for Wirral and the region.
I say working to gain as I feel we have to start work on this!
With Cabinet coming up on Monday morning I expect you will want to address this, possibly under any other business / urgency.
Thinking on these lines would suggest that a statement to Cabinet, a referral or Motion to Council might run along these lines…
.
Council/Cabinet recognises that funding is currently available for a range of projects, training and investments to support our local and regional economy.
Council is, as with many other bodies, is uncertain on how the funding streams might be replaced, and when but believe arrangements must be made to
secure equivalent replacement funding.
Council therefore calls on the present Government to clarify the situation, offer certainty to our region, and continue the programmes as
envisaged. Council asks for assurances that the UK Government and any successor will match pound for pound any funding stream that are now at risk as a result of the Referendum.
Ideally each group on the Council would accept a formula to present a united approach from Wirral and the region. I would be happy to develop the wording in consultation.
. At various times in the recent campaign various ‘Leave’ people suggested that money would be ‘freed’ for the NHS, Agriculture, etc.
I cannot recall seeing whether ‘regional’ aid got the same treatment!
I will be home on 334 1923 on Sunday evening if you would like to have a word.
Phil Gilchrist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36575503
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The 2016 EU Referendum result on Wirral was as follows:
Remain 88,931 (51.6%)
Leave 83,069 (48.4%)
137 ballot papers were rejected.
Total votes cast 172,137 (turnout 70.96%).
However nationally the result was different:
Leave 17,410,742
Remain 16,141,241
25,359 ballot papers were rejected.
Total votes cast 33,577,342. You can find a more detailed breakdown of the EU Referendum result on the Electoral Commission’s website.
However there were a number of things that happened during the EU Referendum campaign that could trigger a legal challenge to the result.
I outline below an email I sent yesterday to the Returning Officer Eric Robinson here on Wirral about a UKIP poster telling me to vote Leave propped up on the wall of my local polling station.
He sent me a very quick and polite reply back!
I went to vote today this morning at my polling station at
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Gautby Road
Bidston
Wirral
CH41 7DU
which is a polling station for polling district AC in the Bidston and St. James ward.
When I left the polling station, I saw outside a few yards from the entrance to the polling station (still in the grounds of the school being used as a polling station) against a wall a large UKIP poster on corrugated plastic suggesting I vote leave.
Obviously it didn’t influence me as I have already voted, but I immediately brought it to the attention of one of your election staff who was in the corridor outside the room used for voting.
She immediately came with me and removed the UKIP poster which shouldn’t have been there and commented that "they keep sneaking in".
It was in a position that people had to pass to get in to the polling station, however I will point out it wasn’t there when I entered the polling station.
Please could you regard this as a recorded compliment to that member of staff for the efficient and effective way that they dealt with my query and removal of the poster.
I would also be keen to know if you in your capacity as Returning Officer will be writing to UKIP (and/or referring this matter to the police) reminding them that leaving posters outside polling station entrances propped up against walls suggesting which way people vote is not allowed!
Thank you,
—
John Brace
3/10/2016 UKIP have been in touch to state that they wouldn’t sanction what happened at the polling station detailed above.
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Today is polling day in the EU Referendum vote. Here is the question on the ballot paper.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
Polling stations are open on the Wirral from 7.00 am and close at 10.00 pm. You don’t need your polling card to vote, but you will need to tell the polling clerk your name and address.
Here is a list of the addresses of the polling station (Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations EU Referendum Wirral).
The first letter of your unique electoral number (eg A) refers to the ward (in this case Bidston & St James). The second letter (eg E) refers to the polling district within that ward.
Each polling district has its own polling station.
Due to this being a national election and the results from various areas needing to be collated, the Electoral Commission estimates a result could be declared around 6.00 am on Friday 24th June 2016.
However if there are recounts, or the result is close, it could take longer before a final result is known for certain.
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