Saughall Massie residents ask Wirral Council for reasons why greenbelt site suggested for new fire station

Saughall Massie residents ask Wirral Council for reasons why greenbelt site suggested for new fire station

Saughall Massie residents ask Wirral Council for reasons why greenbelt site suggested for new fire station

Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)
Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 3 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 4 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Playlist of all parts 1-4

Continues from Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting.

A member of the audience asked why Upton fire station couldn’t just be enlarged? Dan Stephens replied that if they did that, then it would increase response times to the West Kirby station area. He repeated what he had said earlier about how they couldn’t afford two fire stations and it was best to have one as close to the middle of the two existing fire stations as they could get.

Someone asked whether a completed risk assessment had been carried out on the impact on traffic of a new fire station in Saughall Massie? The answer was that such issues would be picked up in a future planning application. The Chief Fire Officer pointed out again that the roads in Wirral were no more challenging than roads elsewhere in Merseyside.

The next woman brought up environmental issues, heritage issues, property prices and said “my life will be definitely be blighted by this fire station” and she wanted to know “how it’s going to affect me here”. The Chief Fire Officer explained that his role was to be held to account for community safety matters. He said that the issues she had raised were ones for a planning committee to consider.

She asked a further question about why the proposal in Greasby had been thrown out and whether that was planning? The Chief Officer answered “No” and explained that they hadn’t got to the planning stage at Greasby. He added that they didn’t own the land at Greasby and the offer of the land had been withdrawn. Such questions would have to be asked of Wirral Council.

David Armstrong (Wirral Council) answered that the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority had approached Wirral Council to find a site. Three sites were identified in a built up area, one of which was the one in Greasby. That site didn’t go ahead “for a number of reasons” so they broadened the search out.

Mr Armstrong was next asked what the reasons were that they hadn’t proceeded with the Greasby site. Councillor Chris Blakeley gave his opinion that he thought the Council wanted to “make politics out of it”. Kieran Timmins chairing the meeting reminded Councillor Blakeley that it was not a political meeting.

“What reasons?” was asked again of David Armstrong. He answered, “As the idea developed, as the feedback came from the consultation meetings, as we looked at it more closely and we tried to explore it with the community centre who didn’t sign up to it at all. We looked into issues of grant which we’d had government grant to extend the library and the children’s centre et cetera, et cetera it became obvious that that scheme was not going to work. It was still important to have the consultation which you’re having now. The Council has done no more than cooperate with the fire service to have discussion about the fire safety of 26,000 people.

We started out looking at the sites that weren’t greenbelt and weren’t green space. There were three in Greasby. One was a triangular piece of land next to the cricket club that the Council owned which didn’t work because the fire service for understandable reasons like to have a site where they can take the fire tender in, drive it in, they need a substantial sized site.

We looked at a piece of land that the Council owns next to the second roundabout, not the Sainsburys one, the one nearest Greasby which has a dead-end spur into a piece of land. It’s leased to the Woodland Trust for 100 years. It’s very close to Upton, it didn’t give the fire service the location it needed.

That left us then with the Greasby site. When it became apparent that that wasn’t going to work, we broadened the search out we looked at the greenbelt sites and we presented them to the Fire Authority and that’s all we’ve done to have this discussion and debate because as Dan [Stephens] said earlier the decision will have to be made at the end of the day as to whether that can work in terms of fire safety, whether it would work for the people that live there and all those things would have to be brought together.

The Council has yet to reach a decision on whether to release the land, it will await the outcome of this consultation, that will feed into things and a report that will go to Council. If the Fire Authority wish to pursue this option because they’ve got that decision to make, if they do that, if the Fire Authority come back to the Council and say this is the only option, we’d like to pursue this, the Council will have to make a decision whether or not to release the site.

If the Council did decide to release the site, the Fire Authority then would have to apply for planning permission and an entirely separate process within the Council and that again would address all the issues, the environmental issues, the location issues, the planning issues as well.”

Details of how to respond to the consultation are here. The consultation closes on the 18th May 2015.

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Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)
Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 1 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 2 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 3 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 4 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Playlist of all parts 1-4

A consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to hear from the public on a proposed new fire station in Saughall Massie Road started badly when over a hundred people who came to the meeting were turned away from the St Marys Centre because the meeting was full. Despite repeated requests at the start of the meeting by a local councillor for a further meeting in Saughall Massie, Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) refused to commit himself to a further public meeting however did say it was something he would “carefully consider”.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that if Upton and West Kirby fire stations were closed, then in his view (although people didn’t have to agree with him) a new fire station would be needed near the midpoint of the two existing fire stations. If a new fire station wasn’t built in Saughall Massie and only West Kirby fire station was closed, then it would lead to an increase in response times to the former West Kirby station area. He made it clear that after the consultation was finished the final decision on what happens next would be taken by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, who would have to consider public safety and response times. The views expressed at the public consultation meetings would be reported back to the Fire Authority.

The first person who asked a question felt that gridlock in the roads around Saughall Massie at certain times and narrow roads would lead to an increase in response times if a new fire station was built in Saughall Massie. The Chief Fire Officer responded that he felt the traffic conditions “were no worse than they are anywhere else on Merseyside”.

Continuing with his question the same person pointed out that twice a day the road from Saughall Massie to West Kirby was blocked by cattle being moved between fields. He suggested that they look for brownfield sites instead.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that they didn’t have compulsory purchase powers and that as they’d already been through a consultation on Greasby that the matters needed to be resolved. He said that if West Kirby fire station was closed and Upton kept open, then the fire engines (from Upton) would need to travel down the same roads to the West Kirby area.

Another member of the public pointed out that the number of incidents responded to by the fire service was falling year on year. She asked if Upton fire station could be used for less callouts?

Dan Stephens replied that it wasn’t the number of incidents that was important but the type of the incident. There were 26,000 people living in the West Kirby station area, therefore “it’s an absolute certainty we will have another domestic property fire”. In his view it didn’t matter that the total number of incidents were going down, but as long as people lived there, there would be incidents. He said, “It’s about run times, not numbers of incidents.”

The next person to ask a question pointed out that the map showing response times of Saughall Massie versus Upton showed that from Upton, an over 10 minute response time would be mainly to fields and a golf course. Replying to his point, the Chief Fire Officer said that there was still a good proportion that was an 8 to 9 minute response time compared to only 6 to 7 minutes from Saughall Massie.

A resident of Saughall Massie said that she wasn’t in agreement with a new fire station in Saughall Massie and that “if you feel that that’s the best place you have to prove it to everybody”. Dan Stephens replied that they couldn’t afford two fire stations, but could only have one. That one fire station would have to be in the middle.

The next question was from the secretary of the Saughall Massie Conservation Area Society. He said he was not going to talk about conservation or greenbelt, but response. His question was if BRVs (brigade response vehicles) would be considered? The Chief Fire Officer explained that the brigade response vehicles weren’t of much use in responding to a domestic property fire or a road traffic collision. He pointed out that West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority could afford BRVs, but Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority couldn’t. BRVs were for antisocial small fires, but would have to be manned by three extra people that they couldn’t afford.

A further question asked was why couldn’t the council tax that pays for the fire service on Merseyside be increased by £5? The answer given was that to do that would require a referendum which would cost an estimated £2 million.

The Chief Fire Officer was then asked if he would consider other options such as BRVs? He said he would not consider them as they “give me absolutely nothing in terms of operational response” and that he would be “paying for an asset that gave me absolutely nothing”.

The next woman referred to a petition about the closure of West Kirby fire station and speculation about plans for a multi-storey shopping centre there. Dan Stephens said that there had been no consideration of the disposal of the site at West Kirby because no decision had yet been made to close it. The same woman referred to the “Greater Concourse plan”. David Armstrong (Assistant Chief Executive, Wirral Council) said that “there are no current plans for anything at the West Kirby site”.

You can watch what was asked in the rest of the meeting on Youtube. Details of how to respond to the consultation are here. The consultation closes on the 18th May 2015.

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Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

                                                   

Dan Stephens Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service at Greasby Methodist Church Hall, Greasby Road, Greasby on 10th November 2014 for consultation meeting on closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations and merger at Greasby
Dan Stephens Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service at Greasby Methodist Church Hall, Greasby Road, Greasby last year for a consultation meeting on the proposed closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations

Tonight, the first of three public meetings will be held (starting at 6.30pm at the St Mary’s Centre, 127 Saughall Massie Road, CH49 4LA) to consult with the public on options which include building a new fire station in Saughall Massie (if Upton Fire Station & West Kirby Fire Station close). Another option being consulted on is the closure of West Kirby Fire Station and keeping Upton Fire Station open.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have produced an eighteen page consultation document which details their reasons for the consultation. There is also an online questionnaire as part of the consultation and you can email consultation2@merseyfire.gov.uk with your views or write to Wirral Consultation, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Bridle Road, Bootle, L30 4YD.

The twelve week consultation ends on the 18th May 2015 and there will be two further public meetings in addition to the one tonight in Saughall Massie.

Tuesday, 28th April, at Holy Cross Church community rooms, by Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch, CH49 7LS, starting at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, 5th May, at Hoylake Community Centre, The Parade, Hoyle Road, Hoylake, CH47 3AG, starting at 6.30pm.

A transcript of the reasons given by the Chief Fire Officer for the consultation at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting on the 29th January can be read here.

You may also be interested in Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting which includes video of the meeting.

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168 pages of Wirral Council's Environmental Streetscene Services contract with Biffa Waste Services Limited

168 pages of Wirral Council’s Environmental Streetscene Services contract with Biffa Waste Services Limited

168 pages of Wirral Council’s Environmental Streetscene Services contract with Biffa Waste Services Limited

                                                                 

Below are the first 168 pages of Wirral Council’s Environmental Streetscene Services contract with Biffa Waste Services Limited. It’s not the complete contract which runs to many more hundreds of pages. The contract is for collecting rubbish from households on the Wirral and other services such as removing litter from the streets.

The end date for the contract was extended from 2017 to 2027 by Wirral Council’s Cabinet in December 2014. It’s important to read section 7 of the contract with this variation order which changes (from July 2013) the frequency of street cleansing as the frequencies for street cleansing were changed. Pages 89 to 101 of this contract have been previously published on this blog. Wirral Council have stated they will publish the full contract by May 2015.

Pricing information on certain pages wasn’t provided by Wirral Council on grounds of commercial confidentiality. The pages that fall into this category are page 109 of 164 (8.14 Schedule 2A – Waste & Recycling (Alternate Weekly Residual Collection), page 111 of 164 (8.16 Waste and Recycling Daywork Rates), Page 112 of 164 (8.17 Schedule 3A – Street Cleansing) and page 116 of 164 (Street Cleansing Daywork Rates) and page 117 of 164 (Cost Summary).

If you’ve arrived at this page trying to determine what day your bin will be collected, simply enter your street name on this page on Wirral Council’s website to find out.

Continue reading “168 pages of Wirral Council's Environmental Streetscene Services contract with Biffa Waste Services Limited”

Who are the 112 candidates in the 2015 Wirral Council elections?

Who are the 112 candidates in the 2015 Wirral Council elections?

Who are the 112 candidates in the 2015 Wirral Council elections?

                          

The nomination period for anyone wishing to stand as a candidate in the elections to become a councillor at Wirral Council has closed. As usual elections in each of the twenty-two wards on Wirral are all being contested. Wards are listed alphabetically, then the candidates alphabetically by surname. One candidate (the Conservative candidate in Liscard) called Ann Ondra Lavin has withdrawn their nomination, therefore is not included in the list of candidates. Polling day is on the 7th May, with results expected on the 8th May.

Name of ward Name of candidate Description
Bebington Jim Bradshaw UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Bebington Des Drury The Conservative Party Candidate
Bebington Brian Downing Gill Liberal Democrats
Bebington Anthony James Smith Green Party
Bebington Jerry Williams Labour Party
Bidston & St. James Karl Richard Cumings Green Party
Bidston & St. James Geoffrey Peter Dormand The Conservative Party Candidate
Bidston & St. James Ben Halligan Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Bidston & St. James Brian Martin Kenny Labour Party
Bidston & St. James Roy John Wood Liberal Democrat
Birkenhead & Tranmere Jayne Louise Stephanie Clough Green Party
Birkenhead & Tranmere June Irene Cowin The Conservative Party
Birkenhead & Tranmere Philip Leslie Davies Labour Party
Birkenhead & Tranmere Monica Price Liberal Democrat
Birkenhead & Tranmere Laurence John Sharpe-Stevens UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Bromborough Mike Collins The Conservative Party Candidate
Bromborough Sue Colquhoun UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Bromborough Penelope Ruth Golby Liberal Democrats
Bromborough Mark Halligan Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Bromborough Percy Hogg Green Party
Bromborough Joe Walsh Labour Party
Clatterbridge Jan Cambridge Liberal Democrats
Clatterbridge Jenny Holliday Labour Party
Clatterbridge Roger Laurence Jones UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Clatterbridge Vinny Spencer Green Party
Clatterbridge Adam Christopher Sykes The Conservative Party Candidate
Claughton Tom Cubbin Green Party
Claughton Stephen Foulkes The Labour Party Candidate
Claughton Philip William Barrington Griffiths UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Claughton Barbara Vera Sinclair The Conservative Party Candidate
Claughton Christopher Teggin Liberal Democrat
Eastham Paul Thomas Cartlidge Green Party
Eastham Keith Ross Jack The Conservative Party Candidate
Eastham Dave Mitchell Liberal Democrats
Eastham Helen Louise Robinson Labour Party
Greasby, Frankby & Irby David Robert Burgess-Joyce The Conservative Party Candidate
Greasby, Frankby & Irby Laurence Cresswell Jones UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Greasby, Frankby & Irby Julie McManus Labour Party
Greasby, Frankby & Irby Catherine Anne Page Green Party
Greasby, Frankby & Irby Peter Timothy Clifford Reisdorf Liberal Democrats
Heswall Barbara Florence Burton Green Party
Heswall Andrew Chapman Hodson The Conservative Party Candidate
Heswall Mike Holliday Labour Party
Heswall David Anthony Scott UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Heswall David Robert Tyrrell Liberal Democrats
Hoylake & Meols Gerry Ellis The Conservative Party Candidate
Hoylake & Meols Bill McGenity Labour Party
Hoylake & Meols Yvonne McGinley Green Party
Hoylake & Meols Michael Graham Redfern Liberal Democrats
Hoylake & Meols George David Robinson UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Leasowe & Moreton East Ron Abbey Labour Party
Leasowe & Moreton East Jan Davison UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Leasowe & Moreton East Denis Thomas Knowles Local Conservatives
Leasowe & Moreton East Craig John Reynolds Green Party
Liscard Daniel Clein Liberal Democrats – Stronger Economy Fairer Society
Liscard Adam Said Khan Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Liscard Bernie Mooney Labour Party
Liscard Lindsay Claire Stowell-Smith Green Party
Liscard Lynda Ellen Williams UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Moreton West & Saughall Massie Karl Gerard Greaney Labour Party
Moreton West & Saughall Massie Perle Winifred Sheldricks Green Party
Moreton West & Saughall Massie Susan Jane Whitham UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Moreton West & Saughall Massie Steve Williams Local Conservatives
New Brighton Patrick Joseph Hackett Labour Party
New Brighton Gillian Homeri Green Party
New Brighton Tim Power UK Independence Party (UKIP)
New Brighton Tony Pritchard Local Conservatives
Oxton Paul Andrew Doughty Labour Party
Oxton Liz Heydon Green Party
Oxton Hilary Margaret Jones The Conservative Party Candidate
Oxton Stuart Kelly Liberal Democrat
Oxton David Charles Martin UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Pensby & Thingwall Philip Alexander Brightmore Labour Party Candidate
Pensby & Thingwall Allen John Burton Green Party
Pensby & Thingwall Damien William Cummins Liberal Democrat Focus Team
Pensby & Thingwall Hilary Jane Jones UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Pensby & Thingwall Ian James Mackenzie The Conservative Party Candidate
Pensby & Thingwall Phil Simpson Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Pensby & Thingwall Maureen Collette Wilkinson Independent
Prenton Allan John Brame Liberal Democrat
Prenton Angela Joy Davies Labour Party
Prenton Moira Joan Gommon Green Party
Prenton Robert Glyn Mon Hughes The Conservative Party Candidate
Prenton James Barry Shortall UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Rock Ferry Cy Fergyson The Conservative Party Candidate
Rock Ferry Brian Joseph Hall Liberal Democrat
Rock Ferry Terry Hansen UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Rock Ferry Paul George Harris Green Party
Rock Ferry Chris Meaden Labour Party
Rock Ferry Jim Pritchard Independent
Rock Ferry Morag Reid Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Seacombe Lily Clough Green Party
Seacombe Chris Jones Labour Party
Seacombe Christine Sarah Jones Local Conservatives
Seacombe Karl Raymond Mercer Independent
Seacombe Gregory William North Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Seacombe Christopher John Wellstead UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Upton Geoffrey Robert Caton UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Upton Alan Davies Liberal Democrats
Upton Geoffrey Ian Gubb The Conservative Party Candidate
Upton Marian Hussenbux Green Party
Upton Tony Smith Labour Party
Wallasey John Richard Codling Liberal Democrats
Wallasey Brian Farrell UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Wallasey Paul Alan Hayes Local Conservatives
Wallasey Giuseppe Mark Roberto Labour Party
Wallasey Cynthia Stonall Green Party
West Kirby & Thurstaston John Peter Cresswell Liberal Democrats
West Kirby & Thurstaston Trevor Adam Desrosiers Green Party
West Kirby & Thurstaston David Michael Elderton The Conservative Party Candidate
West Kirby & Thurstaston Dave Evennett UK Independence Party (UKIP)
West Kirby & Thurstaston Thomas Usher Labour Party

You can find out the candidates’ home addresses and who proposed each candidate in the Statement of Persons Nominated.

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