Yet below you will see a screenshot of Wirral Council advertising on this blog taken today with is a screenshot from my iPad.
Obviously this raises an interesting question that Wirral Council see us as a media organisation they can advertise with, but are not able to see us as a media organisation for the purposes of elections.
There is a screenshot below of my iPad to show what I mean. The advert is at the top.
Wirral Council advert blog
Of course if Wirral Council wants to stop advertising for whatever reason, they only have to ask me and I will make sure their adverts don’t display in future!
But I just thought I’d file this in Wirral Council wanting to have their cake and eat it.
I could write another email to Kevin but I fear this is getting embarrassing (for Wirral Council that is)!
Voting begins in LCRCA Mayoral election and Claughton byelection (polls close at 10 pm)
Voting begins in LCRCA Mayoral election and Claughton byelection (polls close at 10 pm)
Holy Cross primary school Bidston polling station Bidston St James 4th May 2017 resized
Today is polling day (polling stations are open between 7am and 10pm) in Bidston, Birkenhead.
Here in Bidston people receive two votes in the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election.
Above is a photo of my local polling station. When I took it I was filming into the sunshine (which is not considered good practice), but it wasn’t until I viewed it I realised what the photo meant. The thumbnail is above or you can click on it for a better resolution photo.
The no stopping sign outside is an excellent summary of Wirral Council’s bossy attitude. The spikes on the gates represent Wirral Council’s bunker mentality.
The sign (up for one day only) represents a small nod towards democracy and the public having a say. Yes the public that Wirral Council are there to serve.
Secrecy is of course something Wirral Council enjoys as that way nobody can dare criticise how they decided something!
Perhaps I am reading too much into one photo I took.
Inside the polling station was a queue of people waiting to vote. However it wasn’t very busy and the Presiding Officer seemed keen to see us leave.
So polling day, the beginning, a new dawn, a new day. The end of something and the start of a new beginning.
Results of both elections are expected tomorrow.
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Why did Liverpool City Council release the names of children and their parents in childcare proceedings and a vulnerable adult?
Why did Liverpool City Council release the names of children and their parents in childcare proceedings and a vulnerable adult?
I do not have permission from either the Family Court nor the Court of Protection to publish the names of parties involved in these cases with Liverpool City Council. So those names I have blurred in green.
Yet, in what will not surprise anyone Liverpool City Council’s redactions of these documents during a public inspection meant the names of parents, children and parties was revealed to me. Their staff even let me take away copies.
Before publication I have covered some of these up in green.
Liverpool City Council’s Chief Executive in his capacity as Combined Authority Returning Officer states that we are not a media organisation.
Whereas Liverpool City Council may wish to live in a world where they can control the media, there is a point where it can backfire. The press is independent.
Maybe ICO will slap them on the wrist and tell them to improve.
Or maybe this sort of matter is taken seriously?
I don’t know, but tomorrow voters in Wavertree will get to vote whether they want more of the same or a change.
Is the way Liverpool City Council treats the personal information of vulnerable adults and children replicated in their attitude towards how they treat them? With a lack of care?
Liverpool City Council invoice 1Liverpool City Council invoice 2Liverpool City Council invoice 3 redactedLiverpool City Council invoice 4 redactedLiverpool City Council invoice 5 redactedLiverpool City Council invoice 6 redactedLiverpool City Council invoice 7
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Updated I asked the Combined Authority Returning Officer Ged Fitzgerald for a decision after I received Wirral’s response but he wrote no too.
Despite attending election counts many times in the past, Wirral Council has banned us from both the Claughton byelection count, Metro Mayoral count and General Election Count.
As far as I have been told by Wirral Council as there are no other press requests to attend the Wirral Claughton byelection count and the Wirral Metro Mayor count that means for the first time in many years no press will be covering the count on the Wirral.
from: MacCallum, Kevin <kevinmaccallum@wirral.gov.uk>
to: “john@johnbrace.com” <john@johnbrace.com>
date: 3 May 2017 at 10:29
subject: Media Accreditation
mailed-by: wirral.gov.uk
Dear Mr Brace,
Thank you for your request for media accreditation for the LCR Mayoral Election Count and the General Election Count.
The Local Returning Officer has considered your request and has refused it.
Media accreditation is only provided to media professionals who represent bona fide media organisations, which is a criteria you unfortunately do not meet.
This criteria is necessary to ensure the effective and timely management of the verification and count and relevant procedures/processes.
Yours sincerely,
Kev MacCallum
Head of Communications
Communications & Marketing
E: kevinmaccallum@wirral.gov.uk
W: www.wirral.gov.uk & www.wirralview.com
In the interests of completeness I emailed Kevin back just to clarify this covered the Claughton byelection too as it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, I’m therefore including his reply below to that email too.
from: MacCallum, Kevin <kevinmaccallum@wirral.gov.uk>
to: John Brace <john@johnbrace.com>
date: 3 May 2017 at 11:24
subject: Re: Media Accreditation
mailed-by: wirral.gov.uk
Dear Mr Brace
Apologies, the refusal of accreditation also refers to the Claughton by-election.
Kev MacCallum
Head of Communications
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