What did the Bishop of Liverpool say to those on the Liverpool Pride March?

What did the Bishop of Liverpool say to those on the Liverpool Pride March?

What did the Bishop of Liverpool say to those on the Liverpool Pride March?

                                            

Bishop of Liverpool (Rt Revd Paul Bayes) address before Liverpool Pride march 29th July 2017 outside St Georges Hall Liverpool
Bishop of Liverpool (Rt Revd Paul Bayes) address before Liverpool Pride march 29th July 2017 outside St Georges Hall Liverpool

Yesterday I was walking along Lime Street, Liverpool near St Georges Hall when I heard the Bishop of Liverpool apologise for how the Church of England had treated those who are gay. Then I got my camera out and started recording (you can watch what I recorded below).

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Liverpool Pride (Bishop of Liverpool) 29th July 2017

Nearly a decade ago, in 2008 Michael Causer (who was referred to in banner being held on the Liverpool Pride March) was murdered.

Since that point, the authorities started taking more interest in equality matters.

Five years ago this blog reported on the Liverpool Pride march in 2012.

Now in 2017 (compared to 2012) Liverpool Pride is much larger and well attended event.

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Liverpool Pride March (29th July 2017) Lime Street, Liverpool

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Liverpool Pride March (29th July 2017) Lime Street, Liverpool

The event was covered better by the media this year, but as a sign of the times those participating in the march were subject to bag searches.

You can watch part of the march above which includes people well-known to this blog such as Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service), Phil Garrigan (Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service), Andy Cooke (Chief Constable, Merseyside Police), Cllr Dave Hanratty (Chair, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority) and Cllr Richard Kemp (Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Liverpool City Council).

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What’s happening to Birkenhead Market?

What’s happening to Birkenhead Market?

What’s happening to Birkenhead Market?

Birkenhead Market lease Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council plan number 2 internal floor plan
Birkenhead Market lease Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council plan number 2 internal floor plan

St John’s Market in Liverpool has been hitting the headlines recently, but rumours have been swirling round Birkenhead Market about its future too.

Birkenhead Market is in Birkenhead and Tranmere ward, which is represented by Cllr Phil Davies (Labour), Cllr Jean Stapleton (Labour) and Cllr Pat Cleary (Green).

This piece however is not written from a party political perspective, but to address some of what’s going on.

Wirral Council as far as I know still own the land the market is on, but there are then at least four limited companies (Birkenhead Market Limited, Birkenhead Market Holdings Limited, Birkenhead Market Regeneration Limited and Birkenhead Market Services Limited) with interests plus the interests of the stallholders.

For those reading my blog who are into forensic accounting, according to the latest accounts for Birkenhead Market Limited and Birkenhead Market Services Limited there’s also a £3.948 million bank loan with Royal Bank of Scotland PLC which is secured by way of a charge and debenture on the company (explanations in the comments as to what these mean would be useful).

In a box in my office from a previous citizen audit, is the lease between Wirral Council, two of the companies above and the stallholders.

Interestingly, Birkenhead Market Regeneration Limited (which was a change of name 2 months ago of Ellesmere Port Regeneration Limited) and Birkenhead Market Holdings Limited (which was a change of name last month of Concept Student Developments Limited) both have an office address at the new Liverpool headquarters of Vermont.

After one false start over the Birkenhead Town Centre regeneration, both these companies changed name shortly after Wirral Council’s launch of the Wirral Growth Company earlier this year.

Market traders are naturally concerned about what will be happening to Birkenhead Market.

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Why does the British justice system expect the impossible?

Why does the British justice system expect the impossible?

Why does the British justice system expect the impossible?

                              

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX

This is a tale of Janet and John (which for the purposes of doubt and copyright law are not characters in books to teach children how to read).

Janet and John are instead in the Kafkaesque world of the British justice system. This is a world where the normal rules of time and space don’t apply!

Janet, John and another quite sensibly decided to settle their respective differences by consent order at a public hearing 9 months ago, but then came a 9 month legal argument about costs.

She asked the Tribunal to issue costs directions at a hearing. The Judge ruled that he and his fellow Tribunal Members would decide on her costs application.

Janet wanted John to pay her employer £1,212. She explained in her costs application that she had sent John letters stating the information he had requested was on a website (when it fact she admitted at the hearing it wasn’t on a website) and therefore John should pay her for £1,212 which included time spent sending him those letters.

The Judge ruled that he and his fellow two members would decide on her costs application once Janet made it.

John replied to the costs application, disputing what Janet stated. On a 2:1 decision it was decided that he hadn’t acted unreasonably between the 4th August 2016 and the 22nd August 2016 (which covered the first two of her letters). So, £224.66 of her costs application was rejected on that basis.

That left £967.57, which was reduced by a further £467.57 to £500.

John paid Janet’s employer the £500, but then pointed out that as part of her costs application had been about a time when the Tribunal had ruled him reasonable, that part of his costs in responding to the costs application should be paid by Janet. He saw this only as fair and asked for a much lower amount of £212.20.

The Judge decided not to decide on this costs application and threatened John with a wasted costs order if he didn’t shut up.

So John requested permission to appeal (both against the £500 costs order and against the non-decision over the £212.20 costs application).

Over 9 months later after his costs application for £212.20, he received the permission to appeal decision (which was denied).

In it, the Judge demanded (in a communication sent to John on the 25th July 2017) that he (John) must send an email by 4 pm on the 15th March 2017.

Like Janet he expected John to do the impossible and threatened him with further financial problems if he did not!

So that is my brief summary of the state of the British justice system, it expects the impossible from parties and when it doesn’t manage to achieve the impossible, the parties are supposed to pay the price and again for it through taxes!

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How was the planning application (APP/17/00306) for a fire station in Saughall Massie decided?

How was the planning application (APP/17/00306) for a fire station in Saughall Massie decided?

How was the planning application (APP/17/00306) for a fire station in Saughall Massie decided?

Wirral Council’s Planning Committee 20th July 2017 voting to approve planning application APP/17/00306 (Saughall Massie fire station)
Wirral Council’s Planning Committee 20th July 2017 voting to approve planning application APP/17/00306 (Saughall Massie fire station)

Edited 21.7.17 by JB to include contact details of National Planning Casework Unit and video clip part 2

Edited 23.7.17 by JB to include video clips part 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Edited 24.7.17 by JB to include video clips 8, 9 and 10

Edited 26.7.17 by JB to include published video clips

Yesterday evening a large number of people waited in the Civic Hall for Wirral Council’s Planning Committee’s decision on planning application APP/17/00306 (for a fire station with a training tower, drill yard and car park on Wirral Council owned land in Saughall Massie in the greenbelt).

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Planning Committee (Wirral Council) 21st July 2017 Part 1 of 17

Continue reading “How was the planning application (APP/17/00306) for a fire station in Saughall Massie decided?”

Would you like to see 4 invoices (totalling £24,239.39) for pre construction work on the Saughall Massie fire station project?

Would you like to see 4 invoices (totalling £24,239.39) for pre construction work on the Saughall Massie fire station project?

Would you like to see 4 invoices (totalling £24,239.39) for pre construction work on the Saughall Massie fire station project?

                                               

This continues from an earlier post headlined Would you like to see 2 invoices (totalling £153,250.61) for pre construction work on the Saughall Massie fire station project?

Below are 4 invoices Wates Construction Limited to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for work to do with the Saughall Massie pre-construction agreement. I requested these invoices as part of the 2016-17 audit and they arrived through the post today.

The invoices spell it as Saughall Massey rather than Saughall Massie. The invoices are dated March 2016 (for £4,696.99), April 2016 (for £4,547.96), May 2016 (for £12,086.83) and August 2016 (for £2,907.61). Total spending was £24,239.39 (all amounts in this paragraph include VAT).

I also received a copy of the pre-construction service agreement between Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority and Wates Construction Ltd. As it’s around 45 pages long I don’t have the time just now to scan it in or publish it today.

However, the contract is based on JCT’s Pre-Construction Services Agreement (General Contractor) (PCSA) 2011 contract with some modifications from the original template.

The contract is also with Todd & Ledson LLP. I haven’t requested invoices for the 2016-17 financial year relating to Todd & Ledson LLP and the Saughall Massie project as there is only one that could relate to this for £2,500 dated 25.4.16 (although it is possible this invoice relates to completely different work as it is just described as services).

Wates Construction Ltd invoice March 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice March 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice April 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice April 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice May 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice May 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice August 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized
Wates Construction Ltd invoice August 2016 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service resized

I wrote up about the site visit connected to this planning application yesterday.

Wirral Council’s Planning Committee will be deciding on the revised planning application (APP/17/00306) at a public meeting starting at 6.00 pm on Thursday 20th July 2017 in the Civic Hall, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Seacombe, CH44 8ED.

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