Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

                                                                

ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) logo
ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) logo

This story continues from three earlier blog posts, headlined What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?, Wirral Council asks judiciary to intervene to keep 94 page report on Hoylake Golf Resort secret! and ICO require Wirral Council to release 94 page draft agreement with Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited about Hoylake Golf Resort.

The vast majority of the development agreement for the Hoylake Golf Resort (although there is still disputed information which will be resolved by a First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) case) was released by Wirral Council yesterday and published on the whatdotheyknow.com website.

There is also mention of the Hoylake Golf Resort in the Strategic Regeneration Framework consultation, specifically on page 36 of the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework of a proposed road.

The proposed road referred to in the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework referred to in the development agreement as Hoylake Bypass is defined as a “7.5 metre, two-way undivided main carriageway with a 1 metre wide service/buffer strip and a shared 2.5 metre wide gateway/cycleway (providing for a 11 metre minimum total highway width) which is to be constructed on the Site pursuant to the Highways Agreement the approximate route of which is shown marked in pink on plan 6 or along such other route as the Developer and the Council may agree (acting reasonably)”.

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Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

                                              

Protest about Eastham Walk-in Centre closure (Wallasey Town Hall) 13th September 2017
Protest about Eastham Walk-in Centre closure (Wallasey Town Hall) 13th September 2017
 

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Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 13th September 2017 Part 1 of 4

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Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 13th September 2017 Part 2 of 4

Councillors on Wirral Council’s Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met yesterday evening to discuss the recent closure of a Walk-in Centre in Eastham.
Continue reading “Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre”

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

                                                   

Don Latham Management Consultancy invoice
Don Latham Management Consultancy invoice

As you can see from the invoice above Don Latham Management Consultancy charged Wirral Council a total of £726.20 for 1 day of work facilitating the “Members Allowances Panel” (members means councillors) on the 7th June 2016.

The invoice also shows that Don Latham Management Consultancy charged Wirral Council £89 for bed and breakfast (although it isn’t mentioned where he stayed), £187.20 in mileage (416 miles times 45 pence) in addition to his hourly rate of £450 a day.

As a result of the Members Allowance Panel meeting on the 7th June 2016, the Members Allowance Panel produced a three page report (Joe Blott’s name is incorrectly spelt in the report as Joe Blot), with a three page appendix.

The only recommendation for change in the report, was that the amount that councillors could claim for using their own car be increased from 40 pence a mile to 45 pence a mile. This was proposed by Cllr Phil Davies, seconded by Cllr George Davies and agreed by the fifty-eight councillors present at a meeting of Wirral Council’s councillors on the 11th July 2016.

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Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

                                                   

Councillor Bill Davies, Left (Chair, Licensing Act 2003 Committee (Wirral Council)) votes against a filming ban of a public meeting 26th October 2016
Councillor Bill Davies, Left (Chair, Licensing Act 2003 Committee (Wirral Council)) votes against a filming ban of a public meeting 26th October 2016

On Friday evening, at a public meeting of all Wirral Council’s councillors, freedom of the borough is expected to be awarded to the 96 that died in the Hillsborough disaster.

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I filmed Liverpool City Council award freedom of the city of Liverpool to the 96 who died in Hillsborough last year (which can be viewed above), freedom of the borough for PC Dave Phillips last year and the award of freedom of the borough for 107 (Lancashire & Cheshire) Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers) and the 234 (Wirral) Transport Squadron Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers) in 2012.

I was therefore surprised to receive the following email below from Kevin McCallum this afternoon. I have sent a response back asking Wirral Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer to provide advice to councillors as to whether this is lawful as Wirral Council are required to provide reasonable facilities for the purpose of filming the public meeting.

I’ve also pointed out I’m quite happy to film from the Council Chamber, as I have done before for a public meeting of the Wirral Schools Forum. Filming from the Council Chamber was done by another media organisation during the freedom of borough meeting for PC Dave Phillips last year. I’ve removed Kevin’s mobile number from the email below as as far as I know it’s not made public. I’ve also not included the LGC Awards 2015 Most Improved Council logo and the boilerplate text at the end.



from: MacCallum, Kevin
to: John Brace <john@johnbrace.com>
date: 11 September 2017 at 14:29
subject: Freedom of the Borough council, Friday.

Hi John,

Just wanted to let you know in advance of Friday that unfortunately the public gallery will be off-limits for the Freedom of the Borough event, as it is being reserved for invited guests of the families.

We are filming the entire event and will be posting it onto our YouTube channel.

If you would still like to attend you, along with any other members of the public wishing to view the formal part of the event, will be asked to use one of the Committee Rooms on the ground floor, where sound will be played through from the Chamber.

Thanks
Kev

Kev MacCallum
Head of Communications
Communications & Marketing

T: 0151 691 8388
M: XXXXX XXX XXX
E: kevinmaccallum@wirral.gov.uk
W: www.wirral.gov.uk & www.wirralview.com


Updated 11.3.18 I finally found the footage of the meeting over 6 months later, it hadn’t been published on Wirral Council’s Youtube Channel as Kevin suggested, but the channel of Paul Frost on the 19th September 2017.

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EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

                                    

Jim Hancock invoice media training Wirral Council councillors
Jim Hancock invoice media training Wirral Council councillors

Wirral Council spent £1,009,35 on “media training” for councillors provided by Jim Hancock. The training was provided to councillors on the 16th March 2016, 27th April 2016 and 14th June 2016.

Part of the cost of the training were three round trips from Lymm to Wallasey (81 miles each time) charged to Wirral Council at 45 pence a mile costing £109.35.


I will declare an interest in the next part of this article as I’m currently awaiting a permission to appeal decision in relation to costs relating to an Environmental Information Regulations request (which doesn’t relate to land charges) which will be decided by the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights).

In an update to a story from last year about overcharging by Wirral Council, Wirral Council paid a further £57,659.24 to its lawyers Bevan Brittan in a dispute over unreasonable land charges. This followed a First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) case that ruled that such charges were unreasonable.

Bevan Brittan invoice APPS case land charges refund
Bevan Brittan invoice APPS case land charges refund

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