John Brace | A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers

How will the £16.5 million Hoylake Golf Resort highway improvements be funded?

Cllr Phil Davies on Hoylake Golf Resort at Hoylake Community Centre 9th December 2017

On the 22nd December 2017 I announced I was taking a Christmas break from blogging and Wirral Council released further information about the costs of the roads associated with the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort. It was also released a few days after Cabinet’s decision to loan the developer £26 million if a planning application is successful.
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What’s in 143 pages of the contract between Merseytravel and Stadler Bussnang AG for new trains that caused the strike?

1 Letter from Merseytravel to John Brace 18th August 2017

This continues from Monday’s blog post What’s in 138 pages of the contract between Merseytravel and Stadler Bussnang AG for new trains that caused the strike?

Today is another day of strike action this week on the Merseyrail network.

The strike action stems from a contract for new rolling stock agreed by politicians in December 2016 and signed in February 2017.

Although I published half of what I was given of this contract on Monday, some of it has been withheld on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Of particular interest at page 299 onwards is the variation procedure (Merseytravel could vary the contract to have the doors operated by the guards if they wished to). On Wednesday the RMT Union published a letter sent by Merseyrail to guards suggesting that they retrain as drivers.
Continue reading “What’s in 143 pages of the contract between Merseytravel and Stadler Bussnang AG for new trains that caused the strike?”

What’s in 138 pages of the contract between Merseytravel and Stadler Bussnang AG for new trains that caused the strike?

As detailed on this blog in the stories Why are there 3 further days of strike action on the Merseyrail network this month? and What did Cllr Gordon Friel answer when asked about guards and the Merseyrail strike? today is one of three days of strike action this week on the Merseyrail network.

The strike action stems from a contract for new rolling stock agreed by politicians in December 2016 and signed in February 2017.

I requested a copy of this contract once the 16-17 financial year had ended during the 30 working day inspection period. Unfortunately Merseytravel both supplied it late outside the 30 working day inspection period and insisted that various parts of it should be withheld on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

I had requested it be supplied electronically as they had done the year before with various contracts and invoices including the contract with Merseyrail. This request was denied and it was supplied in paper form.

Roughly the first half of what I was sent is below (as I’ve just got around to having the time to scan it in). Some is blacked out and the entire specification is withheld on grounds of commercial confidentiality (something I have disputed with Merseytravel to no avail).

Hopefully it’ll help with the ongoing public debate about the new trains.

Merseytravel and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have a legal duty to make environmental information (such as this contract) available to the public by electronic means.

Continue reading “What’s in 138 pages of the contract between Merseytravel and Stadler Bussnang AG for new trains that caused the strike?”