Category: Birkenhead

Merseyrail: Changes to train timetables for Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August and Mersey Tunnel Closure

Due to the Matthew Street festival, Wirral Line trains will be following a temporary timetable. James Street station will be closed on Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August. The Wirral Line temporary timetable is in addition to a temporary Northern Line timetable. Also The Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel will be closed to all traffic travelling … Continue reading “Merseyrail: Changes to train timetables for Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August and Mersey Tunnel Closure”

Due to the Matthew Street festival, Wirral Line trains will be following a temporary timetable. James Street station will be closed on Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August.

The Wirral Line temporary timetable is in addition to a temporary Northern Line timetable.

Also The Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel will be closed to all traffic travelling in both directions from 1930 on Saturday 27 August until 0630 Tuesday 30 August.

The Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel will be open, however due to water main renewal works at Liverpool on the exit road towards the city centre, traffic will be limited to one lane. The lane will be closed from the exit of the tunnel at Liverpool to Scotland Road. All lanes will be operational through the tunnel itself however, delays may occur and motorists are advised to allow extra time for their journey.

Trains running to the special timetables will not stop at the following stations:-

Wirral Line
Chester and Ellesmere Port trains: No stopping at James Street or Liverpool Central stations
New Brighton and West Kirby trains: No stopping at James Street or Moorfields stations

Northern Line
Hunts Cross and Southport: on Monday 29th August trains will run to a Saturday timetable
Kirkby and Ormskirk: on Monday 29th August trains will run to a Saturday timetable with an earlier start time.

Election Expenses – election of a councillor (elections declared on 6th May 2011) – Birkenhead (Bidston & St. James, Birkenhead and Tranmere, Claughton, Oxton, Prenton & Rock Ferry)

I spent the morning inspecting election expenses returns for candidates in the 2011 local elections to Wirral Council in the Birkenhead constituency. I have requested copies of the returns and invoices but here are the total amounts declared (split down by ward). I’ll double-check these figures when I get copies of the returns tomorrow:-

Bidston & St. James ward
Brace (Lib Dem) £279.02
Romnes (UKIP) £33.81
Vickers (Conservative) £169.00
Smith (Labour) £516.00 ELECTED

Birkenhead and Tranmere ward
Allan Brame (Lib Dem) £0.00
David Martin (UKIP) £33.81
Patrick Cleary (Green) £217.02
Philip Davies (Labour) £994.00 ELECTED

Claughton
Barbara Sinclair (Con) £639
Bethan Williams (UKIP) £33.81
Roy Wood (Lib Dem) £0.00
Steve Foulkes (Labour) £827 ELECTED

Rock Ferry
Chris Meaden (Lab) £594 ELECTED
Ann Flynn (UKIP) £33.81
Peter Heppinstall (Lib Dem) £0.00
Joyce Hogg (Green) No return submitted
Barbara Poole (Conservative) £169

Oxton
Bowler (Green) No return submitted
Kelly (Lib Dem) £1120.60 ELECTED
McDonnell (Con) £169
Williams (UKIP) £43.81
Patrick (Labour) £942.00

Prenton
Broadshaw (UKIP) £33.81
Ferguson (Con) £169
Holbrook (Lib Dem) £1129.61
Mitchell (Green) No return submitted
Doughty (Labour) £1112.69 ELECTED

Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting (21st July 2011) – the highlights – Grange Road West Sports Centre to transfer to Birkenhead Community Development Committee

Highlights of decisions of Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting of the 21st July 2011

Here’s a quick rundown of what has been reported to ( the Labour Cabinet (Wirral Council) of the 21st July 2011:-

  • Under-age sales of alcohol during test purchases up (22%), which is 7% above target
  • % reduction in under-18 conception rate (-13%), target is -50%
  • Energy efficiency using software to shut computers down when not in use to save £80,000. Software hasn’t been installed but it costs £50,000.
  • Disposal of assets (expected to save £481,000) delayed (Pacific Road, Tramway Museum, Beechwood Community Centre etc)
  • Electronic payment for procurement delayed
  • Office rationalisation not meeting expected savings targets
  • % of council invoices from SMEs paid by Wirral Council within 10 days 45% (15% below a target of 60%)
  • Budget projected shortfall up to £25 million (from £20.8 million)
  • Mapleholme, Poulton House and 96 Manor Road to be auctioned off
  • Meadowcroft to go to Age UK (formerly Age Concern)
  • Westminster House to be sold to Wirral Partnership Homes for less than the £1.9 million originally agreed
  • Wirral Council’s contract procedure rules changed as the previous ones were criticised by the Audit Commission for not promoting fairness, quality, value for money and competition and to allow in-house bids (something the unions have been lobbying for for some time)
  • An extra £267,447 to resurface the Dock Links Road bringing the cost of this project to £1.1 million.

So where are Labour going to find £25 million of cuts or is that a mystery to be solved on another evening?

Lib Dem Voice award

Lib Dem Voice award

                                      

Well, this blog has received a Lib Dem Voice “Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen” award for the last post about the Birkenhead Liberal Democrat Constituency Executive voting to suspend me from the Birkenhead Liberal Democrat Party.

There’s a certain irony about receiving an award from a Lib Dem members’ association for blogging about being suspended from the local Lib Dem party.

Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice

Have Your Say – Waste and Rubbish – Proposed New Sites for rubbish in Bidston & St. James

Following on from the earlier consultation on the Waste Plan for Merseyside and Halton, there’s now going to be a public consultation on “Preferred Options 2: New Sites Report”.

Thanks to a strong Lib Dem campaign ruling out Prenton Quarry and you’ll be pleased to know there are proposed sites in Bidston & St. James you can object to, although it seems at this stage they’re just consulting on new sites that’ve been added after a number of other councils on Merseyside objected to them in their areas.

Who wants to live near a rubbish tip anyway?

However the report is available to download, view online and leave comments on at their website.

As they stated in a letter to me “Various issues relating to sites arose as a result of discussions and the first public consultation; therefore we aer undertaking another public consultation so that you have the opportunity to comment on new sites and updated issues”.

The consultation period will end on 20th June 2011 and a paper copy can be obtained by contacting the Waste Plan team on 0151 934 2804 or visiting your local library or council building where copies should be available.

There will also be drop in sessions, the nearest being on Thursday 26th May 2011 at Millenium House, Victoria Street, Liverpool, L1 6JD from 4pm to 7pm. Further information can be obtained from the Waste Plan Team on 0151 934 2804.

Any witty comments left like “Yet another Lib Dem writes a load of rubbish” I won’t censor, but joking aside how we deal with rubbish is a very important issue going forward.

Here is a list of the proposed new sites (which are as a result of decisions made by Halton and St. Helens Council rejecting waste sites in their area):-

W0360 Wirral Car Parking/Storage Area, former Shipyard, Campbeltown Road 5.9 333046 387412
W0180 Wirral Former Goods Yard, Adjacent Bidston MRF / HWRC, Wallasey Bridge Road 2.8 329675 390566
W2215 Wirral Bidston MRF / HWRC, Wallasey Bridge Road 3.7 329684 390736