Category: Cabinet

Play Areas Gautby Road Play & Community Centre

I welcome the Ilchester Park play area in Bidston as mentioned in this Wirral Council press release. However 200 yards away from Ilchester Park (as the crow flies) and just a few minutes walk away is a play area next to the Gautby Road Community Centre. The land the play area is on is owned … Continue reading “Play Areas Gautby Road Play & Community Centre”

I welcome the Ilchester Park play area in Bidston as mentioned in this Wirral Council press release.

However 200 yards away from Ilchester Park (as the crow flies) and just a few minutes walk away is a play area next to the Gautby Road Community Centre. The land the play area is on is owned by Wirral Council. Most of the time it is kept padlocked.

Cllr McLachlan stated in the Wirral Council press release: “Local children deserve the best play equipment near their homes and these sites are spread across the borough so that everyone can access them.” Cllr McLachlan (along with Cllr Harry Smith and Cllr Jim Crabtree) are all on the Gautby Road Play & Community Centre Joint Management Committee which manages the community centre and adjacent play area.

I agree with Cllr McLachlan and am pleased that local children can now access the play area in Ilchester Park (I’ve seen children already playing here when I’ve been walking to Birkenhead North train station to get a train). However many children live nearer to the play area which is part of (and next to) the Gautby Road Community Centre. Unlike the Ilchester Park play area it is surrounded by railings.

I have heard many reasons why the Gautby Road play area can’t be used from Wirral Council officers. These range from children could slip in the rain, to children need supervising, to concerns about vandalism. All seem to be a reason to keep it locked up and stop children playing there. The problem has been ongoing for some time and has been brought to my attention by a number of residents.

However it would be great if it could be open at least some of the time and the public made aware of when these times are.

Padlock, Gautby Road play area, Bidston

Gautby Road Community Centre and Play Area, Gautby Road, Bidston

Gautby Road Community Centre and Play Area, Gautby Road, Bidston

Cabinet 22/9/11 Item 19A Independent Review

There have been a number of searches to this blog (and one email request) for the Anna Klonowski report following media reports of last Thursday’s Cabinet.

Her (first) report is here with a covering report written by Jim Wilkie here.

I haven’t got around to typing up what happened at last Thursday’s Cabinet meeting (yet).

Council Excellence Overview and Scrutiny Committee Wirral Council 27th September 2011 Part 5 Budget Projections 2012/2015

Ian Coleman referred Cllr Brighouse to paragraph 4.5.1 on IT Services. He said that Cabinet had agreed to savings of £500,000 then £400,000 a year which by year 4 comes to £1.7 million. He said that each year the efficiency investment fund was used, mainly for staffing and needed to be replaced. Cllr Alan Brighouse asked a further question. Ian Coleman gave the example of a Director could need three staff costing £100,000. However these three staff costing £100,000 could lead to a £300,000 saving.

Cllr Brighouse asked about Early Voluntary Redundancy (£3 million)? Ian Coleman said till 2017 and referred to 5 years of pension contributions. Cllr Gilchrist pointed out that Early Voluntary Redundancies can be capitalised. Ian Coleman said they had applied for capitalisation of statutory redundancy pay which was used in 2010/2011. Also people were going in 2011/12. In May they had applied for 2011/12, they had applied for £4 million. There had been an outline agreement, with a detailed proposal going to the Department of Communities and Local Government. There would be a report to Cabinet.

Cllr Ron Abbey asked about the Public Works Board. Ian Coleman said the Treasury had increased the interest rate charged by the Public Works Board by 1%. This meant the cost of borrowing went up. There was a substantial amount of money at a reduced rate, but this was for councils which were housing authorities which doesn’t apply to Wirral as it transferred its housing stock.

Cllr Gilchrist said the report was noted.

Wirral Council Cabinet 22/9/11 Items 19A and 13

Wirral Council Cabinet 22/9/11 Items 19A and 13

                                         

Here are copies of the resolutions passed at the first two business items at last night’s Cabinet. Click on the relevant image for a larger copy. These are now reduced to 10% original size.

Item 19A
Cabinet resolution Wirral Council 22/9/11 Item 19

Item 13
Cabinet resolution Wirral Council 22/9/11 Item 13 PACSPE

Anna Klonowski Associates Ltd Report

A Supplementary Report and a Covering Report are down as item 19A of tomorrow night’s Wirral Council’s Cabinet agenda.

However the full report and executive summary is not going to be published until those named in it have had a right of reply. It’s a rather long running saga, a little complex to put into a short blog post but the supplementary report (which relates to the institutional failings at Wirral Council previously also identified by former employee Martin Morton) should hopefully start Wirral Council back on the path to where it should be.

Clearly somebody’s going to make political capital out of it (and the full report and executive summary when it’s published). With a third of council seats up for election (22) in May 2012, I’m sure some councillors would prefer the reports to be published sooner rather than later.

Update 22/9/11: There’s a Wirral Globe story about it written by Leigh Marles that goes into more detail.