Category: Cabinet

Who are the 20 Pledge Champions and how has Wirral Council’s Cabinet changed?

Who are the 20 Pledge Champions and how has Wirral Council’s Cabinet changed?

Who are the 20 Pledge Champions and how has Wirral Council’s Cabinet changed?

                                               

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Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting held on the 5th November 2015

Cabinet (Wirral Council) 5th November 2015 Councillor Phil Davies asks Surjit Tour to introduce the report on Cabinet portfolios and Pledge Champions
Cabinet (Wirral Council) 5th November 2015 Councillor Phil Davies asks Surjit Tour to introduce the report on Cabinet portfolios and Pledge Champions

Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting agreed changes to which area each councillor on the Cabinet covers and some minor changes to how each Cabinet portfolio’s description.

Instead of two Deputy Leaders at Wirral Council (Cllr George Davies and Cllr Ann McLachlan) there will now be only one Deputy Leader (Cllr Ann McLachlan).

You can read a list of the revised roles for each Cabinet portfolio holder on Wirral Council’s website.

I thought it would be useful to explicitly state each Cabinet’s former title and its new title (along with the councillor that now holds that role). Old titles are in italics. New titles are in bold. None of the councillors on the Cabinet have changed.

Councillor Phil Davies Leader of the Council Finance
Leader of the Council Strategic and Policy Oversight

Councillor Ann McLachlan Joint Deputy Leader of the Council Governance, Commissioning and Improvement
Deputy Leader of the Council Transformation and Improvement

Councillor George Davies Joint Deputy Leader of the Council Neighbourhoods, Housing and Engagement
Housing and Communities

Councillor Adrian Jones Support Services
Resources: Finance, Assets and Technology

Councillor Christine Jones Adult Social Care and Public Health
Adult Care and Public Health

Councillor Tony Smith Children and Family Services
Children and Families

Councillor Pat Hackett Economy
Business and Tourism

Councillor Bernie Mooney Environment and Sustainability
Environmental Protection

Councillor Chris Meaden Leisure, Sport and Culture
Leisure and Culture

Councillor Stuart Whittingham Highways and Transport
Transport, Technology Strategy and Infrastructure

In addition to those changes, Cabinet will now meet on Monday mornings at 10.00am starting in 2016.

Also decided were a number of Pledge Champions. The role of each Pledge Champion will be to make sure there is action on a specific pledge in the Wirral Council Plan: a 2020 Vision (formerly called the Corporate Plan).

Twenty councillors (all from the ruling Labour Group) were appointed as Pledge Champions (a role that Cllr Phil Davies pointed out at the Cabinet meeting doesn’t mean these councillors receive increased allowances). A list of who the Pledge Champions are (along with which pledge they are the champion for) was handed out at the Cabinet meeting and is below (but without the bullet points next to each pledge which was on the original). The pledges are in three broad themes of people, business and the environment.

20 PLEDGES

PEOPLE CHAMPION
   
Older People Live Well Irene Williams
Children are ready for school Walter Smith
Young people are ready for work and adulthood Phillip Brightmore
Vulnerable children reach their full potential Treena Johnson
Reduce child and family poverty Angela Davies
People with disabilities live independently Rob Gregson
Zero tolerance to domestic violence Janette Williamson
   
BUSINESS  
Greater job opportunities in Wirral Joe Walsh
Workforce skills match business needs Jean Stapleton
Increase inward investment Matthew Patrick
Thriving small businesses Denise Realey
Vibrant Tourism economy Matt Daniel
Transport & Technology infrastructure fit for the future Ron Abbey
Assets and buildings are fit for purpose for Wirral’s businesses Denise Roberts
   
ENVIRONMENT  
Leisure and cultural opportunities for all Christine Spriggs
Wirral residents live healthier lives Steve Foulkes
Community services are joined up and accessible Christina Muspratt
Good quality housing that meets the needs of residents Steve Niblock
Wirral’s Neighbourhood are safe Brian Kenny
Attractive local environment for Wirral residents John Salter
 

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Wirral Council’s Cabinet to decide on whether to have public meetings on Monday mornings from 2016

Wirral Council’s Cabinet to decide on whether to have public meetings on Monday mornings from 2016

Wirral Council’s Cabinet to decide on whether to have public meetings on Monday mornings from 2016

                                               

Councillor Phil Davies at a Cabinet meeting earlier this year
Councillor Phil Davies (Leader of Wirral Council) at a Cabinet meeting earlier this year

There are many decisions on the agenda of Thursday’s Cabinet meeting and many are about changing how Wirral Council does things to be more like how they’re done at Liverpool City Council.

I’m going to write about one proposed change that could be described that way and explain the problems it might cause.

Item 9 with the exceedingly dull title of Executive Arrangements and Pledge Champions (the latter doesn’t mean some councillors are pledging to stop drinking alcohol) proposes that from next year instead of Cabinet meeting in the evening, Cabinet meetings will be on Monday mornings at 10.00am.

From a public relations perspective I can see why they’d do this. For example each year for the past years I can remember, a rabble rousing trade union representative has turned up to a Cabinet meeting with a lot of supporters (I think one year so many it had to switch to the Civic Hall) which would be nigh impossible to do if your trade union members were at work on a Monday morning.

If Cabinet meetings had been on Monday mornings when a decision was made about Lyndale School, that would’ve meant the staff (including the headteacher) or the children affected couldn’t attend the meeting where politicians decided about their school.

On the plus side, public transport during the day means councillors would able to get to and from meetings without relying on taxis, but that’s not the point as strictly speaking public meetings are for the public not for the councillors.

Essentially having a Cabinet meeting on Monday mornings will rule out the public turning up or at least the ones with jobs. Of course some councillors have jobs too, but their employers have to give them paid time off work for this sort of thing.

Now the decision states that the Leader can decide to change the time of the meeting away from Monday morning. However if the agenda is published, the date and time of the meeting is set, then a topic on the agenda kicks up a fuss with large numbers of Wirral residents, how will it be possible to change the time of the meeting without confusing people as to when the meeting is?

Of course going back to public relations, a meeting on Monday evening would mean reports of Cabinet decisions could make the next edition of the Wirral Globe. I would be interested to hear people’s thoughts on changing Cabinet meetings to Monday mornings as there may be issues with this change that I haven’t thought of.

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UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease

UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease

UPDATED: Cabinet to decide on Birkenhead Market lease next month

                                                                  

07/10/2015 19:01 Although at the time this was written a decision was expected by Wirral Council’s Cabinet on Birkenhead Market in October 2015, Wirral Council have since this story was written put back a decision on this matter to November 2015. This story was originally published on 8th September 2015, but has been updated on the 7th October.

Last Friday, Wirral Council added a new item to their Forward Plan (the Forward Plan is a list of upcoming topics that decisions will be made on) called Birkenhead Market – Lease. It’s down for a decision to be made by Wirral Council’s Cabinet in OctoberNovember 2015.

Further details can be found on Wirral Council’s website, but it’s a key decision because of the “significant people impact”.

It will be at least 28 days (which doesn’t include the 4th September 2015 or the date of the Cabinet meeting) so the earliest Cabinet meeting this could be decided at is the one on the 8th October 2015 this could be decided is November 2015.

First the history of the matter. Cabinet in a behind closed doors meeting on 5th December 2002 after a bidding process awarded the bid for market operator for Birkenhead Market to Mr. Lawrence Embra. However the minute text states very little detail.

It’s been a while since I read the Birkenhead Market lease and I’ve no idea which aspect of the lease the upcoming Cabinet decision relates to. UPDATED: 12/9/15 Wirral Council confirm that this is about the rents.

However this is where is starts to get complicated.

There’s a sublease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Birkenhead Market Services Limited for part of the ground floor of the Birkenhead Market Hall.

There’s an underlease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Wirral Borough Council.

Finally (well almost finally) there’s a lease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Wirral Borough Council for the premises at Birkenhead Market, Birkenhead. It’s part of this last document (without schedules and one of the plans) that are below.

The schedules*(see below) detail the history for each market stall followed by plans. The first plan (unfortunately Crown copyright) shows the Birkenhead Market Hall and the surrounding road system (which is similar to this plan on Wirral Council’s website. It shows what the half-width of the Birkenhead Market Service Road is, there are then internal plans of the market and the layout of the toilets.

*The schedules are a table with the following column headings: date, nature of document (such as tenancy agreement, copy assignment, licence to assign/change of user and memorandum of rent review), parties and document numbers. These are for the following market stalls A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, B41 and B56, B42, B43 and B54, B45 and B46, B47/50, B48 and B49, B51, B52, B55, C97/112, C98 and C99, C100, C101, C102 and C107, C103 & C106, C104, C105, C108, C109, C110, C111, CP1/2, CP3, CP4, CP5, CP6, CP7, CP8, CP9, CP10, CP11, CP12, CP13, CP14/15, CP16, CP17, CP18, CP20, CP21, CP22 & CP23 & CP24, CP26, CP27, CP28, CP29, D9, D10/11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18/19, D20, D21/D22, D23/24, D25, D26/27, D28, D29/30, D31, D32, D33, D34/35, D36, D37/38, D37 & D38, D39, D40, E57/58, E59, E60, E61, E62, E63, E64/65, E66, E67, E68, E69, E70, E71, E72, E73, E74, E75, E76, E77, E78, E79, E80, E81, E83, E84, E85, E86, E87/88, E89, E90, E91, E92, E93, E94, E95, E96, F113, F114 and F115 and F139, F116, F117, F118, F120, F121, F122, F123, F130, F124, F125 and F128, F126, F127, F129, F133, F134 and F135, F136, F137 and F138, F140, F141, F142, F143, F144, F145, F146, F148, F150 and F151, F152 and F153, F154, F155, F156, F157, F158 and F159, F162 and 163, F165, F167, F168, G20, G23, G24, G25, G26, G27, G28 and G29, P4, P5, P6, P7 and P8, P9, P10, P11, P12, P13, P14, P15, P16, P17 and P18, P19, P36, P37 and P38, P39, P40 and P41, P42 and P43, P44 and P45, P46, G30, G31, G32, G33, G34, G35, P1 and P2, P3, P47, P48 and P48 and V2. Now you’ve seen how long this list is you’ll understand why I didn’t scan these pages in too (but it goes some way to explain the significant people impact).

I realise the plans can be hard to read so each plan should be linked to a higher resolution version. The thumbnails of the lease pages seem readable so I have left them as they are. Hopefully more will be known nearer the time as to what specifically this decision is about.

Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1 of 2 thumbnail
Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1 of 2 thumbnail

Continue reading “UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease”

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

                                                 

Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015 Photo 1 of 3
Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015

After the U-turn last month on car parking charges at Fort Perch Rock car park, New Brighton I made a Freedom of Information request for the objections made during the consultation period.

In addition to a petition of objection which when the consultation finished had 876 signatures but now has 4,010 signatures there were nineteen written objections which included a thirteen page letter sent on behalf of the Wilkie Leisure Group.

Objectors referred to pay and display parking in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead and the reduction in visitors once charges for parking had started. Many objectors thought that car parking charges would put people off from visiting New Brighton. Some objectors thought that what charging would be unlawful. Others felt that Wirral Council ordering the pay and display ticket machines before the consultation on the proposed traffic regulation order started pre judged the outcome of the consultation.

The most detailed objection from Singleton Clamp & Partners Limited sent on behalf of the Wilkie Leisure Group stated:

The official reason for the U-turn given was the what was in the lease that meant that this could lead to parking charges elsewhere in New Brighton. Promenade Estates were quoted in a Liverpool Echo article by Liam Murphy that they would charge for parking at other car parks in New Brighton if charges at Fort Perch Rock car park were brought in.

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What was the reason for Cabinet’s decision to U-turn on Fort Perch Rock car park charges?

What was the reason for Cabinet’s decision to U-turn on Fort Perch Rock car park charges?

What was the reason for Cabinet’s decision to U-turn on Fort Perch Rock car park charges?

                                            

Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015 Photo 1 of 3
Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015

To very little fanfare, last Friday Wirral Council’s Cabinet Member for Governance, Commissioning and Improvement (and Deputy Leader of the Council) Cllr Ann McLachlan made a delegated decision to abandon plans to charge for car parking at Fort Perch Rock car park in New Brighton.

The decision states “That the Leader of the Council” and is not signed by Cllr Phil Davies, one can only presume that when Wirral Council put in a press release “Council Leader Phil Davies has announced he has blocked proposals to charge for parking in New Brighton”, what was actually meant was Cllr Phil Davies asked for a report blocking proposals to charge to parking in New Brighton, but when it was decided he was unavailable so left instructions for his deputy to decide to block the proposals.

However that minor quibble aside, what does this decision mean? Firstly the current traffic regulation order consultation process is “discontinued”. This means the Highways and Traffic Representation Panel will now not meet in September to make a recommendation on it.

The decision also states “that the approved proposal to introduce car parking charges at Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton not be implemented”.

Interestingly the decision also states in the reasons for the decision (paragraph 2.5 refers to the report that accompanies the decision) “As described at paragraph 2.5 above, factors which were not known by Cabinet at the time of the approval of the budget proposal have become known during the Traffic Regulation Order consultation process.”

The report that accompanies the decision goes into more detail.

“2.3 As part of the 2015/16 Budget Proposal, Cabinet and Council also agreed to review car parking charges across the Borough to help support business needs.

2.4 In order to implement the parking charge at Fort Perch Rock, the Council has been undertaking consultation as part of the required Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process. Whilst it is not considered that there are any objections or other representations received which would prevent the TRO proposal being implemented, there are objections relating to traffic regulation which would require consideration of the outcomes of the consultation regarding the TRO by the Highways and Transportation Representations Panel.

2.5 However, it has recently come to light that the legal agreement which was signed between the Council and Neptune Development as part of the Marine Point Development included a clause which stated that should the Council introduce on street car parking charges in New Brighton and/or charges for the Fort Perch Rock Car Park, then the other car parks which formed part of the Marine Point Development could also not unreasonably be prevented from introducing car parking charges.

2.6 The wider introduction of car parking charges to New Brighton could potentially have an impact on visitors and businesses in the area. Given the outcome and budget decision regarding reducing car parking charges throughout Wirral in order to support businesses, this could potentially have a conflicting impact.

2.7 It is therefore proposed that the work to undertake a TRO be halted and that the proposal to introduce car parking charges at Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton, not be implemented.”

The legal agreement referred to above means the lease. Maybe it’s only recently come to light to the author of the report, but I published the three pages of the lease on December 22nd 2014 so it’s hardly recently come to light has it? However as Wirral Council is the landlord for this lease isn’t this a prime example of “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing” or to put it another way silo working.

So how are the books now going to balance? Well the report states that for this year “income for off-street parking is forecast to be greater than budgeted.” and “The overall budget saving of £35,000 will be included in the planned budget for 2016/17, from further efficiencies which will be identified during the current year.”

The decision to not charge at the Fort Perch Rock car park will take effect from the 8th August 2015 (assuming that the decision isn’t called in which is highly unlikely).

UPDATED 18:56 3/8/15 As the TRO process has been discontinued, I’ve made this FOI request to Wirral Council for the number of objections and what was in them.

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