What happened when I tried to inspect candidates’ consent to nomination forms at Birkenhead Town Hall?

What happened when I tried to inspect candidates’ consent to nomination forms at Birkenhead Town Hall?

What happened when I tried to inspect candidates’ consent to nomination forms at Birkenhead Town Hall?

                                                             

By John Brace (Editor)
First publication date: Wednesday 12th April 2023, 14:00 (GMT).

Candidate consent to nomination (Elizabeth Anne Grey) Bidston and St James ward election of a councillor to Wirral Council in 2023
Candidate consent to nomination (Elizabeth Anne Grey) Bidston and St James ward election of a councillor to Wirral Council in 2023

During the election period (once the nomination period has ended and before polling day) the nomination papers and candidate’s consent to nomination are available to be inspected.

As it (usually) runs more smoothly if they know what I want to look at in advance rather than just it being a big surprise, there had been a series of emails between myself and Wirral Council about what I wanted to look at (the candidate’s consent to nomination forms for candidates standing in the election of councillors for Bidston and St James, Claughton and Heswall) and Wirral Council knew I ’d be there on Tuesday 11th April.

When I arrived at Birkenhead Town Hall, I went up to the first floor, to find that those working on the election were behind locked doors that could only be opened with a key card (which obviously I didn’t have) and there was no doorbell. I tried knocking on that door, but nobody answered. Going back down the corridor and turning left, I found another door with a piece of A4 paper stuck to the door with “Election Office” on it.

The door was locked, so I knocked on the door and waited. I was ignored, so I knocked again. The poem The Listeners by Walter de La Mere springs to mind at this point in this tale. Eventually my persistent knocking led to someone answering the door. I explained what I was therefore and was told to go to a different room which was next door.

There I explained (again) what I was there for. The person I’d previously been in email contact with was running a training session at Wallasey Town Hall and not answering their mobile phone.

However, I was then told I couldn’t inspect the candidates’ consent to nomination as the person speaking thought that they might contain home addresses (they actually don’t contain home addresses as you can see of the example of Elizabeth Anne Grey standing in Bidston and St James ward above) and to come back in an hour.

So I returned as requested an hour later, again knocking on the unanswered door. Eventually a person angrily answered the door and barked in a frustrated way, “I’m in a meeting!” at me.

This drawn out saga is now starting to become less like Walter De La Mere’s The Traveller and along the lines of Douglas Adams quote:-

“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”
  

Once again I explained why I was there and this time was told to wait in the corridor outside. Shortly after, a very apologetic Wirral Council employee appeared with the paperwork I had requested to inspect.

What did suprise when I calculated the average age of the candidates in Heswall, Bidston and St James and Claughton is (I’ve just included the four political parties already represented on Wirral Council in the analysis below and for clarity have included those who have withdrawn) is how similar the average age of a candidate standing was across different political parties. In the Labour Party the average age was 54.9 years, for the Conservatives 57.7 years, in the Lib Dems 57.3 years and the Green Party it was 57.8 years.


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Election Result (Wirral Council, 2018): Heswall: Conservative hold (Les Rowlands)

Election Result (Wirral Council, 2018): Heswall: Conservative hold (Les Rowlands)

Election Result (Wirral Council, 2018): Heswall: Conservative hold (Les Rowlands)

                        








Heswall Ward
 
Name of candidate    Description (if any)  Votes  %
ROWLANDS
Les
 Conservative 3,180  69.3%  Elected
TRENERY
Christine Ann
 Labour 788  17.2%  Not elected
THOMPSON
Robert Noel
 Liberal Democrats 392  8.55%  Not elected
BURTON
Barbara Florence
 Green Party 227  4.95%  Not elected

There were 8 rejected ballot papers, the electorate was 10,950 and the turnout was 42.0%.

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Merseytravel councillors agree to push for ½ hourly service on Bidston Wrexham “Borderlands” line

Merseytravel councillors agree to push for ½ hourly service on Bidston Wrexham “Borderlands” line

Merseytravel councillors agree to push for ½ hourly service on Bidston Wrexham “Borderlands” line

                                     

Bidston Train Station (Borderlands Line) 13th August 2016 (John Brace)
Bidston Train Station (Borderlands Line) 13th August 2016 (John Brace) Photo taken by Leonora Brace

A public meeting of councillors on the Merseytravel Committee (part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) last month considered a report on enhancing services on the Borderlands Line between Bidston and Wrexham, as well as an Executive Summary of the Borderlands Line Service Enhancements Economic Appraisal Report.

Three councillors from the Wirral (Cllr Steve Foulkes, Cllr Jerry Williams and Cllr Les Rowlands) each spoke on the item, which you can watch starting at the 24 minutes 20 second point in the video below.

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Merseytravel Committee (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) 28th July 2016 Part 2 of 2 (Enhancing Services on the ‘Borderlands’ Rail Line starts at 24:20)

The Merseytravel Committee agreed to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to push for a twice hourly service, to set up a joint steering group with the Welsh Assembly Government and to develop a realistic project plan to:

a) improve the line,
b) introduce a bus-rail interchange in the Hawarden Bridge area,
c) enhance intermediate stations (such as Heswall and Upton) to make them more convenient, attractive and accessible and
d) to look into a potential new station at Woodchurch.

Future reports on progress are expected to be made to the councillors on the Merseytravel Committee.

Attending the public meeting was the Chairman of the Wrexham Bidston Rail Users Association John Allcock. When asked for a quote for WBRUA’s views on the decision by the Merseytravel Committee he wrote, “The WBRUA welcomes the Merseytravel Committee’s decision to support the enhancement of the Borderlands Line. This railway has been a Cinderella line for many years but has the potential to be a significant part of the transport network in our area and benefit the communities and businesses it connects.”

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Election Result (Wirral Council, 2016): Heswall: Conservative hold (Kathryn Hodson)

Election Result (Wirral Council, 2016): Heswall: Conservative hold (Kathryn Hodson)

                        







Heswall Ward
 
Name of candidate    Description (if any)  Votes  %
HODSON
Kathryn Anne
 Local Conservatives 2,776  65%  Elected
JUDGE
Jeff Anthony
 Labour Party 868  20%  Not elected
BURTON
Barbara Florence
 Green Party 334  8%  Not elected
TYRRELL
David Robert
 Liberal Democrats 290  7%  Not elected

There were 24 rejected ballot papers, the electorate was 10,768 and the turnout was 40%.

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Why will there be no trains (and no replacement buses) on the Bidston-Wrexham line next Monday?

Why will there be no trains (and no replacement buses) on the Bidston-Wrexham line next Monday?

                                                                                  

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson on a train
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson on a train

Unfortunately there is bad news for anyone planning to travel by train on the Borderlands Line (Bidston to Wrexham) on Monday 4th January. Arriva Trains Wales currently run the franchise for this line.

ASLEF (which stands for the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) and the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) have both successfully balloted for a 24-hour strike for Monday 4th January. On the Wirral this will affect people travelling from or to Bidston, Upton or Heswall train stations.

This will also lead to cancelled trains on Sunday and disruption to trains on Tuesday morning too.

Due to the strike affecting around 1,000 train services Arriva Trains Wales will not be providing rail replacement buses during the strike on Monday (as this would require an estimated 4,000 buses).

However Arriva Trains Wales have published a list of frequently asked questions about the proposed industrial action on their website. This list answers the following questions (should you be interested in the answers).

1. Why is the Industrial Action happening?
2. How are services affected?
3. Why are you not providing alternative transport such as buses?
4. What do I do if I can’t travel on a different day?
5. Can I use my ticket to travel on a different day or with another Train Company?
6. Can I get a refund on my ticket if I can’t travel on another day?
7. I have a season ticket can I get a refund on my lost days?

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