Category: Lib Dems

Looking back over the last 12 months

Looking back over the last half-year or so since this blog started, what were the stories and pages on this blog that have captured the public’s attention and brought them to this blog? There was the story about the 2011 Census, which many people had questions about ranging from why was there no question 17 … Continue reading “Looking back over the last 12 months”

Looking back over the last half-year or so since this blog started, what were the stories and pages on this blog that have captured the public’s attention and brought them to this blog?

There was the story about the 2011 Census, which many people had questions about ranging from why was there no question 17 (it was a question asking if you understand, speak, read or write Welsh).

The About John Brace” page was popular and attracted a number of comments. It’ll be updated soon.

This Cabinet meeting about the Conservative-Lib Dem budget and Labour not being happy was read over a hundred times.

Merseytravel’s response on Mersey Tunnel’s issues also aroused interest.

The pages about protest outside Birkenhead County Court regarding Council Tax and the Save our Forests campaign were read just a bit more than stories about the Chinese New Year celebrations in Liverpool, HMS Campbeltown, ID Cards being scrapped or the Labour Chair of Merseytravel using his casting vote to increase Mersey Tunnel tolls.

More local issues also aroused interest such as the Lib Dem plan to invest £1.8 million in Cathcart Street primary school as a result of the closure of Cole Street primary school and the relocation of the Children’s Centre across the road to Cathcart Street Primary School, how much councillors are paid (which was used by some parties during the election to show how some councillors were getting £50,000+/year), Arriva not stopping its buses at the new bus stop near Tesco, the Lib Dem Mayor at Tam O’Shanter Urban Farm, Flaybrick cemetery flytipping and the Corsair in Bidston Village being demolished.

Over the Winter the issue of gritting and bin collections was on resident’s minds. The street level crime website and minimum price proposals for alcohol were also topics the public were interested in.

In total there have been 5,557 views of pages on this website and it has been read keenly by certain councillors and others. Yet who knows what the public will be wanting from its elected representatives in the next 12 months?

A Brief Message about the elections and the result

Firstly a quick thank you to my wife, people I spoke to, those who signed my nomination papers, those who voted including myself.

However, the questions now to ask are “What next?”. Well candidates and agents in this election will be busy this month will be busy filling out an election expenditure form.

Guidance is here and covering complex issues such as spending reductions in places with two elections for councillor on the same day (eg Greasby/Frankby/Irby) and other advice regarding election bureaucracy.

This form needs to be filled out, along with a declaration from the election agent and candidate.

Copies of these are then open to public inspection (and copies can be made), which show not just the spending but the source of the money. In the past I’ve had a look through other candidates and agents’ spending to see what they’ve done. Sometimes it’s more interesting to see what they’ve forgot to declare (or maybe deliberately forgot to declare) as political parties (well aware of this means to see what the others are up to) have been known to provide as little information as possible.

There are legal penalties for getting it wrong, but convictions are rare.

Following my question to Cllr Ian Lewis at the Council meeting of the 13th December 2010, I will quote what he said:-

“A person may also, of course, be offered gifts and hospitality, when seeking election, and we shall therefore publish the election expense return submitted by each elected member.”

His full answer can be read here.

I thank Cllr Lewis for his comprehensive answer and know from what is said to me by the people know that the public welcome a new era of openness and accountability at Wirral Council as opposed to the previous Labour-led administration’s desire to keep the public in the dark and stitch things up behind closed doors.

My wife Cllr. Brace holds slightly different views on things as she represents her community but we usually agree. Just like the Lib Dems and the Tories we sometimes disagree on how to go forward. Yet, we still stay together!

The one constant in politics is change. Political reform has to happen. Yet, Wirral Council also needs to live up to its legal responsibilities when it comes to democracy.

Labour will spend the next few years condemning the Liberal Democrats and Tories for doing what they’re elected to do. Yet Liberal Democrats believe in a plural form of politics, where we work together with other parties combining the best of both worlds.

The public trust in politicians over the MP expenses scandal is still lingering in the public’s mind. This scepticism and trust has done harm to democracy. Yet it was Labour MPs who were put in prison. It was a Labour MP Phil Woolas that was convicted of lying about the Lib Dem candidate and lost his seat.

I saw the hope with which the country greeted a Labour government in 1997. However if they ever wish to govern the country or Wirral Council again they will have to prove they have changed as a party.

Based on their literature I would say the first step they need to take is to tell the public the truth and stop treating their own residents with little or no respect.

Come on Labour; what do you stand for?

I read with interest Cllr Jeff Green’s letter to Cllr. Steve Foulkes (Leader of the Labour Group).

In the short time I have left as candidate in Bidston & St. James I will address some of the points it raises.

Firstly, what are Labour’s plans? Well, from a leaflet from my local Labour candidate, they plan (if they got elected locally and nationally) to reduce the number of people who can vote.

Personally, I agree with my party that everyone (with very few exceptions) should be allowed to vote. Currently the list of people who can/can’t vote in the referendum and local elections is different (which can get confusing). Lib Dem MPs did vote against prisoners getting the vote.

What else are they for? Well, judging by the picture of the Labour candidate on the Beechwood they quite happily respond to Lib Dem campaigns regarding speeding (which was a concern of many residents in this area).

This was as a result of Lib Dem councillors like Cllr Stuart Kelly and former Cllr Jean Quinn insisting that local people in all parts of the Wirral (and local councillors) have a say on tens of thousands of pounds spent in their area.

Strangely when their own party members on the Beechwood called for something to be done, why did nothing seem to happen until the Lib Dems got up a petition and campaigned for something to happen?

So what else is Labour for? Oh yes, taking credit for over a million pounds worth of investment in Cathcart Street Primary school that was decided by Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors (but no Labour councillors).

When you strip away the things Labour takes credit for (that are Lib Dem/Tory policies or decisions) it makes you wonder what they have achieved.

In the last year they have been in the opposition on Wirral Council Labour haven’t had to take many decisions. Going back to the letter I will address some of the points. If any candidate (or agent) wishes to have right of reply please leave a comment.

1) Who knows what Labour would do, yet would you trust the Labour councillors who left Social Services “the worst in the country” with fixing the problems there? Cllr. Moira McLaughlin often pointed out she was “friends” with the former Director of Adult Social Services, John Webb. I have no problem with councillors being friendly with directors, but if it gets to the stage you have to declare an interest, aren’t councillors (who are supposed to be scrutinising officers) too close to those the public expects them to scrutinise? Is anyone harshly critical of someone they consider a “friend”?

2) Martin Morton is a sign of something far more worrying in the culture of Wirral Council. A long time ago (November 2009) I left a comment on Cllr Chris Blakeley’s blog about bullying going on within groups of councillors at Wirral Council.

People of course remember Cllr. Knowles (in nearby Seacombe) leaving the Labour Group to join the Conservatives as well as other things that went on. My own councillor and Labour’s candidate Harry Smith was suspended for a week for what he said to some of the younger Conservative councillors at a public meeting.

He still is seen against the wall heckling and jeering at council meetings.

The problem has been is that some of the more senior officers at Wirral Council took on board the political culture of the Labour Group. Yet I feel sorry for Wirral Council employees forced into doing illegal and unethical things by councillors threatening them with the sack.

Yet with “jobs for life” and the public kept in the dark about what does go on, is there any reward for good behaviour by councillors? Will Labour apologise to Martin Morton? Considering it took a public inquiry to get a public apology regarding the library closure plans I’m not holding my breath on that one…

3) I’ve no idea to that one, other than to say they didn’t consult me!

4) People on the doorstep (whose budgets are stretched) have been telling me how they appreciate the Council Tax Freeze. Labour may say it’s “a gimmick” but if you look at Labour-run local authorities like Merseyside Police Authority Labour got millions in a Council Tax Freeze grant yet slashed the number of police officers.

Personally I feel Labour always want more money (and as a result increase our taxes, tunnel tolls etc), but yet don’t understand how to get value for money (when they seem to just want to get more jobs for their public sector union chums).

5) I don’t think libraries is a vote winner for Labour based on what happened. 😀 In Bidston & St. James many places (library, leisure centre, community centres etc) faced the axe and were voted to close by its local Labour councillors.

6) Labour in Liverpool funded an increase to the Labour leader’s allowance and a “jolly jaunt” to China by axing free swimming. Which of these benefits people more?

7) Allowances are an interesting issue Cllr Green as even those of us with qualifications in mathematics and a background in accounting and journalism couldn’t tell you before these elections exactly how much each councillor gets paid (including the amounts on outside bodies).

The system of allowances is basically subsidy of political parties by the taxpayer (in addition taxpayers money such as Short money, Cranbourne money going to the political parties etc). Labour also get amounts from the taxpayer from the public sector unions.

Course there are radical ways this could be changed:-

a) like MPs, publish details of all councillors expenses, allowances etc down to each invoice. This would save the public money as they’d be less likely to claim for frivolities. Until this is done the assumption by the public is that “they’re all on the “fiddle”.

b) in addition to the above details of tax and NI paid.

c) Cabinet Member’s allowances should be not a set amount each year but reflect the workload of each Cabinet member. For example an amount for each meeting they attend on Council business etc. Also there needs to be a system of deputies for Cabinet as a bug going round Wirral Council have been known to lead to half the Cabinet turning up to meetings.

d) Details each year (by each political group on Wirral Council) of what they spent the money they got from councillor’s donations on. Some of this goes on the elections, but shouldn’t the public get to know what their money is being spent on?

e) Each leader (Lib Dem, Labour, Tory) gets a secretary, each political group a research assistant. Should the public at least know who these people (paid for by the taxpayers) are? After all its six full-time salaries paid for by Wirral taxpayers, whose job at times seems to be to do the work councillors don’t want to do.

f) Have the above information published on a page where the Wirral public gets to leave comments as to whether the above is value for money and ways to improve things

8) Thank you for making less exempt, however most exempt reports of public interest have been leaked to the press. When you read the exempt ones, you often find the reasons officers are spurious. Mind you Wirral Council usually leaks like a sieve. The information on expenditure over £500 is useful, yet there needs to be a way for the public to feed back information and questions regarding this.

9) Liscard & Cllr Dodd & the bone of contention in this election between yourselves and Labour. Perhaps as a Lib Dem I will stand on the sidelines on this one. I realise it is hard at times to understand, but each party has a different strategy to winning elections.

Lib Dems – Focus leaflet/s detailing what Lib Dems have done locally. Explaining its a “two horse race”. Asking third party supporters to vote for them. Criticising the other two parties (mainly Labour).
Tories – Newsline leaflet/s detailing what Tories have done locally. Asking third party supporters to vote for them. Criticising the other two parties (but mainly Labour)
Labour – Take credit for Tory and Lib Dem policies. Criticise the policies of whatever party challenges them. Try and make Labour look different from the Tory and Lib Dem parties by saying how wonderful Labour is. Manipulate and bamboozle the voting public into not knowing really what the election is (many people in Bidston & St. James think they are voting Labour tomorrow to as they put it “get rid” of the Coalition government nationally despite there not being a General Election) about but as their former Labour MP Phil Woolas would put it “make the white folk angry” (with the Tories and the Lib Dems). Spread a few scare stories in the mix about people losing their benefits and other such things and you have a recipe for Labour success without telling anyone what you really stand for. Do the above well and if any party is within spitting distance of taking your seat you should see a 10% drop in support for the second place candidate and a boost to your own votes. Congratulations you are now elected a Labour councillor. Nobody who voted for you knows what your plans are so you can’t be accused of breaking any pledges or promises!

If you “bent” a few election laws along the way (eg spent more on the campaign than you’re allowed, left out an imprint or three), 99% of the time you’ll get away with it. Even if you do get taken to court and convicted, another party member will happily get reelected in your place.

10) This was discussed at the Area Forum last year. From what I recall Cllr Foulkes had concerns (as did I) over potential conflicts of interest between the people writing the report for Cabinet (as a result of the consultation) and no mechanism for such conflicts of interest to be declared.

Personally (although Labour can speak for themselves), I don’t think the Labour party is against the public sharing their views, just they’d rather the public share their views with Labour councillors rather than Lib Dem or Tory ones. Some members of the public bring up the same thing with all parties.

11) I’ve no idea, although last time this was discussed what at the Area Forum for Birkenhead over the SAR (closure of libraries etc). Cllr Foulkes made a comment about “Chiefs and Indians” which my wife took offence to as she was born on a reservation in Canada. From memory he said at the time (along with a lot of other things that didn’t go down well) that the Audit Commission would be highly critical of them if they got the balance between managers and staff incorrect.

Personally my own view is that with leadership from councillors the need for many managers is less. Labour tended to rely on officer support more when they were in charge of Wirral Council.

John Brace
Bidston & St. James candidate

If you live in Bidston & St. James ward

Please vote John Brace (your only local candidate) on Thursday May 5th. The local Liberal Democrat Action Team works all year round, not just at election time. Many people have said they appreciate our regular Focuses about this area and what’s going on.

If you are unsure of your local polling station (as many are) there is a list below. Your polling card will identify which polling district you live in (Bidston & St. James has six). If you don’t know your polling station area please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

Most people don’t need their polling card to vote (only one person in Bidston & St. James does!). Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. However, please don’t leave it to 9.59pm in order to vote as the 10pm deadline can’t be changed!

AA – Beechwood Play and Community Centre, Fifth Avenue
AB – Bidston Village CE Primary School, (formerly St Oswalds), Ballantyne Drive
AC – Holy Cross RC Junior School, Gautby Road
AD – St James Centre, Laird Street
AE – Our Lady & St Edward RC Primary School, Old Bidston Road
AF – The Priory C of E Primary School, Trinity Street

If you still have a postal vote you can still take it to the polling station. It’ll be taken with the ballot boxes to the count. About fifty people did this last year as if you posted your postal vote on polling day you can’t guarantee it’ll get there in time to be counted.

If you have registered for a postal vote and it doesn’t arrive you cannot vote at a polling station (before 5pm). You have to travel to Wallasey Town Hall in Brighton Street, Seacombe, be issued with a replacement postal ballot paper, complete that and take it to your polling station.

After 5pm if memory serves correct Wallasey Town Hall is shut so you can vote at your polling station, however be persistent as they may initially tell you you can’t!

This year the arrangements for counting the AV referendum ballots and local council elections is different. Both will be counted at the Pacific Road Theatre & Arts Centre in Pacific Road, Birkenhead. The postal votes are generally done seperately at Wallasey Town Hall as a proportion of the dates of birth and signatures are checked.

The timetable is as follows (with approximate timescales):-

10pm Polling stations close. Paperwork completed. Ballot boxes sealed.
10pm to 10.15pm Ballot boxes transported to count centre
10.15pm to 10.20pm Ballot boxes arrive at count centre (more paperwork). Quick check to make sure nothing has gone misssing in transit and seals are still intact. Yellow pouches containing any postal votes handed in at polling stations removed. Ballot boxes assigned to correct ward teams for counting.
10.20pm to midnight Local council election ballot papers seperated from AV referendum ballots (to be counted Friday afternoon).

Three counters used to count Bidston & St. James vote. Result expected in the early hours of May 6th.

Some areas with large turnout and recounts may take longer.

Afternoon of May 6th – AV referendum ballot papers counted. Result declared and added to national result.

Good luck to all candidates (of all parties). I’d like to thank everyone in Bidston & St. James (even those who said they aren’t voting) for the interesting issues they have raised with me. Please be assured that we’ll still be here after the election working for the people of this area.

Although the Liberal Democrat Action Team already knows what the result of this election will be, we are not allowed (by law) to report it until the result it officially declared on May 6th.

Social Services & Martin Morton

It’s good to see some local press coverage in the Wirral Globe (with 37 comments) and other local papers about this issue, which I wrote about on the 19th in relation to the Cabinet meeting of the 14th.

Changing an entire culture of an organisation and how councillors do scrutiny in the future is always difficult. Wirral Council will need to bring people like Mr. Morton on board if things are to change. The public call for people who didn’t do their job to be fired and the finger of blame pointed at certain named councillors of various political parties as well as the full story as to what happened and why and will be clearer once the report is published. However Wirral Council needs to move on from the past and embrace change.

As pointed out in previous reports, it was not just the Cabinet Member’s responsibility but at the time of the special charging policy there was a separate Social Services committee with a Chair and party spokespersons whose role was scrutiny of Social Services. People involved in political parties at the time of the special charging policy do know who was involved in these at the time, but (perhaps as many are still serving councillors) these names haven’t been released to the general public.

Although weaknesses were exposed at the political/councillor level there were also massive failings within Social Services management and internal confusion regarding its policies and procedures.

In politics, only certain things are taken up and campaigned on (and this partly depends on the numbers that want something). The rest, councillors, MPs etc and others in political parties do their best about. Mr. Morton was standing up for disabled adults (many of which sadly at times encounter prejudice or in some cases due to their disability have difficulties in communicating). Many councillors have a very good understanding of physical disability (eg glasses, walking sticks, wheelchair users etc) but don’t fully understand the nuances (and differing severities) of adults with learning difficulties or learning disabilities.

Yet what is the employee body of Wirral Council as a whole like? Wirral Council itself was named joint “Scrooge Employer of the Year” for 2008 for poor staff morale and where staff felt their efforts went unappreciated. If you read the Council’s Workforce monitoring report for 2009/2010, that you were more likely to get a job if you were female or disabled. Yet if you were from a non-white ethnic background or male you were less likely to get from shortlisting to the job.

As the report points out “The success rate of disabled applicants is marginally above the norm. The high percentage of shortlisted disabled applicants is due in the main to the Council’s guaranteed interview policy. This policy guarantees that a disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria is shortlisted and is interviewed. The most significant trend is that whilst non-white ethnic background applicants have a greater chance of being short listed they appear to be less successful at interview stage.”

A quarter of its employees choose not to answer the question on disability. I hope Wirral Council working in the future with organisations such as Operation Black Vote will move things forward on race and by working through the issues flagged up by Mr. Morton Wirral Council will start getting things right for disabled people, rather than being branded the worst Social Services department in the country.

The author is a former student representative on the Disability SubGroup of University of Liverpool.