What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?
What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?
During the 2016-17 audit (which covers the start of April 2016 to the end of March 2017), I requested to inspect various invoices paid by Merseytravel and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and have since picked up copies from their headquarters.
In December 2016, a large rolling stock contract (for new trains) was agreed by councillors on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to be awarded to Stadler Bussnang AG. Stadler Bussnang AG will charge £272,424,952.00 for the new trains.
An unsuccessful bidder (Bombardier) brought a challenge to how the procurement decision had been arrived at and large invoices for legal work from DLA Piper UK LLP have been submitted to Merseytravel’s Rolling Stock Director (David Powell).
The thumbnails of invoices below each link to a higher resolution image for the same invoice.
Invoice 413 from DLA Piper UK LLP (invoice 54833489) dated 31st January 2017 is for £231,124.96. This is for the matter, “Fleet Replacement Project”. This is broken down to “To our fees for professional services” of £187,013.80 + VAT, followed by the following expenses, search fees (£2.00 + VAT), subsistence (£152.68 + VAT), travel (£5,195.65 + VAT) and Vroom Plus (£240 + VAT).
Why will Merseyrail services be disrupted on the 8th, 10th and 23rd July 2017 due to strike action?
Why will Merseyrail services be disrupted on the 8th, 10th and 23rd July 2017 due to strike action?
Bidston Train Station (Borderlands Line) 13th August 2016 (John Brace)
Merseyrail employees who are part of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) are striking on Saturday 8th July 2017, Monday 10th July 2017 and Sunday 23rd July 2017.
Although Merseyrail are hoping to run to a reduced timetable on strike days (which means Merseyrail trains will not stop at many stations on the Wirral and be less frequent at the others) the entire train network was known to be stopped completely on a strike day earlier this year in March for safety reasons.
Trains on the Bidston to Wrexham Central line which is run by Arriva Trains Wales won’t be affected by this strike. Although people planning to connect at Bidston to a Merseyrail train during one of the three strike days will be.
There is also a strike by Northern Rail staff planned for the 8th July 2017, 9th July 2017 and 10th July 2017 which will result in a reduced service (on Merseyside this is generally services that go to and from Liverpool Lime Street). Further details on their reduced timetable are on Northern Rail’s website.
The Merseyrail and Northern Rail strikes are caused by a dispute between employers and the union over new trains in 2020 which will be staffed only by a driver and not a driver and guard as at present.
The lost revenue to Merseyrail during each strike day is estimated by the RMT union at £139,000 a day (plus the cost of contingency arrangements).
Under the franchise agreement between Merseytravel and Merseyrail, the public sector will pay Merseyrail for the lost profits due to industrial action.
So for the three strike days this is estimated at £417,000 (plus contingency arrangements) paid for out of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority budget (who control Merseytravel).
On Monday 10th July (one of the strike days) Liverpool City Council’s Constitutional Issues Committee meets to decide on a recommendation to pay the Chair of the Merseytravel Committee Cllr Liam Robinson£29,983 a year for his role on the Merseytravel Committee (in addition to amounts he receives as a Liverpool City Council councillor).
Cllr Liam Robinson is also the portfolio holder for Transport on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority which meets next week on Friday 14th July 2017.
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Ged Fitzgerald arrested on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation
Ged Fitzgerald arrested on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation
Ged Fitzgerald (Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council) tries to explain devolution to a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Scrutiny Panel 28th October 2015
Ged Fitzgerald (pictured above), Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council has been arrested on suspicion of both conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation.
He is also Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and was the Combined Authority Returning Officer (CARO) for the recent LCRCA Mayoral election.
Both bodies have public meetings this week (Liverpool City Council meets on Wednesday and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority meets on Friday).
Those who are regular readers of this blog will know Ged Fitzgerald from two earlier stories this month when he blocked a request for copies of the nomination papers in the Mayoral election and along with Wirral Council’s Local Returning Officer Eric Robinson classed us as not a “bona fide” media organisation and therefore barred from the Count.
The arrest of Ged Fitzgerald was made as part of Operation Sheridan.
Operation Sheridan is a long-running Lancashire Constabulary corporate corruption investigation.
Matters relating to the Operation Sheridan investigation have been raised at two different Liverpool City Council public meetings.
Each time democratic debate on the issue has been curtailed.
Apologies for stopping comments on this blog post, but it is unknown at this point if Ged Fitzgerald has or will be charged.
Due to Ged Fitzgerald being a high-profile individual, it is believed that the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service will be working with the Lancashire Constabulary on this matter.
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3 video clips of councillors and Community Patrol outside the Wirral count for the Claughton byelection and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election
3 video clips of councillors and Community Patrol outside the Wirral count for the Claughton byelection and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election
Councillor Stuart Kelly (Counting Agent – Claughton) 5th May 2017 outside Wirral Tennis and Sports Centre
Below are three edited videos of what you could term what I was allowed to report outside the count from a public footpath at the Wirral Tennis and Sports Centre following the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election and Claughton byelection.
I had originally planned to film the result and speeches from inside the count, but the Chief Executives of Wirral Council and Liverpool City Council decided my presence and that of Leonora would not be welcomed.
There were a variety of interviews I recorded, people weren’t just going to the local election count but also for the other use of Wirral Tennis and Sports Centre as a leisure centre.
However these are the earlier clips which I’ll list in chronological order.
Below is video of my brief one and a half minute interaction with the Community Patrol, where I compare their uniforms to the more Terry Pratchett name inspired Liverpool City Watch. However thankfully we can both laugh about the whole situation!
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Next is Wirral Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Communications Cllr Matthew Patrick (a Labour councillor for Upton ward) who doesn’t seem as keen to talk as Wirral Council’s Community Patrol.
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Cllr Stuart Kelly (a Liberal Democrat councillor for Oxton ward) and Counting Agent for their candidate in Claughton ward didn’t leave as quickly as Cllr Matthew Patrick. We talked for a few minutes about both the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election and the Claughton byelection.
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Election Result (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, 2017): Mayor: Steve Rotheram (Labour Party)
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (Mayor) (2017)
Name of candidate
Description (if any)
Votes
%
Rotheram Steve
Labour Party
171,167
59.3%
Elected
Caldeira Tony
Conservatives
58,805
20.4%
Not elected
Cashman Carl
Liberal Democrat
19,751
6.84%
Not elected
Crone Tom
Green Party
14,094
4.88%
Not elected
Walters Paula
UK Independence Party
11,940
4.14%
Not elected
Bannister Roger
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
7,881
2.73%
Not elected
Morton Tabitha
Women’s Equality Party
4,247
1.49%
Not elected
Breen Paul
Get the Coppers off the Jury
729
0.25%
Not elected
There were 2,789 rejected ballot papers. Turnout was 26.1%. The turnout for the Wirral area was 27.8%. The electorate was 1,116,495. Any candidate with less than 5% of the first preference vote loses their £5,000 deposit (Tom Crone (Green), Paula Walters (UKIP), Roger Bannister (TUSC), Tabitha Morton (Women’s Equality Party) and Paul Breen (Get the Coppers off the Jury).
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