Category: Merseytravel

Merseyside Pension Fund accounts, Ed Davey letter about Post Offices, Free Mersey Tunnel Fast Tags (disabled)

Every so often I write a post that answers questions people have posed by searching for my blog in search engines. There have been a couple of searches today for the Merseyside Pension Fund Annual Accounts for 2010/2011. Merseyside Pension Fund is administered by Wirral Council. There are of course two versions of the accounts … Continue reading “Merseyside Pension Fund accounts, Ed Davey letter about Post Offices, Free Mersey Tunnel Fast Tags (disabled)”

Every so often I write a post that answers questions people have posed by searching for my blog in search engines.

There have been a couple of searches today for the Merseyside Pension Fund Annual Accounts for 2010/2011.

Merseyside Pension Fund is administered by Wirral Council. There are of course two versions of the accounts for 2010/2011, the unaudited and audited accounts. The audited accounts are below. Please click for a larger version. The rest of the information relating to the accounts can be found on Wirral Council’s website.

Merseyside Pension Fund Accounts 2010/2011

The second question is from visitors curious about Lib Dem Ed Davey MP (Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs)’s letter to local councils about Post Offices. I’ve requested a copy from Ed Davey and will write about this issue when I receive it.

Another is about the Fast Tags for the disabled (for going through the Mersey Tunnels). All the information about the free Fast Tag for the disabled can be found on Mersey Tunnel’s website and the Application Form can be downloaded here.

Disclaimer (in the interests of open journalism): My wife is in receipt of a Fast Tag (on disablity grounds) for Mersey Tunnels. My father is a member of the Merseyside Pension Fund.

Chris Davies MEP on Merseytravel’s Cllr Mark Dowd

As usual Chris Davies MEP puts things rather well in a defence of freedom of speech.

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Merseyrail: Changes to train timetables for Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August and Mersey Tunnel Closure

Due to the Matthew Street festival, Wirral Line trains will be following a temporary timetable. James Street station will be closed on Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August.

The Wirral Line temporary timetable is in addition to a temporary Northern Line timetable.

Also The Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel will be closed to all traffic travelling in both directions from 1930 on Saturday 27 August until 0630 Tuesday 30 August.

The Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel will be open, however due to water main renewal works at Liverpool on the exit road towards the city centre, traffic will be limited to one lane. The lane will be closed from the exit of the tunnel at Liverpool to Scotland Road. All lanes will be operational through the tunnel itself however, delays may occur and motorists are advised to allow extra time for their journey.

Trains running to the special timetables will not stop at the following stations:-

Wirral Line
Chester and Ellesmere Port trains: No stopping at James Street or Liverpool Central stations
New Brighton and West Kirby trains: No stopping at James Street or Moorfields stations

Northern Line
Hunts Cross and Southport: on Monday 29th August trains will run to a Saturday timetable
Kirkby and Ormskirk: on Monday 29th August trains will run to a Saturday timetable with an earlier start time.

Walking stick user collapses at ticket barrier at Liverpool Central

This afternoon my wife, Mrs. Brace was travelling with me back to the Wirral. We both have passes so waited in the queue to go through the barrier. I went through alright and the ticket barrier closed behind me. However Mrs. Brace swiped her pass to go through the barrier and it opened.

As she was part way through the barrier closed on her grabbing her walking stick in the process. With nothing to hold she collapsed. Now on the wrong side of the barrier I went back through another barrier and (sadly) didn’t arrive in time to catch her before she fell to the ground.

The Merseyrail staff offered her first aid and asked if she wished them to call an ambulance. We both went to an office, where two staff asked her details. She was a little shaken up by what happened, but most of her injuries were caused by the fall. The suspicion is that the walking stick triggered a motion sensor which then closed the barrier. Clearly something needs to change as there are plenty of elderly and disabled passengers with passes that are going to have trouble otherwise.

Merseyrail also said they’ll be reducing the staff at the ticket barriers as they move to more automation. Previously pass holders (and others such as those pushing a push chair) went through a side gate. Personally I don’t have any trouble when going through using my pass but I can understand how a walking stick could trigger a motion sensor.

West Wirral Area Forum – 29th June 2011 – Part 12 Merseyside Police

There was a plan to deal with sunny weather in West Kirby and Hoylake. They wanted people to come and behave and to keep antisocial behaviour down. The Have Your Say meeting only were attracting one or two, but now got a lot more. The Hoylake and West Kirby meeting had been merged, they were now held in the evening and they had got rid of the paperwork replacing it with a presentation. He asked if any members of the public had questions?

A member of the public asked how Hilbre Island was being handled? Inspector Blease said they had two quad bikes and a Land Rover, however there was no ranger. They were going on the land and it had been ok. It was a fantastic piece of heritage. Cllr Ellis said it hadn’t been manned for one or two years. Cllr Ellis joked they should brick up the Mersey Tunnel to reduce crime.

The Inspector said they would be getting British Transport Police officers on the trains. Leonora Brace said she was glad about this following an incident on a train on her birthday. Inspector Blease said there was CCTV on the trains of a high quality.

A member of the public asked if the police were able to go to groups using foul language in public places? The police said they could but it wasn’t a criminal offence to be abusive to the police. He said if it was done in a member of the public’s sight or hearing they could do something about it. He joked and said he was used to abuse from his wife.