Category: Wirral Council

Are more cuts on the way for Wirral’s Council’s Leisure, Libraries, Culture and Parks Services?

Are more cuts on the way for Wirral’s Council’s Leisure, Libraries, Culture and Parks Services?

Are more cuts on the way for Wirral’s Council’s Leisure, Libraries, Culture and Parks Services?

                                                                  

Libraries, Leisure and Culture Transformation Scrutiny Workshop Page 1 of 6
Libraries, Leisure and Culture Transformation Scrutiny Workshop Page 1 of 6

A public meeting of Wirral Council’s Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee yesterday evening had an urgent item on a recent Libraries, Leisure and Culture Transformation Scrutiny Workshop held earlier this month.

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Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 22nd September 2017 starting at Libraries, Leisure and Culture Transformation Scrutiny Workshop

At the end of this post is a copy of the 6 page report that resulted from the workshop.

This Cabinet report and its associated appendix (written by consultants) describe what it is about in more detail.

If you read between the lines of the workshop report, there are a lot of words used in it that are code for cuts, here is a quote (Members means councillors) “Members agreed that one of the aims of this project was to reduce the Council investment in these services and members suggested that some services may have to be sold to residents at the price it costs the Council to deliver them”.

Continue reading “Are more cuts on the way for Wirral’s Council’s Leisure, Libraries, Culture and Parks Services?”

Auditors state Wirral Council doesn’t provide value for money for 2nd year in a row!

Auditors state Wirral Council doesn’t provide value for money for 2nd year in a row!

Auditors state Wirral Council doesn’t provide value for money for 2nd year in a row!

                                                      

Cabinet 17th December 2014 voting to close Lyndale School L to R Cllr Tony Smith (Cabinet Member for Education), Cllr George Davies, Cllr Ann McLachlan
Cabinet 17th December 2014 voting to close Lyndale School L to R Cllr Tony Smith (Cabinet Member for Education), Cllr George Davies, Cllr Ann McLachlan

Wirral Council’s auditors Grant Thornton will be telling councilors on Wirral Council’s Audit and Risk Management Committee next Monday evening (25th September 2017) that Wirral Council doesn’t provide value for money.

The auditor’s concerns are to do with the lack of improvement following the OFSTED report last year that rated Wirral Council as inadequate. In a report to be discussed by councillors next week the auditors state:

“In September 2016, Ofsted issued its report on the inspection of the Authority’s services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers. The overall judgement was that children’s services were rated as inadequate. The inspection found widespread and serious failures in the services provided to children who need help and protection.

The Council has established an Improvement Board and developed an Improvement Plan to address the Ofsted recommendations, and provided an update on progress in its Annual Governance Statement. However, a subsequent Ofsted monitoring visit in April 2017 reported that while inspectors identified areas of strength and improvement, there are still some areas where inspectors considered that progress has not yet met expectations.

This matter is evidence of weaknesses in proper arrangements for understanding and using appropriate and reliable financial and performance information to support informed decision making and performance management, and for planning, organising and developing the workforce effectively to deliver strategic priorities.”

Since the publication of the OFSTED report, the Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services Cllr Tony Smith, the Director for Children’s Services Julia Hassall and the Chair of the Improvement Board Eleanor Brazil have all resigned (for clarity Cllr Tony Smith resigned from his Cabinet position not as a councillor).

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Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

Wirral Council consult on 11 metre wide Hoylake Bypass as part of Hoylake Golf Resort project!

                                                                

ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) logo
ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) logo

This story continues from three earlier blog posts, headlined What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?, Wirral Council asks judiciary to intervene to keep 94 page report on Hoylake Golf Resort secret! and ICO require Wirral Council to release 94 page draft agreement with Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited about Hoylake Golf Resort.

The vast majority of the development agreement for the Hoylake Golf Resort (although there is still disputed information which will be resolved by a First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) case) was released by Wirral Council yesterday and published on the whatdotheyknow.com website.

There is also mention of the Hoylake Golf Resort in the Strategic Regeneration Framework consultation, specifically on page 36 of the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework of a proposed road.

The proposed road referred to in the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework referred to in the development agreement as Hoylake Bypass is defined as a “7.5 metre, two-way undivided main carriageway with a 1 metre wide service/buffer strip and a shared 2.5 metre wide gateway/cycleway (providing for a 11 metre minimum total highway width) which is to be constructed on the Site pursuant to the Highways Agreement the approximate route of which is shown marked in pink on plan 6 or along such other route as the Developer and the Council may agree (acting reasonably)”.

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Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre

                                              

Protest about Eastham Walk-in Centre closure (Wallasey Town Hall) 13th September 2017
Protest about Eastham Walk-in Centre closure (Wallasey Town Hall) 13th September 2017
 

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Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 13th September 2017 Part 1 of 4

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Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 13th September 2017 Part 2 of 4

Councillors on Wirral Council’s Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met yesterday evening to discuss the recent closure of a Walk-in Centre in Eastham.
Continue reading “Councillors ask Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group to reconsider closure of Eastham Walk-in Centre”

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

Who charged Wirral Council £726.20 for 1 day of work on a panel about councillors’ allowances?

                                                   

Don Latham Management Consultancy invoice
Don Latham Management Consultancy invoice

As you can see from the invoice above Don Latham Management Consultancy charged Wirral Council a total of £726.20 for 1 day of work facilitating the “Members Allowances Panel” (members means councillors) on the 7th June 2016.

The invoice also shows that Don Latham Management Consultancy charged Wirral Council £89 for bed and breakfast (although it isn’t mentioned where he stayed), £187.20 in mileage (416 miles times 45 pence) in addition to his hourly rate of £450 a day.

As a result of the Members Allowance Panel meeting on the 7th June 2016, the Members Allowance Panel produced a three page report (Joe Blott’s name is incorrectly spelt in the report as Joe Blot), with a three page appendix.

The only recommendation for change in the report, was that the amount that councillors could claim for using their own car be increased from 40 pence a mile to 45 pence a mile. This was proposed by Cllr Phil Davies, seconded by Cllr George Davies and agreed by the fifty-eight councillors present at a meeting of Wirral Council’s councillors on the 11th July 2016.

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