Category: Wirral

2 further days of strike action on Merseyrail network in October by RMT over driver only operated trains

2 further days of strike action on Merseyrail network in October by RMT over driver only operated trains

2 further days of strike action on Merseyrail network in October by RMT over driver only operated trains

                                       

One of the new driver only operated trains ordered by Merseytravel that has led to the strikes
One of the new driver only operated trains ordered by Merseytravel that has led to the strikes

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has announced further strike action on the Merseyrail network. Drivers and guards will be on strike on the 3rd October 2017 and 5th October 2017.

RMT stated that it was angry and frustrated that Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayor Steve Rotheram had refused to put pressure on Merseyrail to resolve the dispute.

At a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last week (which is chaired by Mayor Steve Rotheram) the industrial dispute between Merseyrail and the RMT was discussed towards the end of a Merseyrail Update item.

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 15th September 2017 Part 1 of 4 (starting at Merseyrail Update 38:42)

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 15th September 2017 Part 2 of 4 Merseyrail Update

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 15th September 2017 Merseyrail Update (slides)

Various proposals made by the RMT, such as increasing fares to cover the cost of the guards when the new trains are introduced or Merseytravel paying for the salaries of the guards were rejected.

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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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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”

Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

Wirral Council tries to ban filming of public meeting to award Freedom of the Borough to the 96 who died in Hillsborough!

                                                   

Councillor Bill Davies, Left (Chair, Licensing Act 2003 Committee (Wirral Council)) votes against a filming ban of a public meeting 26th October 2016
Councillor Bill Davies, Left (Chair, Licensing Act 2003 Committee (Wirral Council)) votes against a filming ban of a public meeting 26th October 2016

On Friday evening, at a public meeting of all Wirral Council’s councillors, freedom of the borough is expected to be awarded to the 96 that died in the Hillsborough disaster.

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I filmed Liverpool City Council award freedom of the city of Liverpool to the 96 who died in Hillsborough last year (which can be viewed above), freedom of the borough for PC Dave Phillips last year and the award of freedom of the borough for 107 (Lancashire & Cheshire) Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers) and the 234 (Wirral) Transport Squadron Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers) in 2012.

I was therefore surprised to receive the following email below from Kevin McCallum this afternoon. I have sent a response back asking Wirral Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer to provide advice to councillors as to whether this is lawful as Wirral Council are required to provide reasonable facilities for the purpose of filming the public meeting.

I’ve also pointed out I’m quite happy to film from the Council Chamber, as I have done before for a public meeting of the Wirral Schools Forum. Filming from the Council Chamber was done by another media organisation during the freedom of borough meeting for PC Dave Phillips last year. I’ve removed Kevin’s mobile number from the email below as as far as I know it’s not made public. I’ve also not included the LGC Awards 2015 Most Improved Council logo and the boilerplate text at the end.


from: MacCallum, Kevin
to: John Brace <john@johnbrace.com>
date: 11 September 2017 at 14:29
subject: Freedom of the Borough council, Friday.

Hi John,

Just wanted to let you know in advance of Friday that unfortunately the public gallery will be off-limits for the Freedom of the Borough event, as it is being reserved for invited guests of the families.

We are filming the entire event and will be posting it onto our YouTube channel.

If you would still like to attend you, along with any other members of the public wishing to view the formal part of the event, will be asked to use one of the Committee Rooms on the ground floor, where sound will be played through from the Chamber.

Thanks
Kev

Kev MacCallum
Head of Communications
Communications & Marketing
T: 0151 691 8388
M: XXXXX XXX XXX
E: kevinmaccallum@wirral.gov.uk
W: www.wirral.gov.uk & www.wirralview.com

Updated 11.3.18 I finally found the footage of the meeting over 6 months later, it hadn’t been published on Wirral Council’s Youtube Channel as Kevin suggested, but the channel of Paul Frost on the 19th September 2017.

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EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

EXCLUSIVE: Wirral Council spent £1,009.35 on “media training” for councillors and a further £57,659.24 on legal costs over unreasonable land charges

                                    

Jim Hancock invoice media training Wirral Council councillors
Jim Hancock invoice media training Wirral Council councillors

Wirral Council spent £1,009,35 on “media training” for councillors provided by Jim Hancock. The training was provided to councillors on the 16th March 2016, 27th April 2016 and 14th June 2016.

Part of the cost of the training were three round trips from Lymm to Wallasey (81 miles each time) charged to Wirral Council at 45 pence a mile costing £109.35.

I will declare an interest in the next part of this article as I’m currently awaiting a permission to appeal decision in relation to costs relating to an Environmental Information Regulations request (which doesn’t relate to land charges) which will be decided by the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights).

In an update to a story from last year about overcharging by Wirral Council, Wirral Council paid a further £57,659.24 to its lawyers Bevan Brittan in a dispute over unreasonable land charges. This followed a First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) case that ruled that such charges were unreasonable.

Bevan Brittan invoice APPS case land charges refund
Bevan Brittan invoice APPS case land charges refund

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