Area Forum – 8/6/2011 Bidston & Claughton, 8/6/2011 Library, University Academy Birkenhead (formerly Park High) Part 3

A member of the public asked in reference to the minutes about patient representatives and how people got engaged. They felt there was no opportunity to be engaged in the changing nature of affairs. Unfortunately Dr. Mantgani wasn’t present to answer. At 6:40pm Cllr McLachlan arrived. Cllr Foulkes answered that the structure was changing with … Continue reading “Area Forum – 8/6/2011 Bidston & Claughton, 8/6/2011 Library, University Academy Birkenhead (formerly Park High) Part 3”

A member of the public asked in reference to the minutes about patient representatives and how people got engaged. They felt there was no opportunity to be engaged in the changing nature of affairs. Unfortunately Dr. Mantgani wasn’t present to answer.

At 6:40pm Cllr McLachlan arrived.

Cllr Foulkes answered that the structure was changing with a Health & Wellbeing Board. There would be democratic access and he was confident the Wirral Council would be looking at the structure. He said it may have lay representatives but he wasn’t 100% sure. The Health Scrutiny Board could make representations to that. There would be scrutiny of health and he promised access to the public.

Paul Smith said there were NHS Trust governor elections in the next few weeks and you could put your name forward. Cllr Roberts asked how it had been publicised. The answer given was in the newspapers and on the website.

Michelle Gray said there were a couple of issues on page 7. Any issues raised had received a response from the relevant department. There was concern regarding the Boundary Road pedestrian refuge island which will be monitored. The dumped rubbish was hopefully cleared up. There had been £55000 assigned for grit bins with an allocation of ten bins per a ward (twenty for this Area Forum). There had been 300 requests for new and additional bins.

The Highways Inspectors had been out and the one “nicked” from Borough Road had been replaced. Another four or five were stolen or missing which Technical Services was “looking into”. There was a register for the highways structural maintenance program which was gathering information for 2012/2013. People could either put suggestions on the register or see her at the end of the meeting.

Area Forum – 8/6/2011 Bidston & Claughton, 8/6/2011 Library, University Academy Birkenhead (formerly Park High) Part 2

Cllr Foulkes continued by saying that Wirral is a diverse borough of haves and have nots with lots of deprived areas, from the millionaires of Caldy and in between bits of everything. However they faced tough financial times, every spending decision should be made as close as possible to where it had effect. Resources could be moved around. However Wirral council had lost £54 million [which he corrected to £51 million] from its budget for this year, 1200 staff and more had to go. The current budget projects to Cabinet predicted they would lose £20.8 million in 2012-2013. It was a tough task with little money to spend. It had to spent not on a night out but a meal in. This was a simple message. He would be leaving by ten past seven to go to the Leasowe Estate to make himself available. If anyone wanted to get in touch his email address is stevefoulkes@wirral.gov.uk . He said he looked forward to serving as he had done previously. Although this Area Forum was all Labour councillors, some wards had mixed representation where he would work with the other two parties. He said he had been around a long time, but didn’t know the areas in depth. He wanted to spend every penny in the right way to satisfy people’s needs.

The minutes were agreed except for a few minor changes. One person had been omitted from those present. At the bottom of page 4 and top of page 5 million should read billion. £1.4 million to £1.4 billion and £8.6 million to £8.6 billion. After the amendments they were accepted as a true record.

Area Forum – 8/6/2011 Bidston & Claughton, 8/6/2011 starting at 6.30pm, library, University Academy Birkenhead (formerly Park High) Part 1

Present: Cllr George Davies (Claughton)
Cllr Steve Foulkes (Claughton)
Cllr Denise Roberts (Claughton)
Cllr Jim Crabtree
Also: Lucy Beed
Michelle Gray
Ian Brand
Jim Thompson
Community Patrol
Police representative
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
+ members of the public

The Chair Cllr Roberts welcomed those present to the Area Forum and introduced those present. Ian Brand was the lead officer, Cllr Foulkes was a Claughton councillor and Leader of Wirral Council. Cllr Davies was also a Claughton councillor. Lucy Beed was there from planning and customer engagement. Gary Cummings was there from Streetscene, Jim Thompson introduced himself. So did a person from the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service but I didn’t manage to catch their name. A sergeant from Laird Street was also there as well as Cllr Crabtree and Michelle Gray.

Apologies had been received from Jean McIntosh (community representative), Dr. Abi Mantgani (NHS), Pat Landsborough (community representative)

Cllr Foulkes said that he was going to every Area Forum and introducing himself as the new Leader of Wirral Council. He wanted people to approach him directly. The Area Forums when created had drifted away from their original aims in devolving power and resources. He wanted a good turnout at meetings and for Area Forums to be revived. Area Forums would play a huge part in owning Neighbourhood Plans. By December Bidston & St. James/Claughton Area Forum would have its own neighbourhood plan, which would influence himself as Council Leader regarding the area’s needs and priorities.

Scrutiny Programme Board meeting – Thursday 9th June 2011 – 6.15pm

Cllr Chris Blakeley has written about item 7 on the agenda the work programme for the Scrutiny Programme Board.

He is right to highlight the process and timetables for dealing with complaints about councillors is an area that needs looking at. Here’s the history so far.

A previous 23-page report to the Standards Committee for a new process for standards complaints was not agreed at the 2nd December 2010 meeting but deferred for a decision until the meeting on the 26th January.

On the 26th January this report was deferred again because councillors didn’t know what the implications of the future Localism Bill would be on it and asked for collaborative working with other councils to be looked into.

It was deferred to the next meeting on the 24th March. This meeting was then cancelled, with the next meeting being on the 4th July 2012.

So, from December 2011 to July 2012 so decision on improving the ways complaints about councillors are dealt with has been reached (other than to continue with the old policy). Personally I think eight months should be enough to agree and read a 23-page document and/or table any amendments to the policy is long enough!

Why should councillors be in a position to make a decision that affects how complaints against them are processed? Shouldn’t this be dealt with the independent members of the Standards Committee instead?

The system at the moment is unfair to those making a complaint, unfair to councillors, makes a lot of money for outside solicitors and takes so long from start to finish that in some cases people aren’t a councillor any more by the end!

As pointed out the worst that can happen is a councillor is suspended for a week (as Cllr Harry Smith was), which doesn’t seem much of a punishment. Breaches of the councillor’s code of conduct if they were proven guilty in the courts attract a large fine, yet at Wirral Council from making a complaint from someone talking to you about it can be three months. Complaints from start to finish can take a year or two.

With Wirral Council officers involved in the process they can be leant on by councillors to withhold information from complainants or the investigating legal expert. If councillors don’t want to run the risk of doing it themselves, they can get their friends to do so on their behalf.

Just read the Wirral Globe story of the 13th May entitled “Town hall blunder: Wrong paperwork sent to local government watchdog inquiry” for an example of that.

It isn’t the first time this has happened either. Both times the complaint was about the same councillor. However as the results of complaints aren’t published or discussed at a meeting that the public can go to how would the public know this?

The system for dealing with complaints about councillors is prescribed in law. Yet the institutional awareness by Wirral Council about the law regarding complaints about councillors is low.

That’s why details about complaints about councillors (eg confidential witness statements) are often by an officer to a councillor/s who are not involved.

This information is then used for party political gain. In fact everybody making a complaint who’s been through the process releases that confidentiality is not respected and that anything in a witness statement is about as public as writing a letter to the Wirral Globe. Sadly this inhibits what many complainants want to state especially when threats are made against them or their family.

Personally the way the complaints system is at Wirral Council at the moment, you would get fairer and quicker outcomes in the courts than you would relying on Wirral Council.

Obviously councillors wouldn’t relish having to go to court every time somebody made a complaint about them, but it would certainly be more open and transparent with legal safeguards!

Bramall Construction and the Labour Cabinet meeting of 2nd June

On 2nd June Labour’s Cabinet met. Cllr George Davies declared a prejudicial interest in item 20 – “Appointment of Keepmoat Homes as the Council’s Preferred Private Developer Partner for Birkenhead (Minute No. 21 refers)” by virtue of his son working for Bramall Construction Limited, part of the Keepmoat Group and left the meeting whilst this matter was under consideration. The minutes are the source for this.

This left 9 councillors to decide (in the absence of the press and public due to it being commercially sensitive).

Yet if the report had anything to do with Bramall Construction Ltd how come the Birkenhead Labour councillors (such as Cllr. Foulkes, Cllr Harry Smith, Cllr Ann McLachlan etc etc) didn’t declare as an interest a £2000 donation to the Birkenhead Constituency Labour Party from Bramall Construction Ltd in May 2004?

Admittedly you can’t expect Labour councillors to remember a £2000 donation made 7 years ago… Bramall Construction Ltd state it was for sponsorship of an event the Labour Party held at Prenton Park (Tranmere Rovers ground).

On the subject of Tranmere Rovers, was this similar to the free tickets from Tranmere Rovers (that weren’t declared as an interest but were in the gifts register) that Cllr George Davies, Cllr Harry Smith and Cllr Foulkes received before deciding to renew a sponsorship deal worth over £100,000?

No, I’m sure there is a purely innocent explanation behind these matters…..