Cabinet 1st September 2011 Part 9 – Community Asset Transfer (Update), Community Asset Transfer – Various Properties

Bill Norman introduced the next report (Community Asset Transfer – Update) and Appendix A and Appendix B and said as a footnote that Heswall Hall had been completed today. Cllr Adrian Jones asked about the cost implications at 2.2. Bil Norman replied that if the transfers ran out of time they would have to use … Continue reading “Cabinet 1st September 2011 Part 9 – Community Asset Transfer (Update), Community Asset Transfer – Various Properties”

Bill Norman introduced the next report (Community Asset Transfer – Update) and Appendix A and Appendix B and said as a footnote that Heswall Hall had been completed today. Cllr Adrian Jones asked about the cost implications at 2.2. Bil Norman replied that if the transfers ran out of time they would have to use Community Fund money, however this would have to be agreed with Wirral Partnership Homes. He did see this as something reasonable and that could be achieved. However funding was only guaranteed until March.

Cllr Adrian Jones then referred to page 83, section 5.1 specifically the reference to the gap between £5.25 million and £4.8 million. Cllr Harry Smith declared a personal interest and asked what they thought the prospects were for Beechwood Recreation Centre. Bill Norman said he was awaiting a business case. Cllr Phil Davies said it would extend beyond 2012, improving the much-needed support to the community groups keen to take over. They would use financial help as proposed in 6.2 onwards. The remaining buildings would be transferred when ready and according to business plans. He was keen for as much support as possible for everybody who wants to be involved. The report’s recommendations were agreed.

The next item also introduced by Bill Norman was Community Asset Transfer – Various Properties, CAT – Various, CAT – New Ferry Village Hall, CAT – Westbourne, CAT – Kylemore Plan, CAT – Woodchurch Community Centre and CAT – Pensby Community Centre. Bill Norman said it detailed four properties in the list, with Pensby being the precursor. Cllr Phil Davies asked Cllr Adrian Jones if he had anything to add, he didn’t. Cllr Davies said they were content to agree the report.

Pension Committee 27/6/2011 – Part 1 Introductions, Declarations of Interest, election of Vice-Chair, Local Government Chronicle Investment Conference (Newport)

The agenda for tonight’s Pension Committee meeting is here.

The Chair said the sound equipment wasn’t working and welcomed people to the first meeting of 2011/2012. He asked those present to introduce themselves. After introductions he asked for declarations of interest. Cllr George Davies declared that his wife was a member of the Fund and that he chaired a Merseyside Board. He also asked if he needed to declare an interest every time or whether it could be recorded and him not needing to do so.

The Chair said he had to declare personal or prejudicial interests in relation to the pension committee agenda.

The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted.

There were two nominations for Vice-Chair, Cllr Cherry Povall and Cllr Ann McLachlan. The vote on Cllr Ann McLachlan was held first. There were five votes for (Cllr Ann McLachlan forgot to vote, but tried to after the votes had been counted), five votes against. The Chair had a casting vote and voted against. Therefore Cllr Cherry Povall was elected as Vice-Chair.

Item 4 was about the Local Government Chronicle Investment Conference in Newport. The Chair asked people if they were going. Cllr Harney said he wasn’t able to go but sending people was valuable. The Chair said he was willing. Cllr McLachlan said she was not available. Cllr Jones asked about the spare place. Cllr Harry Smith said he had “got things to do”. Cllr McLachlan suggested those on the committee were consulted by email so they could consult their diaries, it was agreed it would be delegated to officers.

Wirral Council and Tranmere Rovers

I read the interesting article about Wirral Council’s sponsorship of Tranmere Rovers Football Club to be decided next Thursday evening.

I did leave a comment pointing out that three of the current Cabinet, Cllr Steve Foulkes, Cllr George Davies and Cllr Harry Smith had all received free tickets to Tranmere Rovers matches as evidenced by the extracts from Wirral Council’s gifts register.

It is of course possible it is more than three as I think councillors are given a certain amount of time between accepting a gift and having to declare it.

Certainly it will be interesting to see next Thursday whether they declare this as a personal interest, a prejudicial interest (and leave the room during its discussion) or decide not to. Certainly whether or not to take part in a decision to sponsor a football team that gives you free tickets is the kind of ethical dilemma Labour councillors will have to grapple between now and next Thursday evening.

Gifts register:
Cllr Foulkes (Cabinet, Finance): 24/4/2011 Tranmere vs Exeter, tickets, lunch and drinks
7/8/2010 Tranmere Rovers football tickets

Cllr Harry Smith (Cabinet, Streetscene and Transport): 25/4/2011 Tranmere vs Exeter, tickets, lunch and drinks

Cllr George Davies (Cabinet, Housing):
25/4/2011 Tranmere Rovers v Exeter sponsored game, tickets lunch and drinks
19/4/2011 Ticket for Tranmere v Notts County
4/9/2010 Tranmere Rovers v Peterborough, programme and hot buffet
07/08/2010 Tranmere Rovers football match

Reasons to Vote Liberal Democrat in Bidston & St. James ward on May 5th – Day Seven

Reasons to Vote Liberal Democrat in Bidston & St. James ward on May 5th – Day Seven

                                          

Following on from my blog post about the voluntary, community and faith sector I was out delivering on the Beechwood today and passed the Beechwood Community Association (which has a large sign pointing out Cllr Harry Smith is one of its trustees).

Its stated activity is “to work for the benefit of Beechwood residents” (which to me sounds very much like a job description for a Bidston & St. James ward councillor!). According to the Charity Commission, its accounts for 2005/2006 are over 4 years late! The accounts for the financial years ending 2008 and 2010 were both received over a month late and the accounts for 2009 are overdue by a year.

Its annual return for 2006 was submitted nearly a year late, the 2009 one was 23 days late and the 2010 annual return is currently over 2 months late. Cllr. Harry Smith is not the sole trustee, there is also a Mr. John Bernard Fletcher. Yet how can the public have confidence in a charity spending over ten thousand pounds most year when it can’t comply with the Charity Commission requirements?

You can read more about the Beechwood Community Association on the Charity Commission website.

Cllr Harry Smith is also a trustee of the Gautby Road Play and Community Centre Joint Management Committee. Although this charity with an income of over £100,000 a year has its paperwork up to date, it has come under a great deal of criticism from local residents for keeping its playground locked and not available to be used by the children of Bidston of St. James.

So vote Lib Dem because:-

a) Your Lib Dem candidate is in favour of healthy exercise for children in local play areas and against padlocking them (which doesn’t to my knowledge happen anywhere else on Wirral).

b) Your Lib Dem candidate believes in openness and transparency when it comes to local charities. Everyone should be able to view a charity’s accounts and annual report. There are also strict rules on charities and political parties.

Harry Smith talks to Wirral Councillors at the March Budget meeting

Harry Smith talks to Wirral Councillors at the March Budget meeting

                                          

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Transcript:-

Cllr Harry Smith – Point of order Mr. Mayor, I do believe that you asked for the gallery cleared of all people except for the lady with the disability. I do believe there are people creeping back in.

Mayor: No, I haven’t…

Cllr Smith continues talking over the Mayor: I think everyone should be cleared except for the lady.

Mayor: Security asked my permission and I gave it.

Cllr Smith: Well, Mr. Mayor, I’ve got to say that the people who are there are political party members and there’s such thing as (at this point he gets drowned out by the Deputy Mayor Cllr Moira McLaughlin, Labour councillors, Lib Dem councillors, Tory councillors and others)

Cllr Smith: Mr. Mayor, I think you’re allowing some people to come back but not others. There was others who were very quiet up there. They’ve made no arrests of anybody but cleared with the noisy ones.

Mayor: I note your comments.

Cllr Stuart Kelly: From the opposition, you can see that there are a number of other people that have been allowed back in.

Mayor: There are a number of people up there listening to the debate very quietly.

Cllr Harry Smith: I’ll will just reiterate that everybody was asked to be cleared from the public gallery. That’s all.

Mayor: Yes and I do,

Cllr Harry Smith (interrupting the Mayor again): And some quiet ones, had to go and no doubt they don’t know now. So they’ve missed out on the opportunity of coming back and listening to the debate and I just think it’s unfair that some are and some aren’t.

Mayor: OK, Cllr Mountney.

Just for the record, the Labour Party (and its union sympathisers) planned before the meeting started to disrupt the meeting seemingly to get the Budget delayed to the reserve budget date a week later. When one noisy heckler was thrown out, another started. The Lib Dem Mayor decided to adjourn the meeting. At this point he asked for the public gallery to be cleared.

The adjournment lasted longer than originally stated (whether the rumour that a councillor had gone to get a pizza was true or not I don’t know). However the journalists (who had their laptop set up tweeting) and the petitioner were allowed to stay in the Council Chamber. The Council has a legal duty to provide for journalists at the meeting and nothing had (yet) been decided in response to the petition.

Anybody who wanted to hear the rest of the meeting was ushered into Committee Room 1. A few people refused to leave the public gallery.

In Committee Room 1 Cllr. Jeff Green couldn’t be heard giving his speech as the volume on the speakers was too low to be heard and a member of the public started smoking. However all the building staff (which had been supplemented by Community Patrol and police) except one were either in the public gallery supervising the one or two people left in the public gallery.

Clearly things could’ve been managed better and the fact people were delayed from joining the council meeting until about twenty minutes after it started didn’t help the mood of the public. After most had left, those remaining in Committee Room 1 were invited back to the public gallery to hear the rest of the meeting.

Cllr Harry Smith (Labour’s candidate) unfairly accuses the Mayor Alan Jennings, because he is in the same political party as myself and my wife of showing us preferential treatment compared to Labour Party members. This was not the case as I will demonstrate in a further blog post. There were others in the public gallery. It is not the first time he has interrupted a meeting of the Council to comment on my presence and that of my wife.

P.S. For any of those people who think you can’t record public meetings please read this Wirral Globe article first.