Campaign Group asks Wirral Council councillors to “call in” £9.7 million contract award decision for construction of flood wall in West Kirby

Campaign Group asks Wirral Council councillors to “call in” £9.7 million contract award decision for construction of flood wall in West Kirby

Campaign Group asks Wirral Council councillors to “call in” £9.7 million contract award decision for construction of flood wall in West Kirby

                                                             

West Kirby Promenade on the Wirral, England, United Kingdom (April 2022)
West Kirby Promenade on the Wirral, England, United Kingdom (April 2022)

By John Brace – Editor

First publication date: Wednesday 13th April 2022, 22:51 (BST).

A campaign group are asking Wirral Council councillors to “call in” a recent Wirral Council decision to award a £9.64 million construction contract to Volkerstevin Ltd. The project is called the West Kirby Flood Alleviation Scheme and would involve construction of a flood wall and other changes to the West Kirby Promenade on the Wirral.

Wirral Council have further information about the West Kirby Flood Alleviation Scheme on their website.
Continue reading “Campaign Group asks Wirral Council councillors to “call in” £9.7 million contract award decision for construction of flood wall in West Kirby”

What happened at a public meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee to discuss budget cuts proposals for 2022/23?

What happened at a public meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee to discuss budget cuts proposals for 2022/23?

What happened at a public meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee to discuss budget cuts proposals for 2022/23?

                                                  

Wirral Council Policy and Resources Committee (25th October 2021) Left to Right Councillor Janette Williamson Philip McCourt resized
Wirral Council Policy and Resources Committee (25th October 2021) Left to Right, Councillor Janette Williamson (Chair) (left) and Philip McCourt (Monitoring Officer) (middle)

Before this piece on the special meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee in the interests of openness and transparency I have three specific interests to declare.


1. During the meeting itself I am mentioned (briefly) by name by Councillor Julie McManus as I emailed her prior to the meeting with a combined series of questions, some of which are merely journalistic inquiries, others as I’m a local resident and she’s my local councillor. At the time of writing and publication I have not received answers to these questions yet from Wirral Council but when (and if) I do so I plan to update this piece with Wirral Council’s responses (although you can watch the video below for what was said by employees and councillors at te meeting).
Continue reading “What happened at a public meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee to discuss budget cuts proposals for 2022/23?”

What did the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside spend money on in the 2020-21 financial year?

What did the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside spend money on in the 2020-21 financial year?

What did the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside spend money on in the 2020-21 financial year?

                                                       

By John Brace (Editor)
and
Leonora Brace (Co-Editor)

First publication date: Friday 3rd September 2021, 9:31 PM (BST).

I’ll start this piece by pointing out that the expenditure detailed below by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside happened during the previous 2020-21 financial year when the Police and Crime Commissioner was Jane Kennedy. Since then a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside Emily Spurrell was elected and sworn in.

Below are three invoices for a Ghost police dog statue. Ghost was a Merseyside police dog who died on duty in 2016 and the statue is in the grounds of the Operational Command Centre. The total price of the bronze statue was £16,525.
Continue reading “What did the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside spend money on in the 2020-21 financial year?”

Wirral Council’s Labour and Green councillors vote for increased on and off street car parking charges despite opposition from Conservative and Lib Dem councillors

Wirral Council’s Labour and Green councillors vote for increased on and off street car parking charges despite opposition from Conservative and Lib Dem councillors

Wirral Council’s Labour and Green councillors vote for increased on and off street car parking charges despite opposition from Conservative and Lib Dem councillors

                                                         

Fort Perch Rock Car Park, New Brighton, Wirral (29th June 2015)
Fort Perch Rock Car Park, New Brighton, Wirral (29th June 2015)

By John Brace (Editor)
and
Leonora Brace (Co-Editor)

First publication date: Wednesday 11th August 2021, 11:44 AM (BST).

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Decision Review Committee (Wirral Council) 29th July 2021 Car Parking Charges Call In

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Decision Review Committee (Wirral Council) 10th August 2021 Car Parking Charges Call In

At the end of two lengthy public meetings which you can watch above (and you can read a report on the previous adjourned meeting here), a majority of councillors voted to uphold the decision of Wirral Council’s Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee to go ahead with car parking charges options 1, 3 and 4 (as outlined in this report. The changes were opposed by Conservative and Lib Dem councillors but voted through by Labour and Green councillors, however Lib Dem councillor Chris Carubia voted in favour to consult on charges at new locations and increase charges at existing locations that charge.
Continue reading “Wirral Council’s Labour and Green councillors vote for increased on and off street car parking charges despite opposition from Conservative and Lib Dem councillors”

After consultation government proposes to use higher 803 Local Plan figure for new households on the Wirral but insists it isn’t a “target”

After consultation government proposes to use higher 803 Local Plan figure for new households on the Wirral but insists it isn’t a “target”

After consultation government proposes to use higher 803 Local Plan figure for new households on the Wirral but insists it isn’t a “target”

                                             

House building on the Wirral 2018
House building on the Wirral 2018

Last year, the Office of National Statistics published new figures which changed the household projections for the Wirral Council’s Local Plan from 803 a year to 477 a year. The difference being around 226 households a year.
Continue reading “After consultation government proposes to use higher 803 Local Plan figure for new households on the Wirral but insists it isn’t a “target””