Tag: Labour

Employment and Appointments Committee 11th August 2011 Part 1

The agenda and reports for this meeting can be viewed here. The meeting started ten minutes late as Cllr Foulkes, Cllr Davies (Phil) and Cllr Jones (Adrian) who is the Chair and all members of the Labour Party didn’t arrive on time. Cllr Adrian Jones started the meeting by apologising to the councillors, officers and … Continue reading “Employment and Appointments Committee 11th August 2011 Part 1”

The agenda and reports for this meeting can be viewed here.

The meeting started ten minutes late as Cllr Foulkes, Cllr Davies (Phil) and Cllr Jones (Adrian) who is the Chair and all members of the Labour Party didn’t arrive on time.

Cllr Adrian Jones started the meeting by apologising to the councillors, officers and members of the public present over the meeting started late. He thanked people for waiting and asked for any apologies.

Apologies had been already received from Cllr Jeff Green (who sent Cllr Lesley Rennie to deputise for him) and Cllr Johnston (who sent Cllr Gilchrist to deputise for him).

The Chair asked for any declarations of interest. None were declared.

Item 2 on the agenda was Department of Finance – Staffing of IT services with four appendices which were Appendix 1 – ITS structure (31.12.2010), Appendix 2 – ITS structure (post EVS), Appendix 3 – ITS restructure and Appendix 4 – IT Services Manager Job Description and Person Specification.

This item was introduced by Ian Coleman, the Director of Finance. He said it was to do with the restructure of the management of the IT services. Previous to the EVR there had been a Head of Service and four section heads. This would result in savings of £111,000 out of a total staff saving of half a £million. He said there had been a full and lengthy discussion at the briefing.

Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting (21st July 2011) – the highlights – Grange Road West Sports Centre to transfer to Birkenhead Community Development Committee

Highlights of decisions of Wirral Council’s Cabinet meeting of the 21st July 2011

Here’s a quick rundown of what has been reported to ( the Labour Cabinet (Wirral Council) of the 21st July 2011:-

  • Under-age sales of alcohol during test purchases up (22%), which is 7% above target
  • % reduction in under-18 conception rate (-13%), target is -50%
  • Energy efficiency using software to shut computers down when not in use to save £80,000. Software hasn’t been installed but it costs £50,000.
  • Disposal of assets (expected to save £481,000) delayed (Pacific Road, Tramway Museum, Beechwood Community Centre etc)
  • Electronic payment for procurement delayed
  • Office rationalisation not meeting expected savings targets
  • % of council invoices from SMEs paid by Wirral Council within 10 days 45% (15% below a target of 60%)
  • Budget projected shortfall up to £25 million (from £20.8 million)
  • Mapleholme, Poulton House and 96 Manor Road to be auctioned off
  • Meadowcroft to go to Age UK (formerly Age Concern)
  • Westminster House to be sold to Wirral Partnership Homes for less than the £1.9 million originally agreed
  • Wirral Council’s contract procedure rules changed as the previous ones were criticised by the Audit Commission for not promoting fairness, quality, value for money and competition and to allow in-house bids (something the unions have been lobbying for for some time)
  • An extra £267,447 to resurface the Dock Links Road bringing the cost of this project to £1.1 million.

So where are Labour going to find £25 million of cuts or is that a mystery to be solved on another evening?

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

Wirral Council – Wirral Council 23rd May 2011 – Part 12 – speech (Cllr Adrian Jones) on leader motion

Cllr Adrian Jones then said he hoped people would support the position that the Conservatives almost sought to prolong. He thanked Cllr Lewis for the gracious way [he referred to Labour in his speech] and his past association with Pat Hackett. He asked if Ian Lewis was willing to revise that. Cllr Ian Lewis replied that he wasn’t that desperate.

The Mayor said [following advice from the Borough Solicitor Bill Norman] that it was safest to have a separate vote first to remove the leader and then one on who the new leader would be rather than the motion as a whole.

The first vote was to remove Cllr Jeff Green and Leader of Wirral Council. This vote was along party lines.

Labour councillors (for) 30
Conservative councillors (against) 26
Lib Dem councillors (abstain) 9

So the vote was carried by four votes and Cllr Jeff Green was removed as Leader of Wirral Council. The next motion was to choose Steve Foulkes as leader of Wirral Council. A card vote was requested. The voting was against along party lines.

Labour councillors (for) 30
Conservative councillors (against) 26
Lib Dem councillors (abstain) 9

So the vote to appoint Cllr Steve Foulkes as Leader of Wirral Council was carried by 4 votes. In total from the start of the meeting it took 98 minutes to get to this point!

The Mayor asked Cllr Steve Foulkes if he accepted the nomination to be Leader of Wirral Council. He did.

Wirral Council – Wirral Council 23rd May 2011 – Part 10 – speech (Cllr Lesley Rennie) on leader motion/amendment

Cllr Rennie next to speak said “If it was true [in relation to the Foulkesworld Twitter account] she was really worried, however she thought it was the product of a twisted mind. She said there had been signs of progress and that never before had the Council, staff, officers and residents worked together. She said they had run things in an open and transparent manner and hoped it would continue. Never in [Wirral Council’s] previous history had there been such a wide consultation exercise. The wishes of the people had been carried out or if impossible they had been written to. The next administration had to engage openly and honestly. Cllr Green’s leadership had supported a strong and able Cabinet with the support of the Liberal Democrats. However not here today were three Lib Dem former Cabinet members [Gill Gardiner, Bob Moon, Simon Holbrook]. She was concerned that a new administration would take Wirral Council back to the “bad old days” driven by dogma.

She said whenever a party is in government that members of that party who are local councillors suffer. She referred to John Major telling Conservative councillors in 1995 to take a sabbatical and that it may be a while. After 24 years, Wirral Council was Conservative led, run for the people of Wirral. She took a dim view of the Lib Dems and said there were not nine empty seats as there had been in 1991. She said she couldn’t imagine they were elected to Wirral Council to sit on their hands. Cllr Rennie repeated they were not elected to sit on their hands, but thought perhaps they had lost the glue that kept them together under the strong leadership of Simon Holbrook, deputy leader Gill Gardiner, Bob Moon and Stuart Kelly (who had been to one Cabinet meeting). She said it would be a shame to be tearing things apart when they had been willing to challenge when necessary.