What was Cllr Phil Davies’ answer to a question about Hoylake Golf Resort and air pollution from a member of the public at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee?

What was Cllr Phil Davies’ answer to a question about Hoylake Golf Resort and air pollution from a member of the public at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee?

Keren O’Rourke asking a question at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee about air pollution and Hoylake Golf Resort 1st March 2018 Wirral Deen Centre

What was Cllr Phil Davies’ answer to a question about Hoylake Golf Resort and air pollution from a member of the public at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee?

                                        

Keren O’Rourke asking a question at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee about air pollution and Hoylake Golf Resort 1st March 2018 Wirral Deen Centre
A member of the public asking a question at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee about air pollution and Hoylake Golf Resort 1st March 2018 Wirral Deen Centre

Following an earlier story on this blog What happened at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee public meeting held at the Wirral Deen Centre on the 1st March 2018?, I notice there have been an unusually high number of views (192 views) for the video clip of the first part of that meeting which is below (with viewers mainly from the UK but a small amount of views from Morocco). The video was also used in a Wirral Leaks post Seen at the Deen.

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Birkenhead Constituency Committee 1st March 2018 Part 1 of 2 (starting at 24:22)

Looking at it in greater detail, there are certain sections of that clip that attract more attention than others.

Graph of relative audience retention Birkenhead Constituency Committee part 1 of 2
Graph of relative audience retention Birkenhead Constituency Committee part 1 of 2

There are two peaks in interest, one around the 25:35 point and one around the 39:15 point.

The 25:35 point is Cllr Phil Davies (Leader of Wirral Council) answering a question. The 39:15 point is Sergeant Katie Wilkinson (Merseyside Police) talking.

The question (asked by a member of the public) that Cllr Phil Davies is answering at the 25:35 point, starts at 24:22 and is as follows:

Member of the public: A recent World Health Organisation Study found that the air pollution in Birkenhead exceeds safety levels. In a recent High Court ruling a Judge branded the current government policy “unlawful” and has ordered local authorities to do more, and to take action as soon as possible. Air pollution kills thousands every year. What steps will the Council take to improve air pollution levels in Birkenhead and do the councillors think that the Council should now scrap its plan to spend millions on new roads for a golf resort, just a few miles down-wind of Birkenhead?

Cllr Moira McLaughlin (Vice-Chair): I think, I think that question has been answered already.

Cllr Phil Davies: Well, I’m quite happy to answer the, the the the bit, the issue about the Golf Resort. Errm, an environmental impact assessment is one of the key studies that we’re doing as part of the feasibility for the next stage and that will cover the area the issue of air pollution.

So I think, these are independent studies, not funded by the Council, funded by the developer, that will be made available to the public for scrutiny and for challenge.


 

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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

4 thoughts on “What was Cllr Phil Davies’ answer to a question about Hoylake Golf Resort and air pollution from a member of the public at the Birkenhead Constituency Committee?”

  1. “Cllr Phil Davies: Well, I’m quite happy to answer the, the the the bit, the issue about the Golf Resort. Errm, an environmental impact assessment is one of the key studies that we’re doing as part of the feasibility for the next stage and that will cover the area the issue of air pollution.

    So I think, these are independent studies, not funded by the Council, funded by the developer, that will be made available to the public for scrutiny and for challenge.”

    So we know the out come of that then!

    1. Thanks for your comment keef666.

      My interpretation of what Cllr Phil Davies said was that the studies paid for by the Developer, will be part of a future planning application and therefore be published on Wirral Council’s website*.

      *apart from the commercially confidential matters

      Alternatively they’ll form part of some sort of other public consultation on it.

      Then again, the Developer could just ask Wirral Council to waive the requirement for them to bother with an environmental impact assessment (as they did over the Saughall Massie Fire Station application in the greenbelt).

      As to who funds the studies, well if the organisation doing the studies (funded by the Developer) wants future work from the same Developer will that influence how their report is written?

  2. Once again John, brilliant investigative work from a journalist who, according to WBC is not an accredited journalist, which, given my understanding of what journalism is, is an extremely odd decision from WBC and their media controllers.
    I know who’d I’d rather go to for accurate reporting John. You and Lennora every time lad. You should be very proud of yourselves.
    My warmest regards. Rob.

    1. Thanks bobby47,

      I think Wirral Council just see accredited journalist as meaning the sort of journalist that republishes their press releases without critical thought as to its factual accuracy and does what Wirral Council tells them to do.

      Or alternatively the sort of journalist they can get fired or suspended if the journalist writes something that involves may in any way involve criticism (direct or implied) of Wirral Council, its employees or councillors.

      Like beauty being in the eye of the beholder, accreditation is whatever Wirral Council decides it means.

      Rather than the other sort of journalist… who is far too independent for Wirral Council’s liking!

      So they just spend their time writing annoying emails to me and shouting at me in person instead!

      Then after shouting at me and writing annoying emails have the gall to say I’m not behaving as they want me to!?

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