We have removed the account number and other details for obvious security reasons.
Our sincere thanks go to TGWU Branch no 6/553 for a generous donation to the Allandale from its branch funds following our appeal.
Our appeal contrasted sharply with the Conservatives’ opportunism when, on 19th January, they put out a leaflet to homes near the Allandale alleging that the youth club had been ‘axed’ because of ‘cut backs’. Many people reading it inferred that the Council had ‘axed’ the club.
In fact the Council neither owned nor controlled the club. It is an independent charity set up as a community trust in the 1950s by the benefactor after whom it is named.
The very day before the Tory propaganda leaflet was put out there had been a meeting, initiated by Adrian, in the Allandale. Council professionals were present, together with a representative from ‘Wirralbiz’, to assist the club in drawing up a long term business plan for financial survival and to discuss short term fund raising objectives to get the club over the next few months. The Tories were well aware of that but chose not to mention in their publicity that it is precisely the Council that is offering a life-line to the club.
None of this prevented the Tories from continuing to make our local youth club an object of political opportunism. At the Council budget setting meeting soon after they tabled an amendment calling for:
- Tory cuts of £500,000 from Social Services
- Tory cuts of £111,000 from Children’s Services – of all things!
- Public subsidy of the Allandale of £20,000 – in constrast with the item above!
- Tory cuts of £606,000 from regeneration
- Tory cuts of £226,000 from Technical Services - (Which covers roads, Leisure Centres, Parks, Gardens, CCTV, Open spaces, etc!!!)
In their next leaflet they trumpeted a headline ‘Council says “no” to Allandale’. Nonsense. Council said “no” to a destructive package in which a carrot had beel dangled. Who could have ‘”yes” to that appalling package? A reasonable person might just feel it was a crude ambush in order to have a headline ready for popping through letter-boxes.
But the best is yet to come. The ‘help’ for the Allandale was already to hand from money that already exists. The Tories should have known (and we cannot believe that even they were unaware of it) because Labour had long ago provided community funds to the Area Forums for local use. Last year’s had a surplus left over and from April there will be a new tranch of funding. Adrian challenged the Tories during the Council debate to admit that they were making a political football of our kids youth club and to instead support him at the Area Forum in his proposal to use the money that already exists to support the Allandale. They looked bemused. Was that because they had been ‘outed’ in a pretty shallow attempt to get a headline? Or was it because they so lacked competence that they didn’t even know that the money is already there? It is for the public to judge their motives. In their latest leaflet they do not acknowledge that they have in fact been obliged to accept Adrian’s challenge to support him in using that money. Instead they are claiming that it is now their intention – as though they had actually thought of it in the first place!
Couldn’t make it up could you?
Meanwhile a local social club raised £320 in a race afternoon; a great local entertainer has agreed to perform this Friday (19th) at the Park View Social Club free of charge and the club has given its premises without charge.
DO PLEASE COME IN LARGE NUMBERS THIS FRIDAY TO THE PARK VIEW SOCIAL CLUB. DON’T WORRY IF YOU HAVEN’T A TICKET – YOU CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION ON THE DOOR. THE EVENT IS AT 7.30PM AND THE CLUB IS ON THE CORNER OF CHURCH STREET AND LISCARD ROAD – JUST OPPOSITE ST JOHN’S CHURCH IN CENTRAL PARK. IT IS SITUATED EXACTLY ON THE BORDERS OF SEACOMBE AND LISCARD WARDS. THE ENTERTAINER IS PAUL DREW WHO WILL OFFER A RANGE OF POPULAR MODERN MUSIC TO SUIT EVERYONE.
Let’s support our local youth club without making it a political football.
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