Posted On June 29, 2010 4 Comments

Dynamic young Liscard Cllr, Darren Dodd, causes a shake up in his ward and beyond.

29th June 2010

Liscard’s newest Councillor, Darren Dodd who won the previously Tory seat for Labour  only last month, has taken an all-Wirral initiative to scupper suspected Tory plans to scrap free swimming.   We are confident Seacombe residents, in particular, will want to support Darren’s excellent move as it directly affects our ward’s Guinea Gap Baths along with the other Wirral pools.

Darren said:

‘The Tory leader of Wirral, Cllr Geoff Green, has issued a press release saying the free swimming will continue in Wirral. This was met with delight from many people after the devastating news that David Cameron had scrapped the scheme earlier this month. Swimming has been free for Under 16s and Over 60s since March 2009 and was used more than 50,000 times in the first three months – one of the most used schemes in the country.

On closer inspection it seems that the Tories are not being straight with the people of Wirral and in reality they have only delayed making a decision about the future of free swimming until September – when it is expected they will scrap it.

I have today launched a campaign to keep Swimming free on Wirral and I have set up an online petition. We need to keep the pressure on the ConDem Council to keep swimming free for the thousands of people who use it!

Please sign the petition below and send it to anyone you think may be interested.’

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-free-swimming-in-wirral/signatures.html

Cllr Darren Dodd

But wait for it – that’s not all.  Labour was recently contacted by unhappy Liscard residents who had dealt with no fewer than two Tory Councillors about a local high profile problem.  Darren met the residents and now has two substantial petitions he will present to full Council next month.  Watch this space – photographs and full story to follow.

Seacombe’s Councillors at last have a really hard working Councillor in next door Liscard.  Let’s make it two Liscard Labour Councillors next May and three the year after!

It’s a sure thing this ConDem council, and its ConDem Collaboration Government are going to hit the people of East Wallasey – Seacombe and Liscard – with great economic brutality.  Let’s make sure they are replaced.

Posted On June 24, 2010 6 Comments

Labour’s February decision to preserve Guinea Gap is confirmed – amid predicted Tory propaganda claims

Republished 1st July 2010 – our prediction being absolutely dead right!

Yes, just as we predicted on 24th, an increasingly lonely ’Tory’ Councillor is now peddling a propaganda sheet claiming that the Tories did it! 

You just couldn’t make it up could you?

 
 
 

Cllr Darren Dodd spectacularly captured Liscard Ward in May. He is now campaigning for the whole of Wirral to save LABOUR'S free swimming for Wirral. The Cameron Tory/Liberal 'ConDem' government has announced it intends to scrap free swimming

Our advice is to take the Tory propaganda with a big pinch of salt and sign up immediately to the All Wirral on-line petition organised by dynamic new Liscard Labour Councillor Darren Dodd – to make sure the Tories don’t renege on the Labour decision they have just been forced to endorse.

Just click onto:

 http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-free-swimming-in-wirral/signatures.html

Then please pass it on to all of your friends.

 

ORIGINAL – 24th June 2010

At the time of placing this post the new Con-Dem Cabinet consisting of the Wirral Tory Group and its Liberal crutch is meeting in the Town Hall. 

We predict – and how wonderful it would be to be wrong – that the Wirral public will once more be presented with classical Tory propaganda.  We suspect they will claim that THEY brought Guinea Gap Baths out of the risk of closure and that they did it today. 

But we’re used to Tory propaganda aren’t we?  So here’s what really happened:

At the February Cabinet meeting Labour was still in power with Liberal support.  (The Liberals hadn’t joined the Tories at that point.)  This is what Labour had already decided in February:

“In considering Guinea Gap Baths Cabinet notes that the original decision was to provide for Guinea Gap Baths to remain open while the potential for alternative schemes as part of a longer term waterfront development was explored.  (Note – this was not about closing the baths but keeping them open whilst awaiting the possiblity of new ones!) The impact of the recession on private sector development now makes this a much more distant possibility.  Cabinet therefore asks the Director of Law HR and Asset Management to bring a report to Cabinet which will allow the Cabinet to restore the funding of Guinea Gap to the base budget when the current funding runs out.”

In other words because it now seemed unlikely that a new baths was any longer on the cards Guinea Gap was to continue exactly as before.   All the Tories and Liberals have to do this evening is to confirm the decision Labour made in February – before the Con-Dems entered into their collaboration – and not change it.

What’s the betting they’ll claim they saved it, and they saved it today? 

Watch this space tomorrow.

Posted On February 24, 2010 7 Comments

Guinea Gap Baths – Adrian’s stand proved correct

Adrian opposed the closure of Guinea Gap Baths and Seaombe Library, to the Council and to the Charteris Inquiry

23rd February 2010

Wasn’t it interesting to see how well the Labour budget was reported in today’s Liverpool Post?  It is a budget providing huge benefits to Wirral.   

One of the really good measures is that Guinea Gap Baths is no longer even under consideration for review.  When defector Denis Knowles was publicly declaring the closure of the baths would be ‘For the greater good’ Adrian took the opposite view and made it clear in writing.  This extract was published on our website some months ago but in view of the good news now hitting the headlines it deserves to be repeated:

January 2009

To:  Leader of the Council

Dear Leader,

 Asset Review – changes affecting Seacombe Ward

You will know that as Mayor it is necessary for me to maintain impartiality over the changes proposed within the recent Professional Officers’ Report, the recommendations of which are the subject of public consultation.

Even though I know I cannot do so within a reply to the party-political campaign presently being waged I feel entitled, and obliged, to make my views known within the present public consultation exercise.  I therefore ask you to ensure that my comments as follows are considered.

I applaud the extensive public consultation and regret that another political party has used the opportunity for partisan campaigning when the wellbeing of Seacombe residents should take priority.

Guinea Gap baths should not in my view be closed unless alternative swimming is available nearby.  It is not necessary for me to argue the case for free swimming for children and pensioners as that is well known to be among the Council’s most popular policies under your leadership.  I therefore request a stay of this recommendation for at least some years until alternatives are available for further consultation.

Even if the present building is not viable the present library facilities in Seacombe could very probably be re-located rather than be withdrawn.  The Seacombe Community Centre, for instance, is potentially under used and there are other possibilities in existing council buildings nearby.  I believe lending and IT facilities should be protected in view of the high incidence of low income families and the high incidence of retired people compared with many other areas of Wirral.

Following the loss of Liscard Hall which (despite its name) was located in Seacombe but bordering closely on Liscard Ward, we have the remaining site.  I request that urgent consideration be given to using that site for the location of the new, and improved, facilities that are recommended for the area.   This would ensure that facilities are not removed from Seacombe, yet would not be inconveniently far for Liscard residents.

Without suggesting that this list of requests is exhaustive , as others this evening may well have further ideas that I could support, I would like you to take these on board.  I believe my proposals would allay concerns that have been whipped up by people who should put the good of the Seacombe community ahead of party-political campaigning.

Best wishes,

Councillor Adrian Jones,  Seacombe