As though her condemnatory comments in the Liverpool Post earlier this week weren’t enough a (local Liscard) Tory councillor has repeated her criticism in this week’s Wallasey News.  But wasn’t Liscard Hall – a magnificent Grade 2 listed building situated in Seacombe’s Central Park until it was torched and demolished - lost on Tory Leah Fraser’s watch?

Yet when Liscard resident Mr Michael McGuire raised some questions in the Wirral Globe about her scrutiny role prior to its destruction Cllr Mrs Fraser was quick to retort that she had only recently become the Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee with responsibility for public buildings – including Liscard Hall.  She did not mention that she not only chaired that crucial Scrutiny Committee but she had also been its Tory spokesperson for a long time.

Being an elected representative carries responsibilities.  Looking after the interests of the people you represent should surely take precedence over publicising a litany of questions, to somebody else, that might also be directed nearer home?   Aren’t the public entitled to know whether,  during all that time when she had a leading role, she had herself tabled any of the questions she immediately fired at the Cabinet member?  Questions such as these:

• Did she, in her crucial role as Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, raise any questions with Council Officers about the security measures in place to protect the Hall?  If so, where is it recorded for public access?
• Did she question the cost of securing Liscard Hall, on her Scrutiny Committee?  Did she even table it for discussion?  If so, what decisions or recommendations were made and where are they minuted?
• Did she scrutinise whether a risk assessment had ever been undertaken for potential arson attacks?
• Did she contact the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service about the safety of Liscard Hall?  If so will she tell us on whate dates she did so and whether she took the results back to he Scrutiny Committee?
• Did her Scrutiny Committee consider the frequency of Wirral Community Patrol visits to the site?  If not, why not?
• Did she scrutinise the extent of flammable material left in the building?  If not, why not?
• What steps did she take to scrutinise when the Council had last made structural assessment of the building?

She seems, on the face of it, to have thought it a handy wheeze to pop questions like these to the Cabinet Member in a letter she (rather discourtesly, a reasonable person might think) published to the world.   But mightn’t that same reasonable person also ask why she left all of this to somebody else when through her own ScrutinyCommittee she was perfectly placed to oversee and comment on the care of Council owned buildings?

Her reply to Mr McGuire said little more than that she had only recently chaired that committee.  So what?  Wasn’t she the Conservative (Tory) spokesperson on it for a long time before she chaired it, leading its Tory presence?

If she raised no such concerns on her Committee she has only to explain why she didn’t think it necessary - or provide the answers if she did.  But until then should she be condemning others?