Seacombe Community Centre – Councillors’ roles
1st March 2010
During tonight’s Council meeting (watch for more news about it very soon) Adrian asked Cllr Denis Knowles to let us all know what his role had been in Seacombe Community Centre where he was the Council’s representative, on its management committee, for many years.
Cllr Knowles has been replaced by Cllr John Salter. As you saw from the previous posting john had lunch there a day or so ago with Cllr Adrian Jones (who for many years held his surgeries at the Centre). John will fully support the existing management committee in their preferences for the future, so will Adrian. But it will help us greatly if we can hear from Denis what he was doing all those years. We are sure he will have a good story to tell of regular attendance and first class support, it’s just that we haven’t heard it yet.
We’ll report further on this as soon as we hear from him.
25th February 2010
After spending some time with the ‘Wirral Live Hit Squad’ John and Adrian delivered some more Ward Newsletters (we had delivered MP Angela Eagle’s only a week before) and then called into the Community Centre. We were delighted to personally know almost everybody taking lunch. But this wasn’t just a social visit.
- Adrian and John take a break from leafleting and door knocking to enjoy an excellent lunch at the Seacombe Community Centre
Far from it! We were there for our own lunches – and jolly good value for money they are too.
Aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at the retired people of the locality, the Luncheon Club is a great service to the community. Wirral’s Social Services Department does a grand job by maintaining this extremely valuable service. Long may it continue.
The Community Centre is, however, eligible to be transferred to the community. A few weeks ago we attended a meeting with officers of the Council to begin to talk about it with the existing staff and volunteers. Our officers were delighted to discover that the existing team have kept the building in excellent order, doing almost all of the redecoration themselves and keeping it in tip top condition. The Team have also kept right on top of all necessary fire and safety and other regulations to the extent that the professional officers went away most favourably impressed.
There had been problems with one of the boilers – making it all but impossible for the children’s activities to continue. That was discussed at our meeting after which Adrian took it up with Council Officers. We can report that it has been fixed.
What relationship does the Council have with the Community Centre?
The Council has always sought to maintain a good relationship with the Centre, not least by nominating a Councillor to assist and support the volunteers’ management group as their direct link to the Town Hall.
For many years we understand that link was Cllr Denis Knowles. (Knowles is the defector who was elected with a large Labour majority - but when he fell out with Labour he crossed the floor of the Council Chamber and squeezed in among the Tories. That was at about 6.30pm on a day when, at lunch time, we understand he had signed Labour’s loyalty pledge.)
When we asked how well that link had worked, with Cllr Knowles as the Council’s nominee to the Community Centre, one of the Community Centre’s regular volunteers said:
‘Well he did call in just before Christmas, with the lady from Liscard.’ Nobody we spoke to could recall anything beyond that.
Cllr John Salter has replaced Denis Knowles. John promises to provide full support and Adrian, who held his surgeries at the Centre for many years, will also give full support at this critical time for he Centre’s future.
