2010 July

Archive for July, 2010

Tate Triangle Residents’ Association ‘Fun Day’

Fun Day for Tate Triangle Residents - John reports

2nd August (first published on 30th July 2010 – but now the photographs have arrived, too!)

John reports on the latest ‘Fun Day’ organised by the Tate Triangle Residents’ Association Committee – which includes John, Lynn, Mike, and Jenny.

The full team arrived at around 8.30am to erect gazebos.

They started the event with Mike, Jim ( the gardener), and John. First Mike and John had carried out a general clean up of the area known as Poulton Victoria Park. The Council’s ’Green Team’ had already trimmed the grass - then Jim trimmed it further to provide a flat area for the ‘go carts’!

First to arrive after that were the food wagons; next came the the bouncy castles.

A mobile assault course was installed by the army.

A great highlight was the arrival of the Army.   Yes, ’tis true! Soldiers of the Mercian Regiment provided a very large inflatable obstacle course and a paintball shooting gallery. A special draw was held – with proceeds going to the ‘Help the Heroes’ Fund.

This was complemented by the mobile sweet shop; the PTC; Seven Waves Radio; and then the ’go carts’.

Very popular with the young people

At the entrance the ASBO Team were stationed with the ‘Kontacta Bus’ – and Hazel came with her big dog from the dog pound.

Hazel's big dog seen here with our popular PCSO Claire

(And here’s a commercial – anybody who would like to adopt a dog can contact the Council’s Dog Pound and maybe give an abandoned pooch a new home.’

Also in attendance was the newly created Anti dog Litter Enforcement Team, as it is becoming known (although it has a wider remit than that!)

The weather was perfect – slightly overcast but beautifully mild.   There were lots of free goodies for the young children and the day went very well.

John said ‘I would like to extend my personal thanks to everyone who was involved to make the event a great success. It was most enjoyable with dancing and singing, football, volley ball competitions, and much, much, more to guarantee a most memorable day.   This is a wonderful example of local people taking real control of their locality in the best community tradition.’

Fun attractions for all, but especially for the children

Alex seems ready to drive off in a fire engine!

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Council assets – a reader’s opinion

29th July 2010

Lee Rushworth comments

I note with dismay that the Con-Dem alliance seems to have fudged the issue of Birkenhead Town Hall. They have speculated a repair bill in excess of £one million but say the time is not right to get rid of this expense. Surely even at a pepper corn tender, this beloved Town Hall should be offered to the likes of the National Trust for the enjoyment of generations to come. The wealth and forethought of previous generations is tied up in this building; the Town Hall should not be allowed to fall into disrepair because of political ineptitude. Previous leaders of the council grasped the nettle and made the hard choice to sell the Town Hall so its survival could be assured. But will the present fantasy Con-Dem alliance find the money to save such a wonderful building?

Lee Rushworth

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Consultation? What consultation?

28th July 2010

Wednesday’s ‘Wirral Globe’ reports Tory leader Cllr Jeff Green as saying “Wirral Council is facing the same budgetary challenge as all other local authorities across the country and we must adapt.” What a remarkable ‘U’ turn!

Adrian has doubts about the sort of consultation the ConDems intend. Will it just be asking the people to choose between options all of which are bad - to give the impression that they were popular choices?

This apparent shift into reverse gear seems to demolish any claim that he inherited a council in which the previous administration had left him a gaping black hole! But that’s no surprise is it? He was extremely embarrassed at the July Council meeting when he couldn’t even get the Liberal Party (it seems it is now a sub section of the Tories) to agree with him on that.

It scarcely seems five minutes since he and his Party were voicing their concerns very loudly indeed about the SAR consultation – in open halls where the public could attend. It seems that what the Tory/Liberal Collaboration now intends is a very different scheme in which local people will be consulted not about whether to agree the ConDem cuts - but only about which of the ConDem cuts to choose from a menu in which cuts are all that’s on offer.

On page 2 of the Globe Craig Manning’s article quotes a UNISON spokesman as saying that the staff had put together a plan that would have saved more money than the ConDem intentions and that staff are extremely disappointed. Yet the ConDem cabinet member for Culture responds in words that could leave the reader under the impression that the unions are quite happy about the proposed privatisations. The spokesman argues that their conditions will be protected on transfer. Yet everybody knows that the TUPE regulations governing staff transfers are effective only at the time of transfer and can be changed soon after. In any case it is widely anticipated that the Tory Government, supported by its Liberal crutch, will seek to weaken transfer rights – we must wait and see what their propsals will have on employment security.

The ConDems seem bound for a rough ride in the months ahead as the public begin to see just what devastation their ideologically spawned attacks on public services will wreak.

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