Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the footway outside the development on Holt Hill Birkenhead (ref 413848).
We are aware of the unsatisfactory condition of the footway and do intend to ensure that the developer fulfils all conditions relating to footway construction.
In the mean time the area is being monitored and will be made safe if required, with all costs being recharged to the developer.
I hope that this clarifies the situation satisfactorily.
Welcome to an update for the month of July. Details and debate below on the fast tracking of the parks privatisation programme, the mounting cuts menace and the (rather depressing) results of our information request on fly-tipping.
Parks provision: more risk to services and a loss of accountability
Our new Tory-Liberal Council is wasting no time in aping the aggressive policies of its sister government in slashing the state provision of services. The last Labour-led Council was intent on privatising the maintenance of our parks and countryside services. This is now being fast-tracked by the new Tory-led administration.
Unsurprisingly, having asked a private-sector consultancy to report on parks provision the Council has been asked to adopt a private sector solution. Incredibly, we are expected to believe that not only will this improve delivery to the public but will also save the Council £10 million over 10 years.
However, on reading the Consultant’s report you also discover that:
The reality is that contracting out these services is likely to reduce quality, cut working conditions and make services less accountable to members of the public. Consultation as usual is completely lacking especially with the existing work force who have not been given the opportunity to show how services could be maintained at reduced cost. This rather than bringing in outside consultants would be a much more progressive approach.
You can read the full report to Council here.
Cuts: Council wastes no time in slashing services
If you want to get a flavour of the scale of cuts to local services just look at what is happening to transport provision. Over £1m has been cut from the local transport budget. This represents 20% of the total budget. However, scheduled road works on major routes have been ring-fenced. This means that all of the following will see a 25% cut in expenditure:
Funds allocated to basic road maintenance have also been cut.
We all know how poor the condition of our roads and pavements already is. Also, anyone who has read the Green Party newsletter in the past will be aware that road safety in Wirral significantly lags the rest of the country. These cuts can only mean that these issues will become even more acute.
Wirral: A fly-tippers paradise?
For the past few years the Green Party has been persistently highlighting the issue of fly-tipping across Birkenhead and Tranmere. Dismayed by the lack of results we asked the Council how many people have been prosecuted for fly-tipping across Birkenhead and Tranmere in each of the past three years. The dismally disappointing figure is precisely zero!
Not only that but prosecutions for littering have fallen dramatically in recent years. You can view the full details on my website.
Streets update
A shorter than usual streets update this month due to the holiday season. However, we are pleased to report that after numerous emails and phone calls we finally got Streetscene to clear rubbish from the entries along Westbourne Road.
Our residents survey resumes this week. If you live in the Hinderton Road area we may well be knocking on your door to get your thoughts.
A hole lot of bother
Something I receive regular complaints about is the state of our roads. As someone who gets around by bicycle some of the pot holes on our roads are frankly lethal.
I was therefore very keen to study the recently released planned maintenance programme for our roads and pavements over the coming year. Unfortunately, the list comes as a huge disappointment for residents in Birkenhead and Tranmere. If the total budget of £1.95m was allocated equally to each ward we would be receiving almost £90,000. However, the Council list only identifies three streets in Birkenhead and Tranmere earmarked for improvement totalling £27,000. Compare this with neighbouring Rock Ferry where over 20 streets and pavements are listed.
Are your Councillors taking this issue seriously? This is a question every resident in Birkenhead and Tranmere is entitled to ask.
You can view the planned programme in full via my web site.
Cuts: Are you affected?
If the monies available for road maintenance are hopelessly inadequate at the moment just wait until the full force of government cuts are unleashed. From a local perspective Wirral Council’s new Tory and Lib Dem coalition is right behind the cuts agenda and the one thing you can be sure of is that the poor will suffer most.
Leaving aside the fact that the banking sector which created this mess is effectively getting away with it, the worrying issue for me is that the agenda in Wirral is firmly aimed at cutting services. While nobody likes paying more in tax, slashing services will hit areas like Birkenhead and Tranmere very hard. The impact on more affluent areas will be far less. We will therefore see a further increase in the massive divide between rich and poor across Wirral.
You can read more about Labour’s legacy of debt and the new regime’s cuts agenda here. If you are directly affected by local authority cutbacks please do get in touch.
Streets update
