Activity report for September

Welcome to the latest monthly update. The Council’s consultation exercise on service cuts leads the way followed by the scandal surrounding adult social care in Wirral. Details also on new residents’ groups and the usual streets update.

Cuts Consultation

Wirral Council is currently consulting with residents about the services it provides. In reality, this will partly determine which services are cut the most over the coming months. Whilst I have a lot of misgivings about the length and wording of the questionnaire my main concern is that relatively few people from our area will participate. I would therefore encourage you to take part in the consultation, perhaps taking on board the comments I make below. You can complete the questionnaire on-line via the Council website.

Section B “Living in Wirral” is particularly worrying. It is clear from this that the Council is planning to charge for services such as graffiti and fly-tipping removal and to increase charges for bulky waste collection. This could have a major impact across Birkenhead and Tranmere so I would encourage you to add your concerns here. This section also gives you the opportunity (should you wish) to suggest a more robust approach to tackling issues such as fly-tipping and to voice support for 20 mph limits for residential roads.

The scandal of adult social care in Wirral

The Care Quality Commission recently issued a scathing report on the quality of adult social care in Wirral. The Commission rated Wirral as “poor” in safeguarding adults with learning disabilities. The report (which you can access here) forced Steve Foulkes the leader of the Labour Party in Wirral to “apologise for those people who’ve been let down”.

Given the incompetence of the previous Labour-led administration in Wirral and the savage cuts being planned by the new Tory-led Council, the clear danger is that the quality of care for some of the most vulnerable in our community will be further eroded.

New residents’ group need more support

I’ve been very pleased to attend some of the recent meetings of the (relatively new) association representing residents in the Church Road area. These groups can be very effective in making sure local Councillors work effectively for you, something which hasn’t always happened in the past.

If you live in the Church Road area and would like to get involved please let me know. Alternatively, if you are interested in establishing a residents’ group the Green Party can help so do get in touch

Streets update

A particularly busy update this month with lots to report on:

• I complained about the lack of a garden waste collection service for houses in and around Bentinck Street. However, the Council is refusing to consider this which is quite shocking and yet another example of how our area is discriminated against. You can read the Council’s excuses on my website.
• Graffiti in the alleyway between Victoria Road and Chesnut Grove has been cleared but the Council refuses to tidy the extensive overgrowth claiming it is on private land.
• Meanwhile, the dumped furniture by the substation on Chesnut Grove has been cleared while Environmental Health has been informed of the fly-tipping in the alleyway behind the substation.
• Following our recent survey work I reported the broken street light (column 3) on Maybank Road. I am also writing to the Council to remind them of the abject failure to address the rubbish dumped on derelict land by Victoria Fields.
• Persistent fly-tipping on Holt Road has also been reported.

As usual, if there are any issues you would like to raise please don’t hesitate to get in touch.