"What Really Matters"

Wirral Council's consultation exercise "What Really Matters" is an
expensive sham. The budget options outlined are based on an initial
consultation which attracted responses from less than 3% of the
electorate. It is designed to provide an appearance of public approval
for Council decisions where no such approval exists. The views of such a
low sample cannot be taken as representative of the Wirral public as a
whole, much less as providing any kind of democratic support for Council
actions. The public has been rightly suspicious of the exercise from the
start and has demonstrated its distrust by ignoring it.

People do not want to be given a choice of what kind of pain to inflict
on themselves and their neighbours while nothing is being done to
address the gross unfairness in society.

The government's programme of austerity, of which council cuts are part,
bears down harshly on the low-paid, the unemployed and disabled while
wealthy tax dodgers continue to prosper. As well as being viciously
unfair, the Coalition's economic policies are failing
miserably--Government austerity in a recession has, as widely predicted,
only prolonged the economic suffering, ensuring growth only for food banks.

Budget deficits will begin to fall when the government reverses its cuts
agenda and invests in the green economy, not as it cuts more. The answer
is certainly not to further impoverish the already disadvantaged. Given
Labour's abject failure both locally and nationally to oppose austerity,
this leaves the Greens as the only party to articulate and campaign
vigorously for an alternative.

More bad news on road safety

Latest figures on road safety indicate just how badly Wirral and Merseyside in general is doing. Figures for 2011 show the numbers killed or seriously injured in Wirral jumped 17%, much higher than the national increase (2%). For Merseyside as a whole the figures for vulnerable road users are even more worrying. 2011 was the worst year since 2005 and the worst year for cyclists since 1998.

The figures show that, despite all the rhetoric, local police and politicians aren't doing enough to protect and encourage pedestrians and cyclists. We badly need 20mph implemented and enforced as the default speed limit on residential roads. You can see the full Wirral Green Party press release via our Facebook page.

Wirral cuts, public out in force tonight

This photo comes courtesy of Liam Murphy of the Wirral News who posted it on twitter. It shows the packed attendance at tonight's cabinet meeting. Indicates how badly cuts are affecting Wirral.

Granada News report featuring Wirral Greens

Natalie Bennett was in Birkenhead yesterday and was featured briefly in this report along with members of Wirral Greens (around 1:35 in).

Green Party leader visits Wirral

Very pleased today to welcome Natalie Bennett to Wirral. Some excellent media coverage with interviews with Granada News and The Birkenhead News. Links to follow.

Response to Wirral's latest cuts and consultation

The news that Wirral faces £100m of cuts over the next three years is a shocking indictment of the coalition government’s savage assault on public services. It also exposes the Labour Party’s craven acceptance of the austerity agenda made worse by our council leader’s admission that, over many years of Labour control in Wirral, “we have had poor budget management”.

 

The much hyped and expensive consultation exercise is a blatant attempt to force Wirral residents to accept the austerity programme that is crippling our economy and entrenching poverty. What we really need is robust opposition to this government’s attempts to make ordinary people pay for the sins of bankers and successive government’s failure to regulate.

 

Consequently the Green Party urges residents to respond to Wirral Council’s consultation by making it clear they oppose ALL cuts and the entire cuts agenda.

Elm Grove, Tranmere

Just reported this eyesore on Elm Grove.

Hopefully it will be cleared soon.