New Wirral Council leader tells of priorities at scandal-hit council

May 5 2012 by John Siddle, Liverpool Echo

LABOUR leader Phil Davies vowed to put Wirral council back on a sure footing after the party took back full control of the scandal-hit authority.

The party exceeded the four-seat target needed to end the ruling Tory/Lib-Dem coalition that ousted them in a vote of no confidence in February.

The council was rocked by a series of damning reports into how it had been run and managed along with accusations of bullying and “macho culture”.

Cllr Davies will formally take over from Tory leader Jeff Green at a full council meeting on May 21.

The Birkenhead councillor said: “We are now in majority control for the next two years and that gives us the opportunity to bring about some much-needed stability.

“The council has not benefited from being constantly hung and now we have the chance to make big changes around the budget, job creation and the council’s improvement agenda.

“We have got a big job to do now to get the council back on a stable footing and make sure we put policy in place.

“My priorities are to make sure that we continue to provide high quality front-line services, to address the jobs agenda because we have a big issue with unemployment and to improve our corporate governance.

“I am confident that we have got a clear mandate from the residents of Wirral to press ahead with that.”