Wirral readers’ letters - 4/2/09

Feb 4 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Let’s stand up and be counted

WELL Liverpool’s capital of culture year is over and from all accounts it was a great success, so well done to all involved.

As a Wirral resident we were told story after story from our ruling council of how Wirral would benefit from Liverpool being selected as the host for this great event.

Well, unless I have been asleep for the last year I have seen no evidence of this, in fact if the latest round of public service cuts is anything to go by the opposite appears to be happening.

I find it difficult to comprehend how we can come through two world wars, the great depression, general strikes and have seen unprecedented increases in council tax and yet we have to cut services to save money - where has all the money gone?

Our council’s association with Liverpool does not appear to put Wirral’s best interests at heart, in fact the creation of Merseyside has not reaped the benefits we were all told would happen.

Birkenhead as an example is rapidly falling into decay, Hamilton Square (the finest example of a Victorian town square in Europe) is fast becoming a no-go area.

It’s no wonder the council wanted to close the Wirral Museum and Pacific Road Theatre. Who wants to run the gauntlet of beggars, alcoholics and substance abuse individuals who take over the square pestering passers by?

Our current council has had its time. I feel the people of Wirral should stand up and be counted, oppose these cuts and get a council in power that really does put Wirral first.

J M PRENTON

VIA E-MAIL

Stop whingeing

WHY all the fuss over the closure of a few libraries?

Why not do like the rest of us who do not want something for nothing and buy the books you wish to read.

As for the local libraries being the place to meet and update people on local news, why not call to their homes and have a cuppa and tell them? I suppose free heat and light are the real reason for you going to libraries.

As for the three-mile round trip, the exercise would do you good to walk there and if you are disabled spend some of the benefits you receive to enable you to travel around.

Stop whingeing about what you are about to lose and start paying your way. Your humility should make your proud of who you are.

MICHAEL BURNS

VIA E-MAIL

Wardrobe help

I JUST wanted to say a big thank you to the three kind referees who helped me on Sunday, January 25.

I was trying to move a wardrobe downstairs and couldn't. I live by the football fields at Lingham fields so I went over and asked if anyone could help me.

All the young men turned and ran but three very kind referees helped me.

S GOSLING

via www.wirralnews.co.uk

Lazy peninsula

I AM sure that I am not alone in saying that our glorious local authority is effectively functioning like a facsimile of our own equally glorious central government, in that it is becoming ever more out of touch with reality, throwing good money at bad, and refusing outright to listen to the views of the public.

It seems to me that, regardless of the various forum meetings they held for the residents of Wirral to 'have their say' on this most controversial and divisive of issues, they had already reached their decision - a fait accompli no less - and no amount of collective howling and gnashing of teeth would sway their decision (the Woodchurch / Upton communities excepted of course).

Despite claims that these closures are necessary to save up to £15 million in costs, such is their conceited arrogance and blank refusal to see the world beyond their own ivory towers, they conveniently overlook a few equally important matters: such as the millions that were wasted on moving to the new Cheshire Lines Building in Birkenhead when they had perfectly functional premises in the Civic Offices in nearby Argyle Street, opened less than 20 years earlier.

Also the staggering waste of money that was the Wirral Gateway consultation project, and various other equally futile corporate exercises for the purposes of prestige.

Let's also not forget the depressing saga of Liscard Hall, allowed to fall into such a desperate state that it succumbed to an arson attack soon afterwards.

Perhaps this is how they want to treat Wirral's heritage? By mothballing and neglecting key community buildings until they're frankly beyond saving and then breathe a huge sigh of relief when they meet their inevitable fate?

Whilst other local authorities at least try to retain (and encourage people to use) their museums, art galleries, sports centres and libraries, our own council now decide the best course of action is to decimate them!

Maybe they should stop marketing Wirral as “The Leisure Peninsula” and seriously consider rebranding it as “The Lazy Peninsula” and have done with it!

Such retrograde thinking and staggering lack of foresight and compassion insults the very people whose taxes keep these idiots in office.

DISGUSTED AND DISILLUSIONED

WALLASEY

Full name and address supplied

Troubled town

WHILST still mourning the loss of Liscard Hall we are now faced with library and swimming pool closures.

Not only that, but I have run out of fingers counting the empty shops in our Liscard shopping centre.

We now have four large empty premises - Rosebys, Nice Price, Woolworths and the old Herons shop, besides a large number of smaller ones on the main Wallasey Road through our town.

This leads up to the eyesore facing us, the lovely and very welcoming Capitol Buildings!

What is to become of our once-thriving town? All that is missing is the tumbleweed!

J YOUDE

VIA E-MAIL

Daft decision

I WOULD just like to point out, that decision to close Prenton Library is, not just wrong, but also daft.

The library enjoyed a 51% increase in footfall last year, and had 63,000 visitors.

The staff will be redeployed, so the only saving will be £20,000 (which was last year’s running cost for all other bills).

That is £20,000 being taken away, and 60,000 people (elderly and schoolchildren plus others), being deprived of books and computer use etc. That is a 30p cost for each visitor.

Our councillors have indicated they are not prepared to join the fight to keep the library open, and should take note that we will remember you at election time.

Perhaps if there were elections this year you may have thought twice, about betraying the people that elected you.

DAVE HARPER

PRENTON

Vote against

I AM disgusted by the outrageous decision to close much-needed Woodchurch Library in order to keep Upton library open.

Woodchurch Library users have not had the opportunity to express their feelings on this proposal.

The library is in a central location for the community and is in the same building as Ganneys Meadow children’s centre.

I urge all the councillors who have been elected to represent the people of Wirral to vote against the closure at the ratification on February 9.

J WALSH

BIRKENHEAD