Shame of heckled councillor

Feb 25 2009 Birkenhead News

I HAD the rude awakening of experiencing the harsh reality of local politics at its meanest on February 9 at Wallasey Town Hall.

I was “ring side” because I’d put a question to the council and was seated just behind the Labour councillors during the debate about the Strategic Asset Review prior to the final vote.

The Tories were eloquent and knowledgeable and spoke with common sense and conviction.

Unfortunately they were heckled by Labour councillors.

The single worst offender was Steve Foulkes, when he shouted “shut your mouth” to someone in the public gallery.

Irrespective of what is being shouted by angry members of the public, he should retain composure and ignore such taunts.

Unfortunately he and his colleagues lost all respect a long time ago.

If that meeting had been filmed I have no doubt that demands for immediate resignations would have been overwhelming and this dreaded SAR would have been scrapped in its entirety.

DAVE HALL

Irby

Party politics

I AM a life long Labour supporter but am passionately opposed to the closure of libraries.

How to solve this problem? The solution could be for all the political party members to join your local branch wards and see which of the present councillors voted in favour of the closures and de-select them in favour of a candidate who will oppose the closures.

This for me is one possible answer.

Could I also say well done to Alec McFadden. Keep fighting injustice and more power to your arm Sir.

MIKE PARKINSON

Birkenhead

Save library

IN an article entitled “The axe falls”, councillor Simon Holbrook says that 99% of people live within two miles of a public library.

Yes, maybe they do but in the case of Woodchurch library, there is no direct bus route to Upton library and there is the very busy bypass to negotiate, which no self-respecting parent would allow their child to attempt to cross on their own.

The bypass would prevent the elderly (many of whom have health problems), parents with young children and school classes (all of which use Woodchurch library on a regular basis) getting to Upton library, depriving them of a very important local service.

Woodchurch library needs to be saved.

J WALSH

Birkenhead

Floral treat

WHAT a wonderful afternoon we spent at the Floral Pavilion to see Tom Spence.

I hope there will be many more as we are too afraid to go out in the evenings.

A JONES

Wallasey

Thank you

WE would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers with helping us to support Macmillian Cancer Care.

Our recent guess the number of sweets in a jar raised £107. The correct number was 285 with the nearest guess of 320 being M. Isherwood.

Through the generosity of our customers we have raised a total of £1,650 since January 2009.

STAFF AT BON MARCHE

Grange Road, Birkenhead

Tunnel vision

IN your letters page on February 18 a rail commuter said that if tunnel tolls were to be reduced then he wanted “a subsidy as well”.

He also said that a tolls reduction would "double the length of the queue in the rush hour".

The fact is that at the moment Merseytravel makes a surplus on the tunnels which is used to help pay for its other services.

This contrasts with what happens with Merseyrail and Mersey ferry users. Merseyrail gets a subsidy of more than £100m from taxpayers, that works out at an average of nearly £3 for each passenger journey.

The subsidy to the Ferries, which partly comes from tunnels tolls, is even more per passenger - £4.

Queues at the Tunnels are not related to their capacity - the Runcorn bridge has half the lanes of the tunnels but carries as much traffic.

Delays at the tunnels are caused by the inadequate road system in Liverpool near the Tunnel exits, by daytime closure of one of the Wallasey Tunnel tubes and by toll collection.

If you wanted to reduce the

queues, then you would remove the tolls or at least make them payable one way only - a proposal from the MTUA that was rejected by Merseytravel.

JOHN MCGOLDRICK

Mersey Tunnel Users Association

Cheek of it

LAST week I received a phone call from my bank.

The young lady at the other end of the phone said “I am phoning to tell you that you are due for review.”

I could not believe my ears.

I took a deep breath and said, “I have just discovered that the interest rates on my various savings accounts with you are ludicrous. Do you really think I will make an appointment with you to give me advice on where to invest my money?”

There was dead silence.

Are these people unaware of the troubles they have caused?

S.A COURT

Heswall

Taxing times

I AM writing in response to the letter from Mick Kelly in last week’s Wirral News.

Mick claimed scrapping the tunnel tolls would be unfair because people like him have to pay to use the train.

I myself do not use my car, opting instead to travel to Liverpool by train just as Mick does; however Mick’s letter completely defies logic as he obviously fails to understand the point raised by the Mersey Tunnels Users Association.

Double the length of rush hour traffic or not, it’s the principle that Wirral commuters are being taxed to subsidise Mersey Travel that is the issue here.

M LITTLE

WALLASEY

Olympic hero

MANY thanks for your paper’s excellent coverage of the career of Wirral’s Olympic cycle racing star Mark Bell, who passed away recently.

I was at the funeral and the turnout of those wising to pay tribute to him was fantastic.

It was standing room only in the church hall, proving how popular he was.

I was quite moved by a wonderful account of his brilliant story from boy to man and hope that some person in Wirral’s top brass will remember Mark’s achievements.

BOB MCNAMEE

Bebington