Wirral News letters - August 19, 2009

Aug 19 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

I WONDER if anyone from the council ever reads this page in the News?

I would like to ask why the toilets at New Brighton, Moreton etc are closed at 6.30pm during the summer?

There are plenty of people about, particularly on nice evenings.

Still on the subject of toilets – the men’s toilet was recently refurbished in Birkenhead Market but the urinals don’t have any flushing water and so they smell badly.

The taps all leak onto the floor, adding to the smell.

These toilets reflect badly on a good market.

What went wrong?

V ASHTON

Address supplied

Waste of money

FURTHER to the article about the proposal to spend £3m on a police station with parking facilities for over 150 vehicles. Why?

Where and how do you propose to raise this amount of money? Has any consideration been given to the Land Registry building now vacant or perhaps the Town Hall in Hamilton Square?

Looking at your proposal it strikes me that 80 to 85% of the police force are going to be sitting on their backsides shuffling paper between one department and another.

Wouldn’t it be better to employ more police on the ground?

Some comment was made that this building, not the police, would be active in combating terrorism. What terrorism? Who wants to bomb Birkenhead? What would they gain?

Frankly if we as a nation stopped interfering in other countries’ religions there would be no terrorism.

Get into the real world. Think before you spend, stop wasting money.

D W WHITTLE

Prenton

Sort it out

IT was with some hilarity that I read the article about Councillor Steve Foulkes lodging a formal complaint about a hand gesture from Councillor Denis Knowles.

Is this the typical tit for tat we have come to expect from our local councillors or is it the Labour party’s way of having a go at Cllr Knowles for going over to the Conservative party?

Steve Foulkes should be trying to sort out the mess he and the rest of the council have made of things, or better still, resign.

PETER W SMITH

Birkenhead

Tidy up Liscard

IN view of the fact that we are forever being exhorted to “shop in Wallasey”, I think it would be a good idea if the Liscard area was kept a bit cleaner.

The path between the doctor’s practice and the community centre has never seen a brush or shovel in 100 years.

Children (infants) use the centre most days and whoever cleans the car park seems to give the footpath a wide berth.

When I used it yesterday after parking my car, apart from the debris of years it was strewn with old clothing. Not a pretty sight.

MR D S MARTIN

Wallasey

Time for change

I HAVE listened with interest today to a radio interview with Peter Davies, the new Mayor of Doncaster, and his plans for reducing their council deficit.

His plans include a reduction in his salary from £73,000 to £30,000 and the moth-balling of the mayoral

car (he now uses public transport or his own car).

He is also proposing cutting the number of councillors in his area. His proposals are saving Doncaster people a vast amount of money and responses from listeners were wholly in favour.

With the enormous hole in our local finances, isn't it time we took the initiative and implemented similar measures?

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Via e-mail

Badge blues

AFTER reading the article by Lorna Hughes, I felt compelled to write in and voice some of m y own opinions on the subject of blue badges and the treatment of people who legitimately have them.

I am in my late 50s and have been disabled for over 25 years following an industrial accident which left me with decreased mobility and constant pain in my spine.

Some days are worse than others. I walk with a stick when its bad, but try and do without it as much as I can, as it alters my posture and can put the back muscles into spasm.

To obtain a blue badge, the applicant has to go through a medical examination and be vetted by a doctor, so the badge is not available to just anyone.

As it happens, I do not immediately look disabled. I appear to be a fit, healthy man. How looks can be deceptive.

I have noticed that just because the general public can not see a gaping wound and pouring blood, or someone confined to a wheelchair, they refuse to believe there is a problem.

I have had many a run-in with members of the public who persist in parking illegally in disabled bays. I have approached them when I haven’t seen a blue badge and politely pointed out that they have omitted to display one.

The reply is almost always the same in every case. Abuse!

At the end of the day, all we want is a little compassion and understanding.

CHRIS KNOX

Via e-mail

Despicable

WITH reference to your front page article on August 5 entitled “Lowest of the Low” (Bromborough and Bebington edition).

We are in full agreement with your article and would like to add that two of our Alzheimer's Society tins were stolen in the same break-in. We help people with dementia and their carers in Wirral and are supported by the Port Sunlight Garden Centre, who allow us to have a drop-in dementia café there every month.

They also kindly have our collection tins to help us raise much needed funds. It is utterly despicable that this thief has taken money intended for charitable causes.

Forinformation about our services please contact us on 630 5206.

SUE NEWNES

Wirral branch manager, Alzheimer’s Society

Sign thanks

WITH reference to the letter from Len Griffiths of Prenton, I must say that in January this year I contacted Streetscene to explain that Easton Road in New Ferry had somehow lost its road sign.

I was told that it would take a few weeks as they wait until there are several signs to make and produce them all together. On July 2 new signs were erected, so I can only praise Streetscene for making the neighbourhood look cared for.

J HANCOX

New Ferry