Wirral News Letters – January 6

Jan 6 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Draw a line under library row

ON Monday, December 14 Wirral Council debated yet again motions concerning the outcome of the libraries affair and inevitably focused on the council’s conduct.

I believe that the time has come to draw a line under this issue which has dominated Wirral politics for nearly nine months and in my opinion, to the detriment of other good governance generally.

I suspect that whilst the vast majority of the people of the Wirral are pleased with the outcome of the Charteris Report, they now want to move on.

Worthy of note, however, is that despite all the rhetoric and the vehemence of their condemnation of the ruling Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition in terms of their mishandling of the issue, the Conservatives have not made any public declaration that if and when they form the next administration that they will preserve all the current libraries, despite the reduction of expenditure and savings that they will inevitably be obliged to effect in order to balance the Wirral budget.

COUNCILLOR DAVID KIRWAN

Independent Wirral Councillor

Missing issue

FRANK Field’s normally full report back to his constituents in last week's edition of the News made no mention of an issue which I, and hundreds of other concerned parents, know he has been involved with recently.

I refer of course to the closure of Ridgeway High School and its replacement with an all-boys school on land belonging to Shaftesbury youth club, which would have prevented the club's own, more exciting, development plans.

The idea was rejected thanks to Liberal Democrat members of Wirral’s cabinet. Why no mention of this in your report Frank?

COUNCILLOR STUART KELLY

Lib Dem, Oxton

Thanks for help

ON Monday, December 21 a friend of mine had the misfortune to slip and injure her leg.

She would like to thank the ambulance crew, the staff in A&E,the surgical and orthopaedic teams whose skill, dedication and expertise enabled her to spend Christmas at home with her husband. Once again many thanks and a Happy New Year to everybody.

IAN HODGSON

via e-mail

Pavement peril

TO leave the pavements in the centre of Heswall covered in dangerous frozen slush for the busiest shopping days of the year is surely disgraceful.

Bring back the old urban district council! We could have telephoned or called into Hill House and someone would have responded; except it probably would not have been necessary as the pavements would have been cleared before most of us got out of our homes in the morning.

NAME SUPPLIED

via e-mail

Unbelievable

AS a man who was raised on a street that ran parallel to the now Grange Road shopping precinct I feel I am allowed to express the total disbelief at the state of the pavements and thoroughfare that prevailed during the recent inclement weather, December 21-23.

Ambulances abounded as an area only fit for the likes of Torvill and Dean attended those who had become innocent victims of decisions made in some obscure office.

I spoke to two police personnel and got but a shrug as calls came over their contact facility reporting an ambulance arriving at the top of Grange Road opposite McDonalds.

“Terrible isn't it?” was all I got from them.

Is it beyond the remit of those who are there to make sure our main thoroughfares are safe to come up with some system that allows gritting in major areas such as those mentioned? I despair for this country.

TONY WEEDON

Bebington

Keep it open

AS a previous patient in Arrowe Park’s Park Suite I am horrified to hear that it is closing down.

What is up in this world when you have a team of people who have worked together for years and built up an exceptional service, have mutual respect, trust, loyalty and dedication and you demoralise them and split them up.

I wonder Mr Richardson, as part of your £30m refurbishment, will the side rooms have their OWN en-suite facilities and if so, why spend money doing this when the facility is already there and funds itself? Park Suite also takes care of NHS patients and in the six weeks I was on this ward never had an empty bed.

I also have written to him personally and await his reply.

JAN HARRIS

Saughall Massie

Bin thanks

CONGRATULATIONS to the Waste Disposal team who emptied green bins in Prenton on December 23.

In spite of bad weather and atrocious conditions underfoot, they were on time and the operation appeared to be going according to plan.

G HEMMINGS

Prenton

Work goes on

IN response to the obviously upset ratepayer whose brown bin will not be collected until January 21, the collectors continue to work on green and grey bins and do not get four weeks holiday as implied.

Brown collections resume on January 12.

RATEPAYER

Bebington

Village pride

I WOULD just like to thank all the small shopkeepers and traders in Lower Heswall.

The festive display of simple Christmas trees, complete with lights made the whole village look great, in fact far better than the tired old lights displayed in the main village. Perhaps by next year the main village lights could have a bit of a re-vamp and cheer the place up a bit.

SANDY CAMERON

Lower Heswall

Real power

I AGREE with Andy from Prenton that very few people were aware that a consultation was taking place (“Decision day on Wirral Shake-up”, December 9)

I doubt if even 1% of the voters were made aware of it.

Perhaps a better approach by the council would be to put explanatory flyers in the free paper or better still, each councillor could go around their ward delivering the flyer, speaking to voters and discussing the matter.

I would be very surprised if the majority of voters would not prefer an elected mayor with real power.

D ROBERTS

Prenton