Wirral News letters– June 30

Jun 30 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Mayor must be own man

I REFER to a comment made by Wirral Conservative Leader, Cllr Jeff Green, in Liam Murphy’s article ‘Decision D-day on funding for future of swimming pool’.

It refers to Wirral’s Guinea Gap swimming pool in Seacombe Ward. I quote Cllr Green: “… I will not be lectured by Labour – Adrian Jones did not vote with us to save it.”

Nor will I be lectured by Jeff Green on Mayoral impartiality. Of course the Mayor of Wirral did not disgrace the office by voting politically in the way Jeff laments!

The convention of impartiality requires any Mayor to abstain from voting except on matters that must meet legal deadlines in which a casting vote may be necessary and on extreme matters of conscience.

On other matters the mayor’s casting vote is properly used only to maintain the status quo ante – and never in pursuit of party politics.

When I agreed to stand for the Mayoralty the Wirral Labour Group absolved me from any requirement to follow the party whip. Without that assurance I would not have accepted nomination, but it was never in question. Nevertheless, a Mayor cannot be at fault in law by voting politically if he or she is content to observe only the lowest standard legally permitted. Like my immediate predecessor, and many other Wirral Mayors before me, I chose the higher standard set out as a civic convention in ‘Civic Ceremonial’.

I think what perhaps gets Jeff’s goat is simply that the Mayor contributed uncontroversially to the consultation process. Can it be that for purposes of Tory electoral advantage he would have preferred the Mayor to have voted politically, one way or another? Sour grapes, Jeff; shouldn’t you know better?

Cllr Adrian Jones

Labour -–Seacombe W

Help UU users

I AM amazed that we have United Utilities dictating to us for all the disruption they have caused to local Wallasey residents during the recent suspension of water supplies.

At a time when the profit margins of these big corporations come before public service and we are having to pay sky high bills for the essentials in life like water, gas, electricity; the very least they should have done was to let residents off their next bill instead of the paltry £25 dished out from the fat cats table.

Again, it’s those at the bottom having to pay (by way of cuts to their living standards) for the mistakes of those at the top (the spivs, speculators and bankers) as we can now see with the Conservative/Liberal coalition both locally and nationally.

Pat Hacket

Ex Labour Councillor, New Brighton Ward

Policing – not PR

WE HAVE had 13 years of the Government massaging crime figures for political reasons. Far from a reduction, criminal offences for example in respect of anti social behaviour have in fact risen. Many offenders who would have appeared before the courts are let off with a caution or ticket in the Police Station.

The police burdened by the bureaucracy of performance tables often unfairly apprehend motorists and pensioners as soft targets in order to achieve crime detection rates.. Political correctness has turned senior officers into ambassadors who spend their time attending community panels and action groups instead of directing crime prevention and detection.

In Wirral we are now faced with the serious possibility that we will lose our Magistrates Court to Liverpool.

Serving a population in excess of 325,000 people, Wirral historically maintained courts at Wallasey, Birkenhead and Bromborough. Now three of the six courts at Birkenhead (the remaining court) are invariably shut and staff deployed elsewhere.

In the meantime lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service sit in the backrooms of Police stations sifting offences often refusing charge adding further to the frustration of a police force already over burdened with form filling.

I would suggest to the Chief Constable of Merseyside that he perhaps spends less time on cultivating the public image of his Force and to get rid of his public relations and publicity staff and with the saving in salaries put more constables on the beat thus making our homes and streets safer.

David Kirwan

Martins Lane, Wallasey

No surprises

IN YOUR report "Wedding services illegal at shared church"(June 16) Fr John Joyce is quoted as saying that as far as he is

aware no one in the Ss Peter and Paul parish has requested a wedding at All Saints.

I am not surprised,Catholics would want to get married in a Catholic church, NOT a Protestant one!

The majority of Ss Peter and Paul parishioners (over 360) have in recent months signed a petition stating that as church-goers who have contributed funds explicitly for the upkeep of the parish and church they do not wish those funds, nor any income tax reclaimed under Gift Aid, to be used in any form for the

acquisition or maintenance of All Saints in Hose Side Road.

I would have thought that Anglican parishioners of that church would be objecting to it being sold to the Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.

If any do I urge them to make their objections known to the Anglican Diocese

of Chester.

Arthur Read

via email

Bring Matron back

I READ withŠ interest Šthe advertisement taken out by Arrowe Park and

Clatterbridge Hospitals, celebrating 'Excellence in Healthcare' through

their Foundation Awards. Is this, along with all the glossy brochures

periodically sent to every household, Šall part of the management

trying to mask the problems that the hospitals have, with Arrowe Park

reporting 53 C-diff cases earlierŠin the month?

InsteadŠofŠcelebratingŠ'Excellence in Healthcare', Arrowe Park shouldŠtake a good look at whatŠis going wrong with the hospital.

Perhaps the hospital might bring back matron who might even insist on uniforms, insteadŠ of the current ŠfashionableŠ trousers worn by some nurses which drape along the floor? This would just be a start.

Mrs Margaret Kali

Caldy Road, Caldy