Wirral News letters: February 23

Feb 23 2011 Birkenhead News

New approach to old problem

LITTER is such an indictment of our society and has rightly featured recently in Wirral News.

Despite the millions of pounds of our money spent on the problem, the streets and open spaces of Wirral are often made unpleasant with pavements covered in litter, spattered with chewing gum and dog mess and Merseyrail embankments used as a dumping site for an incredible quantity of waste. Wirral Council is desperately searching for ways of saving our money to ensure front-line services are cut minimally and there is something radical here that could be tried.

This is our problem, it is our streets and open spaces that are trashed by the ignorant minority. It should become the responsibility of each household, shop and large store to clean and look after the surrounding streets and public spaces.

All council street cleaning could be stopped to demonstrate the extent of the problem and force people to get outside and clean up their own streets – and yes, this includes outside the houses of the old folks nearby who may not be up to the task.

Wirral Council (or Wirral News) could easily conduct a quick, cheap on-line survey of the acceptability of this policy just as they have done recently on other cost-saving measures.

If the majority respond favourably, then give this radical proposal a try. The yobs might then realise the massive problem they create and some of them might even change their ways when they see that no one except their families and friends is going to clean up after them.

Our money will be saved for more important purposes and most of all a lost spirit of social responsibility will be fostered.

Times have changed; we live in the “Big Society” now. It is time to try new approaches to our problems – this is one.

R.Peters

via email

Decline concern

MY name is Kevin Berry, a Givaudan employee, and I am replying to Alison McGovern’s comments about the Givaudan factory closure (Your Views Feb 16).

I would like to make one thing clear: that the Givaudan factory is closing completely with the loss of another 150 manufacturing jobs from the Wirral.

It’s so much easier and cheaper for companies to close in Britain. Unlike European counterparts, regulations on redundancy procedures and levels of payments in the UK provide relatively limited protection for employees. Although a number of larger organisations do provide measures that are significantly higher than the statutory minimum, there remains a perception that redundancies are a relatively low-cost option for employers, rather than a policy of last resort, given the government’s insistence on the benefits of labour market flexibility.

While a lack of investment is common place in UK manufacturing, this present local government seem to have no strategies for retaining manufacturing here in the Wirral.

The decline of manufacturing on the Wirral raises grave concerns for future employment prospects and prosperity.

Manufacturing replaced docks and shipbuilding and created large employers, what is going to take over from manufacturing?

Kevin Berry

Birkenhead

Double act

I WOULD like to introduce to the Wirral the funniest double act since Morecambe and Wise, namely Howard "Tommy" Cooper and Bob "Half" Moon, both Wirral councillors.

I attended a meeting at Wallasey Town Hall on Thursday February 17 to listen to reasons for the disgraceful closure of five homes.Š

I would suggest to every resident on the Wirral to try and attend one of these, as it is like a pantomime the way these people behave! No-one was allowed to ask a question to the "Chuckle Brothers" because they were toldŠthe meetingŠwas for updated information only.

Yes, those two clowns just repeated the pathetic consultation fiasco again.

When Bob "Half" Moon spoke, it was in such a whisper only dogs could pick it up!Š

These are the people who are running Wirral Council!Š God help us all.

Name and Address Supplied.

Lifeline to carers

I THINK Wirral Council should think again regarding the closures they are going to make to respite homes and day centres.

These facilities are a lifeline to carers.

Have any of these councillors ever looked after an elderly person or someone with learning difficulties? Let any of them come and try it, not for an hour or a day, let them try a week or month, they will soon know how important they are.

I looked after my daughter for 36 years and I’m fighting the council because they wish to cut her care hours.

Why oh why do we always have to fight for what any decent society knows is right?

H. Murphy

Birkenhead

Tunnel noise

I LIVE close to the Queensway tunnel entrance and for months there has been a clattering from the tunnel.

At night and early in the morning it has been disturbing not only myself, but other residents in the flats.

A complaint elicited the reply that it was a grid loose but was not important and that it would cause too much disruption to repair.

Since the tunnel is regularly closed for cleaning etc, why could this not have been done then?.

A quick repair would avoid a more serious problem, as well as allowing us to sleep. Could this be an example of antisocial behaviour by a public body?

Name and address supplied

Grasp chance

CONGRATULATIONS to Wirral News and Wirral Met for their enterprising plans to give opportunities to teenagers of work experience. I do hope they will grasp this chance and you will be able to extend the courses to more subjects of a serious nature.

Noreen Pollard

Via email