It’s money wasted

Sep 12 2012 Birkenhead News

RE: garden waste (Wirral News, August 22).

If the council is so short of money that it introduces a "garden tax" I would be interested to know why my perfectly good garden waste bin has recently been replaced.

This, together with the colourful information I received heralding the change, must have been very expensive.

I imagine that council officials will be taking a voluntary pay cut to help them in these difficult times.

GEOFFREY BOSTON

Parkgate

Tipping lesson

I READ the recent article re: the proposed introduction of a charge for the currently free green waste collection service and was astounded.

While I believe that a charge for the green waste service is a huge backward step, the issue that grabbed my attention was that the council spend over £250,000 every year on the collection of fly tipped waste.

Driving around the borough it is quite clear that most of this fly tipped waste is furniture – with some of it in surprisingly good condition – or at least it was before it sat around for a few weeks!

In Liverpool the council has the sense to provide a free collection service for bulky waste like furniture – they call it Bulky Bob’s. Whilst this doesn’t raise income the way that the Wirral ERIC service does, it doesn’t have a huge bill at the other end for clearing the waste that people have flytipped rather than pay the ridiculously high £20 charge.

Whilst I don’t condone flytipping and believe that it should not happen under any circumstances I do believe that Wirral Council are almost encouraging some people to fly tip.

Liverpool Council and Bulky Bob’s also give away some of the good quality furniture that they collect and recycle the rest. Can’t our councillors make the long journey across the Mersey to learn how others do it?

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

via e-mail

Support Rovers

TRANMERE Rovers are unbeaten in League 1 and presently second in the league table, but I see that they are still not getting more than 5,000 spectators at a home game, similar to the number attending matches during the last couple of years when they were far lower down the table.

It is recognised that support from a crowd can have a good influence on the performance of a team and the way the team has been playing recently deserved support from larger crowds.

Tranmere's next two games are at home and added support would help to ensure the team returns to the top.

KEITH CROWDEN

via e-mail

Fitting tribute

I WOULD like to thank the Mayor Councillor Gerry Ellis and Mr Peter Goodman for flying the red ensign at Wallasey Town Hall on Sunday, September 2.

The reason for flying it was that last Sunday was Merchant Navy Day. This is an annual event that takes place on the first Sunday in September.

Church services and parades take place throughout the country to commemorate the loss of lives of all the merchant navy seafarers especially in conflict in the past and to us is equivalent to Armistice Sunday.

Here on Merseyside a church service takes place at Liverpool Parish Church Our Lady & St. Nicholas and then a parade to the Merchant Navy Memorial on the Pier Head for a short service.

Our merchant seafarers are so easily forgotten but here on Merseyside we also hold a special service at 3pm on Armistice Sunday at either of the two cathedrals alternating each year - this year at the Anglican.

NEIL ROBERTSON

Wallasey

Misleading

ONCE again we are victims of misleading information resulting in panic, as legislators have failed to distinguish between the different forms of asbestos for some reason.

The fact is there are three main types “white” “brown” and “blue” The latter two are dangerous and are involved with the cancer mesothelioma whilst white alone is not!

Roofing corrugated cement white asbestos sheets and panels are not significantly dangerous and it is claimed that the associated cancer mesothelioma has resulted in deaths of people with no traceable exposure to asbestos.

Just like global warming’s claimed effects, especially alleged sea level rise, the whole truth is not being told resulting in understandable panic

JAMES WATSON

Wirral