Angry scenes at meeting as Wirral Council forces through library closures

Feb 11 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Bromborough and Bebington News

EASTHAM, Higher Bebington and New Ferry Libraries will close after Wirral Council pushed through its controversial closure plans on Monday night.

The full council approved the Labour-Liberal Democrat Strategic Asset Review (SAR), which will now see 11 libraries closed and other cultural facilities transferred into community ownership.

The rowdy four-hour meeting at Wallasey Town Hall saw Labour councillors all vote in favour of the plan.

At one point six Liberal Democrats were opposing their leadership – including Eastham councillors Dave Mitchell, Phil Gilchrist and Tom Harney and Bromborough’s Steve Niblock.

The other rebels were Oxton councillors Pat Williams and Paula Southwood.

The night even saw Cllr Harney voting with the Conservatives on their objection to the SAR.

Liberal Democrat leader Simon Holbrook described their actions as “disappointing”.

During the debate Cllr Gilchrist told councillors about a letter he had received from a friend, asking if his conscience would allow him to vote for library closures.

He said: “Since November 15 Wirral has been in turmoil. Since January 15 Eastham has been in turmoil.

“It would be nice, it would be decent, it would be honest to have consultation about Eastham that has been denied to people in my community.”

The meeting had to be suspended several times because of interruptions from the public gallery, with one woman being asked to leave by Mayor Cllr Adrian Jones.

Councillors were jeered and taunted throughout the meeting, with one man calling council leader Steve Foulkes a “cultural terrorist” and shouts of “out out out” after he made his speech.

Cllr Foulkes apologised after calling Phil Gilchrist - a councillor for 30 years – “naive” and telling Alec McFadden, president of Merseyside TUC, to “shut your mouth”.

He said: “I have the highest regard for Councillor Gilchrist and to accuse him of being naive was probably rather rude.”

A meeting, organised by Merseyside TUC, will be held at the Mersey Advice Centre on St Anne’s Street, Birkenhead, at 7.30pm on Thursday, to plan the rest of the campaign against the library closures.