‘They must pay for this’

Oct 7 2009 by Matt Hurst, Heswall News

AFTER almost three years’ efforts to cut frontline cultural services descended into fiasco, calls are ringing out for accountability among council officers.

Wirral Council’s Strategic Asset Review (SAR) proposals to shut eleven libraries were based on its own internal consultancy, executed by the office of chief executive.

But as protests grew, leading ultimately to a nationally ordered public enquiry, it was director of regeneration Alan Stennard who found himself defending plans, either at thousand strong consultation meetings around the borough, or under the scrutiny of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Now, President of Wirral TUC and leading organiser of the Wirral Against Cuts group, Alec McFadden, is demanding he and fellow officers “pay the penalty”.

Mr McFadden told the News: “The budget said they had to make savings and they were trying to close libraries in April.

“They failed.

“It was their report, if they take the credit, they’ve got to take the responsibility.

“If they’d been a football manager they would have been sacked at the end of the last financial year.

“They did a bad job and they’ve let everybody down.”

Alan Stennard declined an interview, but his position was defended by a man who was forced to remain impartial throughout.

Seacombe Cllr Adrian Jones deeply opposed attempts to close his local library, but as Mayor of Wirral, kept quiet.

This week, he said: “If some people are now baying for the blood of council officers then the accusers’ motives need to be questioned.

“They are likely to be either party political motives or a platform for personal publicity lovers.”

But Alec McFadden believes the public role of officers, like Mr Stennard, makes this case different.

He said: “They can’t run away.

“All the way through the consultation they had this arrogance and they’ve got to be accountable.

“They need to pay the penalty, it’s as simple as that.”

Despite also opposing closures, Cllr Adrian Jones attacked Mr McFadden for his stance.

The former mayor said: “Any competent trade union rep, in fact any decent person, will abhor the sort of people who sink to the cowardly stunt of running to the press with attacks on employees who have no public voice to defend themselves.

“There are proper processes to complain in an adult, disciplined way.”