Forums Forums Local News Wirral libraries and leisure centres facing axe

Anyone else notice that all the proposed "new" places are in pay and display areas?

Now if I was a cynic.......................

I use the library, mainly Beechwood or Moreton. I don't use it all the time, but I quite often wander in and come out with a few books of interest to me (usually things like Wirral history, but did anyone know they actually do Haines manuals too).

Im not going to shout and stamp my feet, because Moreton being safe means it does not affect me much, but its still wrong, there is a lot of older people I know (45+) who use the libraries on a regular basis.

It pisses me off because there is no money in the council cos its all going on the council fat cats final salary pensions !

* spits *

How about putting some of your 40k a year into a fund since your acting in the interest of Wirral ??? idiots

Is there a way to not Pay Council tax? Cause i would certainly put 2 fingers up to it. Why should i pay it when all it goes on is crap.. £92 a month it is for me and it enrages me..

Well according to this...

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/3935198.EXCLUSIVE___MP_s_letter_slams_library_closure_plan/

It looks like the council are in trouble with the local MPs..

Maybe the huge public outcry and protest has done some good...

Its paying for the repairs after all the bag eds have wrecked the houses and been moved into another newly done up house as their old one was no longer livable.

Don't pay it, they will take you to court though. I have seen on TV pensioners who havent paid it and been sent to prison etc. If enough people didnt pay, what the fook would they do, turn hundreds, maybe thousands of law abiding people into criminals serving prison sentences.

I think council tax, like anything we pay in life, should be a value for money service. The council go ahead and do things with our money that people very rarely ever want, and never do the simplest things that people and communities need.

If I went and paid £150 for repairs to my car, and was ripped off, then I would have trading standards etc, all backing me up, but who is there to back the average consumer up when the councils rip us off.

Labour certainly arnt going to do anything, unless the shit is on their doorstep.

Library closures give council leader "sleepless nights


THE leader of Wirral Council says proposals to close twelve libraries and three sports centres on the borough have given him sleepless nights.

Labour's Steve Foulkes made the confession at a rowdy meeting of Wirral Council's cabinet last night (November 27) - prompting scornful laughter from angry audience members.

The heated meeting saw more than 100 members of the public pack into Wallasey Town Hall to see councillors decide the way forward for the controversial strategic asset review, which would see buildings like Birkenhead Central Library and Guinea Gap Baths close and arts events moved from Pacific Road Arts Centre to the Floral Pavilion.

Liberal Democrat leader Simon Holbrook spoke in support of the review but his comments about the "extremely high quality" redevelopment of Bebington Oval - which re-opens on Saturday after being closed for more than a year - prompted more loud laughter and jeers.

Unison members protested outside Wallasey Town Hall before the meeting, with one sign reading: 'Wirral Council's contribution to the National Year of Reading? Close the libraries'.

Cabinet members agreed to convene a special area forum conference "as soon as possible" for public debate and referred the matter to a special scrutiny committee.

After six weeks of public and staff consultation, councillors will make a decision on the proposals at another cabinet meeting on January 15.

Councillor Foulkes said he was prepared to talk to private sector groups with ideas for the future of some of the closure-threatened buildings - and revealed he had already been approached about the Birkenhead Central Library building on Borough Road.

He said: "There will be less assets at the end of this, that's something that's glaringly obvious and has been for some time. It's not something we take lightly.

"I've had so many sleepless nights over this report but I genuinely believe that we have to grasp the mettle on this. We need to work with staff and I think they will enjoy the end result, working in better appreciated, more used facilities.

"There will be anxiety because people have an attachment to buildings and they have an attachment to staff who work in those buildings.

"But the footfall that goes through some of the facilities is extremely low and I think it's difficult to justify them.

"You can bury your head in the sand and hope it goes away but I don't think this situation is one where we can do nothing."

The council currently faces a £10m backlog of repairs to its buildings – stock which was largely inherited in 1974 from five district councils which previously governed Wirral, each of which brought their own property portfolio.

Councillors say the authority must also tackle rising energy costs and a massive budget deficit, predicted to be £16.6m within a year and £12.7m in two years.

Cllr Foulkes said he would listen to any community group or private sector partner who could come up with other ideas for the buildings threatened with closure.

He added: "If the consultation comes back and people say that they don't want a central library anywhere but where Birkenhead Central Library is now then we will listen to that.

"But I think we need to talk again with private and public sector partners about the use of that building for something more suitable."

The council wants to invest £20m in creating "multi-purpose complexes" across the borough providing community, council and library services in partnership with other agencies like Wirral PCT.

Conservatives called the meeting a "sham".

Wirral Conservative leader Cllr Jeff Green, who was refused permission to address cabinet members on the proposals, said: "If Wirral doesn't do leisure, libraries and sports centres, what is the council there for?

"I thought that was a sham of a meeting. If this is the way this so-called consultation is going to run it's quite clear it's a done deal.

"This is an appalling day for Wirral Council."

Liscard Cllr Leah Fraser said the meeting would confirm the worst fears of community organisations across Wirral and criticised plans to hold the consultation over the busy Christmas and New Year period.

Comment in forum, at http://forums.wirralnews.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=57547

EXCLUSIVE - MP's letter slams library closure plan
3:30pm Friday 28th November 2008

Comments (2) Have your say »

By Justin Dunn »

THE PROPOSED closure of libraries and leisure centres across Wirral has been slammed as the “wholesale slaughter” of vital public services by Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford.

In a stinging letter of rebuke sent to Wirral Council leader Steve Foulkes, Mr Hesford claims that an exercise to improve the use of council land and assets has instead become “little short of an act of corporate vandalism”.

The letter, obtained by the Globe, was sent in advance of a crisis meeting to be held this evening between Wirral’s four Labour MPs and Cllr Foulkes and senior council officers.

Of the closure plans, Mr Hesford writes: “It is impossible to see which of Wirral’s people benefits.”

He is being joined for the 4pm showdown today by fellow MPs Ben Chapman of Wirral South, Frank Field of Birkenhead, and Angela Eagle of Wallasey.

Mr Hesford demanded the face to face talks after it was revealed on the Globe website on Tuesday that the council was planning to close 14 libraries, three leisure centres and the Pacific Road arts venue as part of a highly controversial strategic asset review.

The closures are just part of a plan that would also see community centres and village halls across Wirral stripped of their council staff and funding from as early as March next year.

A stormy meeting of the council’s ruling “cabinet” committee on Thursday, also attended by over 100 protestors, voted to put the plans out to consultation until January 15, when a final decision on the suggested closures will be made.

If the plans are rubber-stamped in the new year, as likely, it would mean the permanent closure of Guinea Gap Pool and Recreation Centre in Seacombe, Grange Road West Sports Centre and Woodchurch Leisure Centre.

Both Birkenhead and Wallasey Central Libaries also face being closed, but will be rehoused in new multi-purpose complexes to be built in their respective towns.

However, community libraries in Hoylake, Pensby, Upton, Irby, Bromborough, Higher Bebington, New Ferry, Seacombe, Wallasey Village, Prenton, Ridgeway and Beechwood all face the axe.

The council claims the drastic measures would save the local authority £3.7m a year in maintenance and staffing costs.

Instead, it plans to invest £20m building or refurbishing eleven mult-purpose centres around the peninsula offering services such as One Stop Shops and healthcare.

In his letter to Cllr Foulkes, a clearly irate Mr Hesford declares: “What appears to be proposed is little short of an act of corporate vandalism.

“I have now had an opportunity to read all the relevant papers, including the report which went to cabinet dated July 9, 2008. It is clear that what set out to be an exercise to ‘improve the use of the council’s land and assets … for the benefit of the people of Wirral’ has become a wholesale slaughter of services. It is impossible to see which of Wirral’s people benefits.”

He adds: “The original report claimed that it set out to ‘improve services’ by matching and disposing of ‘under used and obsolete properties’. Moreover, the report claimed to have ‘no financial complication’; ‘no direct staffing implications’; ‘no direct anti poverty implications’ and ‘no direct Social Inclusion implications’.

“How can the stripping out of libraries and sports centres, particularly from places like Woodchurch, not have any of the implications listed above?

“This whole process has become misconceived and two quite separate considerations have been conflated, namely, the provision of services and the management of buildings.

“In view of this, I will be asking the meeting to seriously reconsider the whole process, and in the future if any asset review is to go ahead, all parties, including MPs, will be involved from an early stage.”

Mr Hesford was unavailable for comment.

sounds like a load of crap to me

this is happening down here in the port too

if i remember correctly the main EPIC leisure centre was earmarked for closure earlier in the year, but its still trading..... but for how long

all because we have David Lloyds further up the road who have stupidly high prices

For those of you who are interested there is a group called 'Save Wirral Services'
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=36938458013&ref=mf

The group owner is organising a demonstration on the 15th January for those who feel strongly.

cant see earlston libary closing down, no way.

Is everyone aware of www.faxyourmp.com? If you put in your post code you see all your MPs - write your message there and they all receive it.

They are under legal obligation to respond within a short space of time.

Save Wirral's Services Protest
10th December 2008 - Leisure and Tourism Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Event InfoHost:
Save Wirral's Services
Type:
Causes - Protest
Network:
Global
Time and PlaceDate:
10 December 2008
Time:
17:30 - 20:30
Location:
Wallasey Town Hall
Street:
Brighton Street
Town/City:
Wallasey, United Kingdom

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Description
In conjunction with Unison, and every other concerned party/individual, we are organising a mass protest at this special meeting of the Scrutiny Committee. Details about the meeting, as released to the press, below.

COUNCILLOR JOHN HALE, CHAIRMAN OF THE CULTURE, LEISURE AND TOURISM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE HAS CALLED A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER THE CABINET’S PROPOSALS TO CLOSE LIBRARIES, LEISURE CENTRES AND TO TRANSFER COMMUNITY CENTRES WITHOUT ANY GUARANTEES OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
THE MEETING WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 10 DECEMBER AT 6.15 PM AT WALLASEY TOWN HALL. COUNCILLOR HALE INVITES MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC OR ORGANISATIONS AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED CLOSURES TO CONTACT THE CONSERVATIVE GROUP OFFICE AT THE TOWN HALL ON 0151 691 8550 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9AM-5PM SHOULD THEY WISH TO SPEAK OR GIVE EVIDENCE AT THE MEETING.

Special Area Forum Conference for Birkenhead, Tranmere, Rock Ferry, Bidston, Claughton, Oxton and Prenton - this will be held at the Lauries Centre on 5 January 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Special Area Forum Conference for Heswall, Pensby, Thingwall, Bebington, Clatterbridge, Bromborough and Eastham - this will be held at Hulme Hall on 6 January 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Special Area Forum Conference for West Wirral (Hoylake and Meols, West Kirby and Thurstaston), Greasby, Frankby, Irby, Upton and Woodchurch – this will be held at West Kirby Concourse on 7 January 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Special Area Forum Conference for Leasowe, Moreton and Saughall Massie, New Brighton, Wallasey, Liscard and Seacombe – this will be held at the Floral Pavilion on 8 January 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Please feel free to contact the Council, your Councillors and MP with any queries you have, they are there to serve YOU!

Subject:
05-09-2006 :
Peel unveil plans for £4.5 billion "Wirral Waters" scheme .
What about The Pacific Road Theatre ?

Date: 3 December 2008 12:52:43 GMT

To: [email protected]

For the Attention of : A Tennant .

I don't think that this is in the interests of Peel from a PR viewpoint and I think you as a Corporation need to be made aware, as if ... you need to be , which I doubt , of the fact the lunatics are running the asylum that is the MB of Wirral Council .

This venue should be central to the vision of Wirral Waters ..it is a listed building of limited use for any purpose other than the one it has now. As is true of many of the other proposed closures !

Encs. is the link to just one of the protest sites.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40793707133&ref=mf

The content below is the main info page.

The site has added 500 members in 3 days since launched and is growing exponentially .

The Arts community both on the Wirral & in Liverpool is starting to get motivated .

It's all over the Local papers and Radio ...as you will be aware.

The Artists who have appeared since the announcement are bemused, angry and prepared to back us.

What has surprised me is the proportion of youngsters, about 75% of the membership ,are around 6th form age and furious. And may become politcalised as a result of this; They are the generation Peel are ( speculating ) hoping, expecting and banking on, to become the future employers, employees & residents of Wirral Waters ??

In light of the Peel Corporate's statement on the Brochure that "Peel are at the heart of the community" I would ask John Whittaker or Robert Hough and Mike Butterworth to either get involved or issue a statement refuting and allaying the suspicions that a deal has already been done by Peel & the MB of W, with regards to the Pacific Road site and its future use's.

Which if Peel do respond ...I undertake to publish in full on the site without alteration.

Sincerely
Tim Tapling

facebook group: 'Save Pacific Road': admin & creator .

It will be interesting to see if they do respond to this email. The curse of Peel Holdings strikes again