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But that is not what is going to happen, there will be yet another empire built up, all these concepts are usually politicians looking after their own advancement. Look at the PCC, the original concept was a small department and now we have THIS (which I'm sure is incomplete).

Of course we are not one economic entity, only in the same sense that the whole world is. We need jobs on the Wirral, we need facilities on the Wirral, we shouldn't have to cross the Mersey, it is a natural border. If we combine, anything national and international will go to Liverpool and we will be proffered the dregs. Wirral has lost its docks and its national railway, Liverpool has docks, airport and national railway, guess where the national/international businesses will be targeted.

You only have to look at Wigan and Leigh or Manchester and Salford to see how well these joint authorities work.



I didn't see the Hamilton Quarter being designed as competition against Liverpool, its intention was the refocussing of Birkenhead but with the demise of Woodside it was pointless. Liverpool also have had more than their fair share of wastes, look at the Garden Festival site.

They have asked yet again for the Government to eliminate the loan. The Government is offering that the LCR will have control over the tunnel fares.



Virtually all buses to/from Woodside would pass one side or the other of the shopping centre, it worked exceedingly well in the past.

There is nothing at Woodside to attract people in sufficient numbers to justify a major bus terminal there. It is practically deserted most of the time.

It would be better to use the land for something else, although I can't imagine what apart from multi storey car parking for the Station for commuters and shoppers to get to and from Liverpool. A new bridge or tunnel to the station would probably be needed even then.

Attempts to attract businesses into the area have been a huge failure, and I find it quite depressing to walk through it.

The idea behind it all is that transferring responsibility - and funding, from London to the northern cities will stimulate economic regeneration. That, for example, if decisions about infrastructure investment in the north are made in the north rather than in London than the outcome is likely to be better. One statistic that is quoted is that seven times as much is spent on transport infrastructure in London as in the north and that devolving decision making to the north will change that. Of course devolving decision making won’t of itself significantly change anything unless additional funding is provided. The judgement the northern cities have made is that, on balance, it is worth signing up to the government plan because it establishes the principle of devolving decision making and although there is little extra money now they can make the case for more in the future.

Whatever people think of the idea, it isn’t primarily about Wirral’s relationship with Liverpool but the economic regeneration of the big northern conurbations, based around Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. Although, to those who don’t like the idea of being associated with Liverpool, I would simply point out that the economic growth of the Wirral is inextricably linked to that of Liverpool

All very fine in theory Bob - the reality is so often something completely different.

Absolutely correct, but the funding is being cut, this is transferring responsibility of those cuts away from London so the government doesn't get the blame.

We have MP's elected to represent these regions, what is the point of having another shadow representation? The point is to get the blame away from MP's who are part of government.

Additionally all the career politicians in local councils are given an even greater career path so many of them like yet another level of administration - same goes for the (already overpaid) local government officials.

£30m "extra" funding a year won't even touch the cuts that will go on at the same time. When the business rates are devolved they will have to be put up by the regional authority and yet again this will not be blamed on the government.

This is blame management at its worst, the government not taking responsibility for its own actions.

Anyone who remembers the bus terminal at Woodside would strongly disagree with you. Ferries, trains and buses a complete transport hub - but of course the ferries have been removed as a main form of transport and parking has been severely restricted to make sure things are less viable.



Woodside business park seems to be doing extremely well.

I remember Woodside when the ferries were well used, but those days have long gone. The Woodside hotel has gone, and the Pier Hotel has remained empty since it was extensively refurbished several decades ago, along with the retail units next door to it and the office block in which it now sits. It was probably all done at council expense. There is still nothing to attract people there at all.

I would say the business park is surviving, but whether it is doing well or not is hard to say. There doesn't seem a lot of footfall there either. Perhaps the area needs a retail park, but attracting shops to the area would be a huge struggle.

Certainly planning has failed the whole area, despite the money spent on the daft 'Hamilton Quarter' thing.

Quite correct but at the same time the Government has not forced this on anyone. Liverpool want it and asked for it.

They have forced it, the financial penalties of not becoming part of a regional authority are huge.

My mistake. What are the financial penalties ?

I actually thought everyone was 'up for' devolution'

Far from it, in 2004 there were going to be 3 referendums, the first one went against regional assemblies (77.9% against) and it was clear the others were going to do the same so the government cancelled the referendums.

The financial penalties are at least in part the loss of grants if you don't have a metro-Mayer. I'm sure I read about a more direct penalty as well (basically a straight fine) .... trying to find the reference.

Phil Davies was 100% against the metro-Mayer concept and had to do a very embarrassing U-turn when the implications were spelt out to him.

An example of what is happening is with Greater Manchester Regional Authority.

The NHS funding is in a mess (£1.6b in arrears in 6 months) - so the government have devolved Health and Social Care to the Greater Manchester Authority. From now on, all the changes due to money shortage will be blamed on the authority.

The only real hope that the authority can make the books balance is by centralising all the Health and Social Care facilities - great for Manchester itself but the outlying areas will lose facilities.

So when the Liverpool Regional Authority have to sort out this sort of mess, Wirral will probably be left with one accident and emergency department (as now) but almost all other hospital facilities will disappear.

Never mind how good a regional authority is, it can't create better when there is a huge shortage of money. Osborne is desperately needing at least another £6b pounds even allowing for the recently negotiated cuts - the money isn't going to appear on trees.

The amalgamation of hospital specialist services has been in the process for years now. Liverpool Centre of Excellence for Health. Most have or will be divided up between us and Liverpool,for example the Cancer Centre to Liverpool, the stroke unit to Chester, and this process was first proposed in the early/ mid 2000's by the Labour Government. It has progressed from then. The reason; so that they don't have to pay for specialist consultants in every hospital. Unite the departments across the region and it saves on staff and facilities. That isn't new and as most of the womens' problems also have to go across to Liverpool Woman's hospital now, that is another specialist centre. Councillor McDowell (I think) had a fair bit to do with it. Liverpool got masses of money for that purpose.
Unfortunately, in 2013 the prestigious Centre Of Excellence status for the Cancer Research Centre in Liverpool failed to be renewed. Liverpool failed to meet the criteria and therefore failed to get the funding that all other cities did.
Who is answerable ? They need to get their fingers out of their own backsides , and realise that once they have these prestigious awards and the money that goes with it, they need to keep their eye on the ball.
Liverpool waste money after money after money, then blame everyone else. They'll have Wirral's share too and Phil Davies will bat on hoping to become Mayor and saying all the right things in all the right places. We will end up with fewer jobs in the area as Liverpool will be amalgamated with us on the job front too ,and as has happened before, when it started back in 2007. A slow but similar decisive programme which we now hear about, but has been in the pipeline for yonks. Don't be fooled.

A big question is what deal was struck with Joe Anderson when his nose was put out of joint on the formation of Liverpool City Region.

I believe the Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy may well have her sights on metro-Mayer as well. She laid her path down for further things when she stood down as MP in 2010 knowing she would probably become PCC in 2012.

May be wrong but wasn't that something to do with him not attending , for one reason or another ?

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