Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

Members are reminded that they should also declare, pursuant to paragraph 18 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, whether they are subject to a party whip in connection with any item(s) to be considered and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of the whipping arrangement.

Members were asked whether they had personal or prejudicial interests in connection with the item on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state what they were.

Members were reminded that they should also declare, pursuant to paragraph18 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedures Rules, whether they were subject to a party whip in connection with the item to be considered and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of the of the whipping arrangement.

Councillors Fraser, Mitchell and Sullivan declared personal interests by virtue of them being friends of libraries.

Councillor S Williams declared a personal interest by virtue of him being a Board Member of the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority.

Councillor Stapleton declared a personal interest by virtue of her being a member of the Birkenhead Park Advisory Committee.

Councillor Mitchell declared a personal interest by virtue of him being a School Governor of two Wirral schools.

The report of the Chief Executive in relation to the What Really Matters Stage 2 Consultation, to be considered by the Cabinet on 7 February 2012, is attached.

The Committee is requested to give consideration to the consultation feedback in relation to matters which fall within its remit

Further to minutes 29 (6 November 2012), 40 (5 December 2012) and 44 (16 January 2013), the Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive upon the outcome of the What Really Matters Stage 2 Consultation, which had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 7 February 2013 (minute 184 refers).

The comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement had been undertaken to inform the development of the Council’s Corporate and Financial Plan for 2013-2016 and further to inform the decision making process surrounding significant budget savings. The Cabinet had noted the consultation process and implementation described within the report, and thanked Wirral residents, staff and other stakeholders for their input. Cabinet had also noted the detailed consultation findings in relation to each budget option as contained within Appendices 1, 2 and 3.

The Council’s Senior Policy Manager gave a brief presentation on the consultation findings and provided information in relation to targeted engagement and the methodology for the geographic and demographic analysis that had been undertaken. Key messages were that the Council should protect the vulnerable, retain responsibility for quality and look to raise income and eliminate waste. The Chief Executive had responded personally to all direct communication from members of staff and a team was in place to ensure Equality Impact Assessments, continued engagement and consultation and to show due regard to concerns raised.

Individual views were expressed by Members in relation to the general analysis of consultation responses received. This included queries were raised regarding the 2.7% response rate. Members were assured that this had been the furthest reaching consultation that Wirral Council had ever conducted.

A Member sought details regarding clarification on the costs involved with the consultation and also requested a breakdown of responses for each ward. The Committee were assured that this information would be circulated to each Committee Member following the meeting.

A Member queried equality issues and was referred to section 3.0 of the report whereby it was suggested that Black and Minority Ethnic groups were well represented within the sample.

Officers were thanked and commended by the members of the Committee for all work conducted on the What Really Matters consultation.

The Committee was requested to give consideration to the consultation feedback in relation to the following specific items, which fell within its remit and the Chair proposed that individual views expressed by Members could form the basis of feedback to Budget Cabinet –

1. Libraries

There were a number of options within this area, including further merging of libraries and One Stop Shops, the reduction of opening hours, particulalty around Christmas and New Year, and the increased number of volunteers in the running of facilities.

Members expressed their support for the use of volunteers but queried the training facilities available for such staff on computer equipment. The Committee was assured that training would be provided to those concerned

2. Car Parking

The Committee considered the proposal to standardise car parking charges across the borough and reduce the ‘all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.