Agenda and minutes

Venue: St Mary’s Parish Church, 2 Church Road, Upton, Wirral CH49 6JZ

Contact: Patrick Sebastian 0151 691 8424 

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Chair

Appointment of Chair of the Wirral West Constituency Committee, 2018/19 Municipal Year.

 

Minutes:

The Committee Services Officer to the Committee invited nominations for the appointment of the Chair.

 

On a motion moved by Councillor Gerry Ellis and seconded by Councillor Mike Sullivan, it was –

 

Resolved (unanimously) – That Councillor Jeff Green be appointed Chair for the Municipal Year 2018-19.

 

(Councillor Green in the Chair)

2.

Appointment of Vice Chair

Appointment of Vice Chair of the Wirral West Constituency Committee, 2018/19 Municipal Year.

 

Minutes:

On a motion by the Chair and seconded by Councillor Mike Sullivan, it was –

 

Resolved (unanimously) – That Councillor Matthew Patrick be appointed Vice-Chair for the Municipal Year 2017-18.

3.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Phillip Brightmore, David Burgess-Joyce, Kate Cannon, Tony Cox, Tony Smith and Geoffrey Watt.

4.

Members' Code of Conduct - Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

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

 

No declarations were made.

5.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 132 KB

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 15 March 2018.

Minutes:

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 March 2018 be approved as a correct record.

6.

Order of Business

Minutes:

The Chair suggested, and it was agreed that item 8 on the agenda (Community Question Time) be considered after item 5 on the agenda (Minutes) to enable the Assistant Chief Executive to assist in the answering of resident’s questions prior to attending another meeting later that evening.

7.

Community Question Time pdf icon PDF 84 KB

1 hour will be allocated for this item / discussion.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Prior to the taking of questions from members of the public in attendance, the Chair requested a short update from the David Armstrong, Deputy Chief Executive on two matters that had been brought to the attention of the Committee at its previous meeting:

 

Traffic Restrictions on Road/Rail Bridge at Bridge Road, West Kirby.

David Armstrong, Assistant Chief Executive informed the meeting that discussions had taken place with Network Rail who had advised that such works were prioritised and undertaken based upon risk and available resources. Works were assessed nationally and grouped for action in yearly ‘bands’. Network Rail had advised that the Road/Rail Bridge at Bridge Road, West Kirby had been scheduled for the financial year 2020-21 and no funds had been currently committed to the project.

 

Members re-iterated their displeasure with regard to the bridge having been closed / restricted to traffic in one direction only for a period of over 2 years (initial closure was to have been 18 months), and that it would now be a minimum of 3 years before works would be undertaken (should funds be allocated). The Deputy Chief Executive was requested to place whatever pressure was possible onto Network Rail to prioritise and complete the project in the shortest time possible.

 

Bonfires on land in the vicinity of Heron Lane, Meols.

The Deputy Chief Executive informed the meeting that after the matter had been raised at the previous meeting of the Constituency Committee, officers from the Environment Agency had visited the site and the burning of prohibited rubbish had ceased. He was aware that bonfires had taken place that day, but a further visit had confirmed that the items burned were associated with a general site clear up, and were not for commercial gain.

 

QUESTIONS

 

Heron Road, Meols

Mr Barry James, Friends of Heron Road – Meols, informed the Committee of the issues regarding road safety on Heron Road, requesting again that the objectives of Phase 4 of the Improvement Scheme be implemented. He asked that should this not be possible, that a fixed speed camera be installed in the short term. He further informed the meeting that the Friends of Heron Road had written to the Police and Crime Commissioner, and as a result 2 Police Officers had attended with hand-held speed detector devices. He explained that this had obviously had an effect on driver behaviour, but was obviously not a long-term solution. He added that a letter from Mr David Rees, Road Safety Manager had dismissed resident’s claims for a speed camera stating that this was an item of last resort for locations with a poor safety history. Mr James challenged this statement informing the Committee that Heron Road had experienced 7 road closures in 2017, and 3 to date in 2018. He asked what more would demonstrate such a record other than serious or fatal injuries, which is something the residents and friends group were campaigning to help avoid. Mr James requested that David Rees, Road Safety  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Constituency Manager's Progress Report

The Constituency Manager will update Members on matters relating to the Wirral West Constituency area - 10 minutes will be allocated for this item / discussion.

Minutes:

David Armstrong, Assistant Chief Executive provided an update on key achievements in respect of recent projects funded by the Constituency Committee that included:

 

20 community projects funded as part of the Small Grant Big Difference fund (2017-18), 3 projects had been completed so far with a deadline for completion of 24 August 2018:

 

§  Friends of Hoylake and Meols in Bloom – the funding had helped with the updating of a deteriorated flower bed in Meols Parade Gardens adjacent to the Bowling Green. The Friends were currently looking to improve the bed further by installing a driftwood sculpture.

 

§  Greasby Community Association, Green and Blooming Greasby – working in partnership with Ness Botanical Gardens, the Gardens had donated 10 trees to Coronation Park that were particularly suited to the conditions of the park. The funding had helped towards mesh protection and wooden supports for the young trees.

 

§  Pensby Recreation Centre – funding had been used to re-vamp the tired looking land at the entrance to Pensby Recreation Centre. The group had planted trees and plants that will flourish every year.

 

Mr Armstrong further informed the meeting that the Constituency Engagement Officer had worked hard to support the emptying, cleaning and refilling of Hoylake Boating Lake by United Utilities and Amey. United Utilities had agreed to the improvement works free of charge, following a similar project in New Brighton. The issue had been raised by a number of stakeholders including members of the Wirral West Constituency Committee and Hoylake Model Boat Club. There will be an official Mayoral opening of the lake later in the month.

 

The Committee noted how the Constituency Engagement Officer liaises between council departments on behalf of local community groups, and that since the last meeting the engagement team had received 32 problems and so far resolved 22, due to complexities the team also worked to resolve on-going issues.

 

Mr Armstrong informed the Committee of Ward underspend items of note:

 

Upton:

§  Flourish at Ford Way – local community gardening group Flourish at Ford Way with help from Wirral Met College’s Princes Trust team and support from the Wirral West Constituency Team had worked to bring the 2nd Memorial Garden on Hoole in Woodchurch back into use after it fell into disrepair many years ago. The gardens were established to provide a place of reflection for people who have lost loved ones on the estate.

 

West Kirby & Thurstaston and Hoylake & Meols:

§  West Kirby Drop-In – the group had been established to help those with any degree of mental health, providing somewhere to go to be with other people, to be accepted and through interaction with others, be understood. Funding support had been provided to help with running costs for the group.

 

Members noted that the Constituency Engagement Officer had also worked hard to support the Love Where You Live initiative, with local hubs now having equipment on hand for use by litter picking groups. The West Kirby group The High Tidiers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Update from Community Representative

10 minutes will be allocated for this item / discussion.

Minutes:

Ms Jackie Hall, community representative for Hoylake and Meols updated those present that the Hoylake and Meols comprised of 44 community groups who were keen to work with the Council in their volunteering capacity.

 

Ms Hall informed that work had been completed on the Hoylake Model Boating Lake. Following discovery of a crack in the lake, the Council decided to re-surface and seal the lake interior and the application should provide another 10 years of protection. A grand re-opening of the boating lake is being planned for the beginning of July.

 

Ms Hall’s report included information on positive responses from the public and other towns regarding the Christmas Lights in Hoylake this year funded by local businesses and funds raised by the public. Ms Hall explained that it was planned to raise more funds and extend the scheme to include Meols.

 

Members were informed that a ‘Proms in the Park’ had taken place on the 2 June 2018 that had provided a professional, free to members of the public, event. Working in association with The Friends of Hoylake and Meols in Bloom and Melrose Hall, commercial organisation Lomac Productions brought a variety of songs taken from the most popular theatre stage musicals to Queens Park. As part of the event, a Disney Parade took place the following day.

 

Ms Hall concluded her report informing that many local residents and the local groups were incensed by the Council’s proposals to introduce car parking charges on the promenades. She stated that it did not make sense that if the Council Cabinet had made a decision prior to the May Elections, why consult now, and why were residents views not being listened to.

 

Resolved – That Ms Jackie Hall’s report be noted.

10.

Any Other Business

To consider any other items of business that the Chair accepts as being urgent.

Minutes:

There was no other urgent business.