Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Wallasey Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Pat Philips 0151 691 8488 or Ann Beauchamp 0151 691 8608 

Items
No. Item

20.

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 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 such declarations were made.

21.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies had been received from Councillors Ron Abbey, Pat Hackett, Ian Lewis, Tom Usher and Janet Williamson.

22.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 103 KB

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 26 September, 2018 and the special meeting held on 12 December, 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved – That the minutes of the Wallasey Constituency Committee meetings held on 26 September, 2018 and the special meeting held on 12 December, 2018 be approved.

23.

Public Question Time

Minutes:

The Constituency Manager informed the Committee that no Public Questions had been received on-line.

 

The Chair asked for questions from a member of the public who raised the question of why the Council had recently purchased a cinema when it had a housing waiting list and why there was a need was Wirral’s Council Tax being used to pay for a Metro Mayor.  The member of the public also wished to complain about fly tipping outside the New Brighton Community Centre as no action had been taken following complaints.  He also questioned the merits of high salaries paid to Wirral Council Directors at a time when the Council was supposed to be cutting costs.

 

The Chair of the Constituency Committee informed the member of the public that the resident could leave his contact details following the meeting and his concerns would be responded to.  Councillor Anita Leech, Cabinet Member for Environment, indicated that she would meet with the resident following the meeting and take up the issue of fly tipping. 

 

The Chair then asked for questions from Rev. Father Leon Ostaszewski who commented that at previous meetings he had raised questions on the future of Wirral libraries, and he was now assured that this was being addressed.  Rev. Father Leon Ostaszewskithen listed roads in the Wallasey that had poor surfaces which needed to be looked at, including Valkyrie Road, Seaview Road, Belvidere Road and Lyndhurst Road. He also indicated that the steep steps leading to Lymington Road from Breck Road, Wallasey were poorly lit as two street lights were out of action.  He concluded by asking if there were any updates that could be provided on the future of the former St John’s CE Church in Liscard Road. Rev Father Leon Ostaszewski also asked if there could be occasional meetings to bring up any concerns.  The Chair indicated that the matters raised would be picked up by the Constituency Manager for action.

24.

WALLASEY 'LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE' FUND (2018/19) pdf icon PDF 168 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Constituency Manager introduced a report of the Director of Strategy and Partnerships that provided an update on the Wallasey ‘Love where you live’ Fund.  Appendix 1 to the report contained the WLWYL Fund 2018 -19 Summary and Scoring and Appendix 2 to the report contained the WLWYL Fund 2018 -19 Ranking and Recommendations for Funding.

 

Further to Wallasey Constituency Committee on 26 September 2018 (minute 14 refers), Wallasey ‘Love Where You Live’ Fund had been launched on 3 October 2018. This small grants programme had invited applications for no more than £500 from voluntary, community and faith sector groups to make environmental improvements to any outdoor areas to which the general public had access.  £18,000 had been set aside by the Committee for this Fund.

 

The Wallasey Constituency Manager informed the Committee that the Fund had closed for applications at noon on Monday 3 December 2018 and 17 bids had been received, seeking a total of £8,442.54.  The recommended awarding of grants would leave £9,557.46 from this Fund as an uncommitted underspend.  Councillor Anita Leech provided details of a late bid which would be eligible and scored well and asked the Committee for approval as any underspend would not be carried over.  A member of the public requested that any available funding be spent on starting a fishing club at Central Park, Wallasey and informed Members that he had spent 2 months as a volunteer cleaning the debris from the lake area and he had been informed there was no funding for improvement to this neglected area of the Borough. On behalf of the Committee the Chair thanked the member of the public for all the work he had done and indicated that she would speak to Darran Marquiss, (Wallasey Park, Allotment & Countryside Manager) about this matter and would meet with the member of the public following this Constituency Committee meeting.

 

Resolved – That the recommendations for funding in Appendix 2 of the report be approved, plus the late bid by Leasowe Community Allotments for the sum of £491.36.

 

 

 

25.

Wallasey Constituency Committee Budget and Spend - Final Report pdf icon PDF 256 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

 

The Wallasey Constituency Committee Manager introduced a report of the Corporate Director of Strategy & Partnerships that provided Members with an update on the Constituency Committee’s completed projects and spend, concluding the Wallasey Constituency Committee’s operation.  The report provided details of the 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 spend.  The report also set out details of the Problem Solving Fund and informed the Committee that at Wallasey Constituency Committee on 28 September 2018 (minute 13 refers) spend from the Fund had been noted which had left a balance of £7,368.78.  The report identified spend that had been agreed from the Problem Solving Fund and there was now £4,600 remaining. The Constituency Manager informed members that they would be contacted by email at the beginning of April with an update as to any further spend from the Problem Solving Fund up until the end of March 2019.  Appendix 1 to the report set out the status of Integrated Transport Block Capital Fund and Transport Plan for Growth Schemes. Members would also be updated on the issue of tacking food poverty as the procurement process was now being undertaken and the bids received would soon be scored.  A member questioned the underspend relating to improvements to road safety and maintenance and asked if the Constituency Committee could utilise the underspend identified.  The Constituency Manager informed members that this could not be done before the end of this financial year however the core budget underspend could be added to the Problem Solving Fund.

 

Members then discussed proposals for areas requiring spend including more bins for the Harrison Drive area of New Brighton, more wheeled bins on the promenade to be located at access points and anchorage points for bins to address the potential of the occurrence of a serious accident; more open bins to be replaced by lidded bins and dropped kerbs throughout the Borough and in particular in the Moreton area.  Councillor Anita Leech, Cabinet Member for Environment suggested that requests for bins be sent to her and then be collated and she reported that there would be a bin audit in the new financial year.  The Constituency Manager reported that spend from the Problem Solving Fund would be agreed on a first come first served basis until the money was used up.

 

Resolved – That;

 

1  the report be noted.

2  the outstanding sum for the core budget underspend be moved to the Problem Solving Fund.

 

 

 

 

26.

Getting the Basics Right - Implementing A New Model for Community Engagement pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Minutes:

The Constituency Manager introduced a report of the Director of Governance and Assurance (Monitoring Officer) which informed the Committee that following agreement at Council on 10 December 2018, endorsing the recommendation by Cabinet on 26 November 2018, a new model of community engagement commencing in the municipal year 2019/2020 would be implemented.  Appendix A to the report provided Ward Member Budget Allocations, Appendix B provided Guidance on Ward Member Budgets, Appendix C provided a copy of the ward Member Budget Application Form and Appendix D provided details of Officer Support by Ward.

 

The report set out the distribution of funding across wards, according to a weighting based upon 75% per head of population, 15% deprivation, 5% under 5 years population and 5% over 75 years population (as set out in Appendix A to the report), and allocations in respect of each Ward Member. The report set out the governance arrangements for the process of applications for Ward Member budget funding and annual review and evaluation and provided Member support arrangements to aid ward councillors.

 

In accordance with the recommendations approved by Council the deletion of the provisions of the Constitution relating to Constituency Committees determined that this meeting be the final convergence of the Constituency Committee.  The Constituency Manager suggested therefore that Members may also wish to consider arrangements for collaborative working outside of formal governance conditions. Members welcomed the new approach and sought clarity on how matters would be raised in areas such as Moreton which had no traders’ group or residents’ group to identify issues and priorities.  The Constituency Manager confirmed that it would be acceptable for the Ward Councillor to make requests for funding based on their local knowledge and area intelligence that would be shared with them in due course.

 

Resolved – That the process and criteria as set out in the appendices attached to the report and the necessary officer delegations to administer the Ward Member budgets be noted.

 

 

27.

VOTE OF THANKS

Minutes:

Councillor Tony Jones thanked the Constituency Manager and officers for all the work that they had done and thanked Councillor Bernie Mooney who had Chaired the Wallasey Constituency Committee. The Chair and Committee members endorsed the thanks to the officers. Thanks were also offered to Rev Father Leon Ostaszewski and members of the public for their interest and the Chair also noted that work would continue.  Members also offered special thanks to the officers, including Michelle Gray, Constituency Engagement Officer, who worked hard behind the scenes.