• Amendments

On page 3 of the report should read John Drew.

• Play Builder

The allocated Play Builder amount for Central Park is £50,000 for play area improvements. The development of the year 2 Playbuilder has been put on hold. The Play Builder grant has been de-ring fenced, and a final decision as to how much grant  Wirral will be allocated to complete the year 2 programme has yet to be announced by the government.

We now have £16,000 from Playbuilder to spend on improvements at Central Park. The original allocation of funding for Playbuilder was reduced as part of the Government’s Spending Review and we have looked to use that money to do some work on all of the play areas included in the programme rather than reduce the number of sites. Although I commented on the bandstand issue I have no “ownership” of this and do not know who it belongs to at the present time. More particularly I commented on the fact that it was not a functioning bandstand but a shelter that looked like a bandstand!

Q: David Hanlon, Central Park, we had Roger Calvert here last time, since then, the football dressing rooms are in a state.

A: Cllr Adrian Jones, Money is available for Football Pitches, this will be raised with Roger Calvert. (response received 7^th April 2011):

• The money that is available for football pitches is for improving the pitches particularly the drainage. The Council has however made funding available over the next two years for pavilions and park buildings and currently a condition survey is being undertaken to help decide what work is required. All Park buildings are now the responsibility of Asset Management in the Department of Law, HR and Asset Management who will be doing the work. Dave Hanlon may however have been referring to the cleanliness of the pavilion which I will bring to the attention of our staff who do the cleaning if there is a problem.

Q: Diane Ledder I was astonished to read in the paper that the Council had found £50k to do the shops up.  We were wondering if it was the same £50k put aside ring fenced for the park.  I have raised this at every meeting.  It best not be the play fund money as it was specifically ring fenced to deal with the park.

Q: Cllr Adrian Jones, Liscard Hall is no longer with us but when it was there were many meetings about this and £50k was set aside and they want to know if that is the same money.

Q: Diane Ledder they said they could not find it for the park and now they have!

A: David Ball it is different money, it comes from a grant from central funds.

Comment: Carole Thomas needs to be clarified as it is confusing.

(response received from Roger Calvert 7^th April 2011):

• The money for the shops will not be from this funding as the money for Playbuilder is from Central Government.  Wirral are spending the full reduced allocation on the play areas originally identified as part of the initiative; however this has led to a reduction to the individual schemes – this accounts for the reduction at Central Park from £50 to £16K.  

Q: Could you explain Wirral’s Community budget policy via strategic procedures, who they are and how it works?

A: Cllr Adrian Jones, a Chief Officer will have to research and report on it. 

A: Mark Smith I will certainly take that back with me and report back to you.

• The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed as a true and accurate record.