• Merseyside Police/Community Safety
• Fire Service
• NHS Foundation Trust
• Primary Care Trust

NHS Foundation Trust – Jo Goodfellow

Jo noted that she had no particular issues to raise but would welcome any comments or questions from the forum.

A member of the public advised the forum that it is the 60^th Anniversary of Clatterbridge hospital and that a display has been erected at the hospital.  Forum attendees were urged to visit the hospital to see the display or to pick up a form made available at the forum if they are interested in becoming a member.

The chair asked Carole Thomas if her question regarding mixed wards at the last Area Forum meeting had been resolved to her satisfaction, to which Carole replied that it hadn’t.  Jo Goodfellow responded further to say that they are looking to develop more single sex wards and are trying to secure funding for 50% more rooms but that this is a huge investment and will need to be done gradually over time.  She added that separate plans are being developed for children’s and maternity wards, but that these are not yet ready for consultation.  An update will be forwarded to Michelle Gray for discussion at the next meeting.

Q. Joe Lee commented that he had spent 1 ½ hours trying to park at Arrowe Park hospital and members of the public noted that they had experienced similar problems.

A. Jo Goodfellow had not been aware of the problem and resolved to obtain full details after the meeting and to discuss the matter with the Director of Facilities. 

Q. Member of Public – what is the current position on respite care and what will future provision be?

A. Tina Long – work is progressing to provide better support for carers and to work with those in the Council and the Mental Health Trust to consider care for those with dementia.  Work is also progressing to assess the availability of places for carers to go for a break from providing care and to fill any gaps within this. 

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service – Tony Mooney

Tony Mooney drew forum attendees attention to a note he had placed on seats giving details of current fire and safety campaigns.  He outlined details of the Winter Warm campaign where electric blankets are being tested and replaced free of charge where they are found to be unsafe.  He also gave details of the Bonfire Night campaign and previous years’ success, noting that this year the campaign has been extended to schools and problematic areas such as allotments, and a more targeted approach has been taken.  The Fire & Rescue service are also working with retailers to clarify the terms of the relevant licensing legislation and regulations and to ensure enforcement.  The Fire & Rescue service are also investigating key areas for nuisance fires and targeting inspection activity accordingly.

Q. Joe Lee – What can be done to reduce the problem of gas bottles being left and causing a hazard?  Can we work with retailers to resolve this?

Q. Diane Ledder – This can be particularly difficult where gas providers have gone out of business.

A.  Tony Mooney – There is no easy answer to this as it is difficult to enforce their return.

Q. Carole Thomas – Where in Wheatland Lane are electric blanket tests being carried out?

A. The Housing Association have arranged the site.  Further details will be passed to Michelle for communication to the Forum.

A member of the public queried the regulations around timescales for return, but Tony Mooney was unable to comment as the timescales are set within the legislation.

Q. Member of Public – Will there be a bonfire in Central Park this year?

A. Chris Jones – There will be a bonfire in Leasowe Park but not in Central Park due to health and safety and due to the costs involved.  Firework displays will be put on across the Borough.

A. Mark Camborne – Locations of firework displays and bonfires will be sought and passed to Michelle Gray for circulation to the Forum. 

A. Michelle Gray – Any attendees who would also like to receive these details should sign the book of attendance so they can be circulated.

A member of the public informed the forum that a function is being organised to recognise the achievements of those involved in the recent World Fire Games.  An invitation was extended to forum attendees to attend the function.

Merseyside Police – Inspector Julie Fletcher

Julie Fletcher drew forum members attention to the closure of a crack-house which highlighted issues previously discussed and was particularly significant as it was an owner-occupied house where sufficient evidence had been secured to prove the supply of drugs on the premises.  The owner has been evicted for 3 months.  Julie reminded all in attendance to pass any evidence regarding drugs supply or anti-social behaviour to police as this is vital to secure closures such as this.

Julie also highlighted successful recoveries of drugs and weapons following information received from the community through Crimestoppers.  She reminded attendees that anyone reporting crime in this way will remain anonymous and that information received will be acted upon.

Julie reported that the Bonfire Night operation had been launched today and that arrangements had been made for extra officers to be out in the Wallasey area.  The police are visiting schools, writing to parents and liaising with retailers to discuss the responsible sale of fireworks and materials used to cause nuisance such as flour and eggs.

Q. A member of the public raised the issue of anti-social behaviour and reported that they had been unhappy with the response they were given when they phoned to complain about anti-social behaviour at their place of work.

A. Julie Fletcher – All calls are graded according to their severity with targets for response times set accordingly.  The person reporting an incident will often get a call back to check that attendance is still required.  As the response provided to this query by email was not considered adequate, a visit will be arranged.

Q. Member of Public – What is the usual response to an incident being reported in terms of obtaining a description of the suspect?

A. Julie Fletcher – The Police staff are advised to just ask for a description, without asking leading questions.

Q. Chris Jones – Was the delivery of services affected for the person issued with an anti-social behaviour order in relation to drugs?

A. Julie Fletcher – The police have no power to permanently evict the homeowner but can restart the process after any subsequent incidents and this can often be a much quicker process. 

Q. Diane Ledder - Did the person own his home or was it mortgaged?

A. Julie Fletcher – His house was mortgaged but the police have no way to take this forward with the mortgage provider.

Q. Diane Ledder informed the forum of good practice employed by Sunderland Police to deal with handbag thefts whereby a bell gives an alert to the incident.

A. Julie Fletcher – This method was used in Birkenhead but hasn’t been extended to Liscard as the issue is not as common.

Q. Fr Leon Ostaszewski – Is it true that Wirral is the lowest area in the country for burglary.

A. Julie Fletcher – It is the second lowest area.Fr Leon Ostaszewski gave credit to the police for this achievement.

Q. Fr Leon Ostaszewski reported parking problems on Wallasey Road near the zig-zag lines and highlighted that this prevents busses passing and presents a hazard with people to have to alight in the street.

A. The police have responsibility for the enforcement of parking rules regarding zig-zag lines and will get someone to investigate this.

A. Chris Jones – Anyone who notices a problem can call 606 2004 to report this and an attendant will be sent to issue a fixed-term penalty notice.

A. Michelle Gray – For those wanting to use Minicom, the number is 0151 697 8481.

A. Carole Thomas confirmed that problems reported are dealt with.

Q. A member of the public raised a similar issue regarding taxis parking on the Wallasey Road junction and informed the forum on behalf of Moseley Avenue residents that a meeting is being held with all concerned parties, including a representative for the taxi drivers and enforcement officers.  He asked whether a representative from Street Scene could join the meeting.

A. Leah Fraser [Chair] informed the forum that this was being looked into by Sergeant Diggins

Q. Denis Knowles – Following the reduction of anti-social behaviour in Central Park due to police and community police safety officers patrolling the area, where do these people now congregate and is it possible to use a section 30 order to control the sale of alcohol to underage people in this area?

A. Julie Fletcher – A meeting is due to take place on Friday to discuss any displacement and where this is occurring.  Evidence is being gathered and considered.  If anyone has information on the sale of alcohol to underage people they should report it to the police.

Adrian Jones congratulated Wirral’s Police OCU on their achievements and reported that rumours of imminent police station closures in the area are not true.  Leah Fraser [Chair] informed the group that she is awaiting an email to confirm this situation.

The chair then thanked Julie Fletcher for both the success and the approachable nature of the police.

Minute Decision: Resolved that: All contributors be thanked for their updates and question responses.