Although it is possible to forward pre-notified questions to the Constituency Manager questions will also be taken at the meeting, via the Chair.

Members and members of the public in attendance raised the following questions/comments.

Question 1

A Member asked why updates on Police issues and activities and on Fire and Rescue Service issues and activities had not been included on the agenda.  He informed that he considered that the Police and Fire and Rescue Service representatives should be sitting at the table with Members and not with the public.

Question 2

A representative of Wirral 3Ls (Leisure, Laughter & Learning for the (mainly) over-50s) who operated out of Bebington Civic Centre asked why his organisation had not been consulted on a proposal to take the Civic Suite out of use and convert it into office space for Council Offices attached to the Wirral South Constituency Committee.  Wirral 3Ls used the facility six days a week.  He now understood that this was now unlikely to happen but sought assurances that the Civic Suite was not now intended to be used for this purpose.

The Assistant Chief Executive was in attendance at the meeting and confirmed that the proposal would not be proceeding.  He apologised for the way Wirral 3Ls had found out about the proposal and explained that it had been the result of a misunderstanding between officers which had now been rectified. 

Eventually there would be a number of Neighbourhood staff working in the local community but for now they would remain at Wallasey Town Hall.  The three buildings (Mayer Hall, Pennant House and the Clock Tower) at the centre of the Bebington conservation area would not be disposed of by the Council.  It was noted that improvements to these buildings were needed.

A Member thanked Wirral 3Ls for the wonderful job it did in the Civic Centre.  He also thanked the ‘Friends’ Group who looked after the three buildings mentioned above and informed that there may be funding available to access from English Heritage for improvement works.  English Heritage had highlighted Wirral’s Conservation Strategy as an example of good practice in its recent Newsletter.

Question 3

Mr Johnson asked why this meeting was being held on the same evening as the Police’s ‘Have Your Say’ meeting which meant he had been denied the opportunity to attend both.

Ross Meredith, the Neighbourhood Inspector based at Bromborough, informed that in future there would not be any more meeting clashes.  The Police and the Council would co-ordinate their meeting Calendars.

Inspector Meredith also informed that the Police meeting scheduled for this evening was not a ‘Have Your Say’ meeting but an opportunity to meet the local Police Constable at his Police Surgery.

Question 4

Mr Boyd was concerned about the possible Committee co-optees.  He asked that careful consideration be given to how co-options were made.  He considered that a too involved process could put people off applying.

Question 5

Mr Wright (Heswall Together) enquired about the progress of the ‘Love Wirral Grants’.

The Constituency Manager reported that the Love Wirral grants were not administered by the Committee.  The funding was a set amount administered by the Council.  The funding had not yet been signed off by the Leader of the Council.  Applicants who were successful would receive a letter from the Council’s Communications Team, informing them of this and the date when they could expect the grant to be in their bank accounts.  Also, a list of the successful applicants would be published on the Council’s website in due course.

Question 6

£1.3m was being spent by the Council on roads, grass verges and pavements.  Could some of it not be used to provide car parking spaces.

There were massive cost implications in respect of this as sometimes the drainage had to be altered.  It was estimated that to put in a pull in would cost over £50,000.

Members noted that when streets had been built there had been no expectations that in the future people would have cars.  They had not been designed for vehicle use.  It was often difficult for emergency vehicles to gain access and people were put at risk as a consequence.

Question 7

Representations were made that ward Members had been invited to a meeting on 25 February 2014 to discuss issues relating to the bedroom tax.  They had not attended and had not sent their apologies.

In January 2014 the Government had announced that bedroom tax cuts to housing benefit should not have been applied to some people. The loophole applied to people who had been claiming housing benefit continuously for the same home since 1 January 1996.  All the money cut from their housing benefit from 1 April 2013 to 2 March 2014 should be refunded into their rent accounts.  The Council would need to contact people about this if it checked its records and agreed a mistake had been made.  What progress had the Council made with this?

The issue related to people who may qualify for a refund.  The Council was undertaking some research to identify people but it had incomplete records, it was a complex process and people were being encouraged to come forward and let Officers know if they considered that they were entitled to a refund.  The Council was in the process of making refunds.

The Chair apologised for Members not attending the meeting on 25 February 2014.  It had not been possible because they had been attending the Budget Council meeting which had been held on the same evening.