To receive questions and answers on these reports in accordance with Standing Orders 10(2)(a) and 11.

The Mayor introduced the Wirral Plan Annual report and Overview and Scrutiny Annual report and invited questions to Cabinet Members on the report.

Councillor Mike Sullivan asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, regarding a community wealth building strategy. Councillor Williamson responded that this was a new approach to regeneration framed around co-operative values, self-help, participation, social responsibility and democratic accountability. It was a place based approach enabling local people to create and retain wealth and help local anchor institutions spend within the local supply chain wherever possible, keeping wealth within the community. Members of the Cabinet had visited Preston City Council where it was in operation.

Councillor Chris Blakeley asked a question of Councillor Phil Davies, Leader of the Council, on the projected increase in income from fines from the proposed Dog Control Public Space Protection Orders. Councillor Davies agreed that he would supply an answer in writing to this question. Councillor Blakeley then asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources on how the budget gap of £250,000 would be filled now that the Leader had decided to drop his plan for car parking charges at coastal locations. Councillor Williamson responded that the Cabinet were looking at alternatives to fill this gap in the budget.

Councillor Chris Carubia asked a question of Councillor George Davies, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, on new build homes and where new home owners originate from and if enough affordable homes and house types were being built for local residents. Councillor Davies responded that with regard to affordable housing schemes it was known from the housing register and allocations system that the majority of people who moved into new schemes were local people of Wirral. The Council had never commissioned a report to ascertain where people in new private developments had moved from as unfortunately there was no requirement for developers to provide this information to the authority. Keepmoat Homes had been able to advise the Council that houses had been bought by local people in the borough and also the local areas of Claughton, Birkenhead etc. In terms of local need and affordable housing, Councils had to undertake a Strategic Housing Market Assessment which set out the broad needs and objectives for new housing including the tenure and property types, including affordable homes.

Councillor Chris Carubia then asked a question of Councillor Angela Davies, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth, on the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort project. In response Councillor Davies commented that the Council was aware of the resignations from Branded Hotel Management but this did not create concerns as people resigned from Directorships for a number of reasons and the companies cited were continuing to perform their roles within the project. The Council would continue to do its due diligence at all stages of the Golf Resort Project.

Councillor Lesley Rennie asked a question of Councillor Phil Davies, Leader of the Council, regarding the proposed introduction of Public Space Protection Orders for dogs. Councillor Davies responded that the Council was still in the middle of a consultation period until 15 July on the proposal and this process would have to play out. He would be listening carefully to residents and had received a number of representations. He condemned those irresponsible dog owners and also people who littered the borough. He would like to have more resources but the Government had cut £250m from the Council’s budget since 2010. Lord Porter, Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association had, just last week at the LGA Annual Conference, stated that the Government needed to put £8 billion into Local Authorities by 2023 just to stand still.

Councillor Pat Cleary asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding work being done to make sure Wirral reached its 50 per cent target of recycling all waste. Councillor Patrick acknowledged the difficult times caused by austerity and the need to educate people as to what they could and could not recycle. Any ideas as to how recycling rates could be increased would be very welcome.

Councillor Pat Cleary then asked a question of Councillor Angela Davies, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth, on what specific commitments had been given to the Growth Company partner as to the amount of time it would take to process relevant planning applications. Councillor Davies agreed that she would supply an answer in writing to this question.

Councillor Andrew Hodson asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding the proposed dog control Public Space Protection Orders. Councillor Patrick responded that the consultation was still ongoing until 15 July but it was not acceptable for people to allow their dogs to foul in any area and he welcomed a proposed increase in fines from £50 to £100 for those irresponsible owners who allowed their dogs to foul in any area. Parts of the proposals have had complete support from lots of people and many interesting responses so far to the consultation.

In respect of £80m held in reserves and loans to other Councils, Councillor Janette Williamson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, responded that loans to other Councils were good financial practice which Councils all over the country undertook and it was important that the Council maximised its cash flow with £300,000 in interest being generated a year and that she would be happy to receive any ideas on how monies could be generated.

Councillor Paul Hayes asked a question of Councillor Stuart Whittingham, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, regarding the length of time it had taken for the bridge between Wallasey and Birkenhead to be replaced and whether any financial penalties had been imposed and would he take political responsibility for this and resign. Councillor Whittingham responded no.

Councillor Stuart Kelly asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding the modernisation of waste collection. Councillor Patrick responded that there was no deviation from the previous plan and that he was looking at best practice across each authority in the City Region and across the country and he would welcome any ideas to improve waste collection and recycling.

Councillor Stuart Kelly then asked a question of Councillor Phil Davies, Leader of the Council, on Wirral Together and review of Constituency Committees. Councillor Davies responded that he would be bringing more proposals forward in the autumn on Wirral Together which was a partnership with residents and other key agencies in the public and private sector. It was based on a Wigan Council model and the need to be honest and open with residents over the funding constraints which the Council had, having lost 40 per cent of its funding in the last 8 years. With regard to Constituency Committees one size did not fit all and there were some which worked well and others not so well so there could be no uniform model and individual views across all four constituencies would need to be taken account of.

Councillor David Elderton asked a question of Councillor Angela Davies, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth, on how commitments could be made to drive significant progress on major development projects such as Hoylake Golf Resort before any viability assessments had been published. Councillor Davies responded that the commitment was to make sure the Council did have these feasibility studies, after which it would then become a planning matter.

Councillor David Burgess-Joyce asked a question of Councillor Bernie Mooney, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, regarding making Wirral an, ‘employer of choice for social workers’ and how many ‘heads had rolled’ following the resignation of her predecessor and the Director of Children’s Services last year. Councillor Mooney responded that Wirral did want to have the best social workers providing an environment where they felt safe to work, supported properly with a proper management structure; some agency staff had already transferred to permanent employment with the Council. With regard to staff leaving the Council she stated that this information was already available.

Councillor Allan Brame asked a question of Councillor Stuart Whittingham, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, regarding the restoration of a bus service through Oxton Village. Councillor Whittingham responded that Avon’s No. 90 service was withdrawn from 22 April 2018 as part of their own review of services rather than being due to the full area Network Review. As part of the changes made in April, services 90 and 92 were withdrawn, and service 91 was revised to incorporate sections of these routes, but did not include Oxton Village. Residents in the area were all within Merseytravel’s policy guideline of being 400m from a bus service. It was acknowledged that the gradients were steep and following representations from local councillors Avon were asked if it was possible to divert the new 91 into Oxton Village. They looked into the possibility in detail, but determined that it was not possible due to the additional time required in the timetable. To include Oxton Village would have required either an additional vehicle (at a cost of £100,000 per year) or the omittance of a section of route which would have been left outside of the 400m buffer. There was no proposed replacement bus service for Oxton Village, however both Merseytravel and Avon were aware of the issues and would give them due consideration should circumstances alter in the future.

Councillor Jeff Green asked a question of Councillor Phill Brightmore, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Recreation, on whether anymore consultants would be commissioned to undertake leisure reviews and whether monies spent up to now on reports had been wasted. Councillor Brightmore responded that it was not his intention to commission anymore consultants’ reports and all reports commissioned up to this point formed part of an important evidence base for the leisure review which would soon conclude.

Councillor Bruce Berry asked a question of Councillor Bernie Mooney, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, regarding a new Government £1,000 bursary for care leavers to undertake an apprenticeship and what the Children’s Department was doing to make care leaver’s aware of this. Councillor Mooney responded that she would check with Children’s Services staff and supply a written response. Agreement had been reached with Biffa to provide 10 apprenticeships a year for care leavers.

Councillor Cherry Povall asked a question of Councillor Bernie Mooney, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, on whether the Council’s review of school provision would include giving school children on Wirral the opportunity to attend the new University of Liverpool Mathematics School. Councillor Mooney responded that she would provide a written response to the question.

Councillor Andrew Gardner asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, on how much advertising revenue was received from external organisations for advertisements placed in the Wirral View publication. Councillor Williamson responded that she would provide a written response.

Councillor Steve Williams asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding his predecessor’s plans for food waste recycling bins. Councillor Patrick responded that there were no plans for food waste recycling.

Councillor Wendy Clements asked a question of Councillor Chris Jones, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health, on whether the Council had been given any indicative figures for the share that Wirral NHS would get from the additional £20 billion announced by the Government for the NHS. Councillor Jones responded that she would provide a written response.

Councillor Kathy Hodson asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, regarding whether the Council would be applying for a share of the £7.5m fund to improve digital services for local authorities announced by the Government. Councillor Williamson responded that she would provide a written response.

Councillor Gerry Ellis asked a question of Councillor Angela Davies, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth, regarding the Hoylake Golf Resort. Councillor Davies responded that the consultants on the project were being funded by the company, not the Council and once the outcome of these reports was known the matter would then be a planning decision.

Councillor Julie McManus asked a question of Councillor Paul Stuart, Cabinet Member for Law and Order, regarding the development of phase two of the Safer Wirral Hub and how it would respond to the needs of residents particularly concerning anti-social behaviour. Councillor Stuart responded that anti-social behaviour still blighted some areas, including the issues with scrambler bikes, and he would be working with officers to seek greater integration and to consider aligning services with a responsibility to enforce and regulate across the borough into the Safer Wirral Hub. He was keen to see more proactive work in preventing the borough’s citizens from becoming offenders in the first place and phase two would build on the current model offering a single unit for professionals and residents to contact to resolve anti- social behaviour issues.

Councillor Ian Lewis asked a question of Councillor Paul Stuart, Cabinet Member for Law and Order, regarding rough sleeping and homelessness and whether it should fall within his portfolio which risked criminalising people who had done nothing wrong but be homeless and would this not sit better within the Housing and Planning portfolio. Councillor Stuart responded that Cabinet Members worked together and this was not about criminalising homeless people as his portfolio cut across most other portfolios and he was happy for this to sit within his brief.

Councillor Paul Doughty asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding the need for all political groups to come together and face up to the issue of the need in the future to collect food waste, as was happening across all Welsh Councils. Councillor Patrick responded that he was keen for the Council to be forward thinking with regard to recycling but there were currently no plans to recycle food waste.

At the conclusion of questions an amendment was moved in respect of the Wirral Plan 2020 Annual Report as follows:

Proposed by Councillor Phil Gilchrist, seconded by Councillor Dave Mitchell

“Council notes that the Foreword to the Annual Report refers to the original purpose of the Report as giving....."open, honest appraisals" of the Council’s "progress".

The document  states "We’re also continuing to get the basics right " (page 4), an impression that is not shared by the public who are able to see, first hand, daily, the weeds and potholes and neglected appearance of their communities.

The key performance indicators referred to in the 2017 MORI survey of Wirral’s residents referenced some decline in the satisfaction with local government but clearly stated that …

"Although Wirral’s drop in key measures follows the national trend, it should be noted that, across the board, performance indicators are significantly lower compared to its peers."( Ipsos MORI North, page 11)

The Liberal Democrat Group’s concern over ‘getting the basics right’ was reported in the Wirral Globe on 21 February 2018 (page 30).

The Annual Report for 2016/17 (page 25) promised that in 2017/18.....

".....we will redouble our efforts to improve the public realm....."

The current Annual Report also states.....

"we will redouble our efforts to improve the public realm....." (page 35)

What has doubled is the size of the documentation, from 28 to 56 pages, when residents look for practical action rather than words.

The belated recognition of the need to tackle the state of Wirral is welcome, as set out in the priorities of the 2018/19 Delivery Plan (page 3). The general thrust of the policies and concerns as set out is worthy. It should be noted, though, that:

(i).  the need to place Children’s Services on a ‘solid’  foundation flows from failings that were not recognised in the 2016 Annual Report;

(ii).  the 2017 Annual Report declared that the Leader was confident that residents would, as a result of the Growth Company, see "spades in the ground" .."within the next twelve months";

(iii).  the Major Project on "Stronger and more sustainable services" assures Council that the administration will "find the most appropriate, sustainable model to deliver parks, leisure libraries and cultural services".

It is a year since pre-decision scrutiny was promised at the Call In held on 19 June 2017. There was substantial expenditure on consultants' reports which were only made public after repeated requests.

(iv).  the Key Project ‘Keep Wirral Moving’ refers to the investment in "improving" potholes. Council is anxious that the new in-house arrangements will tackle this issue. The public simply want the potholes mended with a common sense logical approach.

(v).  the Major Project "creating jobs driving regeneration" refers to the Celtic Manor Golf Resort. Council places on record that it remains sceptical over this project and calls for the publication of all exempt material relating to it.

Council fully understands the uncertain financial climate under which the Council is operating. References to the removal of the Revenue Support Grant and the removal of ‘core’ grant reinforce the need to work with the Local Government Association to establish a respected and fairer grant funding system. The ‘Major Project’ does not refer to the consultation undertaken by the Secretary of State on the new funding formula. Council remains anxious that every opportunity should be taken to secure replacement funding.”

Following speeches by movers and seconders and Councillor Phil Davies having replied, the amendment was put and lost (25:36) (One abstention).

The motion was put and carried (36:25) (One abstention).

Resolved – (36:25) (One abstention) – That the Wirral Plan 2020 Annual Report 2017/18, be noted.

The Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2017/18 was then considered by the Council and it was moved by Councillor Mike Sullivan, seconded by Councillor Anita Leech and –

Resolved (61:0) (One abstention) – That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2017/18, be noted.