Questions received in advance of the meeting.

Q  From Mr J Durrant about pruning of overhanging trees along Irby Road.

A  [Mark Traynor].  A safety assessment has been made of all trees along roads in Wirral.  Major pruning work has been carried out on major bus routes from the town centre to West Kirby and Wallasey.  There are no plans to undertake pruning work on trees on Irby Road, but the problem will be looked at.

Q  Anti-social behaviour, including young people drinking alcohol and general misdemeanours in the wooded area in Cheverton Close.

Members of the public gave examples of the types of behaviour witnessed by young people who congregate in the sheltered area on the left hand side of the close.  The residents accept that the Police are busy and they do not report incidents.

A  [Inspector Griffiths]  Problems in this area have not been brought to the attention of the Police. He emphasised the need to report all incidents so they can be logged.

He had talked to members of the public before the meeting about the issue of young people drinking cider, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.  Successful prosecutions have been brought against off-licences who supply alcohol to under-age people, and adults who purchase alcohol for children and young people.  The Police work closely with the Licensing Team and test purchases are made by young people.  An off-licence in Greasby has had its licence taken away for seven days after failing three test purchases.  The staff in many off-licences report to the Police where they suspect adults are purchasing alcohol for young people.  The problem is not confined to Woodchurch; it is Wirral-wide and nation-wide. 

A member of the public commended the Police on their fast response to a recent incident in which the culprit had been apprehended.

Questions raised at the meeting

Q  Children are using the bus stop in Ganneys Meadow for drinking purposes, and they have set fire to paper.

Q  There are many problems in the Hoole Road area, and the measures put in place to address these are not working.  People report things but nothing is happening. Perhaps a different strategy needs to be used in Hoole Road. 

A  [Police].  The Police respond to the information they receive from the public.  If they are not told, the Policy cannot do anything.

[Mr Stevenson]:  The Woodchurch Estate is one of the biggest estates in the country, but it does not have a community shop.  A community shop would provide more community cohesion and would help resolve most of the problems concerned with anti-social behaviour in Hoole Road and other areas.

Q  I understand there are problems regarding alcohol-free zones and the actual signage used.  Is it still going ahead for the whole of Wirral?  I would like to know how many tickets have been issued in the Woodchurch area - I suspect that the Woodchurch has the least number of people who have been reprimanded or fined.

A  [Police]  It is proposed that the whole of Wirral will become an alcohol-free area, which means that it will be an offence for anyone to drink in the street.  However, there has to be some discretion.  There is a difference between someone who drinks the odd can in the street and does not cause any problems and someone who is a drunken idiot full of white lightning.  Anyone under the age of 18 who is drinking alcohol would be arrested and referred to the appropriate support service, ie Wirral Alcohol Service or the Youth Service. 

Q  What is the planning and organisation for filling in holes in the roads, especially in Irby?  Is there a contractor going round, or is there no money to do the repairs?

A  [Mark Traynor]:  There is money available and a new contractor has taken over road maintenance for the next eight years.  There have been one or two teething problems but all the potholes marked with white paint will be repaired.

[Cllr. Quinn]:  An independent organisation undertakes an annual assessment of the state of every road in Wirral.  Where the Council is made aware of a dangerous pothole there is a protocol that says it has to be fixed within 24/48 hours. 

Q  Has the Council any control of the bus services on the Woodchurch?  Prior to taking buses off during evenings and weekends, the operator increased the fares substantially for daily fares and day tickets.  Another company now provides the services that were removed, but will not accept day tickets for the return journey.

Q  Next year, who will be accountable and who will take over the assets?  What will the money be spent on?  That money was brought in to enhance the Woodchurch and we were led to believe it was for the residents of the Woodchurch and it would be a shame if people cannot access that.  There is a lot of money being held and it should be set up as a legacy for us.  The money is meant to be spent on enhancing the estate.  There is concern that we will lose that in March.

A  [Cllr George]:I chair the management board, and the board has asked for a report for the next meeting on who funds the assets and who has control.  I will look into the issue.

Q  [Ron Green]:  I have been approached with the following questions, which should be referred to the Primary Care Trust, and expect replies.

The new dental practice in Greasby.  The practice has organised access to the practice from the car park in Coronation Park.  This will enable people to drive their car into the park and enter by the rear entrance to the practice.  That means that during dark evenings in the winter, residents will be going into the car park and as there is no lighting that will be a definite hazard.  The suggestion is that some form of lighting is provided in the car park.

People who have allotments have complained that the car park becomes congested and they cannot drive their vehicles in with trailers. 

The issues need to be addressed by the PCT and answers provided.

A  [Glen Coleman]:  I don’t have an answer to the dental issue.

Q  What is happening at the Warrens, and the idea of a polyclinic etc on the site?

A  [Glen Coleman]:  A great deal of work has been going on between colleagues in the PCT and the Council following the rejection of the original planning application.  An alternative site has been identified alongside the old nursery building and Wirral Council has entered into an agreement with the PCT to lease the land for a Health Centre facility.  It is hoped that planning approval will be given in the very near future for work to start in September.

There will not be a polyclinic on the Warrens site, but there will be a large practice catering for about 14,000 patients, with about eleven GPs.  There is additional space on the site to develop other services, such as Counselling Services, a dual-purpose leg ulcer suite, in addition to the normal community clinics. The plan is to relocate the District Nursing Team from Heswall to the site.  There are no plans to duplicate the clinics and services that are available at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Q  There has been a lot of talk about giving power back to the people etc and the use of buildings by the community when the libraries close.  I have a report here, which is a progress report, and that states power will be devolved back to the people and the community using the library buildings

A  [Cllr. Anderson]:  What we have said is we will devolve power to the people and the community.  The Ombudsman’s public inquiry into the libraries starts tomorrow.  Please go along and ask your questions, and see what local councillors are doing in your name. 

Q  How can people in Woodchurch get to the Floral Pavilion?  There is no transport from this estate.  Things going on this estate will be discussed, but we can’t get there because there is no transport.

Q  I need an answer to these questions this evening.  Jill Harvey, a Woodchurch resident became involved in the Save the Library Fund.  The report says you are looking to an Adult Reading Scheme being set up.  I want to know whether the Beechwood and Woodchurch Library buildings have been saved.

A  [Chair]:  We cannot proceed in any way until the inquiry ends and we have the results.  I have not seen the report you refer to.  I am not sure that this is the place to deal with the library issue.  We are investing £20 million in libraries but we cannot proceed until the inquiry is concluded.  Perhaps you could come back at the next meeting with that issue.

Q  Can I ask the community representative for Greasby if you have set up a Management Committee for the Greasby Community Centre, and have you tried to get information from Wirral Council?  I was told that Heswall Hall cannot get any information from Wirral Council.

A  [Ron Green]:  A number of meetings have been held with Wirral Council staff, two in Bromborough.  Plans were outlined and as a result of those meetings Greasby Community Centre, Westbourne Hall and Hoylake have put a committee together with a proposal that all three work in conjunction with each other and use of the resources of all three.  They are waiting a response from the Council on this proposal.  Over and above that, the community centre in Greasby is used on two evenings by the Youth Club, and the initial proposal was that could merge with Woodchurch, and youths from Greasby could go to Woodchurch, and vice versa.  John Smith, the Chair of the Joint Management Committee for Greasby Community Centre, had made it clear that was not his proposal.  The point was noted. .

Q  The last area forum ran out of time before my question to the PCT could be addressed.  Over the last three weeks, Andy Brannan has been trying to help me make contact with someone in the PCT who can give me answers.

The questions are concerned with the fluoridisation of drinking water in Wirral. and whether there are plans to enforce fluoridisation, but I cannot get a reply from the PCT

Can I ask the PCT representative here tonight to give me contact details of the person I should speak to, and to give a commitment that the question will be answered at the next meeting?

A  [Glen Coleman]:  I apologise publicly that we have not delivered that for you.  I am more than happy to give you my contact details this evening and on hearing from you I will make sure that your query is passed on.

Resolved that:

(i)-Anti-social behaviour, including young people drinking alcohol and general misdemeanours in the wooded area in Cheverton Close.

(ii)-Children are using the bus stop in Ganneys Meadow for drinking purposes, and they have set fire to paper.

(iii)-There are many problems in the Hoole Road area, and the measures put in place to address these are not working.  People report things but nothing is happening. Perhaps a different strategy needs to be used in Hoole Road. 

(iv)-I understand there are problems regarding alcohol-free zones and the actual signage used.  Is it still going ahead for the whole of Wirral?  I would like to know how many tickets have been issued in the Woodchurch area - I suspect that the Woodchurch has the least number of people who have been reprimanded or fined

(v)-Has the Council any control of the bus services on the Woodchurch?  Prior to taking buses off during evenings and weekends, the operator increased the fares substantially for daily fares and day tickets.  Another company now provides the services that were removed, but will not accept day tickets for the return journey

(vi)-Next year, who will be accountable and who will take over the assets?  What will the money be spent on?  That money was brought in to enhance the Woodchurch and we were led to believe it was for the residents of the Woodchurch and it would be a shame if people cannot access that.  There is a lot of money being held and it should be set up as a legacy for us.  The money is meant to be spent on enhancing the estate.  There is concern that we will lose that in March

(vii)-I have been approached with the following questions, which should be referred to the Primary Care Trust, and expect replies.

The new dental practice in Greasby. The practice has organised access to the practice from the car park in Coronation Park.  This will enable people to drive their car into the park and enter by the rear entrance to the practice.  That means that during dark evenings in the winter, residents will be going into the car park and as there is no lighting that will be a definite hazard.  The suggestion is that some form of lighting is provided in the car park.

People who have allotments have complained that the car park becomes congested and they cannot drive their vehicles in with trailers

(viii)- The last area forum ran out of time before my question to the PCT could be addressed.  Over the last three weeks, Andy Brannan has been trying to help me make contact with someone in the PCT who can give me answers.

The questions are concerned with the fluoridisation of drinking water in Wirral and whether there are plans to enforce fluoridisation, but I cannot get a reply from the PCT

Can I ask the PCT representative here tonight to give me contact details of the person I should speak to, and to give a commitment that the question will be answered at the next meeting?