Notice of question to be given by 12 noon on Wednesday, 15 March 2023 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer (via the online form here: Public Question Form) and to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 10.

For more information on how your personal information will be used, please see this link: Document Data Protection Protocol

Please telephone the Committee Services Officer if you have not received an acknowledgement of your question by the deadline for submission.

The Civic Mayor informed the Council that six public questions had been received.

Mark Skillicorn asked the Leader of the Council, Councillor Janette Williamson, what the government’s reasons or motivations were for pausing Wirral’s completed Local Plan hearing to hear Leverhulme’s appeals first.

In response Councillor Williamson noted that she could not know what the government’s motivations were but that Wirral was in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate who had chosen the dates of the Leverhulme appeals.

Julienne McGeough asked a question to the Leader of the Council regarding trains not stopping at Green Lane and requested an update on any progress in getting trains to stop there.

Councillor Janette Williamson stated that she was continuing to make representations to the Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, around the services to Green Lane station.

Charlotte Smith asked a question to the Leader of the Council regarding access to Hoylake Beach for disabled people.

The Leader thanked Charlotte Smith for her question and asked Councillor Liz Grey as Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee to respond. Councillor Liz Grey stated that Charlotte Smith had asked similar questions on access at a number of Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committees where the answer to the question had previously been provided.

Charlotte Smith then ask a supplementary question on whether an equality impact assessment would be undertaken regarding access to Hoylake Beach. Councillor Liz Grey responded that any final beach management plan would include an equality impact assessment.

Neil Smith asked a question of the Leader of the Council regarding acting positively for the people of Wirral, particularly those affected by the West Kirby Flood Wall and Hoylake beach.

Councillor Janette Williamson stated that officers have been working closely with the businesses of West Kirby to alleviate concerns regarding lack of parking provision due to the construction of the Flood Wall. With regard to Hoylake beach, she noted that the Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee, Liz Grey, had been advocating for a compromise on how the beach was to be managed and had asked officers to develop further options as part of the desire to reach a compromise.

Neil Smith asked a supplementary question on what image Hoylake beach would give to the world when it was shown on television during the Open Golf tournament. Councillor Williamson noted that there were as many people that supported leaving Hoylake beach alone as there were that want it cleared of vegetation.

The Monitoring Officer read out a question on behalf of Nicola Verkade to the Leader of the Council which related to public consultation on Hoylake beach and the council not meeting its deadline to present its findings on Phase one and two of the consultations.

Councillor Janette Williamson explained that work undertaken to determine the Natural Capital Value under 2 extreme climate change scenarios took longer than programmed. The options put forward for Phase 2 at Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee in November 2022 were not approved, leading to further work to develop alternative options.

The Monitoring Officer read out a question on behalf of Frank McArdle to the Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee asking her to defend taking part in an alleged illegal mass gathering on Hoylake shore in 2022.

Councillor Liz Grey responded that the event was in no way illegal as the beach was a public space and none of the attendees had damaged any protected habitat.