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

The Chair indicated that four public questions had been received from members of the public.

Councillor Pat Cleary in hs capacity as a member of public asked when a report on Mass Transit would be received by councillors and when work was likely to start on any solutions.

In response the Chair noted that a final draft of the Outline Business Case for Phase A of Mass Transit had be completed in July 2023 and was being reviewed by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Once the review was complete, officers intended to bring the report before committee in early 2024. The Chair also noted that work was underway with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Peel Land and Property regarding interim travel solutions to help link Wirral Waters to the existing Merseyrail network.

Councillor Cleary asked a supplementary question seeking assurance that a report on Mass Transit would be delivered to Members no later than February 2024.

The Chair stated that officers would respond to him in writing offering a planned timescale for delivery of this report within ten working days.

Alan Featherstone asked a question regarding the Council’s plans to locate Birkenhead Market traders in the Argos building at the Pyramids shopping centre. He stated that the site would only offer 33 individual units to traders and wanted to know why the Council were considering such a small market for Birkenhead as this would damage market business and other high street traders.

The Chair responded that officers had carried out a high-level feasibility study and had found that the site offered 64 10m x 10m market stalls as well as required back of house storage and facilities.

Mr Featherstone asked a supplementary question regarding a report that he stated was commissioned by the Council from Marketplace Management Ltd which noted that there was a requirement for at least 86 market stalls in Birkenhead. Given this, he wished to know why the Director of Regeneration and Place had commissioned an architect to create a market space within the former Argos site that would only accommodate 64 market stalls.

The Chair stated that a written response would be provided to Mr Featherstone within ten working days.

A question regarding Birkenhead Market and the Council’s plans to move the market from David French was read out by the Lead Principal Lawyer. The  question asked why the Council had not consulted with the market traders on the suggested move to the Argos building.

The Chair noted that that no decision had been made in respect of the market. A feasibility study on the former Argos unit was undertaken to determine if it was of a sufficient size and configuration to accommodate traders before any consultation with traders. He noted that there was no point in engaging with the market traders if the study had found that the site was not an option.

A question from Janice May was read out by the Lead Principal Lawyer. The question stated that Birkenhead Market traders currently pay rent for 100 stalls and that the plan to move to the former Argos site would only be able to accommodate 33 stalls. The question went to ask how the loss of 66 market rents would maximise the rental stream for Wirral Council.

The Chair responded that no decision in respect of the market in in the context of the former Argos unit had been made and that any decision would need to take various matters into account such as sufficiency of size, configuration, accommodation and viability.