With the by-election only 13 days away, we’re having a major ’campaigning weekend’, lots of delivering and door-to-door surveys on behalf of our candidate Steve Williams - as well as the usual four nights a week canvassing and mass deliveries every Saturday! So I was up early and in Moreton for 7.30am with the rest of the action team to help deliver our latest leaflet. It seems we may bump into other candidates over the weekend……
Straight from delivering I attended a residents meetings with Cllr Chris Blakeley at the Grange Recreation Centre behind the Grange Pub. Local people have been experiencing a number of problems particularly with underage drinking, gangs of youths hanging around and lack of maintence to trees and shrubs.
The Centre will now be added to the Council’s maintenance programme each Monday morning to clean up after the weekend and they have agreed to carry out extra pruning of shrubs. The Brooke Residents Association, formed a number of years ago will feed information directly to the Police. We will also be contacting the Moreton’s local police inspector so that the Centre can be added to their ‘hotspot’ list.
Steve Leigh, headteacher at Lingham Primary in Moreton insisted on taking my photo when I told him it was over 35 years since I’d eaten a school dinner! Although you cant see lunch it was curry and rice with carrots and potato wedges and for dessert a piece of flapjack – I declined the custard, my memories of school custard aren’t nice, although I’m sure it’s improved since then!
Lingham Primary is part of the Healthy Schools Programme and is organised by primary teacher, Sue Scregg – Sue and I go back a long way, her father was the vicar of St Luke’s in Poulton and she and I attended Sunday School together. The Programme aims to help children understand they can make a choice over what they eat, through education. They hold regular events during the school year with emphasis on fitness and food.
At last, it looks like someone in the Town Hall will wake up and smell the coffee. A report by a consultant into the decline of visits to the Borough’s main shopping centres tells the Council they should do something to help. Traders and shopkeepers around the Borough, not least in Liscard, have been appealing for help from this Council ever since the recession began.
At a time when so many people are feeling the pinch, it’s a pity it took a consultant to tell the Council that they should do something to help. A couple of months ago, I presented a petition to the Council calling for exactly what this report is now recommending; a period of free parking. Shoppers throughout Wirral will now be able to park for free in certain car parks every Thursday in December. But it’s not just the Christmas period that businesses and small shops need help and support, why not continue with this parking concession into the New Year?
My concern now is to make sure that whatever the Council does propose, it benefits Liscard as well as Birkenhead.
Steve Williams, Cllr Chris Blakeley and I went to Moreton Community Centre to meet everyone at the Lunch Club. It was good to see Jim Edwards again, but this time he was on the door making sure everyone paid! He ran the lunch club for many years and it’s success is down to him, although Mike Griffiths who has taken over running the Centre along with Moreton Community Centre Association is doing a great job and numbers have increased, with 25 or more attending three times a week.
We stayed for lunch and chatted to Mike about his future plans for the Centre, which include entertainment for the Lunch Club. Afterwards I chatted to Les and Bill, who are Lunch Club regulars; they like to get out and about and enjoy the food and the company.
Tony, John, Simon, Leah, Chris, Alex, Steve Williams and Wendy
Last night we were out in Wallasey knocking on doors and asking the views of residents on local and national issues, but tonight eight of us were out in Moreton, calling on people living on Millhouse Lane and roads off. It was bitterly cold again but we got a warm reception with many pledging their support to Steve Williams on Thursday 26 November.
Sarah's Gran, Sarah, Julie, Leah, Joan Coxon, Ellie and Sarah's mum
I was back at the ‘Belvie Centre’ again today. I last visited the Centre in September when I presented Certificates of Achievement to students. Children from local schools attend including those with disabilities but they all get together after school for fun and games. The Centre also runs courses in the summer as well as day trips, walks and a bbq.
But once a month, ‘Julie does lunch’, it was very busy with the youngest there Sarah who was 8 months old (Wyatt is one this month) and the oldest was, old enough! Julie had spent all morning preparing a wonderful buffet, it was great to meet both Joan and Julie again – a really enjoyable afternoon – thank you.
We’ll be back…
It was bitterly cold last night but the Action Team were out knocking on doors of residents living in roads off Mount Road in Wallasey, we like to hear your views. We received a warm welcome – and thank you to all those who opened their door to us.
Thanks to Tony, Karen, James, Simon and Marg for coming out and a special thanks to Ian who managed to fit in a meeting and still come out to knock on doors!
The Cabinet approved plans that will see Wirral MBC sponsor the Liverpool City Council stand at the World Expo in Shanghai for £18,000 with a further £10,000 to send some senior Council officers to the Expo for a week.
This is a slap in the face for the thousands of people struggling with the recession. To spend £28,000 on a jolly to Shanghai while at the same time lecturing the rest of the Borough on the need for cuts to services shows how out of touch the current administration has become.
It’s utter madness for Wirral to sponsor the stand of Liverpool City Council – the Town Hall bosses in Liverpool clearly saw our lot coming and must be rubbing their hands with glee at this early Christmas windfall.
It’s worth remembering that the money being spent on this trip to China could hve been used to save our lollipop ladies. Schmoozing in Shanghai is, it seems, more important than road safety around our schools.
This morning I attended the Remembrance Service at the War Memorial in New Brighton with my ward colleagues Cllr Karen Hayes and Cllr James Keeley as well as the Wallasey, New Brighton and Seacombe Councillors. The service was conducted by the Reverend Frank Cain, Vicar of St James’ Church. I was honoured to lay the wreath on behalf of Wallasey Conservatives. The service was very well attended despite the weather and the frequent downpours.
Afterwards we went to the British Legion in Withens Lane, Liscard and waited for the Parade of memebers of the Wallasey Branch of the Royal British Legion along with the cadets from the Navy, Airforce and Army to arrive back.
Taken from the Conservative Party’s Blue Blog - Why the Poppy Appeal Matters.
Steve Williams, Mary Connolly, Leah Fraser, Beryl Jones and the Mayor, Cllr Andrew Hodson
I attended the ‘Grand Switch On’ of the Moreton Christmas lights earlier this evening along with Steve Williams, Cllr Chris Blakeley, Cllr Simon Mountney and Cllr Ian Lewis. The Mayor of Wirral, Cllr Andrew Hodson officially switched on the lights and luckily the rain kept off long enough and everything went according to plan.
Before the Mayor arrived everyone was entertained at the Coach and Horses pub by Bob and his disco and some real Christmas rocking songs by local group ‘Insanity Beach’. Afterwards the Mayor drew the raffle and everyone tucked into the buffet. Thanks also the Ben, Manager of the pub.
Beryl Jones is the Chair of Moreton Community Lights Association and originally campaigned for Christmas lights to come back to Moreton over five years ago. Since then she and her team have raised funds, organised the lights and the switchon. Sadly, this is Beryl’s last year organising the event - she’ll be missed.
