Steve Foulkes was in control of the Council when these abuses were carried out and not properly investigated, therefore he must take ultimate responsibility.  He did all he could to prevent and block calls from the Conservative Group for an independent inquiry into Martin Morton’s revelations of abuse of some of our most vulnerable residents and it is only because of the previous Conservative Liberal Democrat administration that these facts and potential criminality have now become known to the rest of us.

Currently the Council is in a state of paralysis, the Labour Administration’s response to this report has been shambolic.  Vital information is still being withheld and two senior officers were allowed to leave with council taxpayers’ money in their pockets the day before the AKA report was made public.

A fresh approach is what is required and to refocus the Council on its true role of providing services to the communities and people of Wirral, so I hope this ‘motion of no confidence’ succeeds.

UPDATE:  The Globe reports here.

The full motion of no confidence is reproduced below:

In accordance with Article 7.3 (iii) (d)

Proposed by Cllr Jeff Green

Seconded by Cllr Lesley Rennie

1) Wirral Council is in crisis:

• We stand publically accused of mismanagement, incompetence, negligence and cover up.
• We have been found guilty of failing to listen or believe Martin Morton and allowing him to be bullied, belittled, browbeaten and driven from a job he loved.
• We have shown ourselves to be incapable or unwilling to apply basic controls on the expenditure of Council Taxpayers money or of being able to provide protection from abuse, compassion & care to some of the most vulnerable members of our society and their families.
• Not one senior officer or politician has been held accountable by the Council for the failings      identified in the AKA Limited report.

2) Council believes the nature of the crisis the Council now finds itself in is so grave, the imminence of collapse so real, that all Members must come together, under fresh leadership, to work together on behalf of our residents & communities, as equals and in genuine partnership.

3) Council resolves:

i) That, In accordance with Article 7.3 (iii) (d) of the Constitution, Cllr Foulkes be removed from the office of Leader of the Council with immediate effect.’

ii) That Council elect a new Leader in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 5B

4) The next Leader of the Council is recommended to:

• Establish an all party ‘emergency Cabinet’ of 4 Conservative, 4 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrat Members to be reviewed at Annual Council 2012
• Provide opportunities for all Council Members to question and share any ideas or concerns they may have
• Review current officer delegations to ensure openness, transparency and effective democratic oversight of decision making.

The Area Forum has representation from many different organisations, including the Council (Streetscene), Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Wirral University Hospital Trust and NHS Wirral and of course your local councillors!

This is an opportunity for you to come along, find out what’s going on in your area, ask questions of the team, air your views or simply have your say!

Hope to see you there.

It was too late for Dorothy Lewis who tragically died of this terrible, distressing disease, after a two year battle, last week.  Dot was the mother of one of my best friends, Cllr Ian Lewis, and I’ve known her for many years.  She was a lovely lady.  RIP.

Yesterday was the start of ‘Be loud, Be Clear Week’ – organised by Beating Bowel Cancer.  Ian is ‘doing his bit’ to raise awareness of this terrible disease (go to his blog to find out more).  In the meantime;

Visit the Be Loud, Be Clear page on the Beating Bowel Cancer website or the page on the Department for Health site.  Next Monday also sees the start of the Government’s first-ever national advertising campaign on bowel cancer.

All Saints Church

Good news!  All Saints C of E Church in Hose Side Road has been saved  from a developer and the bulldozer and will not be turned into offices or flats.

The Church has been bought by the Jubilee Church Wirral (subject to final legal checks). The Wirral based Evangelical group having been looking for new premises for some time and hope to be moving in there by the summer.

I’ve been to All Saints many times and I know parishioners and local people were worried about the possibility of redevelopment so I’m delighted that it will stay as a place of worship – it’s a fabulous building and very much part of the community.

All Saints Church was designed by the same architect who created Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral – read more HERE.

During his 12 months as Leader of the Council, one of the first acts of Cllr Jeff Green was to commission the independent investigation, led by Anna Klonowski, to report into the way in which Wirral’s vulnerable adults were cared for.

Today, despite a long delay, the full report has finally been published.

You can read Cllr Green’s comments in full here - I think his final paragraph sums it up:

‘What is clear is that Foulkes and his administration were asleep at the wheel, politicising all our attempts to highlight the appalling treatment of some of the most vulnerable people in our society’.

and…

‘We saw Martin Morton bullied, belittled and browbeaten…….now the whole Borough can see how the Council has treated its staff and the people it was supposed to be caring for’.

I have met Martin Morton a couple of times and have been impressed by his honesty and integrity.  I’m delighted that he has been vindicated – again.

• Belvidere Road (from Kingsway  to Britannia Road) – £30,874 on the road surface
• Hose Side Road – £18,662 on the road surface
• Wallasey Village (from Stonehouse Road to School Lane) – £60,000 resurface road
• Cromer Drive – £13,392 on the road surface
• Southbourne Road – £5,424 on the road surface
• Longacre Close – £7,344 on the road surface
• Tancred Road – £6,408 on the road surface
• Beaufort Drive – £9,600 on the road surface (which I have complained about before)
• Broadway Avenue – £16,848  on the road surface

There is still around £20,000 for road and pavement repairs in Wallasey and a meeting is planned for the end of the month to agree how this should be spent.  If you know of any roads or pavements that could do with some attention, let me know.

Between 1st November and 31st March, the payment is made for every seven days that the temperature locally is below freezing, or forecast to be.  The payment is made automatically to pensioners receiving Pension Credit, along with people receiving Income Support and with a disabled child or child under five.

To check if the local temperature qualifies for the Cold Weather Payment, click here

The Cold Weather Payment is on top of the Winter Fuel Payment of £200 (or £300 if over 80).

You should call 101 for damage to property, theft, minor traffic collisions, suspect criminal behaviour/ anti social behaviour, your car has been stolen, your property damaged and minor traffic collisions.  Calls cost 15p, regardless of duration and this applies to landlines and mobile calls.   For more information about the new service go to www.police.uk/101

In the case of emergencies, please continue to use the 999 service for crimes in progress, danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened.

The awards, which are all to be sponsored by local businesses, will be presented to the winners at a prestigious gala awards dinner at Thornton Hall Hotel on the 24th February 2012, with the overall winner taking home a brand new iPad2.

There are nine awards categories:

• Great Sporting Achievement
• Contribution to the Arts
• Overcoming Illness/Disability
• Courage & Bravery
• Enterprise
• Educational Achievement
• Community Action
• Inspirational Volunteer
• Young Carer

The closing date for nominations is the 31st January 2012 and the high profile Gala Awards Dinner will take place on the 24th February 2012 at Thornton Hall Hotel. Nominees must be between 11 and 19 years old on the 24th February 2012.

With parents outside St George's Primary School on Claremount Road

Improving safety on Wirral’s roads for children should be a priority for the council.  Road safety around our local schools is an important and ongoing issue.  So when I was contacted by parents who were concerned about speeding traffic along Claremount Road and badly parked cars near to St George’s Primary School, making it unsafe for children to walk to and from school, I decided to ask the Council for a full Road Safety Review of the area.

I’ve collected a large petition of signatures of parents and local people who are all keen for action.  The petition was presented at full Council on Monday night – the Council now have a legal obligation to carry out a full review.

Last year, the Conservative-led Council approved a £1.1 million programme over four years to broaden the introduction of 20mph speed limits on residential roads and near schools across Wirral.  But despite the money being available right now, not a single residential 20mph scheme has been introduced since Labour were elected to run the Council this year.

Apparently they’re waiting for ‘detailed guidance’ from the Government about the implementation of 20mph zones.

How detailed does it have to be?  what about residential roads near to our schools for starters?