Better facilities and more activities for young people

Here’s a shocking fact: I was young once…skip forward 20 years, ok 25 years, and I’m now looking to see what can be done to improve facilities and provide more activities for young people in Moreton and Leasowe. 

Over the last couple of months, I have been contacted by young people in Leasowe (who want a skate/BMX kind of facility) and by organisations trying to provide activities, in addition to activity at the youth clubs in Moreton and Leasowe.  I recently met with an officer of the Council to see what more could be done in our area.  I know the Youth Hub in Liscard is a fantastic facility but, as I have said before, if you don’t have transport to get there, it’s not much use for people in Leasowe or Moreton. 

So far, I am pleased to report that £3,000 has been awarded to the Leasowe Youth Club for activities that young people have requested. These include cinema trips, Go Karting and Ice skating, all of which which will be delivered as part of a 10 week life skills programme.

However, there is now a further opportunity for a much more intensive range of activity as part of the Government’s new National Citizen Service and, last summer, met with some of the local organisers at the Solar Campus on Leasowe Road.

National Citizen Service will give up to 30,000 16-year-olds around the UK the chance to learn new skills and get involved in their community this year.  The scheme gives school leavers a chance to do something different and challenging while learning new skills, and incorporates two residential stays involving outdoor activities such as mountaineering, canoeing and abseiling.

Locally, Wirral Council’s Positive Futures project and the Sports Development Unit are delivering the scheme for up to 30 15-16 year old Year 11 school leavers.  The project will take place during the summer holidays and runs for three weeks full-time, including two weeks away from home at ‘Oaklands’ in North Wales and Barnstondale Outdoor Education Centre, Wirral.

Following the residential break, a further 30 hours is to be completed on a part-time basis developing and delivering a community-based project. The project will bring together young people from a variety of backgrounds to improve the area where they live, for the benefit of all residents and I’m really keen that young people in Moreton and Leasowe are made aware of this opportunity. 

To find out more, contact Zoe McNee on 0151 637 6438 or 151 637 6043, email: zoemcnee@wirral.gov.uk but be aware that places are limited and the application deadline is the end of May 2012.

Council agrees to some action on Croft Drive

From the first day that I started knocking on doors on homes in Moreton (1989 if you must know!), road safety has been one of the top issues.  In the years’ since, the Council has introduced a variety of measures to either slow the traffic or make it safer for people to cross.  Sadly, however, there is always more to do. 

One of the main problem areas for speeding traffic is Sandbrook Lane and the roads off, such as Croft Drive.  This is used as a short cut by many drivers avoiding Moreton Cross and the high cambre of the road, as well as the bends, make visibility a particular issue.

A few weeks’ ago, I again met with many of the residents in the road and road safety was again a top issue.  Three years ago, I tried to get something done but the Council said there were other roads with worse accident records that were a priority.  After the latest complaints, I contacted the Council again and they have inspected the road again.  This is what I have now been told:

As you are aware Wirral Council has made significant improvements in road safety, reducing the number of road accidents by more than 50% over the last 10 years, largely by prioritising our activities and targeting measures at those places where a reduction in accidents can reasonably be achieved. Despite this improvement, continuing to improve road safety is still a key priority for the Council. 

Although this location has an excellent recorded personal injury accident record site observations reveal that traffic management measures in the form of carriageway markings may help make drivers on Croft Drive aware of the approaching bend.

I will therefore raise an order for my contractor to undertake the measures and request that they are implemented at their earliest convenience.

Good news on taxis in Wirral

As well as my responsibilities as Councillor for Leasowe and Moreton East, I am also a member of the Council’s Licensing Committee.  Soon after I was first elected in 2008, I was contacted by a resident, who is a Hackney (‘Black cab’) driver, concerned about the way in which Wirral was managing the system. 

Virtually anyone, barring criminal convictions, was being allowed to operate a Hackney and many in the trade believed this was not only lowering the incomes of existing drivers but also leading to too many cabs at the various ranks around the Borough, idling their engines.

I was concerned that existing drivers were being hit by rising costs (such as insurance, fuel and maintenance); additional regulation (through the Licensing Committee) but falling incomes (as more drivers meant fewer passaengers per cab).

The Council wasn’t listening to these concerns and continued to allow the numbers of Hackneys to increase.  I suggested to the trade that they firstly show the Committee that it wasn’t one or two drivers having a moan and so a petition was organised, calling for the Council to commission an independent survey (paid for by the drivers, through the fee they pay the Council).

This was then followed by two years of debate at Committee meetings when every possible objection to such a survey was given by officers of the Council.  However, due to the lengthy debate and deiscussion, most councillors agreed that a survey should be commissioned. 

The survey, undertaken by Halcrow, demonstrated that there is no ‘unmet demand’ for Hackneys in Wirral.  Last night, after consulting on the various options, I am really pleased that our persistence paid off and the number of cabs will be limited to 289 (the ‘optimum’ number in the Halcrow report).  This means that additional drivers will only be able to enter the market as others leave and that existing drivers have some stability in their employment.

I’d like to thank the Chairman of the Licensing Committee, Cllr. Bill Davies, for allowing me to speak at virtually every meeting, without limit; Cllr. John Salter for his role while he was on the Committee and, of course, the drivers who have been (fairly) patient with the whole, long-drawn out process.

From now on, there will be a survey every three years to make sure the Council’s licensing of Hackneys is in line with what the market needs, without forcing drivers to work longer and long hours, chasing fewer and fewer customers.

You can read more about this issue on the Council website here

Be Loud, Be Clear on bowel cancer

Today is the start of ‘Be loud, Be Clear Week’ – organised by Beating Bowel Cancer.  Organised to raise awareness of this terrible disease, I will be ‘doing my bit’ with an article in my newsletter being printed this week, inclusion in my email news bulletin (also out this week, after some delay!) and, next week, a letter and leaflet I am posting to several thousand homes in Leasowe and Moreton.  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.

 

Dorothy Lewis (20 January 1933 – 17 January 2012)

At home, surrounded by her loving family, aged 78 years, after a courageous, two year battle with cancer.

A devoted wife to her husband, Stan, throughout their years of wonderful marriage and who will never be forgotten,  and much loved sister to Shirley and Norma.

Mother and friend to her children Lesley, Hilary and Ian and nan to Sophie, Sally, Patrick and Andrew and great-nan to Evie.

With grateful thanks to the staff at Hoylake & Meols Medical Centre, Manor Pharmacy, District Nurses, carers, Wirral Hospice and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Dorothy’s funeral will be held at Landican on Wednesday 1st February, 1pm.  Flowers or, if preferred, donations to Marie Curie Cancer Care or Wirral Hospice.

Enquiries to Co-operative Funeral Care, The Row, Market Street, Hoylake (632 4777).

Update on future of Thornridge and Melrose

A little while ago, I suggested on this website that the communications of Wirral Partnership Homes with councillors and, more important, local residents could be a bit better when it came to large scale developments that alter the character of a neighbourhood.  So, fair enough, I have received this email today which has been sent to all three councillors for Leasowe and Moreton East:

Dear Councillors

We have taken on board comments from Councillor Lewis regarding previous planning applications and would like to invite you to a consultation drop in event WPH are holding on Thursday 19th January 2012 between 3 and 6.30 pm to make local residents aware of our development proposals for the former Melrose/Thornridge site.

Attached is a plan of our current design for the site (more detail will be available on the day) together with a leaflet which will be delivered to surrounding residents over this weekend.

Our proposals are for 30 Nr. 2 bedroom apartments and 22 Nr. 2 bedroom houses all to be let by WPH at Affordable Rents, which are 80% of market rents.

The two tower blocks these properties are to replace are still in situ with some residents still living in the Thornridge block. We are negotiating with the remaining residents over suitable alternative accommodation and once they have been re-housed we will be commencing demolition.

We are hoping to submit a planning application within the next month and start construction later this year.

 

New BBM PIN: 28BFF32B

Now that I have been given a new Blackberry by those nice people at Orange (!), my new Blackberry Messenger PIN is 28BFF32B.  If you live in Moreton or Leasowe (or if I know you anyway!), feel free to add me.  It’s a no-cost, easy way to contact me.  If you don’t have BBM, you can still reach me in any of the ways on the ‘Contact Ian’ page of my website.

My enthusiasm for bowel cancer

Or perhaps that should read ‘my enthusiasm for raising awareness of bowel cancer’. 

I haven’t made any secret of the fact that my mum is suffering from the effects of late diagnosis and all the changes that requires for her and our family.  Mum was an emergency admission two years ago, with acute stomach pain.  The care provided by the Intensive Care Unit at Arrowe Park Hospital without doubt saved her life then.  Regular check ups since have enabled secondary cancer to be treated, as far as possible.  While the care provided now by her GP, the District Nurses, the carers and, lately, Marie Curie has been incredible.

Here in Wirral, the number of people with bowel cancer is higher than the national average.  You can see the figures here.

Bowel cancer is one of those cancers that makes people wince.  People don’t like to talk about this because there is a kind of in-built embarrassment among adults.  What someone does when they go to the bathroom is personal and, in the spirit of Victorian values, must not be discussed.  And that’s where the problem is.

The consequence is that people, particulary older people, turn a blind eye, put the kettle on and ‘hope for the best’ . Days, weeks and months are wasted as problems grow, unchecked and untreated.

The symptoms, and here is the ‘squeemish’ bit’ (please don’t turn away!), include bleeding from the bottom without any obvious reason; a persistent change in bowel habit meaning any unexpected change to your normal habits of going to the toilet; abdominal pain that is constant or which comes and goes; a lump in your tummy especially on the right hand side; unexplained tiredness, dizziness & breathlessness and/or unexpected and unexplained weight loss.

Bowel cancer is now Britain’s second biggest cancer killer but nine out of every 10 cases can be treated successfully if diagnosed and treated early enough. 

So what can we do?  Well, clearly the NHS has a big role:

• The first ever cancer campaign to increase awareness of bowel cancer starts this month.  The ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ awareness ads will aim to make people aware of the early signs of bowel cancer and make it easier for them to discuss this with their GP.
• This follows the decision by the Government to improve cancer services, including more than £25 million that is being made available to help GPs get direct access to additional tests for cancer.  The additional money will mean GPs have access to flexible sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy – to support the diagnosis of bowel cancer.
• The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is now being offered every two years to everyone (registered with a GP) in England aged 60 to 74. People over 75 can request a screening kit by calling the freephone helpline below. The programme should start within a few days of your 60th birthday and continue automatically, provided you are registered with a GP practice and they have an accurate record of your home address and contact details. If you are within the screening age range and have not yet received your first test kit, please contact the national helpline to request one. More information is available from www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk or call 0800 707 60 60.

But individuals, and their family members, also have a really important role to play. Breaking down the ignorance and raising awareness through word of mouth is crucial.   

So what can one local councillor, in one ward, in one council somewhere north of Watford do?  Well, with the help of Beating Bowel Cancer, I will:

• Post around 4,000 leaflets to homes in Leasowe and Moreton at the end of this month to raise awareness of the symptoms and promote early diagnosis
• Include an article on this terrible disease in every newsletter delivered from now on
• Deliver other information to community groups in the neighbourhood

Sorry about the ‘sensational’ headline but I’m enthusiastic for early diagnosis, treatment and survival and if the headline made you read this article, it was worth it because, like me, you now know the symptoms.   

Bowel cancer symptoms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqJq3tWM5lA&list=UUssm2EDfyJiRWjO00L2L3lQ&index=13&feature=plcp

Have you received your compensation from National Grid?

Many residents who had their gas supply cut off last year have now received compensation from National Grid of £25 a day for every day it was off.  This money was a big help with the extra electricity costs of keeping warm.

I had a message on Facebook from a pal in Castleway North to say she hasn’t yet received a payment.  I’ve been in touch with National Grid and received this response:

Residents who have not received a payment as yet may not have provided us with their contact details, therefore payments will be processed to their Gas Supplier.

They can contact the compensation team on the below details to gain more information if required (these details were provided on all correspondence sent to customers): -

Tel: 0845 0700203 option 1

Email: GSOSAdmin@uk.ngrid.com

Address: GSOS Team, Customer Operations, Block 1, Floor 1, National Grid,    Brick Kiln Street, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 0NA

Road and pavements to be repaired in Moreton and Leasowe

One of the most frequent complaints on the doorstep is the condition of some of our pavements and roads. Potholes, uneven flags, loose kerb stones and worn tarmac all present hazards for road users and pedestrians.

I am pleased to report that, even while money is tight as we try to reduce our debts, cash has been found to tackle some of the problems in our community.  The Government has given the Council almost £3 million for repairs and it is planned to spend some of this money locally:

• Daneswell Drive – £17,816 on the road surface
• Gabriel Close (which I have complained about before) – £2,800 road surface
• Glebelands Road – £6,632, also on the road surface which wears quickly due to the volume of traffic
• Livingstone Road – £11,632 on the road surface
• Pine Tree Grove and Pine Tree Close – £16,796 following delays caused by more extensive damage than first realised
• Sandbrook Lane (from Hoylake Road to Croft Drive) – £34,927 on the road surface
• Twickenham Drive (between Wakefield Drive and Castleway North) – £14,904 on the pavements which, again, I have previously asked for.

 There is still around £20,000 for road and pavement repairs in Moreton, Leasowe and Saughall Massie 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.

National Grid preferred route for new power cable through Leasowe Common

National Grid and Scottish Power have, after several months of consultation and deliberations, confirmed that their preferred route for a new power cable is at Leasowe, under the Common.

The snappily-named ‘High Voltage Direct Current’ cable will bring ‘renewable’ power generated in Scotland to England.

Throughout the consultation, residents have made it clear that any disruption must be kept to a minimum and that green spaces, such as Leasowe Common, must suffer no long term damage.

It’s really important that National Grid, and their contractors, work closely with residents and the Friends of the North Wirral Coastal Park, to minimise disruption and to keep everyone informed of progress.