New suggested policies…
I have just been chewing over a few issues and come up with these as near misses…
The ones that did not make it include :-
Rubbing noses of dog owners who don’t pick up their dogs “Newcastle” of the street!
Making bar owners clean the surrounding area of their premises by 7 am next morning to remove broken glass and human waste products from the surrounding area.
Taxi drivers who can’t get their license renewed due to delays by the Town Hall should be compensated by the Council for loss of eranings. Similarly if you need a license or a permit and the Coucil staff cause unessesary delay why should your project or business suffer!!!
LibDem Councillors should be excluded from pointing at street signs on camera, if a member of their party has been released a document containing future street works in the appropiate wards in the weeks preceeding to the works being carried out!
Just a few more to show I am thinking about 2010 that actually mean something!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Penalty Charge Notice is issued to any council vehilce parked in contravention of Parking Regulations which is issued during the use of a Council Officer or Member, the Officer or Member have to pay the PCN not the driver.
Any shop that sells chewing gum; which costs the Council many thousands of pounds to remove; are charged £10,000 per till in their shop to sell chewing gum within the Borough.
Any beauty spot such as Arrowe Country Park or West Kirby prom, which attract many hundreds of visitors on a weekend or a Bank Holiday has its public bins emptied every day; before the refuse overflows not leave it a week till the general collection.
Areas of Green Belt Land; such as Arrowe Country Park; are fought tooth and nail to protect and for those individuals lodgeing appeals against Council decisions they should face the full cost of the Council cost at appeal!
McDonalds™ and every national fast food firm should spend twice as much in every Council in the country cleaning up each Borough as it does nationally in funding to take people like Stephen Hesford MP away on jollies to places such as the FIFA World Cup!
Five to go on with…. many more to follow roll on 2010!!!
PS… anyone heard who is standing as PPC in Wirral We… sorry I meant standing in North West England for the European elections obviously!
May 8, 2008 at 8:17 pm
John, have you ever suspected that the reason they didn’t close any of the post offices in Wirral West was because it is a swing seat?
Another suggestion for a policy would be to introduce “ministerial accountability” to the Council, and extend it to the council officals, so that if their department severely cocks up (wonder which department that could be?) then they take responsibility and resign. Crazy, I know!
May 12, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Dave,
The Post Office closure program is ongoing; Association of Sub post masters said over the weekend they suspect that another 3,000 are to go.
The reason that we in Wirral West escaped was that Esther McVey would not let it drop.
We worked for almost a year to stop any of ours shutting.
Check out the story below from last year… obviously after fighting the Council seat my hair has a lot more grey in it than then!
http://esther2009.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/keep-our-post-offices-open/
Remember which local MPs voted for the closure programme ….. and then cried foul! When their local one was shut!
As for your responsibility policy well….that is just a plainly stupid and idiotic idea I am afraid!
We would be in a situation where a Principal Officer would be leaving their post every week!!!
Then who would do all that hard work sending out the press releases showing Wirral as top (out of 5) in recycling on Merseyside and pulling the story about us being so low in the main league !
Just think of the increased advertising spend in the Municipal Journal we are saving too!!
May 14, 2008 at 9:09 am
Good point John, I obviously meant to say that the Conservatives did put up a good fight which would have influenced the decision, as well as the fact that Hesford has a tiny majority.
With regards to Wirral Council’s recent press releases; I was quite dismayed to see the recent “Wirral top for recycling” headline” firstly because as you say, Wirral is only top out of of the 5 Merseyside councils (which isn’t saying much) and secondly because it was released very close to the local elections - is there not a rule against that? It suggested to me that certain council officers were hoping the current administration would continue. As it happens, it won’t! Thank goodness. From what is being said, it seems that Jeff Green may well be making a few changes to council policy and some of the unelected officers. Not before time. Hopefully you will get elected in the not too distant future John and get the council sorted out!