A Really Rotten Borough

Friday 12 February 2010

OMBUDSMAN - Wirral Council "at fault"

The text of a letter from the Local Government Ombudsman to Wirral Council has been made available to this site. Edited to protect the privacy of those concerned, it proposes that the Council send "a suitably senior officer" to apologise in person for the distress caused.

It states that the Ombudsman thinks the Council is at fault on two counts, thus causing "an injustice". Compensation for this has not yet been set, although it is understood that no compensation was sought by the complainant.

Furthermore, the Ombudsman thinks that the complainant "has been put to avoidable time and trouble in pursuing the complaint" The Ombudsman's original suggestion of £200 compensation was increased to £250 due to the Council's tardiness in dealing with the matter. Again it is emphasizes that the complainant did not seek any compensation for this element.

Wirral Council has twenty working days in which to accept the Ombudsman's proposals.

Friday 8 January 2010

Red flag for Wirral - putting flesh on the bones of the previous report

Wirral flags

This assessment sets out how your local public services are working together to tackle the major issues facing the people of Wirral. Where we use a red flag, this is to highlight where something more or different needs to happen to ensure that the most important challenges in Wirral are addressed. Where we use a green flag, this means that public bodies are achieving exceptional outcomes in priority areas, or something innovative, and that others can learn from.

Red flags - significant concerns, action needed

Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults

There are concerns about the Council's safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable adults and its ability to address these concerns.

This is important as it means risks of abuse and neglect are increased. The people who need to be protected include everyone - but especially vulnerable adults. These are people who might need help to live a normal life. They are people with disabilities, people with mental health problems, people who suffer from illness and older people.

The Council receives a high number of referrals each year from organisations such as the police or the NHS and from the public about people who potentially may not be safe. These referrals can relate to both people who live in their own homes and people who live in care homes. The Council has a duty to investigate these concerns. The number completed was low and the Council was unable to show it had taken enough action to ensure that people were protected from harm.

There are other problems. Arrangements to check performance are not developed and the information that they use is not reliable. The level of safeguarding training for care staff working for the council and in services operated by private and voluntary sector organisations is low and this means that abuse may not be recognised or properly dealt with.

What's being done in response

The Council has undertaken a general review of safeguarding and has prepared an action plan.
The Council needs to carry out the plan quickly and make sure that it has the staff and procedures in place to protect the residents of Wirral.

The latest information from the council indicates that some of the actions that the council have been taking are beginning to work. However it is too early to say this has fully addressed the safeguarding issues identified. In early 2010 the inspectorates will undertake detailed work on the latest position and update this assessment.

Friday 18 December 2009

Wirral gets red flag on safeguarding vulnerable adults

A unique report on how well Wirral's public services are performing is released today through the new, independent Oneplace website.

Peter Forrester, Oneplace spokesperson for Wirral said:

'Crime rates have been cut and this is a safe place to live. Anti-social behaviour has reduced but it remains a concern for local people. Waste recycling has increased significantly over the past two years and littering and graffiti is reducing. Educational progress is good for most pupils.'

'Health is improving but there are variations in life expectancy between people in the richest and poorest neighbourhoods. People in the borough are becoming more active and the numbers giving up smoking is increasing. The Council needs to do more to safeguard vulnerable adults to ensure that they are not at risk of abuse and neglect.'

Oneplace provides an independent overview of local public services. It will help people see how well their local services, including councils, police and the NHS, are serving their needs and how well these services are working together to improve an area's quality of life.

The assessment for Wirral is one of 152 covering all areas of England. These assessments combine the views of six independent inspectorates to create a single snapshot of an area. They look at how important local issues, such as crime, affordable housing and people's health, are being tackled - and the prospects for improvement.

As well as telling a story about an area, Oneplace sometimes uses green and red flags: green to indicate exceptional performance or improvement that other public services could learn from: red to signal significant concerns about performance and prospects for improvement where more, or something different, needs to be done.

The Wirral area has a red flag for safeguarding vulnerable adults

The Oneplace website also includes information on what inspectors and other organisations will do next to help local services tackle their red flag issues.

Alongside the area assessment, the Audit Commission has also published its organisational assessments for councils and fire authorities. These assessments feed into the overall area assessment but focus on the performance and value for money of individual public services, as well as how effectively they work together.

In Wirral, this means that:

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council is judged to perform adequately
Merseyside Fire And Rescue Authority is judged to perform well

More detailed assessments of social care, education and police services can be found on the websites of Care Quality Commission (external link), Ofsted (external link) and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (external link).

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Monday 30 November 2009

Tory leader demands Wirral Council administration resigns in wake of libraries report

Wirral Globe by Justin Dunn »

THE leader of Wirral's Conservative group is demanding the resignation of the council's ruling Lib-Lab administration after publication of the Charteris report into the now abandoned plan to close 11 libraries.

In a statement, Cllr Jeff Green said: "The Wirral public know that the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration had been given a copy of the Sue Charteris Library Inquiry report on July 27 and that Wirral Council Officers were subsequently informed on September 29 that the Secretary of State’s decision on the administration’s library closure plan was going to be announced on October 1.

"The public will find it shocking, having now had an opportunity to read Sue Charteris’ report, that following their midnight meeting on September 29 the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration, having created so much distress to Wirral residents including some of our most vulnerable citizens and spent so much of Wirral residents' own council tax on developing and defending the their library closure plan, decided not to accept that through their own failings they had got the biggest decision in Wirral’s history wrong.

"The public will be disgusted that members of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration thought only of themselves and how to protect their own positions, carrying out the biggest political ‘U’ turn in Wirral history and, under the cover of secrecy and then seeking to characterise it as 'decisive leadership'.

"The contrast between the way the ruling Liberal Democrat/Labour administration has behaved over their library closure plan and the professional and inclusive way Sue Charteris conducted her inquiry could not be starker.

"Her report has laid bare the unwillingness of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration to listen to anyone who disagrees with them and the confused and incompetent decision-making process currently in use by council officers and members of the administration.

"The Wirral public will not forgive those council officers or members of the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration who have brought such a stinging repudiation from Sue Charteris, nor will the public forget that Sue Charteris has exposed them for seeking to impose these closures without even considering the needs of local communities, children or the elderly.

"The public of Wirral owe Sue Charteris a huge debt of gratitude, she has exposed the way this administration has treated the Wirral public and how they disregarded the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.

"This coalition has tried to take the public for fools and been exposed for what they are, they have lost any moral authority or any lingering trust of Wirral residents.

"They should just go – and go now."

Liscard Conservative Cllr Leah Fraser said: "This is an explosive report, not only into the disgraceful decision to close our libraries, but also in exposing the shadowy, secretive nature in which this Labour-led council operates.

"The report states that the council's leadership has now understanding of the range of services in libraries nor any kind of plan for the service.

"Nor had the needs of older people or the unemployed, both of whom are key users of the libraries in Wallasey Village and Seacombe, been considered let alone addressed.

"There is now only one honourable course of action for the people who got us into this mess - and that is their resignation."
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Wirral Council would have broken law if libraries had closed

Wirral Globe by Justin Dunn »

WIRRAL Council would have been breaking the law if it had proceeded with its plan to close 11 of the borough's 24 libraries, a Government inspector said today.

The closures were scrapped on September 30 - just two days before the first draft of inspector Sue Charteris' report was originally due to be published.

The ruling Lib-Lab cabinet said they were scrapping the controversial closures because of budgetary needs - any planned savings from library closures this year had been lost due to the length of the inquiry into them.

But it has now emerged that had they proceeded the council would have been in breach of its stautory duties under the 1984 Museums and Libraries Act.

Some key points made in the Charteris report are:

* "The council failed to make an assessment of local needs in respect of its Library Services."

* "I am profoundly concerned at the lack of transparency of this process."

* "The council has not been able to demonstrate that it has had due regard to the general requirements of children. I consider this to be a breach of its statutory duties."

* "I recognise that Wirral MBC, like other authorities across the country, has considerable pressure on service budgets and needs to ensure it is making the best use of its resources both now and in the future. The absence of a strategic plan or a development plan for the service, based on an assessment of need and a contemporaneous review of the service, completely hinders the council being able to describe how its plans will meet the needs of and have due regard for those who live, work and study in Wirral."

* "I believe that the evidence shows that the Council took the decision to close the libraries without having first established the extent and range of library provision it was providing within the buildings, including those which were 'core' to the service and which were ancillary."

* "My assessment is that the Council’s decision to close 11 of its libraries and develop the remaining 13 into integrated Neighbourhood Centres was and remains premature, and risks being a partial response to local need that would disadvantage relatively isolated and deprived communities. I therefore believe there to be a further breach in relation to the needs of deprived communities.

* "I have found that due to the absence of an assessment of needs and a strategic Library Service review, the council has displayed a lack of logic around why some facilities were recommended for closure and not others."

Today, Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said there would be no "decision" made by Secretary of State as Wirral had abandoned the closures.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said "It is clearly no longer appropriate to rule on their [Wirral's]earlier decision.

"Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council are therefore not in breach of their statutory duty."

Miss Hodge's statement says: "Pursuant to his powers under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 (“the Act”), the Secretary of State launched a local inquiry into the library service provided by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (“Wirral MBC”) to gather evidence to test whether Wirral MBC's planned restructuring of that service was consistent with their statutory duty to provide the people of Wirral with a comprehensive and efficient public library service.

"He is satisfied that the Inquiry has been conducted fairly and in accordance with the statutory rules on procedure.

"However, after the report on the Inquiry was received by the Secretary of State, Wirral MBC revoked their plans to restructure their service.

"In these circumstances it is no longer necessary for the Secretary of State to take a view on proposals which have since been dropped.

"There is therefore no finding that Wirral MBC are in breach of their statutory duty.

"The Secretary of State welcomes Wirral MBC’s decision to reconsider plans to restructure their library service.

"We hope that they will take account of the issues raised, alongside the conclusions which emerge from the national libraries review, when considering future decisions.

"In respect of any wider implications of the Inquiry, the Secretary of State confirms that, in accordance with the clear requirements of the Act, local authorities are well placed to understand the needs of their local communities and are responsible for delivering local services relative to those needs.

"The Secretary of State will always wish, where possible, to use ways other than a formal inquiry in exercising his statutory obligations.

"It is, however, an ongoing requirement of all local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Act, and of the Secretary of State to consider intervening where an allegation or question arises that an authority may not have done so.

"The Secretary of State wishes to emphasise the importance of all local authorities, being mindful of the needs of those living, working and studying in the area and of how they are addressing such needs in fulfilling their duty to deliver a comprehensive and efficient service."
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Council was in "breach of statutory duties" over library closures

Wirral News by Liam Murphy on Nov 30, 09 02:02 PM

A DAMNING report by libraries inspector Sue Charteris says Wirral Council was in breach of its statutory duties over its plans to shut 11 out of 24 libraries.

In her report Ms Chareris said: "the Inquiry has found the Council to be in breach of its statutory duties under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, because it failed to make an assessment of local needs in respect of its Library Services".

The council revoked the plans at the end of September - although it was later revealed the authority had been given a draft copy of Ms Charteris report.

In the report, published today, Sue Charteris said: "I am also concerned that although the Act does not specifically cover the role of schools in library provision, the Council has not been able to demonstrate that it has had due regard to the general requirements of children which I consider to be a breach of its statutory duties."

The report, published by the DCMS says "the decision was made without a clear understanding of the extent and range of services currently being provided in the libraries".

In one of the most damning lines, Ms Charteris said the closures could be "better described as an indication of intent rather than a fully worked up plan" said it "risks being a partial response to need that would disadvantage relatively isolated and deprived communities. I therefore believe there to be a further breach in relation to the needs of deprived communities".
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Conservative leader Jeff Green's response to the libraries report

Wirral News by Liam Murphy

The leader of the Conservative opposition group has responded to the libraries report:

Cllr Jeff Green said the "public of Wirral owe Sue Charteris a huge debt of gratitude".

He added: "She has exposed the way this administration has treated the Wirral public and how they disregarded the needs of the most vulnerable in our community."

Cllr Green's comments:

'The Wirral public know that the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration had been given a copy of the Sue Charteris Library Inquiry report on 27th July and that Wirral Council Officers were subsequently informed on 29th September that the Secretary of State's decision on the Administration's Library Closure Plan was going to be announced on the 1st October.

The public will find it shocking, having now had an opportunity to read Sue Charteris' report, that following their midnight meeting on the 29th September the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration, having created so much distress to Wirral residents including some of our most vulnerable citizens and spent so much of Wirral residents own Council Tax on developing and defending the their library closure plan decided not to accept that through their own failings they had got the biggest decision in Wirral's history wrong. The public will be disgusted that members of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration thought only of themselves and how to protect their own positions, carrying out the biggest political 'U' turn in Wirral history and, under the cover of secrecy and then seeking to characterise it as 'Decisive Leadership'.

The contrast between the way the ruling Liberal Democrat/Labour Administration has behaved over their Library Closure Plan and the professional and inclusive way Sue Charteris conducted her Inquiry could not be starker. Her report has laid bare the unwillingness of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration to listen to anyone who disagrees with them and the confused and incompetent decision making process currently in use by Council Officers and members of the administration.

The Wirral public will not forgive those Council Officers or members of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Administration who have brought such a stinging repudiation from Sue Charteris, nor will the public forget that Sue Charteris has exposed them for seeking to impose these closures without even considering the needs of local communities, children or the elderly.

The public of Wirral owe Sue Charteris a huge debt of gratitude, she has exposed the way this administration has treated the Wirral public and how they disregarded the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. This coalition has tried to take the public for fools and been exposed for what they are, they have lost any moral authority or any lingering trust of Wirral residents. They should just go - and go now!!'
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Wednesday 4 November 2009

Commissioning of Independent Investigation - UPDATE

The above FOI request has been updated as follows:

from Natasha Eubank, 2 November 2009:

Not only have you singularly failed to address my query within the specified timeframes for responding, you have demonstrated the most stunning lack of courtesy by failing to offer an apology for the lateness of your response.

As there has been no request for clarification of the points raised in my original query, I can only assume your response is imminent.

From Jane Corrin, 3 November 2009:

Not only have you singularly failed to address my query within the specified timeframes for responding, you have demonstrated the most stunning lack of courtesy by failing to offer an apology for the lateness of your response.

As there has been no request for clarification of the points raised in my original query, I can only assume your response is imminent.

from Natasha Eubank, 4 November 2009:

Not only have you singularly failed to address my query within the specified timeframes for responding, you have demonstrated the most stunning lack of courtesy by failing to offer an apology for the lateness of your response.

As there has been no request for clarification of the points raised in my original query, I can only assume your response is imminent

Wirral council faces £20m savings challenge to avoid cash crisis

Liverpool Daily Post

WIRRAL Council will have to make savings of more than £20m a year over the next three years to avert a massive budget deficit.

Council leader Steve Foulkes said that, although the current financial year is on target to be balanced, future years look tough for the borough.

A report to the ruling cabinet, which meets on Thursday, says the authority faces shortfalls in its budget of £76.5m between 2011 and 2014.

Even with council tax increases at around 4% – increases over 5% are likely to be capped by the Government – this leaves shortfalls of £23.1m, £20m and £21m, over this period.

Even this coming year, 2010-11, the council faces a shortfall of £13.6m and, even with a 5.2% council tax increase next year, has to find “efficiency savings” of £8.4m.

Cllr Foulkes said: “Others have been trying to not face it by saying we do not need to make difficult decisions.

“This year is the last year in the current three-year cycle and we have coped well, but it’s the duty of any politician with backbone to deal with the predictions that there will be severe public spending cuts whichever party wins the next General Election.

“We expect local government will have to take some of the share of that.

“We need to take decisions now, while we have some manoeuvrability for the benefit of the council tax payers.

“This year, the budget is on target.

“But we would be in a better position if we had not had to backtrack, but that has not been in our hands.”

Wirral Council’s director of finance, Ian Coleman, recommended that the authority maintains a review of budget projections “as the global recession develops”.

In his report on next year’s budget, Mr Coleman warned of reductions in the cash handed to councils by the Government.

He said: “In his Budget speech on April 22, 2009, the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that the main grant for 2010-11 would not be reduced, but there will be reductions from 2011-12.”

Mr Coleman said: “The gap between projected expenditure and anticipated resources will need to be bridged by a combination of savings and/or increased council tax.”

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Shanghai jolly for Councillors - who is paying?

Wirral Globe

WIRRAL council has proposed spending £28,000 for officers to take part in a business conference in Shanghai next year.

The proposal is designed to promote the multi-billion Wirral Waters scheme to develop the Birkenhead and Wallasey docklands.

The council’s ruling cabinet committee will vote on the proposal this Thursday.

So who will be paying for this jolly? The Council Taxpayers of Wirral, of course!
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