Wirral Globe - by Justin Dunn
WIRRAL Council told the inspector in charge of the library closure inquiry that Eastham Library was in the completely wrong place.
Alan Stennard, the council’s director of regeneration, sent last minute evidence to inspector Sue Charteris that included a map with the library marked as being adjacent to Eastham Rake railway station.
Access to local transport has been one of the details being looked at by Ms Charteris.
But Eastham Library - which was not on the original list drawn up as part of the council’s controversial ‘strategic asset review’ that is calling for the closure of 11 of Wirral’s 24 libraries - is three quarters of a mile from the station at the far end from it on Mill Park Drive.
A council spokeswoman said: “An administrative error in the mapping process resulted in Eastham library being incorrectly located. This has been corrected and new maps have been issued.
“This had a marginal impact upon travel times that was not significant. The original error was detrimental to the council's case.”
Tory group leader Jeff Green said: “If the council doesn’t know where its own libraries are, it calls into question the whole tenor of its case to shut them down.
“The approach to this sorry affair has been baffling from day one and this is just another example of how hollow the council’s arguments to close our libraries have been.”
The inquiry was called by former culture secretary Andy Burnham.
His successor, Ben Bradshaw, will receive Ms Charteris’ report later this month.
© copyright Wirral Globe. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Friday, 12 June 2009
Wirral Council facing £20k legal bill for two-day libraries inquiry
Liverpool Daily Post - by Lorna Hughes
WIRRAL council is facing a £20,000 bill for hiring a barrister to represent it at a two- day public inquiry into its decision to close 11 libraries.
Richard Clayton, QC, represented the authority at the hearing into proposals to streamline Wirral’s library service, which took place at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The council’s head of legal services, Bill Norman, has confirmed he expects Mr Clayton’s services to cost in the range of £15,000 to £20,000.
In an email seen by the Daily Post, he said the fees would be paid for from the council’s legal fees budget.
Wirral’s Conservative group said the decision to hire a barrister was insulting to taxpayers already facing the loss of community libraries.
But the Liberal Democrat deputy council leader, Simon Holbrook, said giving the council only three months’ notice meant it had to call in extra help.
The then culture secretary Andy Burnham ordered the inquiry on April 3, a day before some of the libraries were due to close.
Cllr Holbrook said: “The inquiry was announced late, was unexpected and has then been, quite properly, conducted speedily.
“Preparation for the inquiry has therefore resulted in additional work for the legal services department and the council had to engage additional support.
“We would have been roundly criticised if, for example, in a high-profile planning inquiry, we were to lose because of inadequate legal support.”
Liscard’s Conservative councillor Leah Fraser told the Daily Post: “Instead of a barrister, why didn’t the leader of the council or any of his cabinet take part in the inquiry?
“Once again, Wirral council has confused its priorities and used taxpayers’ money to do it.
“This is yet further evidence the current leadership is out of touch.”
A decision is due on the future of Wirral’s libraries next month
© copyright Wirral News. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
WIRRAL council is facing a £20,000 bill for hiring a barrister to represent it at a two- day public inquiry into its decision to close 11 libraries.
Richard Clayton, QC, represented the authority at the hearing into proposals to streamline Wirral’s library service, which took place at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The council’s head of legal services, Bill Norman, has confirmed he expects Mr Clayton’s services to cost in the range of £15,000 to £20,000.
In an email seen by the Daily Post, he said the fees would be paid for from the council’s legal fees budget.
Wirral’s Conservative group said the decision to hire a barrister was insulting to taxpayers already facing the loss of community libraries.
But the Liberal Democrat deputy council leader, Simon Holbrook, said giving the council only three months’ notice meant it had to call in extra help.
The then culture secretary Andy Burnham ordered the inquiry on April 3, a day before some of the libraries were due to close.
Cllr Holbrook said: “The inquiry was announced late, was unexpected and has then been, quite properly, conducted speedily.
“Preparation for the inquiry has therefore resulted in additional work for the legal services department and the council had to engage additional support.
“We would have been roundly criticised if, for example, in a high-profile planning inquiry, we were to lose because of inadequate legal support.”
Liscard’s Conservative councillor Leah Fraser told the Daily Post: “Instead of a barrister, why didn’t the leader of the council or any of his cabinet take part in the inquiry?
“Once again, Wirral council has confused its priorities and used taxpayers’ money to do it.
“This is yet further evidence the current leadership is out of touch.”
A decision is due on the future of Wirral’s libraries next month
© copyright Wirral News. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Wirral councillors ordered back to ‘planning school’ after houses were built too close to a man’s home
Wirral News - by Liam Murphy
COUNCILLORS must go on a course outlining the basics of planning law after a developer was allowed to build a new estate too close to a man’s home.
Wirral council’s planning committee was officially criticised following an inquiry into the way an application was handled.
Beechwood resident Joe Gladman was left struggling to maintain his privacy because a new housing development was too close to his home, which then plummeted in price.
The properties should have been built at least 21 metres away, but were found to be only 18. The Local Government Ombudsman found the council guilty of maladministration and or-dered it to pay compensation to Mr Gladman.
A chartered surveyor estimated the loss in value at £20,000, but a district valuer’s report done for the council put the fall at £5,000, which has been paid to Mr Gladman. Committee members must also attend a day-long refresher.
Mr Gladman said: “It was not about the money, it was the principle and the way I have been treated.”
The LGO investigator’s report said there was “maladministration causing the complainant an injustice” and asked the council to settle with the complainant.
Mr Gladman was also paid £250 for “the time and trouble” he spent pursuing his complaint, which took three years.
Initially, the council claimed the new properties were 36m from Mr Gladman’s home – but when the distance was measured, it was discovered they were just 18 metres away.
Current planning committee chairman David Elderton said: “One can only regret that this one went haywire, and I am confident we are far more aggressive now.’’
COUNCILLORS must go on a course outlining the basics of planning law after a developer was allowed to build a new estate too close to a man’s home.
Wirral council’s planning committee was officially criticised following an inquiry into the way an application was handled.
Beechwood resident Joe Gladman was left struggling to maintain his privacy because a new housing development was too close to his home, which then plummeted in price.
The properties should have been built at least 21 metres away, but were found to be only 18. The Local Government Ombudsman found the council guilty of maladministration and or-dered it to pay compensation to Mr Gladman.
A chartered surveyor estimated the loss in value at £20,000, but a district valuer’s report done for the council put the fall at £5,000, which has been paid to Mr Gladman. Committee members must also attend a day-long refresher.
Mr Gladman said: “It was not about the money, it was the principle and the way I have been treated.”
The LGO investigator’s report said there was “maladministration causing the complainant an injustice” and asked the council to settle with the complainant.
Mr Gladman was also paid £250 for “the time and trouble” he spent pursuing his complaint, which took three years.
Initially, the council claimed the new properties were 36m from Mr Gladman’s home – but when the distance was measured, it was discovered they were just 18 metres away.
Current planning committee chairman David Elderton said: “One can only regret that this one went haywire, and I am confident we are far more aggressive now.’’
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Cabinet
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
Agenda and Minutes
Thursday, 28th May, 2009 6.15 pm
26. Adult Social Services - Unrecoverable Historical Debt
View the declarations of interest for item 26.
Find out more about item 26.
Minutes:
The Director of Adult Social Services submitted a report which detailed a number of historical debts raised against the NHS. These debts, some of which dated back to 2000/01, related to the cost of care provided to a number of people with specialised or complex needs, some of whom lived outside Wirral. Having sought counsel's advice and arbitration from the Strategic Health Authority these debts were considered to be irrecoverable and the Director sought Cabinet’s approval for the writing off of these debts.
As the invoices were raised in previous financial years and income was included in the accounts when the invoice was raised, the income would have been included within the Adult Social Services accounts for those particular years. By now agreeing not to pursue recovery of the invoices the loss of income would be charged to the Adult Social Services accounts for the 2008/09 financial year.
The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Inclusion commented that although the debts had been pursued vigorously it was now time to draw a line under them. They had accrued at a time when robust procedures were not in place but the department had now transformed itself in the way it dealt with these issues.
Resolved – That the cancellation of the invoices to the value of £1.812m, for the reasons stated within the report, to be charged against the Adult Social Services Department in the financial year 2008/09, be approved.
© copyright Wirral Metropolita Borough Council
Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Agenda and Minutes
Thursday, 28th May, 2009 6.15 pm
26. Adult Social Services - Unrecoverable Historical Debt
View the declarations of interest for item 26.
Find out more about item 26.
Minutes:
The Director of Adult Social Services submitted a report which detailed a number of historical debts raised against the NHS. These debts, some of which dated back to 2000/01, related to the cost of care provided to a number of people with specialised or complex needs, some of whom lived outside Wirral. Having sought counsel's advice and arbitration from the Strategic Health Authority these debts were considered to be irrecoverable and the Director sought Cabinet’s approval for the writing off of these debts.
As the invoices were raised in previous financial years and income was included in the accounts when the invoice was raised, the income would have been included within the Adult Social Services accounts for those particular years. By now agreeing not to pursue recovery of the invoices the loss of income would be charged to the Adult Social Services accounts for the 2008/09 financial year.
The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Inclusion commented that although the debts had been pursued vigorously it was now time to draw a line under them. They had accrued at a time when robust procedures were not in place but the department had now transformed itself in the way it dealt with these issues.
Resolved – That the cancellation of the invoices to the value of £1.812m, for the reasons stated within the report, to be charged against the Adult Social Services Department in the financial year 2008/09, be approved.
© copyright Wirral Metropolita Borough Council
Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Thursday, 23 April 2009
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM WIRRAL COUNCIL
Thursday 23 April 2009
Re: Wirral Library Service
Leader of Wirral Council, Councillor Steve Foulkes said:
“The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has ordered a public inquiry into the decision. I cannot comment on the inquiry itself because I have not yet seen a statement of the grounds for that inquiry.
However, we welcome the inquiry in principle because at the heart of this issue is a debate about the best way to protect the future of this nation’s libraries, their place in our communities and the function we want the libraries of the future to deliver. From our perspective, the message on this issue from the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council has been somewhat mixed.
There is also a wider debate about the autonomy of local government to manage within its own resources, and about how much the government or the council tax payer is prepared to pay, in a time of very tight resources, for their library service in the face of competing and growing demands from other areas, including rising costs of child protection, rising costs of care for the elderly, rising costs of education and the need to protect the local economy in a time of recession.
ENDS
© copyright Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Re: Wirral Library Service
Leader of Wirral Council, Councillor Steve Foulkes said:
“The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has ordered a public inquiry into the decision. I cannot comment on the inquiry itself because I have not yet seen a statement of the grounds for that inquiry.
However, we welcome the inquiry in principle because at the heart of this issue is a debate about the best way to protect the future of this nation’s libraries, their place in our communities and the function we want the libraries of the future to deliver. From our perspective, the message on this issue from the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council has been somewhat mixed.
There is also a wider debate about the autonomy of local government to manage within its own resources, and about how much the government or the council tax payer is prepared to pay, in a time of very tight resources, for their library service in the face of competing and growing demands from other areas, including rising costs of child protection, rising costs of care for the elderly, rising costs of education and the need to protect the local economy in a time of recession.
ENDS
© copyright Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Monday, 30 March 2009
Wirral Council Audit 2008/9
Wirral Metropolitan Council
64 The Council's complaints system is accessible via the website and through One Stop Shops and Information Points. The website details the procedure for dealing with complaints about schools, social services, other council services and councillors. Users can download and complete a form to complain about an slleged breach of the Members' Code of Conduct. Members and officers both say that they treat complaints from the public seriously but their perceptions are different:
Detailed report
97 per cent of members and 85 per cent of officers say that members take complaints from the public seriously;
and
87 per cent of members and 99 per cent of officers say that officers take complaints from the public seriously.
65 The Council's Whistleblowing Policy is accessible to members and officers but it is not widely publicised to users. It cannot be easily accessed via the website - it is in fact included in a report to the Cabinet meeting of 3 April 2008. Following an internal governance review and subsequent comments by the Audit Commission a revised policy was introduced in 2008. The policy gives employees clear guidance on how to proceed if they have a concern and provides for more named officers within the Council that they will be able to approach in order to discuss their concerns.
66 During the last year the Audit Commission received details of an individual's concerns about contracts and charging in adult social services. Our review under the Public Interest Disclosure Act found the individual's concerns to be largely justified and we highlighted the failure of the Council's own systems for dealing with complaints and such concerns, including the whistleblowing procedure. A culture where employees can disclose allegations of malpractice internally is more likely to uphold the reputation of the Council, maintain public confidence and result in better outcomes for local people, than either such malpractice being disclosed to the public or it otherwise continuing to fester and harm the organisation.
67 But our survey did highlight some concerns about confidence in the whistleblowing arrangements. A third of members and officers don't know if the policy is being used appropriately or without fear of reprisal. This is a major gap in knowledge and weakens the ethical framework and the Council's approach to ensuring high standards of ethical governance.
Recommendation
R7 Increase awareness of the Whistleblowing Policy and re-enforce assurances that reporting through this mechanism can be done without fear of reprisal.
© copyright Wirral Metropolita Borough Council. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
64 The Council's complaints system is accessible via the website and through One Stop Shops and Information Points. The website details the procedure for dealing with complaints about schools, social services, other council services and councillors. Users can download and complete a form to complain about an slleged breach of the Members' Code of Conduct. Members and officers both say that they treat complaints from the public seriously but their perceptions are different:
Detailed report
97 per cent of members and 85 per cent of officers say that members take complaints from the public seriously;
and
87 per cent of members and 99 per cent of officers say that officers take complaints from the public seriously.
65 The Council's Whistleblowing Policy is accessible to members and officers but it is not widely publicised to users. It cannot be easily accessed via the website - it is in fact included in a report to the Cabinet meeting of 3 April 2008. Following an internal governance review and subsequent comments by the Audit Commission a revised policy was introduced in 2008. The policy gives employees clear guidance on how to proceed if they have a concern and provides for more named officers within the Council that they will be able to approach in order to discuss their concerns.
66 During the last year the Audit Commission received details of an individual's concerns about contracts and charging in adult social services. Our review under the Public Interest Disclosure Act found the individual's concerns to be largely justified and we highlighted the failure of the Council's own systems for dealing with complaints and such concerns, including the whistleblowing procedure. A culture where employees can disclose allegations of malpractice internally is more likely to uphold the reputation of the Council, maintain public confidence and result in better outcomes for local people, than either such malpractice being disclosed to the public or it otherwise continuing to fester and harm the organisation.
67 But our survey did highlight some concerns about confidence in the whistleblowing arrangements. A third of members and officers don't know if the policy is being used appropriately or without fear of reprisal. This is a major gap in knowledge and weakens the ethical framework and the Council's approach to ensuring high standards of ethical governance.
Recommendation
R7 Increase awareness of the Whistleblowing Policy and re-enforce assurances that reporting through this mechanism can be done without fear of reprisal.
© copyright Wirral Metropolita Borough Council. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Friday, 16 January 2009
Wirral Council: 11 libraries and a leisure centre to close
Liverpool Echo - by Kevin Core
ELEVEN libraries and a leisure centre will shut after councillors approved a building closure programme.
The vast majority of Wirral council’s controversial strategic asset review, designed to save £3.1m, was rubber-stamped last night.
Beechwood, Eastham, Higher Bebington, Hoylake, Irby, New Ferry, Prenton, Ridgeway, Seacombe and Wallasey Village libraries will all shut.
They will be joined by Eastham and Woodchurch libraries, which were not part of the original proposal, and Grange Road West sports centre, in Birkenhead.
But Woodchurch leisure centre and Upton and Pensby libraries were given a last-minute reprieve by councillors.
Guinea Gap baths in Wallasey will stay open for another two years and Birkenhead central library will not close, although a different use will be found for the building if a new purpose-built library is created.
All the buildings earmarked for closure are now open to expressions of interest from community groups wanting to take on the task of running them.
The council plans to develop five new multi-purpose complexes in Bebington, Birkenhead, Liscard, Moreton and West Kirby.
Struggling to be heard over the whistles of a furious 400-strong crowd at a packed Wallasey town hall, council leader Steve Foulkes said they had listened to the public, but serious action was needed to balance Wirral’s books.
Ignoring chants of “who are you?”, several paper planes and a blood-soaked placard of his face, he added that the package would include £1.8m of “transitional funding”.
Cllr Foulkes said the shortfall from the original plan created by the reprieves would be picked up by council taxpayers.
He said: “If I was to get run over by a bus tomorrow, there would still be budgetary issues, and whoever sat in this seat would have to resolve them. We have made a big decision on your behalf.
“I hope the passion shown by people tonight can be conducted into the community coming together and keeping some of these facilities open. This has been a rewarding experience - it is the beginning of a new journey.”
Woodchurch Leisure Centre campaigner Alan Mason Whelan, 16, said: “While we are happy, it is hard to see so many sad faces coming out of this meeting.
“We were lucky, but the whole process was unnecessary - so many libraries were lost.”
Liscard councillor Leah Fraser said: “I am going to fight to make sure Guinea Gap baths are here long after Cllr Foulkes is gone.”
Conservative group leader Jeff Green said: “The cabinet has lost the plot.
“People expected them to come here, say they made a mistake and withdraw the proposal. Instead it is a few items on the back of an envelope designed to protect Labour and the Lib Dems politically and they should resign.”
© copyright Liverpool Echo. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
ELEVEN libraries and a leisure centre will shut after councillors approved a building closure programme.
The vast majority of Wirral council’s controversial strategic asset review, designed to save £3.1m, was rubber-stamped last night.
Beechwood, Eastham, Higher Bebington, Hoylake, Irby, New Ferry, Prenton, Ridgeway, Seacombe and Wallasey Village libraries will all shut.
They will be joined by Eastham and Woodchurch libraries, which were not part of the original proposal, and Grange Road West sports centre, in Birkenhead.
But Woodchurch leisure centre and Upton and Pensby libraries were given a last-minute reprieve by councillors.
Guinea Gap baths in Wallasey will stay open for another two years and Birkenhead central library will not close, although a different use will be found for the building if a new purpose-built library is created.
All the buildings earmarked for closure are now open to expressions of interest from community groups wanting to take on the task of running them.
The council plans to develop five new multi-purpose complexes in Bebington, Birkenhead, Liscard, Moreton and West Kirby.
Struggling to be heard over the whistles of a furious 400-strong crowd at a packed Wallasey town hall, council leader Steve Foulkes said they had listened to the public, but serious action was needed to balance Wirral’s books.
Ignoring chants of “who are you?”, several paper planes and a blood-soaked placard of his face, he added that the package would include £1.8m of “transitional funding”.
Cllr Foulkes said the shortfall from the original plan created by the reprieves would be picked up by council taxpayers.
He said: “If I was to get run over by a bus tomorrow, there would still be budgetary issues, and whoever sat in this seat would have to resolve them. We have made a big decision on your behalf.
“I hope the passion shown by people tonight can be conducted into the community coming together and keeping some of these facilities open. This has been a rewarding experience - it is the beginning of a new journey.”
Woodchurch Leisure Centre campaigner Alan Mason Whelan, 16, said: “While we are happy, it is hard to see so many sad faces coming out of this meeting.
“We were lucky, but the whole process was unnecessary - so many libraries were lost.”
Liscard councillor Leah Fraser said: “I am going to fight to make sure Guinea Gap baths are here long after Cllr Foulkes is gone.”
Conservative group leader Jeff Green said: “The cabinet has lost the plot.
“People expected them to come here, say they made a mistake and withdraw the proposal. Instead it is a few items on the back of an envelope designed to protect Labour and the Lib Dems politically and they should resign.”
© copyright Liverpool Echo. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Foulkes "deeply regrets" Jim Crabtree email
Wirral Globe by Matt Hurst
LABOUR leader Cllr Steve Foulkes says his group "deeply regrets" the content of an email sent to library campaigner, Jim O'Neill by a party colleague, and has launched a disciplinary investigation.
Bidston Cllr Jim Crabtree responded to Mr O'Neill's email at 2am early Tuesday morning, telling the Hoylake man that he had had enough of receiving his "childish crap" in opposition to the council's strategic asset review.
Cllr Crabtree has since apologised, but now his group leader has weighed in to ensure the ongoing consultation process is seen to be "taken very seriously".
In a full statement, Cllr Steve Foulkes said: "We deeply regret any offence that may have been caused by the comments made in the heat of the moment by an individual Labour councillor to Mr O'Neill.
"The councillor concerned has apologised directly to Mr O'Neill, and this will be the subject of a disciplinary investigation by the chief whip of the Labour Group.
"The consultation around the strategic asset review has at times been very emotive and local councillors have faced a barrage of complaints from the public, frequently in less than temperate language.
"Members have until now done their best to respond in as constructive a manner as possible and pass on any comments they received as part of the consultation process, which they have taken very seriously.
"In this particular case a councillor made the mistake of replying late at night, when he was very tired, to the last of a series of emails from Mr O'Neill, which have included calling councillors traitors and suggesting this is a capital offence.
"He now deeply regrets this action."
Wirral Council's cabinet will meet at 6.15pm tonight (January 15) at Wallasey Town Hall to vote on proposals that would see more than a dozen libraries axed, along with leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
Rumours circulating ahead of the meeting suggest three or four facilities may be saved, if only temporarily.
Guinea Gap Baths and Woodchurch Leisure Centre may be given the opportunity to remain open until 2011, but nothing will be decided until tonight.
© copyright Wirral Globe. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
LABOUR leader Cllr Steve Foulkes says his group "deeply regrets" the content of an email sent to library campaigner, Jim O'Neill by a party colleague, and has launched a disciplinary investigation.
Bidston Cllr Jim Crabtree responded to Mr O'Neill's email at 2am early Tuesday morning, telling the Hoylake man that he had had enough of receiving his "childish crap" in opposition to the council's strategic asset review.
Cllr Crabtree has since apologised, but now his group leader has weighed in to ensure the ongoing consultation process is seen to be "taken very seriously".
In a full statement, Cllr Steve Foulkes said: "We deeply regret any offence that may have been caused by the comments made in the heat of the moment by an individual Labour councillor to Mr O'Neill.
"The councillor concerned has apologised directly to Mr O'Neill, and this will be the subject of a disciplinary investigation by the chief whip of the Labour Group.
"The consultation around the strategic asset review has at times been very emotive and local councillors have faced a barrage of complaints from the public, frequently in less than temperate language.
"Members have until now done their best to respond in as constructive a manner as possible and pass on any comments they received as part of the consultation process, which they have taken very seriously.
"In this particular case a councillor made the mistake of replying late at night, when he was very tired, to the last of a series of emails from Mr O'Neill, which have included calling councillors traitors and suggesting this is a capital offence.
"He now deeply regrets this action."
Wirral Council's cabinet will meet at 6.15pm tonight (January 15) at Wallasey Town Hall to vote on proposals that would see more than a dozen libraries axed, along with leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
Rumours circulating ahead of the meeting suggest three or four facilities may be saved, if only temporarily.
Guinea Gap Baths and Woodchurch Leisure Centre may be given the opportunity to remain open until 2011, but nothing will be decided until tonight.
© copyright Wirral Globe. Reproduced under fair use for the dual purposes of comment and news reporting
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Special educational needs - Maladministration causing injustice
Local Government Ombudsman
A boy with special educational needs missed a year’s schooling because Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council wrongly refused to take responsibility for educating him. The Ombudsman says “No reasonable authority would have relied upon such insubstantial information to make decision about a vulnerable child…” and recommends it to agree with the parents and the school on what can be done to help the boy catch up on his missed education, and to pay compensation.
The boy’s father (called ‘Mr H’ in the report) won an appeal to a Special Education Needs and Disability Tribunal about the secondary school to be named in his younger son’s statement of special educational needs. Almost immediately afterwards the Council’s Education officers became suspicious that Mr H’s family were not actually living at the property they owned in the Council’s area. The Council refused to take responsibility for the younger son’s education. Mr H provided full information about his circumstances and living arrangements to the Council Tax Service, which accepted that the family were using their Wirral property as their main residence. When the Council’s Legal Department subsequently made enquiries of Mr H, he declined to send it the same information he had already provided, but twice directed it to the Council Tax Section. The Legal Department did not contact the Council Tax Section and the Education Service continued to refuse to take responsibility for the boy’s education.
The Council would not accept responsibility for the boy and did not comply with the law until the Ombudsman began her enquiries. As a result, the boy lost almost a year of education at the school specified in his statement of special educational needs, his parents paid for private tuition, and they experienced stress and anxiety in trying to resolve the issue.
The Ombudsman finds maladministration causing injustice and recommends the Council to:
A boy with special educational needs missed a year’s schooling because Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council wrongly refused to take responsibility for educating him. The Ombudsman says “No reasonable authority would have relied upon such insubstantial information to make decision about a vulnerable child…” and recommends it to agree with the parents and the school on what can be done to help the boy catch up on his missed education, and to pay compensation.
The boy’s father (called ‘Mr H’ in the report) won an appeal to a Special Education Needs and Disability Tribunal about the secondary school to be named in his younger son’s statement of special educational needs. Almost immediately afterwards the Council’s Education officers became suspicious that Mr H’s family were not actually living at the property they owned in the Council’s area. The Council refused to take responsibility for the younger son’s education. Mr H provided full information about his circumstances and living arrangements to the Council Tax Service, which accepted that the family were using their Wirral property as their main residence. When the Council’s Legal Department subsequently made enquiries of Mr H, he declined to send it the same information he had already provided, but twice directed it to the Council Tax Section. The Legal Department did not contact the Council Tax Section and the Education Service continued to refuse to take responsibility for the boy’s education.
The Council would not accept responsibility for the boy and did not comply with the law until the Ombudsman began her enquiries. As a result, the boy lost almost a year of education at the school specified in his statement of special educational needs, his parents paid for private tuition, and they experienced stress and anxiety in trying to resolve the issue.
The Ombudsman finds maladministration causing injustice and recommends the Council to:
- accept that it has no justification for its claim not to be responsible for Mr H’s son;
- discuss and agree with the school and the parents whether there is any additional provision that could be made to help their son ‘catch up’ on the year’s schooling that he has missed;
- reserve a sum of money, equivalent to the cost of educating Mr H’s son at the school for a year, in a fund until he has completed year 11 and then deploy the fund on any additional educational provision that the school and an educational psychologist recommend as being beneficial;
- pay Mr H £1,000 in recognition of his anxiety, stress, time and trouble; and
- pay Mr H a further £655 to reimburse private tutoring fees for his son during 2007
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
New tiling blunder hits Bebington Oval pool work
Wirral News - by Carrie Catterall
WIRRAL Council has admitted to another blunder over the new swimming pool at Bebington Oval.
Only weeks after it was discovered the pool would only be built with five lanes instead of six, due to a bungled refurbishment plan, the council has admitted to another error - this time with the tiling of the pool.
In June the News reported that the lane foul-up would mean The Oval could not host competitive swimming again or be used as planned by Olympic athletes ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
The council has refused to elaborate on the tiling mistake or the cost of rectifying it.
A council spokesperson said: “Retiling work on the pool at the Oval is underway. At a very early stage, an error was identified which is now being rectified.”
WIRRAL Council has admitted to another blunder over the new swimming pool at Bebington Oval.
Only weeks after it was discovered the pool would only be built with five lanes instead of six, due to a bungled refurbishment plan, the council has admitted to another error - this time with the tiling of the pool.
In June the News reported that the lane foul-up would mean The Oval could not host competitive swimming again or be used as planned by Olympic athletes ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
The council has refused to elaborate on the tiling mistake or the cost of rectifying it.
A council spokesperson said: “Retiling work on the pool at the Oval is underway. At a very early stage, an error was identified which is now being rectified.”
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