Move to Stop Pool Closure - Liverpool Lib Dems - Culture and Tourism committee 14th June.

Lib Dem spokesperson for Community Safety , and Cllr for Mossley Hill,  Cllr Lynnie Williams is calling for the halting of the closure of the pool at I M Marsh.  

The call comes in a motion to tonight's  (14 June) Culture and Tourism Select Committee of the City Council.

The pool at JMU campus is due to close in September as part of the redevelopment and closure of the campus.

‘So far no alternative arrangements have been made to relocate the diving club which uses the site.’

‘The pool is used by the whole community and the I M Marsh pool is the only facility in the area which provides specialist diving training’

‘The Council has a duty to help find an alternative venue for this group. Time is ticking by. There’s just weeks before a long term solution needs to be found’

 

Full text of motion to Culture and Tourism Ctte: Pool Closure at IM Marsh Campus – Cllr Lynnie Williams

”Committee notes that the pool at IM Marsh will be closed from September this year as part of the redevelopment and closure of the campus. The pool provides the only facility in the area for specialised diving. The pool is well used and much needed. Committee requests that the relevant Cabinet Member assist in the identification of alternative venues for this sport or potential charitable organisations who may be willing to assist in offering specialised diving.”

The link to the agenda is 

http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=11934

Labour's charges for parking at the park!

Liberal Democrats have criticized Labour plans to introduce charges for parking around Sefton Park.

The Labour Cabinet is expected to rubber stamp the suggestion that there should be charges at its meeting next week (17^th June).

Says Lib Dem regeneration spokesperson Malcolm Kelly:

“Introducing charges could deter people from visiting the park, which after all belongs to the citizens themselves.  We could also see more traffic displaced onto other roads causing more problems”

“What’s more, is this the thin end of the wedge for residents and our green spaces.  Will we see charges to park near our other fantastic parks rolled out across the city?”

‘Our city’s parks are green oases which should be enjoyed by everyone. The last thing we should be doing as a council is deterring people from taking healthy exercise by forcing people to pay to walk outdoors.’

The Cabinet report talks about occasions when there are parking problems caused by big events.  Liberal Democrats however believe the Council should be talking to the organizers of the events, some of which are commercial, to explore measures to deal with this.

Lib Dems Call for the end to the aggressive marketing of electronic cigarettes.

Lib Dem shadow spokesperson for Health, Cllr Tina Gould has called for the aggressive selling of electronic cigarettes to be banned.

The Liberal Democrats who led the national campaign for a ban on smoking in public places is now calling for a clamp down on electronic cigarettes.

Said Councillor Gould: ‘There is no proof that these substitute cigarettes are harmful, however they do continue to promote smoking as a habit’.

 “The aggressive selling of these devices and seeming lack of regulation of this market is major cause for concern’.

‘I believe that the promotion of electronic cigarettes is undermining the excellent work done by former exec member for health Cllr Gould together with the council’s partners in healthcare to reduce smoking and promote better life chances in Liverpool .’

‘I would urge this City Council to launch as a matter of urgency a campaign to end the hard sale of these devices and to promote instead smoking cessation methods for Liverpool residents.

‘The health effects of this product as yet unknown however I believe we should listen to our health professionals and take steps now to tackle this problem and protect residents targeted by the marketing of these devices’.

Let's do more to celebrate local history say Lib Dems -meeting 14 June

Lib Dem Culture Spokesperson, Cllr Barbara Mace, is calling on Liverpool City Council to do more to recognise the distinct local history of the City.

Barbara has put in a motion to next week's Culture Select Committee (14th June) calling for more to be done to mark and celebrate the very distinctive history of many parts of Liverpool.

Some of Liverpool's villages and districts are mentioned in the Domesday book and have a long, long history that could be recognised more.

The text of the motion reads:

“Committee recognises the rich history of parts of Liverpool, many of which are mentioned in the Doomsday book.

Committee recognises that while the world heritage site status has brought even more welcome historical attention to Liverpool, many areas outside the City Centre could equally well be highlighted.

Committee believes that ways of marking and celebrating more of our historic "villages", including West Derby, Woolton and Wavertree, should be looked at.

Committee believes this would not only reinforce local pride in local history, but would be a welcome addition to some aspects of the Liverpool visitor economy

Committee recognises that in some parts of Liverpool there are thriving cultural and historical societies which could play a great part in further highlighting the history and heritage of their areas, such as Merseyside Civic Society, Woolton, Gateacre & Wavertree Societies.

Committee therefore calls on the Cabinet member to report back to the next meeting of this Committee on what can be done, in conjunction with local historical societies and other interest groups like the National Trust, to better mark and celebrate the very local history of Liverpool. This should include attention to old local place names, previous sites of local monuments and stories of local relevance.”

Let's have volunteer of the year award says Lib Dem

Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson and Cllr for Allerton and Hunts Cross, Flo Clucas, is calling for more to be done to recognise the work of volunteers.

She wants the City Council to look into whether there can be an award each year for the City's volunteer of the year.

Says Flo: "There are so many people making such a huge commitment to our City with their voluntary work that it would be great if there were some sort of civic award"

Cllr Clucas has submitted a motion to the City Council meeting tomorrow (24th May).  The Leader of the Council will be asked to respond in the coming weeks.

The text of the motion reads:

"That this Council, mindful of the commitment of thousands of Liverpool residents, who are involved as volunteers with organisations across the city, places on record its gratitude to those volunteers in this the European Year of the Volunteer.

Further, the Chief Executive is asked to investigate the potential for establishing an annual award for Liverpool's Volunteer of the Year."

Control phone masts better says Liverpool Lib Dem leader.

Liverpool needs to get much better at controlling telephone masts.

That's the view of Cllr Paula Keaveney, Leader of the Lib Dem Group on the City Council.

She's put in a motion, for tomorrow's  (24 May) Council meeting, to ask for the problem to be dealt with.

Says Paula: " When operators get planning permission for masts they can end up riding roughshod over local people.  I've seen conditions ignored and Liverpool City Council behave as if there is little it can do.  In reality if conditions are agreed they need to be enforced or they are meaningless"

Problems recently have included operators turning up without doing the promised envionmental checks and not painting masts the right colour.

Paula , who is also Councillor for Cressington ward, is asking the Cabinet member for regeneration to have a proper look at this and see what can be done to tighten things up.

She adds: "The Council often insists that phone masts are painted goose grey.  In the real world this often translates into 'standout white'.  Surely we can come to a better agreement whereby residents have more of a say about the colour that will work in their area"

The motion is submitted to the City Council meeting on 24th May. It will be considered by the next meeting of the Council's regeneration committee.

The text of the motion, also signed by Lib Dem Councillor Pat Moloney, is below:

"Council notes that the installation of telecommunications masts in residential areas is often highly controversial and that there is often much resident opposition based on, among other things, health fears and appearance.

Council notes that some installations, despite what operators have said, clearly spoil the appearance of areas and stand out from surrounding trees, plants etc.

Council accepts that for citizens to have access to mobile telecommunications coverage, some phone masts are essential.

Council however believes that conditions on masts operators needs to be tightened up to avoid causing problems for residents. It notes that there are cases in which operators have simply ignored conditions applied by the Council and the council has not been able to properly enforce its own agreements.

Council therefore calls on the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport to –

·              institute a time limited review of current practice when it comes to setting conditions and carrying out enforcement.  This review should include the arrangements made for receiving and monitoring information from operators and the decisions which are made when agreeing conditions on issues such as colour and tree/shrub planting

·              survey a sample of residents affected by those phone masts installed or reinstalled in the last three months to ascertain views on what could or should have been done to make the outcome more agreeable to residents.

·              report back with a view to making any changes identified as necessary."

Liverpool Labour threaten City's green spaces - Flo Clucas 3 May

Liverpool’s Green Spaces threatened by council drive for 37,000 new homes, says Cllr Flo Clucas

Greenfield sites and open spaces in Liverpool big enough to cover the size of more than 100 football pitches are being earmarked for housing development, Lib Dem leader Cllr Flo Clucas reveals today.

Cllr Clucas fears an ambitious city wide plan for 37,000 new homes threatens the city’s prized green spaces.

She said: “In the 1980s the  City Council were accused of selling off the family silver. If this huge land disposal is approved the council will be accused of selling off the crown jewels.”

Cllr Clucas said alarm bells sounded when she read a council report calling for 37,000 new homes to be built over the next 16 years.

Initially 85% of the new homes were earmarked to be built in and around the city centre on brownfield sites. The other 15% were to be built in other parts of the city.

But in a recent change of plan it is now proposed to build 30% of the total – more than 11,000 homes – in Liverpool suburbs, with several thousand earmarked on green spaces and former schools and playing fields.

Cllr Clucas added: “When I saw the figures I realised the only way to create this high level of home construction would be to sell green sites and open spaces.

“I then discovered the council had hired a firm of development consultants to look at the availability of hundreds of sites in the site suitable for new housing.

“Each site has been carefully examined and scored as to its suitability, even detailing how many homes could be built on each site.

“What I find alarming is many of the sites would only accommodate small numbers of homes, but when you look at the locations on a map and add up the totals you realise this is the biggest ever assault on our cherished green spaces. This doesn't include potential developments within what is known as Liverpool's Green Wedge from Woolton to Calderstones and Sefton Park, which faces possible incursions as well.

“If the council is doing this merely as a fishing exercise, why go to the expense of hiring land experts to examine hundreds of sites.

“We should be insisting on using up brownfield sites for new homes. I was shell-shocked when I read the dozens of individual site reports.”

Consultants Roger Tym and Partners carried out the detailed examination of each site for the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment.

Added Cllr Clucas: “I have copies of each assessment report and around 30 relate to what are described as Greenfield sites and another 16 relate to former schools and school playfield fields. This is potentially a serious assault on our green spaces in Liverpool.

“Building around 2,800 on these green spaces will ruin what is one of the ace cards we have in Liverpool – our wonderful green acres, envied by cities all over the UK.

Green sites earmarked for new housing span the city from Woolton, Allerton , Childwall, Aigburth, Anfield West Derby, Wavertree, Picton, Old Swan,  Knotty Ash, Greenbank, Croxteth to Mossley Hill where 280homes could be built in the grounds of the Univerity of Liverpool Carnatic and Dale Halls. More than 70 homes could even be built on the site of the council’s Greenhill Nursery, currently home of the city’s world famous orchid collection. The consultants say 77 homes could be created at Calderstones Park Mansion House and Stables.

Said Cllr Clucas: “We need to look at sites for new house building, but selecting dozens and dozens of greenspace areas is a backward step, I will fight to preserve these areas for future generations to enjoy.”

The details emerged as a result of a strategy document known as The Liverpool Local Development Framework which sets out the city's needs for housing and economic development over the next few decades. Part of the document's role is to allocate sites for housing and other other developments. The document recognises as significant the doubling of proposed suburban housing development to 30% of the planned needs.

“The document says the strategy is supported by consultation responses in 2010, but I have never been asked for my views of whether we should raid our green spaces and I don't know of any other people who have been asked,” added Cllr Clucas.