February 2010 Archives

SUBJECT: LIBERAL DEMOCRATS: "BUDGET IS BOLD, EXCITING, INNOVATIVE"
DATE: 22 February 2010
STATUS: Embargoed until 18:15 (22 February 2010)

Speaking about the measures set out in the Wirral Council's Cabinet Budget proposals, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Holbrook said: "This budget is bold, exciting and innovative."

COUNCIL TAX DEMAND WIRRAL (including fire and police precepts)

   2009-10     2010-11     % Increase     Annual Increase     Weekly Increase

A  960.11      976.14          1.67              16.03                     0.31

B 1,120.12   1,138.82         1.67             18.70                      0.36

C 1,280.15   1,301.51         1.67              21.36                     0.41

D 1,440.16   1,464.20         1.67              24.04                     0.46

E 1,760.20   1,789.58         1.67              29.38                     0.56

F 2,080.24   2,114.96         1.67              34.72                     0.67

G 2,400.27  2,440.34          1.67              40.07                     0.77

H 2,880.32  2,928.40          1.67              48.08                     0.92

PRESS STATEMENT FROM
Cllr Steve Foulkes, Labour leader of Wirral Council
Council tax increase for Wirral

Tonight the Labour/ Liberal Democrat Cabinet put forward a Budget Proposal which will result in an increase in Council Tax for Wirral of 1.67%. THIS INCREASE IS LESS THAN HALF THE RATE OF INFLATION and equates to 24 pence per week for the majority of Wirral Residents.

This is the full text of the budget which the ruling Labour and Lib Dem administration is putting forward for 2010-11, as presented to cabinet on Monday night.

I shall also post the press releases from Labour and the Lib Dems, and there will be a closer look at some of the issues around the budget a little later.

NO names have yet surfaced locally for a Labour candidate in Wirral West.

It appears increasingly likely that Labour NEC's subcommittee will provide a list of five or six candidates for the local constituency party to choose from.

But so far - according to former Wirral West CLP chairman Brian Kenny - no one locally has come forward. He said: "Within the constituency if people were interested I would have thought they would have put their names forward by now."

Liberal Democrat Jamie Saddler has been selected to try to win the Wirral South seat, currently held by Labour's Ben Chapman. He has a fight on his hands, despite Mr Chapman stepping down, with Labour's Alison McGovern and the Conservative Jeff Clarke.

He has written a guest blog for Hamilton Squared...

FIRST £10,000 OF INCOME SHOULD BE TAX FREE

Not many people enjoy paying tax.

Seeing it deducted at the bottom of your payslip is pretty depressing, especially if you are wrestling with self-assessment tax forms before the deadline!

But tax is also the price we pay for living in a civilised society. Local schools, care for the elderly, doctors at Arrowe Park or Clatterbridge, police officers - these services all cost a lot of money.

IT LOOKS more likely than ever that Labour will have an all-women shortlist to choose a candidate to replace Stephen Hesford.

Wirral West constituency Labour party has - in line with party policy - said it wants an all-women list and is now awaiting their National Executive Committee (NEC) to draw up a choice of potentials.

The Wirral West Constituency Labour Party met recently to discuss the options, and is now awaiting the party's NEC subcommittee, which meets next Thursday

AS PREPARATIONS for Wirral's next budget continue and we await a decision on council tax for 2010/11, the borough is also leading the way on another budget.

In December last year, the Liberal Democrats in Wirral secured the unanimous agreement of Full Council to put carbon budgeting on a level footing with financial budgeting.

Wirral Council will now be the first local authority in the North West to set an annual carbon budget for each Council department alongside its financial budget, due to be considered by Cabinet on February 22 and Full Council on March 1.

All but one of the candidates from major parties have now been selected in Wirral's four constituencies to fight the next General Election.

And it looks like Wirral could see some changes ...

WALLASEY'S Liberal Democrats have selected Steve Pitt - president of Wallasey Liberal Democrats - to be their candidate for Wallasey in the next General Election.

The release accompanying the announcement says he was born and brought up in Wallasey; attending Egerton Grove Primary School and Wallasey Technical Grammar School.

It now completes the selections by the three main parties, with Labour's Angela Eagle defending her seat and Leah Fraser the Conservative challenger.