Labour plan to close; Libraries, theatres, museums & leisure centres right across Wirral November 26, 2008
Posted by esthermcvey2009 in Conservatives.trackback
Shameful
12 Libraries, 3 leisure centres, 2museums and a theatre all face the axe if Labour and the Lib Dem council have their way. The report outlining the plans will be considered in cabinet tomorrow night.
Facing closure is Hoylake Library, Pensby Library, Irby Library and Upton library as well as the Woodchurch Leisure Centre. This would be disastrous for the people of Wirral West. These closures are unthinkable and for many unacceptable.
Earlier on in the year I heard rumours about the possibility of Hoylake library and Upton library closing and when I, and my fellow Conservative Councillors, raised our concerns we were told we were ’scaremongering’ and that ‘we had our facts wrong’ - well we were far from wrong and now we will have to fight to try to prevent these closures happening.
Interestingly, our 4 local Labour MPs on Wirral are attempting to distance themselves from the damage that their own Labour councillors are about to do – is there an election on the horizon?
In an article published on the Wirral globe website, a source close to our members of parliament says that;
“The conclusion of the review, which is debatable at best, has now entered the arena of major cuts in services, staff redundancies and will lead to social exclusion in areas of the borough in which live some of the very people the council should be pledging to help most.”
Read more:
http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/3931686.Crisis_meeting_over_budget_bombshell/
Unfortunately this council has got itself in such a mess , that eveyone will have to suffer a bit .
Losing 9 million pounds in an Icelandic bank doesnt help.
The real shame will be the losses of leisure centres, and the Pacific Rd theatre.
Where are the young and old supposed to go to keep fit and healthy.
The libraries are not as well used as they once were, and cut backs could be made there, but where does it stop?
Thank you Esther for supporting Woodchurch Swimming Club at Woodchurch Leisure Centre on Saturday morning when The Wirral News came along to hear our outrage at the proposed closing of Woodchurch Leisure Centre. This will affect many groups in the local community not least Woodchurch Swimming Club run entirely by volunteers to promote competitive swimming for young people. This keeps them fit, healthy and off the streets, giving them a purpose and a sense of achievement. One of the swimmers at the Club has won gold and silver for his country through his training at the Club. We challenge the labour councillors to come along to a session and see the Club in action and then say it is not worth saving.
I am in disbelief that 14 libraries are facing closure on the Wirral. What happened to supporting literacy among children. These libraries are used by local schools to support the literacy lessons in the national curriculum and also by parents who cannot afford to buy books for children but who want them to introduce them to the pleasure of reading. Also for many older or disabled people a trip to the library is a way of socialising as well as borrowing books and this is taking away one of their few pleasures causing them to be more isolated. The plan is to build a new library in Birkenhead Centre. If I take a bus into Birkenhead with my two children it would cost me almost £7 return fair from Prenton. Is this feasible to borrow library books? I don’t think so!
Libraries, community and leisure centres are the hub of community life-without these we will rip out the soul of any community (what ever is left in them today anyway). The media is constantly mentioning lately that we are losing our community spirit and increased crime and disregard for anothers life is probably a result of this. It is really important that we provide a means for the vulnerable sections of our society as well as mainstream society to live a purposeful, healthy and happy life: these places offer a means to achieve these. However, it is important that we look after each individual town’s facilities as not everyone has a car or enough money to spend on transport to travel across the borough. Do the council view Wirral as just one giant community and therefore have no regard for individual towns? Children need safe, local facilities where they can access them on foot as do the elderly. I am very worried about these proposals and disgusted with how ineptly the elected council use our hard-earned cash. They are representing only their own interests and not the people of Wirral, in my opinion.
Please sign the online petition at:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/WoodchurchPool/