Wirral newsbeat has secured an exclusive interview with the leader of wirral borough council. we will be meeting and interviewing cllr phil davies on Wednesday morning and we want you to get involved... send us your questions that you would like answering and we will pick the best 10 out and ask them along with the questions we have planned.. Please keep the questions clean....
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Emergency services were called to a house in Merseyside after a sudden death. Police confirmed that a 70-year-old woman had died at the Wirral property. Officers and paramedics were called to Village Road in Lower Heswall at around 4.20pm yesterday. Witnesses described police cars and scientific support units at the scene. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. A file was being prepared for the Coroner and the next of kin was expected to be informed. FIREFIGHTERS tackled 47 grass fires in Wirral over the Easter holidays. Merseyside Fire & Rescue service says officers attended more than 300 grass fires across Merseyside in the space of 12 days. There have been a total of 334 grass fires over the Easter break between Friday, March 29 and Tuesday, April 9. Firefighters extinguished a serious blaze on grasslands on Leasowe common in Moreton yesterday afternoon. The blaze spread across a 10,000sq mtr patch of land of grass and gorse. The fire service is issuing safety advice public using parkland areas as the milder weather approaches. The fire service say there are simple steps people can take to reduce the chance of a grass fire. People should ensure cigarettes are extinguished properly and should not throw cigarette ends on the ground or out of vehicle windows. Rubbish should be taken home and not left behind, especially glass bottles as they can magnify the sun’s rays and start a fire. They can also injure people and animals. Open fires should not be lit in parks and open spaces and should only be lit in safe designated areas. Anyone who spots a grass fire is asked to report it immediately to Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service. Early detection can prevent it from developing into a larger incident. People are also asked to give as much detail as possible and the name of the nearest main road. People are urged not to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water. They should leave the area as quickly as possible and dial 999. Extra caution should be taken when lighting barbecues and people should never use petrol as it can ignite quickly and soon get out of control. Only approved lighting fuels should be used and barbecues should only be used in suitable safe areas. They should never be lit indoors and never left unattended. Land owners and land managers are advised to ensure that fire breaks or gaps in vegetation are well maintained and that the grass is kept short and any rubbish is removed from the site. Area Manager for Merseyside fire and rescue Myles Platt, said: "Firefighters have been called out to a number of accidental and deliberate grass fires. "Deliberately starting fires on grassland and open spaces is arson and offenders will be prosecuted. "If a fire appliance has to attend a grass fire that has been started deliberately it may delay the response to another emergency. "Fires started on grassland near motorways and busy roads can cause smoke to drift across roads, creating a hazard for drivers. "Some accidental fires can be avoided by following the simple safety measures we have highlighted. "We want people to enjoy the parks and open spaces in Merseyside and to be as safe as possible from fire." A Train driver discovered the body of a man hanging from a railway bridge in Wirral. Emergency services were called to a footbridge over the railway line near Bebington and Rock ferry stations shortly after 10.30pm last night after the alarm was raised by the driver. The scene was cordoned off to allow an investigation to begin and Longfellow Drive was closed for a short period. The body has since been identified as that of a 30-year-old man from Birkenhead and officers have informed his next of kin. Until a post mortem examination has been carried out, detectives are treating the death as unexplained. However, there are not to believed to be any suspicious circumstances at this stage. COUNCIL cutbacks look set to end free transport for some school and college students with special educational needs. The shake-up would require special needs pupils to get the bus or walk to classes if a new assessment process decided it is safe for them to do so. A meeting of the council’s school’s forum tonight will be required to make recommendations for a raft of transport changes. The issue will then be subject to public consultation. One measure will be to consider a new assessment regime for free transport for children with special educational needs. Currently, students who have a statement of special needs and attend specialist schools are eligible for free transport. A report to councillors says a proportion of this can be classed as “discretionary” as some live close to their school and could be assessed as safe to walk there. A new procedure through the Special Educational Needs Assessment Panel will be put in place to identify a solution that "best matches the student’s needs." Where a young person is able to access and use public transport safely they will be expected to do so. This will mean that some pupils with a statement will not receive free travel, for others a free pass may be provided instead of specialised taxis. This provision is also “discretionary” as the local authority has no legal duty to provide post-16 transport. It is being proposed this free transport is scrapped and for families to make their own arrangements. Alternative government funding is available through a bursary scheme for pupils aged 16-to-19. Vulnerable students, such as those in care or claiming Disability Living Allowance, could be eligible for a bursary of £1,200 for a full academic year. The report states: “Like all councils, Wirral is under considerable pressure to make savings on its public spending. “The council has to make savings in the order of £109m over the next three years. “As a result, the council has had to look at every aspect of its work, especially where it is not compulsory for us to provide services, and consider how they can be delivered more efficiently and cost effectively." Public consultation will begin on April 15 and end on May 24. A final decision is due to be taken by the ruling cabinet in July. Changes would take effect from September of next year. Students who currently receive transport assistance to their school or college will not be affected by the proposals. Firefighters removed the roof from a car to rescue a woman following a crash at Thurstaston. Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service was called at around 2.40pm to the roundabout near the Cottage Loaf pub at Telegraph Road. Crews used hydraulic cutting equipment to remove the roof of the vehicle, which had ended up in the centre of the roundabout. The woman was moved onto a medical longboard and placed in a waiting ambulance, which took her to Arrowe Park Hospital for treatment. An appliance from Upton and one from Heswall fire station attended the incident. THORNTON Hall Hotel & Spa has been named best luxury beauty spa in the UK. It was the only North West spa to be shortlisted for the prestigious Luxury Spa Awards, which recognise those across the globe for their excellent facilities, treatments and customer service. The Wirral hotel was commended alongside top London venues as well as spas across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Roy Burkey, health club general manager said: "We are delighted to receive such a high accolade and we’re extremely grateful to our spa visitors for putting us forward. "The World Luxury Spa Award is a fantastic opportunity to gain international recognition and puts our spa in the spotlight alongside world-renowned hotels and resorts. "This award win fires our belief that our health club and spa is one of the leading clubs both in the North West and the UK. The hotel and health club staff work very hard and thoroughly deserve this recognition." The hotel has invested £300,000 on new luxury treatment rooms and make-up studios which are due to open in July. Birkenhead Park will have its historic status confirmed when the manager of New York's Central Park visits for the first time this week. Doug Blonsky, president and chief executive of Central Park Conservancy will be given a guided tour of Birkenhead Park and meet civic leaders when he visits on Friday, Birkenhead Park is widely acknowledged as the first public park in the world, and the blueprint for Central Park, New York, Central Park was designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead following a visit to Birkenhead Park in 1850. The architect would later comment on the strong impression that his visit to Birkenhead Park would eventually make on his designs for New York’s famous green space, which is the most visited urban park in the United States. CouncillorChris Meaden, cabinet member for culture, tourism and leisure, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mr Blonsky for this historic visit. The ties between our two parks are well known, and we face similar challenges in protecting and conserving our green spaces in the modern world." Professor Robert Lee, chairman of the Friends of Birkenhead Park, said: "The Friends of Birkenhead Park and park staff are delighted to welcome Douglas Blonsky on his first visit to our park. |
Richard Kissack
Editor - Wirral News Beat Archives
October 2015
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