Crosby Conservative Club on it's way out of Crosby

It was reported last night that The Crosby Conservative Club has now officially changed it's name to Crosby Village Social Club, after the membership voted to pull out of the Conservative Association.

Your Manor FOCUS Team reported in January about former Lib Dem Councillor, Jack Colbert (pictured right, thanks to Birkdale), becoming Chairman of Crosby's Conservative Club. - much to the displeasure of one local Tory councillor. Best of luck to the new committee at the Club; Jack's cheeky one liner in the New Year may now be more correct than he realised: “I only go for three reasons; because there’s cheap ale, good snooker tables and no Conservatives!”

Charles Kennedy: Why the country cannot afford to say no to AV.

I don't know about you, but everyone I've spoken to about NO2AV's disgusting adverts is seriously angry. I, along with all the Manor FOCUS Team have signed our names to the YesTo FairerVotes letter to the Advertising Standards Authority – we urge you do the same. Please read the comments by Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy, below on the No2AV's local paper adverts. And add your name to show your disgust. I very much doubt that this is how low the No2AV campaign will go - it may only be the beginning. 

It certainly shows one clear thing - those defenders of First Past The Post are so ingrained with preserving an outdated, outmoded and past its best voting system that they have to resort to scare mongering tactics as a form of argument and debate. It's a dishonest campaign that deserves to lose.


Over recent days No2AV have published a series of ads in local papers that can be described as distasteful at best, shocking and outrageous at worst.

The premise behind the ads is that the country can't afford the alternative voting system. That by saying Yes to AV, voters will be taking £250 million away from sick babies in need of care, or soldiers in need of armour.

I say this kind of behaviour shows exactly why the UK can't afford to say no to AV.

It's clear that the No campaign don't have the integrity to regulate themselves, but this is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change politics in the UK. We mustn't let the country get distracted by the No campaign's cheap tricks.

Yes to Fairer Votes are calling on the Advertising Standards Authority to issue guidance on this campaign - and fast. Please add your name today.
http://www.yestofairervotes.org/cosign-ASA

The No campaign are building their arguments on scaremongering. They are doing a massive disservice to the voters of the UK. This is a serious subject and we need them to engage in honest, open debate.

This debate must centre on the future of politics in the UK, re-engaging voters and giving a voice to people, this is too important to be sidelined by petty backbiting and cynical campaigning.

UK voters are entitled to decent, honest and truthful advertising campaigns - these adverts fail on every count. Join us in calling for the ASA to step in today, so that we can get on with the debate the country deserves.
http://www.yestofairervotes.org/cosign-ASA

We can't waste this opportunity.

Charles Kennedy

Fly-tipping: the never ending problem.

Friend of Manor Ward and Sefton Council Leader reports on fly tipping, some of which in the lanes between Lunt Village and Thornton:

Fly tipping is anti social behaviour and criminal but it is very hard to catch those who do it.

The lanes between Lunt Village and Thornton suffer particularly badly and that has been the case for some time now. I often see tipping and report it to the Council. I have found tyres, asbestos, white goods, furniture etc. and not just around Lunt Village. Recently I have reported glass bottle tipping in Spuriers Lane Melling, general tipping in Sandy Lane Melling, Huge amounts of commercial tipping in the car park by Handcock’s Canal Bridge in Aintree Village and only yesterday found a dumped sofa in Poverty Lane Maghull.

The tippers cost us all money as the Council has to pay to take away their rubbish that they can’t be bothered disposing of in the appropriate way.

As reported in your Winter FOCUS, received either side of Christmas, Manor Councillor John Gibson comments: “It is difficult to catch those who are doing the dumping but we are working very closely alongside the environmental services in Sefton to try and end this plight. The bottom line is it’s dangerous, irresponsible and unsightly.”

Your FOCUS team encourage all incidents to be reported by calling the  following number:  0845 140 0845.

AV: Anthony Green on how it works in Australia.

The following is a repost of an article from our friends at Yes To Fairer Votes:

Last week, you may have heard the speech where David Cameron said that “six out of ten” Australians want to abandon AV and return to a first past the post voting system.
But is it true?
Not so, says one of Australia's most respected broadcasters, Antony Green, who over the last few days has stepped in to clarify a few things about AV, preferential voting, and how it works in his country.

From Green’s post on ABC.net:

The problem is, the Prime Minister's statement is based on a single survey, and that survey was one in which the Alternative Vote was not even an option

Green also added that the survey was conducted in the weeks following a federal election that ended in stalemate, and a controversial move by the independents to help keep the Gillard government in office - Both, he reasons, could have sparked an out-of-the-ordinary anti-election sentiment amongst the electorate.
But Antony Green has done a lot more than simply refute Cameron’s bogus quote about Australians turning on AV. Over the past weeks, he’s posted some of the smartest analysis around about AV, and how it’s worked in Australia and elsewhere.
He recently wrote an article rebutting some of the No campaign's other misleading claims and reposted a long and informative article he wrote in 2004 when AV was on the ballot in Australia, with a introduction detailing the key differences between the UK and Australian versions. It’s a great read for anyone looking for a little more background on how votes are counted in an AV system.


On May 5th vote Lib Dem and vote "Yes" in the Referendum for real change.

Save Our Cheque: Update

Thank you to all the hundreds of residents who have so far returned their petitions to either Councillor John Gibson, James Ludley or direct to the FREEPOST address (printed on the petition slip) in the campaign to Save Our Cheque.

Your Manor FOCUS Team will endeavour to write a reply of thanks to all those who have returned their petitions, but such is the high volume this may not be straight away. However, we'd be more worried if the problem was the other way around!

you can continue to send your petitions using the following link: PETITION.

A fairer, more democratic, greener, liberal country

The e-Focus tries to be, in the main, largely about local issues or at least Manor 'based' articles. However, this production is rather good and worth a few minutes of your time.





Short film taken from Channel 4′s “Political Slot”.

Green Investment Bank: Osborne goes missing

The Financial Times has been reporting [requires registration] this week again about the ongoing vigorous debate within government over the forthcoming Green Investment Bank and how much power it will have:

"Nick Clegg is now the main driving force of the government’s “green investment bank” amid a Whitehall struggle over how precisely the new entity will function…

The Treasury is determined to hold back financing until the deficit is under control, towards the end of the current parliament. Officials have also argued for the bank to be a fund with little or no leverage."

Mark Pack over at Liberal Democrat Voice has the full details... Opening with:

"Curiously absent from the scene, however, is George Osborne who has acquired rather a reputation for avoiding taking direct hands-on interest in the issue."

How committed the Tories are to the long term investment to help the UK fully make the transition to a low-carbon economy will remain to be seen.

AV Poll Now Open

It was brought to my attention by a local resident, who was browsing through the Manor Ward e-Focus, that our AV Poll at the bottom of the page was closed!! This mistake on my part has been updated and the poll is now back open. Happy voting...

Scroll down to the bottom to place your vote...

Northend Lane... let's just get it sorted, please!

Very recently the Labour Party have made claims in the press that other parties, including Manor Ward Lib Dems, 'have jumped on the Northend Lane bandwagon.'

This has been an ongoing and very long fought campaign with all parties and local Parish Councils. Councillor Gibson, both as a councillor and local resident and member of the Hightown community, has been a part of it from its beginning.
 
The fact remains that all parties have agreed to work together to ensure that this junction is made safer, and as soon as possible. For Labour to start scoring cheap political points will only hinder this process and continue to put the lives of local residents at risk with what is, and has been agreed by all parties, a dangerous traffic junction.

Similar political point scoring occured during the ongoing Thornton Relief Road arguments, when Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Sefton Central, claimed that the Coalition Government had "axed" the link-road. This has since proved to be false with the much needed link road going ahead.

The comments surrounding the link-road debacle only damaged Labour's relationships with the local Parish Councils and local residents concerned with these issues.

I'd advise Labour not to make the same mistake twice!



The Full story is continued here.

Burglaries Going Down But HAVE YOUR SAY with Neighbourhood Police

Police have recently reported a significant drop in burglaries in the Crosby Area.

The Police have been cracking down on burglaries and only one burglary has been reported in February this year – but police are warning homeowners to stay on their guard. The Crosby Herald carried the following story:


" Police have said burglaries in the area have reduced following a number of arrests.
Operations across Crosby are still ongoing and patrols will continue in hotspots across the area.

Crosby neighbourhood inspector Diane Prosser said: “I cannot reinforce enough about making sure that doors and windows are looked whether people are in or out. There will always be opportunist thieves that will try handles."
To report a burglary call Crosby Police on 0151 777 3634 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. "

If you have a question for Inspector Prosser, Merseyside Police are holding a Have Your Say evening for the community on Wednesday 16th February at 6pm St Stephens Church Hall, Hightown. This is an open event for all those residents who wish to attend.

Pro-AV Tory accuses party of 'stifling debate'

Once again the Tory Party is showing it's true outdated colours...

" A Conservative activist has accused his party of stifling debate about the case for change to the UK electoral system.

John Strafford said supporters of a switch to Alternative Vote were told they could not hold a meeting at the party's Spring conference in Cardiff.

This contradicted David Cameron's call for an "open debate", he said. ...

He told the BBC that party officials had not given any explanation for the decision and he would canvass delegates about the issue at the conference.

"David Cameron has said Conservatives have a free vote on the issue so why can't we have a debate," he said. "


The full story can be found on the BBC.

'That Letter'

‘The letter’ that was featured earlier this week in The Times is still causing strong comment in the media. The BBC have made much emphasis on the letter being an attack on the cuts, however, Maureen Rigg argues that: “We were not calling for no cuts, but for time to implement them properly instead of the front loading which Eric Pickles seems to think is so easy to cope with.  The letter has been well and truly misrepresented...”

Sefton Council’s Leader and long time friend of Manor Ward, Tony Robertson (pictured), was one of the signatories of the letter which attacked Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. Here’s how the Southport Visitor carried the story today (Feb. 11):

SEFTON Council’s leader has launched a stinging attack on Communities Secretary Eric Pickles over the £68m cuts facing the borough.

Cllr Tony Robertson was among 88 local Lib Dem heads, including 17 town hall leaders, to sign an open letter warning of the pace of the Government's spending cuts.

They accused Mr. Pickles of "letting down" users of council services and refusing to work with councillors.

In the letter, which lays bare the depth of frustration felt by a highly influential section of the Lib Dems, the signatories accused Mr. Pickles of being "unwilling to lead the change that's so desperately needed".

Cllr Robertson said he fully accepted the need to reduce the country’s deficit and Sefton’s role in that.

But the Maghull councillor said Mr. Pickles’s decision to ‘front-load’ savings had forced councils to rush into making “gut-wrenching decisions”.

Cllr Robertson said: “The front-loading means that we’re making savings at an incredibly fast pace which doesn’t allow us to change the organisation to best harvest savings.

“The real concern is the way things have been gone about.

“The lack of diplomacy from Eric Pickles and the way he talks about local authorities just makes the whole process a lot worse. His contribution to this issue has just not helped.”

The letter, published in The Times, was signed by key figures including Cllr Richard Kemp, Lib Dem leader on the Local Government Association. ...

Cllr Robertson added: “Eric Pickles comes from a local authority background, so he should understand how it all works. But we’ve all found his approach to things a bit much.

“You would expect support from the local government secretary, but instead we feel like we’re being poked in the eye.

“All we want is a bit of consistency and we see Eric Pickles as being a blockage to that.

“The view among councils generally, and across all parties, is that his attitude is something we could do without.”

It is about time that Eric Pickles is questioned in this way, his approach to local authorities has been poor from the beginning, and I praise Tony for adding his name to the letter. Any local Conservative finding themselves in agreement with the approach of Eric Pickles clearly, in the opinion of Manor’s FOCUS team, doesn’t have the local community at heart.

The full letter can be found here.

The Birds Circa, 2011

The Independent cartoon 11/02/11, thanks to our friends in Birkdale:

YES to Fairer Votes Campaign: Ralph's Story

Policing Issues: Have Your Say

Inspector Diane Prosser (pictured) is the new police inspector for the Crosby Area. Insp. Prosser has been working tirelessly for all Crosby Area residents since her arrival.

Friend of Manor FOCUS team, Crosby Area Committee Chairman and Liberal Democrat Sefton Councillor, Peter Hough, recently met with Insp. Prosser to discuss how local cutbacks might affect local policing. Merseyside Police have to make cuts of around 25%, but Insp. Prosser assured Peter that the funds for Community Support Officers were ring-fenced. Peter explained what he was told: "Most of the savings will be made by reducing back-room staff and merging control rooms and custody suites. Front-line policing wasn't going to bear the brunt - projects such as the Anti-Social Behaviour Task Force would be devolved to the Neighbourhood Police.”

If you have a question for Inspector Prosser, Merseyside Police are holding a Have Your Say evening for the community on Wednesday 16th February at 6pm St Stephens Church Hall, Hightown. This is an open event for all those residents who wish to attend.

Picture taken from: http://www.merseyside.police.uk/

Click on the image to find out how to:

Manor Councillors Grant CHET £500

The Crosby Hall Educational Trust (CHET) was founded in 1988 to establish and operate a residential educational centre through the conversion of the historic stables and farm buildings at Crosby Hall.

The Centre acts as a great outlet for local Crosby school children as well as the surrounding area. A particular concern of CHET is to make the facilities of the Centre available to all children and young people, regardless of handicap or the ability to pay. Provision is made at the Centre for the disabled, and, by means of a Bursary Fund, many children are able to come at minimum cost. The Bursary Fund is generously supported by over 200 “Chetfriends” who covenant a regular contribution.

Manor Ward Councillors have a long tradition of being friends of CHET. The decision was taken by all parties to donate £500 to CHET from Manor funds to help continue the good work of the Centre.

Photo taken from CHET's website – for more information about the facilities available please phone: 0151 924 9099.

Protecting Manor's Green Spaces

Sefton planners may repeal urban green space status (“UGS”) of Firwood land – we object!

The Firwood land next to the Hightown road bridge (and at the back of Mark Road bordering on Railway line and leading to the army camp) is UGS and no planning applications will succeed because of the UGS status. If the UGS was removed, as sure as eggs are eggs, the property developer would put in a planning application for the land to be built on and it would almost certainly be granted. This is because residents would have the chance of objecting to such an application, but there would be very little they could use to successfully object to the land being developed.

On 1 February 2011, Sefton’s draft “green space study” was published and it will now go to consultation. The study stated: “Privately-owned site but high health benefit because of informal public use. Partial development could make a small but important contribution to meeting local housing needs…..”

Your Lib Dem FOCUS team, which includes local resident Councillor John Gibson, will keep you informed of developments. John asks: “We object to this loss of Hightown’s green space. Why should we lose this land just so a property developer can make a fortune out of the land, at our expense?” Your Lib Dem FOCUS team will campaign hard to make sure this area of land is protected against at repeal of its current urban green space status.

YES to Alternative Vote on 5th May - Find your local group.

Good news on the Yes Vote front, the Lords deadlock was broken last night by the Tories deciding to be reasonable and accept concessions and the Labour Lords deciding to be reasonable and let the bill pass. 5th May it is then!

A Yes Local Group near you... and for all your campaigning resources.

I was pleased to hear from my colleague, Tony Robertson, that my MP will be voting YES in this forthcoming referendum. Tony has the details on his Blog, but the important bit is as follows

"I asked Bill Esterson personally a few weeks ago and was pleased that he indicated support for fair votes as there are many in the Labour Party who do too well under the present system to want to change it.

Well done Bill but you have a big job to do with the Labour Group of Councillors on Sefton Council; they voted last week almost unanimously (I think) not to support electoral reform. Get to work on them please Bill; we must change the way we vote so that every vote counts, even in Bootle where sadly it has not for many, many years."

If you wish to know more about the AV voting system and the core arguments for follow our Manor Blog link by clicking HERE.

Hightown Station's Footbridge "Not Fit For Purpose"

The footbridge at Hightown Railway Station has for many years frustrated the journeys of young parents, the disabled and the elderly. Access over the footbridge is incredibly difficult for those with restricted mobility and young parents with prams and buggies. Local Liberal Democrat activists, James Ludley and Andrew Shields (pictured), continue their campaign for easier access between the two platforms at Hightown Railway Station.

Speaking to local residents, Lib Dem activists are concerned that Merseyrail are continuing to ignore the needs of rail users who find it difficult to cross the footbridge in its current condition. "The sloped part of the footbridge was designed with no regard to those with restricted mobility. By designing the sloped part of the footbridge with very steep steps it means that access to those in wheelchairs, with walking aids, or even parents or grandparents with prams, is extremely limited and highly dangerous” argues James Ludley (left).

Local resident and Hightown Councillor, John Gibson, has long called for a review into the access between the two platforms: “What makes the whole situation worse is that those who cannot cross the footbridge have no alternative but to travel right-around Hightown village. It’s very off putting for many local residents.”

Concluding on the matter Mr. Ludley raised further concern should Hightown suffer any further server weather, similar to the snow fall in December. “We were told at the Crosby Area Committee meeting that gritting the footbridge would be detrimental to the footbridge’s upkeep, because it can corrode the metal. Quite simply this footbridge is not fit for the people of Hightown nor is it fit for purpose full stop. Merseyrail need to take note of local resident’s concerns.”