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A ton of trouble for
irresponsible dog owners
EVEN as the 100th Fixed Penalty Notice
was issued for dog fouling in the last few days, Wirral Council continues to
ramp up the pressure on the small proportion of dog owners who are irresponsible
and don't pick up after their pet.
The council has also reiterated its thanks and praise to the thousands of
responsible owners who not only routinely clear up after their dog has done the
business, but also act as ambassadors for the Council's approach to tackling
this issue.
In May 2016, Wirral Council delegated powers to its enforcement partner,
Kingdom, to issue on the spot punishments to people who were observed leaving
their dog's mess behind when out in public.
Since then Kingdom officers have been using information reported to the Council
website by members of the public to target specific problem locations and have
been enforcing the legislation whenever they have seen an offence.
Last week, they chalked up a century of fixed penalties issued within the 1st 8 months, compared to just 13 that were issued during the whole of 2015,
when the Council's policy was more about education than enforcement. And as
Spring looms, with lighter mornings and evenings, Kingdom will be continuing the
zero tolerance approach by deploying earlier and later patrols.
At the same time, feedback from the enforcement officers is also confirming what
the Council has always believed; that the vast majority of Wirral dog owners are
responsible citizens and contribute greatly to keeping our streets, parks and
beauty spots and clean for the benefit of everyone.
Cllr Bernie Mooney, Wirral Council Cabinet member for Environment, said:-
"It is not surprising to hear that so many Wirral owners are doing the right
thing when it comes to dog fouling. Not only are they setting an example by
picking up their mess, they are also coming forward and telling us where they
see other owners not doing the same. This just makes us even more determined to
crackdown on this small minority who think they can get away with not cleaning
up after their dogs. We have made a promise to local people that we will create
and maintain an attractive environment for the benefit of residents and we are
committed to achieving that by 2020. As well as the enforcement activity, we are
backing our approach up with an ongoing marketing campaign to try to highlight
to these people what a horrible impact their actions can have on others who
might inadvertently come into contact with their mess. We are also piloting the
use of bag dispensers in some of our parks so people can obtain a bag to clean
up after their dog if they have forgotten to bring one out with them. The list
of excuses that people might use for leaving the mess behind is reducing all the
time."
Michael Fisher, Environmental Protection Director at Kingdom, added:-
"This is a great example of a strategically developed public/private sector
partnership, tactically deploying trained and experienced Officers in an
intelligence led manner and effectively targeting the areas of dog fouling
offending and other environmental crime. I would like to thank the public of the
Wirral for their assistance in achieving these results."
Public welcome at Trust board meeting
SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust will hold its
next board meeting, on Wednesday, 1 February 2017, at 9am. The meeting will be
held in the Clinical Education Centre at Southport and Formby District General
Hospital. Members of the public are welcome to attend and observe the meeting.
Anyone with a special requirement should contact the Trust in advance on:- 01704
704783. The agenda will be available on the Trust website in advance of the
meeting. Supporting papers will be made available on the day.
17 year old arrested in relation to murder of
Blake Brown
MERSEYSIDE Police Detectives investigating the murder of
Blake Brown, in Aigburth, on Thursday, 26 January 2017, arrested a 17 year old
male, from Wallasey, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. He has since
been conditionally bailed pending further enquiries. If anyone has any
information about the murder, please call:- 0800 230 0600 or leave information
anonymously with Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111. |
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Liverpool Municipal Building
to be turned into a 4 Star Hotel
LIVERPOOL City Council's former
administrative headquarters is to be turned into a 4 star hotel, by an
international property developer. Municipal Building, on Dale Street, was put on
the market last October as the City Council seeks to find £90 million of savings
over the next 3 years.
A report going to the authority's Cabinet, on Friday, 3 February 2016, will be
recommending the sale to Fragrance Group Limited (FGL), a Singapore based
property company, be approved.
FGL has a portfolio of more than 80 projects
with overseas development properties including Premier Tower, a skyscraper in
Melbourne, Australia, but this will be its 1st acquisition in Europe.
The landmark Grade II listed City Centre
office, which has unique design features of the Italian and French renaissance,
is to be sold on a 250 year lease. The building, which opened in 1866, is
expected to be handed over in Spring. The Hotel, subject to planning permission,
would also include a restaurant.
Municipal Buildings, which has space for 1,000 staff, currently only has 640
employees accommodated there, due to a significant reduction in the Council's
head count in recent years.
The proposal is part of an accommodation
strategy which aims to deliver significant ongoing savings and generate funding
which can be reinvested in reducing the costs of the City's major infrastructure
projects programme.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:
“Municipal Building has been a magnificent home for Liverpool City Council since
the 1860's, but we no longer have the staff numbers to justify retaining it. I'm
delighted we have a buyer of international repute who is looking to use
Liverpool to break into the UK and European hotel market. This will have a great
impact in terms of generating jobs and bosting out international appeal. We will
work with FGL to ensure that its future use protects the building's unique
architectural features, as we have done with the neighbouring Municipal Annexe
and Royal Insurance Building which have also recently been brought back into use
as 4 star hotels. The sale will bring in much needed money which we can reinvest
in reducing the costs of our capital infrastructure programme, as well as
delivering ongoing savings by lowering our overheads.”
The building is on 3 floors with an extensive basement, and covers 11,494 square
metres. Its appeal to the hotel market was boosted by its proximity to the
City's retail and cultural sectors and to the waterfront and cruise liner
operations. Council workers are being moved to other existing sites across the
City, such as Cunard Building, at the Pier Head, Premier Court on Hatton Garden,
Venture Place on Sir Thomas Street and Wavertree Customer Focus Centre on
Wavertree Road.
The One Stop Shop, based within Municipal
Building will be relocated to a self contained unit, in the refurbished St
John's Market, ensuring that customers can still access Council services in a
central location.
Consideration is also being given to putting
other public facing Government services in the facility to generate wider
savings. |
