Mockbeggar Wharf is the feeding ground for the internationally important numbers of Oystercatcher and Knot, both of which have been declared threatened species. The Dee estuary hosts around 5% of the global population of Oystercatcher. The cause of their decline is known to the over-fishing of shellfish.

It beggars belief that this level of plunder has been allowed in what it is an Internationally protected Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site. Aside from removal of cockles on an industrial scale, the level of disturbance is intolerable.

Green councillors are looking into how this licence can be challenged. We renew our calls for vehicles including quad bikes to be banned from the foreshore.

In this BBC article, Pat Cleary, from Wirral Council’s Green Party, said he was opposed to such “industrial” levels of activity on the beach. 

He said: “These are really important feeding grounds for migratory birds.

“We are talking about internationally threatened species like the oystercatcher and the knot. 

“The Dee estuary is home to 5% of the global population of oystercatchers. This is a threatened species, and we know that fishing of shellfish directly contributes to the decline of these species.

“So if we are serious about protecting nature, this kind of activity we cannot allow on an industrial scale.”

The post Wirral Green Party responds to commercial cockling appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

We want to be clear that Greens support fairer, greener parking. Here’s a short article explaining our position.

Additional income from parking charges will ensure the cost of servicing and maintaining car parks are fully covered by those who use them.

This is fairer as currently all council taxpayers subsidise parking, whether they own a vehicle or not. We are awaiting clarification from officers about the full costs of parking on Wirral, including cost of enforcement, maintenance of car parks and the further costs of ‘car dependency’ (increased pollution, death and injury on our roads, etc.). It’s a complicated financial picture!

For many Wirral residents, especially those struggling financially, owning a car is not an option. It is unfair to ask these families to subsidise parking for others when their money could be better used to support local services and improve public spaces.

Notably, parts of Birkenhead and Wallasey, where over half of households do not own any private vehicles, experience the worst air quality and the highest levels of traffic danger.

Wirral’s parking strategy, which was approved by all parties, promotes fairness and encourages sustainable transport options. By reducing pollution, it will benefit everyone, especially those most affected by poor air quality.

The council must balance its budget fairly, and this policy ensures a more equitable sharing of the financial burden.

It’s important to stress that:

✅ Blue badge holders will still be able to park for free and volunteer groups can request free parking permits.
✅ Businesses can buy parking permits for £720 per year, that’s less than £14 per week.

Have your say via the survey here. A decision will be made at the relevant committee later in the year.

The post Proposed Parking Charges on Wirral – An explainer from Wirral Greens appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Gail Jenkinson, along with other Green Party councillors, spoke out in favour of regeneration on Wirral, and against building on our precious green spaces.

The post Cllr Gail Jenkinson explains why the greenbelt is so important for Wirral appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

A government taskforce has been set up to spearhead a generation of new towns:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expert-taskforce-to-spearhead-a-new-generation-of-new-towns

This will “create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each, with many significantly larger.

The new towns will help ……regenerate areas that have been held back for far too long.

a large number will be regeneration schemes that will work with the grain of development in any given area.”

Birkenhead and the wider Left Bank has the potential to accommodate over 20,000 new homes on brownfield land over the next twenty years. A new Waterside Garden Town or City is the vision set out in the 2040 Regeneration Strategy and the new Local Plan.  

If the government means what it says, then Wirral’s Left Bank should be at the top of the list when the new task force publishes its recommendations next year.

We have already set out the vision to achieve exactly what the government says it wants.

The government must now recognise that potential and provide the support that places like Birkenhead need.

Some of that support is of course financial. But much of it relies on providing the skills, efficient delivery models and long-term resources that are fundamental for transformative regeneration.

A key failing of the last government was expecting local authorities, ravaged by years of austerity, to deliver rapid, large-scale regeneration when clearly, they are ill-equipped to do so. 

We -Wirral Council, elected representatives, local business, community groups and individuals – are now in a nationally unique position to say to government, 

• not just that our greenbelt is precious, 
• not just that regeneration is essential to address inequalities 
• and not just that their draft proposals are deeply flawed and potentially ruinous to Wirral as a place
• but that we already have the vision and the potential to give the government what it wants, and the experience gained over recent years about what does and doesn’t work.

Our task now is not just to challenge the deeply flawed methodology that has generated silly, never to be achieved, housing targets for Wirral. It is also to grasp the opportunity to make our 2040 vision a reality – breathing life into the Left Bank, protecting the Borough’s greenbelt and, crucially, to lobby early and effectively to make that happen.

Accordingly, Green Group co-leaders have today written to our Chief Executive to understand how and when Wirral Council will be engaging with the New Towns task force. Early and effective engagement will be crucial to help secure a brighter future for those residents most in need as well as protecting our precious greenbelt.

The post Birkenhead can be a new town in an old town appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Council notes the government consultation published on 30 July 2024 on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system including the proposed changes to the methodology for calculating new housing targets. Indicative figures imply an annual target for Wirral of 1,755 new homes, 1,027 or 141% higher than the corresponding figure in the Council’s
emerging local plan.

Council agrees that such numbers, if confirmed, threaten to fundamentally change Wirral by:

• undermining the unanimously agreed brownfield only policy for new housing and diverting resources away from the regeneration of Wirral’s left bank
• increasing urban sprawl with inevitable implications for carbon emissions and biodiversity loss
• posing a fundamental threat to Wirral’s green belt and the special character of many communities across Wirral
• Council also notes that the proposed reforms imply a preference for brownfield land development but do not indicate additional support for brownfield land reclamation and development to help
• meet the vast increase in housing numbers
• do not prioritise the existence of over a quarter of a million long term empty properties in England or suggest giving local authorities additional powers to bring such properties back into use
• do not address the carbon implications of increased urban sprawl and how this will impact on binding national targets for net zero emissions

and endorses the recent comments made by Claire Holland, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association; “While national government can provide useful guidance, it is local councils and communities who know their areas best, so changes to national planning policy should be suitably flexible to allow authorities to make judgement decisions on managing competing demands for uses in their local areas.”1

Council further notes the letter from the Deputy Prime Minister to all local authority leaders on 30 July 2024 and particularly the comments regarding local plans currently at examination:

“where there is a significant gap between the plan and the new local housing need figure, we will expect authorities to begin a plan immediately in the new system” and the significant implications this has for the future of Wirral’s Local Plan.

Council reaffirms its commitment to the Birkenhead 2040 Framework and its ambition to fundamentally change the Left Bank of Wirral so that it becomes a place that is more attractive to investment from the private and public sector and therefore addresses market failure in the provision of new housing which significantly contributes to the stark inequalities that exist in Wirral.

Accordingly, Council instructs the Chief Planning Officer when preparing a response to the Government consultation to explicitly address:

• Wirral’s unique position given its potential to deliver large scale brownfield only housing and associated regenerative placemaking the negative knock-on effects that releasing green belt land would have on achieving successful regeneration and additional housing supply in East Wirral and the borough’s ability to achieve net zero targets
• the current situation regarding empty properties in Wirral and the corresponding potential to meet future housing need in the borough.

Sources:
1 https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/urgent-action-needed-ensure-more-housing-built-meet-growing-demand-lga-response

The post Wirral Green Party – Motion for Extraordinary Council Meeting, Green Belt appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Green councillors will call for the following:

We recognise that successful place making and regeneration is fundamental to the protection of our precious green belt. Green Councillors acknowledge the achievements by officers in securing large sums of public finance for regeneration and the work to date on delivery. We reaffirm our commitment to the Birkenhead 2040 Framework and its vision for the transformation of Birkenhead and the wider left bank of the Mersey and restates its desire to deliver on the promise and potential contained in the 2040 Framework.

However, Green Councillors have a number of concerns including;

• The recent departure of the interim Director of Regeneration, the fourth such exit in the past two years
• The breakdown in trust with the local community following the broken promises around a new, flagship Birkenhead Market building
• The failure to date of the council to bring forward a housing scheme at the former House of Fraser site in central Birkenhead and the accompanying risk to related grant funding
• The lack of progress in delivering public transport improvements to Wirral Waters including the failure to bring forward a business case for any proposed solution
• The lack of reporting around the progress of the regeneration programme; in particular the absence of regular and clear, RAG-rated progress reports on regeneration projects to the Economy and Regeneration committee.

We therefore agrees that an independent review of the council’s Regeneration directorate is urgently required.

• Request that the Chief Executive, in consultation with Group Leaders, writes to the LGA to ask for their assistance in conducting a review of Wirral Council’s Regeneration directorate.

Read the recent article that spells out the issues relating to regeneration across Wirral. ‘Concerns raised about council over regeneration projects.’

Why has progress stalled on delivering much needed, well funded regeneration projects – such a flagship Birkenhead market, affordable homes, more public transport and urban green spaces? How can projects be un-blocked?

From New Ferry to Birkenhead and Wallasey, we need to clean… https://t.co/YfR2MlT1fY

— Jo Bird (@JoBirdJoBird) July 24, 2024

When green cllŕs tried to raise senior staff departures at Regeneration Committee last night the Labour chair blocked any discussion. What message does this send to potential investors in Wirral? https://t.co/d2UURcfEpW

— Cllr Pat Cleary (@PatCleary2) July 17, 2024

https://twitter.com/edwardlamb/status/1816379334552084796

The post Green Councillors call for independent review into failure of Regeneration   appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Greens are the clear challengers to Labour in Birkenhead. Last year in Council elections, more people voted Green than Labour. 38% voted Green and 36% voted Labour, across Birkenhead constituency including Bebington. The Greens hold 10 out of 21 councillor seats in Birkenhead.

Jo said, “At this election, Greens are offering a simple choice; real hope and real change with me or business as usual with Labour. People know that the Tories can’t win here. A Green MP would send a clear message to those who have taken your support for granted for decades, that Birkenhead deserves better.

“Because people in Birkenhead deserve an MP that works tirelessly to put Birkenhead first, to deliver for everyone in our community. An MP who will fight to rebuild our NHS, end the scandal of low pay and champion peace not war.

All of this is possible, and voters in Birkenhead can make it happen. Make history on 4 July. Vote Jo Bird for Birkenhead MP.”

The post Real hope & real change: Green Party launch Jo Bird for Birkenhead MP appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Cllr Jo Bird, co-leader of Wirral Green Group of councillors, said, “Green councillors welcome this Council budget for 4 reasons. Firstly, it means there are no closures of valued frontline services Secondly, the Real Living Wage uplift continues to be offered to providers of adult care Thirdly, compulsory job losses are not envisaged and fourthly, the additional £2 million of one-off funding means there could be new investment in our environment. New green jobs and services could be created by, for example, clearing fly-tipping from alleyways and installing renewable energy to reduce bills and carbon emissions.”

Taken from https://wirral.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/839628

The post Greens welcome Wirral council budget appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

At the local council elections last May Gail topped the poll in her ward. She says,

“It is important that I keep the promises I made when I was elected last May. I feel that I can now only do this as a member of the Green Party. I love the place where I grew up and still live, and I speak to residents every day. I cannot do this honestly as Labour changes its policies, particularly now it is saying it will relax controls on building on the greenbelt.

“We have fought long and hard to protect our vital open spaces but our brownfield-first Local Plan is still under inspection. We have beaten Leverhulme and other developers for the time being, but we cannot be complacent. The last thing we need is more loopholes for big developers to exploit, potentially at great expense to the Council, depriving the public of even more funding.

“We must protect the future of our children and all future generations. I strongly believe that being a member of the Green Party is the best way for me to contribute to that future and be a more effective councillor.”

Wirral’s Green Group of councillors now increases to 14. It’s co-leaders are Cllrs Pat Cleary and Jo Bird.

Cllr Pat Cleary says, “I’m delighted that Gail has decided to join the Green Party. Protecting our green belt and preventing urban sprawl is massively important to us. I know that Gail will be a passionate advocate of those principles for people in Greasby, Frankby and Irby.”

Cllr Jo Bird says, “Gail is a formidable campaigner. She champions the issues of social and environmental justice that matter most to people who live in Greasby, Frankby and Irby. More and more people on the Wirral are turning to the Greens because – like Gail – we put people and environment first, not party bosses.”

The number of Green councillors in Wirral has now soared from one to 14 since 2019.

• Contact: Cllr Gail Jenkinson 07713 416 091 gailjenkinson@wirral.gov.uk
• Contact: Cllr Pat Cleary 07852 842 559 patcleary@wirral.gov.uk
• Contact Cllr Jo Bird 07970 075 704 jobird@wirral.gov.uk

The post Councillor Gail Jenkinson Joins Green Party appeared first on Wirral Green Party.

Green councillor Jo Bird said, “Mazel tov to Councillors Ed Lamb, Helen Raymond and Craig Mcdonald on your first speeches to full Council. You’ve done the residents of Bebington, Eastham and Rock Ferry proud.

As co-leader of the Green Group of Councillors, along with Cllr Pat Cleary, and on behalf of the Green Group, we’re pleased to support this motion as amended. 

We add that Council further recognises that everyone has the right to standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself or herself and their family, including housing, as stated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On Wirral in Property Pool Plus, Band A residents, there are 222 people – that’s people who are statutory homeless or getting homeless relief duty, for example. 

In Band B, there are 1,386 people. Including residents of my ward Bromborough, like Kirsty Chapman and her family. They rent from a large private sector landlord, Port Sunlight Village Trust. Her home is in significant disrepair and it suffers from damp and cold because the energy performance certificate of it is less than C. 

So Council is therefore requesting that the Director of Regeneration and Place brings a report to the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee, within this municipal year, providing information and making recommendations to address:

Firstly, the needs of all people on the Wirral who are homeless, rough sleeping or in temporary accommodation – including people seeking sanctuary from war and violence.

Secondly, to look into the availability and planned construction of new council housing and socially rented housing on Wirral, with secure tenancies and affordable rents. I know this isn’t a small ask. It’s a significant piece of work to bring the information forward.

Thirdly, protections available to that social housing stock from the right to buy and the right to acquire schemes. 

I’d like to also thank all the housing workers and the good work they do, supporting all kinds of people in housing need. Thank you.”

The post Greens win Wirral Council recognition of the human right to housing appeared first on Wirral Green Party.