Liverpool City Region – Mayoral dust-up

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/tensions-rising-between-liverpool-mayor-13224506

The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above

It seems to have been rather obvious for a while now that Anderson and Rotherham have a problem with each other; one is the elected Mayor of Liverpool the other the elected Mayor of Merseyside. The other obvious question is why because they both come from the same political party – Labour.

It strikes me that the mayoral quarreling, as described by the Liverpool Echo article, is not going to be in the interests of Merseyside and the Liverpool City Region.

If they were from differing political parties you could almost understand it and you would expect some friction but they are not.

Do we need an elected referee now?

Maghull – Two Home Bargains Stores!

Well so it seems with one moving from its present site on Westway into Maghull Square and a new one opening in August on the site of the former Maghull Library.

The floor area of the new store looks to be slightly bigger than the one to be relocated in the Square so a slightly larger range of products can be envisaged but this means that two quite similar stores will be being run within a few hundred yards of each other.

Are you, like me, wondering if there is a an interesting back-story to this situation or is just that Maghull can’t get enough of Home Bargains and only two stores will meet the demand?

Merseyrail Train is shot at

A 507/508 EMU Merseyrail unit at Crescent Road level crossing – Birkdale, Southport.

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyrail-train-evacuated-after-being-13217678

The Liverpool Echo has the story from Monday night on its web site – see link above.

Goodness me the use of guns on Merseyside becomes a bigger concern each week that goes by. This may have been ‘just’ an air rifle incident but sadly it fits into a much wider picture of gun use locally.

Maghull – Strange Graffiti/Street Art

Seen on a BT junction box in Green Lane Maghull (and on another on a similar box in Liverpool Road North) but what on earth is it all about? A Google search brought a fellow blogger up and an explanation:-

thiswayupzine.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/strange-liverpool-graffiti.html

Seems BT could be making a charge here to me for advertising on their junction boxes so our telephone bills could come down:-)))

Billinge – Who’d of thought it on a Parish Council?

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/councillors-accused-racism-bribery-making-13169144

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/councillors-guilty-misconduct-after-racism-13176655

The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see links above

I’ve been a parish councillor since 1985 and whilst meeting some rather eccentric parish councillors in my time I have always found the vast majority of my fellow parish councillors to be decent folk.

Because of the nature of parish councils being small local affairs I have come across some councillors who think that the world ends at their parish boundary, or who don’t seem to understand what a parish council can and can’t do or who don’t seem to get how they should interact with the public who attend their meetings.

It’s perfectly legal for anyone to attend a parish council meeting and film it but I have heard of some parish councils who don’t like this and try to stop it. They don’t realise or don’t care that they are acting outside the law.

It’s also the case that sometimes a member of the public can turn up to a meeting and during the public participation part of it can be aggressive and difficult. Such rare events need a strong meeting chairman to handle things without a shouting match having to be the consequence.

I suppose what I am saying is that to be a parish councillor you need to be able to get along with folks especially those whom you disagree with.

Guide Dogs/Hearing Dogs and Taxis

I have a partially sighted friend who uses a guide dog, although he is presently awaiting a new dog as his previous one sadly died not so long ago. Phil Marshall is his name and he lives in Maghull.

I raise this subject because Phil raised it with me whilst we were having a pint in the Derby Arms in Aughton. Phil had been contacted by Guide Dogs for the Blind recently asking him to lobby his local councillors about the problem of a small minority of taxi drivers who refuse to have a guide dogs in their vehicle.

Yes I know, it sounds almost beyond belief that a taxi driver could refuse a blind, partially sighted or deaf person a ride because they have a guide/hearing dog with them but I am told that it does happen.

www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/campaigns/access-all-areas/faq#.WTLg_Ma1vv8

The link above is to the Guide Dogs for the Blind web site which addresses this very issue. Locally Sefton Borough Council is the licensing authority for taxis.

I hope by sharing this issue I can help to try to put a stop to taxi refusals for blind/deaf people travelling with their dogs.