Council budget balances books and saves popular services

Much-loved services have been saved by a marathon meeting last night.

Wirral councillors met to debate the authority's budget, with the future of several leisure services at stake.

A public consultation which began before Christmas proposed closing the Williamson Art Gallery, Europa Pools, the borough's four public golf courses, school crossing patrols and public toilets.

These options were considered as the authority needs to save around £16.5m to balance its budget.

While a 4.99% rise in Council Tax, which is supported by all parties, helps towards this, around £10m of further cuts must be made to make the council's sums add up.

But tonight's full council meeting supported Labour's plans to keep the Williamson open, as well as all four golf courses.

Competition facilities at Europa Pools will remain open, but the fun pool is set to be closed throughout most of the year.

However, after a Liberal Democrat councillor pushed for change on this policy, council officers will look into the possibility of opening the fun pool during the six weeks summer holidays during which children are not in school.

Labour's amended proposal makes clear that while this option will be looked into, there are many practical difficulties, such as current COVID-19 rules and the training of lifeguards, which will make it difficult to achieve.

But school crossing patrols and public toilets will be retained under this plan.

Reacting to amendments from the Conservatives, the Lib Dems and the Green Party, Labour made some changes to its original plans.

This includes scrapping a £100,000 saving on the climate emergency budget and spending £200,000 more on youth services.

To pay for this the group adopted some cuts from the Conservative amendment.

This included scrapping the £100,000 kept in reserve for costs associated with Brexit, a £240,000 saving from avoiding filling staff vacancies by paying salaries at the top of the pay scale, and £170,000 from a more efficient budget setting process.

As well as this, Labour put forward some savings plans which were deemed necessary to keep beloved leisure services open.

To allow the Williamson to remain open, £90,000 will be cut from its budget through voluntary redundancies and a one hour per week reduction in opening hours will go ahead.

Other savings under the proposal include the council reducing its £400,000 subsidy to Birkenhead's Hive Youth Centre to £300,000, with the remaining £100,000 to be made up by funding from local businesses.

Asset sales, which will be specified at a later date, will generate £394,000 for the authority.

Presenting the budget, council leader Janette Williamson said her Labour group had listened to residents.

Cllr Williamson added that her group had found a way to protect "vital amenities" and "first class leisure centres", as well as setting Wirral on a path which will see it deliver a greener future.

The Labour leader believed that Wirral can emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.

Tory group leader Jeff Green supported the saving of services such as the Williamson but thought efficiency savings could be made through a review of the council's budget setting process.

Cllr Green said that as Wirral comes out of the pandemic the Conservative group wanted it to become cleaner and greener, with more facilities for young people.

For the Lib Dems, Cllr Phil Gilchrist said he wanted to make sure that the council consulted with communities on its plans to reduce grass cutting in some areas.

He added that the policy will anger residents if it is not done properly.

Green Party group leader Cllr Pat Cleary said a fairer form of local taxation than Council Tax needed to be brought in across the country, as the current tax was regressive, impacting those on lower incomes more than richer people.

He also pushed Wirral Council to do more to support the environment, given the importance of the climate emergency.

Independent councillor Moira McLaughlin criticised elements of the Conservative amendment as unrealistic and said Labour's proposal was in the best interests of the borough.