UPDATED: Mayor calls special meeting of full Wirral Council over shock U-turn (From Wirral Globe)

UPDATED: Mayor calls special meeting of full Wirral Council over shock U-turn

12:50pm Monday 5th October 2009 in News By Leigh Marles, Editor

Conservative group leader Cllr Jeff Green

A special meeting of the full council has been called to discuss the dramatic decision to keep the borough's libraries open.

The date has now been set as Monday, October 12, at Wallasey Town Hall.

A letter to mayor Cllr Andrew Hodson, signed by all members of the Tory group on Friday, demanded that the extraordinary meeting must be held.

The letter asked:

"Why, despite on numerous occasions being called upon to scrap the closures, the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration failed to take these opportunities and instead continued to spend Wirral tax payers' money (officer time, glossy leaflets, hiring a barrister, phoning around libraries to see what they offer to the public)?"

It goes on:

"Why did the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration before even launching this policy, or even when they chose to include Eastham and Woodchurch libraries, not conduct an equality impact assessment into its implications or seek to include library users in a meaningful and open consultation process?

"Why, when they have had a copy of Sue Charteris’ report for more than a month they have chosen not to share its emerging recommendations with the council and Wirral public or even informed us of which ‘facts’ they have chosen to contest?

"And why in their statements to the cabinet and the press have they not accepted they were wrong or apologised to library staff or Wirral residents, some of whom are the most vulnerable and isolated in our communities, for the upset and heartache they have caused by pursuing their flagship policy of library closures?"

Cllr Green said: "Not to allow members of the public or anyone from our group to address last night's cabinet really angered me. The library closure programme was the administration's flagship policy.

"And while I'm delighted they've scrapped it, surely they can see the need for this decision to be discussed in the open?

"There must be an opportunity to air these views at a special meeting of the council as soon as possible."

At last night's cabinet, council leader Steve Foulkes said he was not allowing submissions or debate on the library issue as the meeting had already been dedicated to discussions on the future of education in the borough.

He said the issue will be discussed at the next meeting of full council in November.