Plans by Merseyside Police to recuit 40 new police constables have been given the thumbs up by Conservative Councillors. The final decision is set to be made by the outgoing Merseyside Police Authority at a budget meeting on February 16. There has been no recruitment for two years, following savings first imposed by the previous Labour Government.
New figures have shown a big fall in knife crime across Merseyside. Over the last year, there were 587 violent and sexual offences involving a knife or other sharp instrument. That's 200 fewer such offences than four years ago. Now, the Conservative-led Government has announced further proposals to reduce knife crime and punish those who carry a knife.
From next April the basic state pension will rise by £5.30 per week. That’s £275 per year - the biggest cash rise since 1948. The Conservative-led Government has also reintroduced the link between earnings of people who work and those who have retired. Under the Conservative Triple Lock, the State Pension will always be increased, year on year, in-line with average earnings, prices or by 2.5% - whichever is highest.
Poor standard and overcrowded housing in many parts of Wirral have received a boost from an extra £3 million announced by the Minister for Housing this week. Grant Shapps MP gave the news following a bid for the cash during last year's Conservative-led Council.
Cancer patients in Wallasey and Moreton are among those now benefitting from the new £200 million Cancer Drugs Fund set up by the Coalition. The money is used to buy drugs and treatment that was unavailable to patients until now and follows the news that Clatterbridge Oncology Centre is now offering the first new drugs to treat skin cancer for more than 30 years.
When Labour took control of Wirral Council in May one of their first announcements included more plans to regenerate Birkenhead. Nothing similar has been planned for Liscard.
A Wirral Councillor is calling for residents to be consulted on plans to avoid a repeat of the chaos along the Wallasey shoreline. Samples are currently being taken from the cockle beds at Wallasey and Leasowe to assess the size of the cockle beds, ahead of potential cockling from September.
Wirral's Labour Council has failed to block a £250 pay rise for the lowest paid staff in the Council. Labour leaders had tried to stop the pay rise, which was part of the previous Conservative-led Council's budget to help people hit by the cost of living.
New shops and 24 new homes for rent are set to replace a derelict block of shops in Moreton that has, for years 'blighted' the local community. The development follows pressure from Moreton's Conservative Councillors on the landowner, Wirral Partnership Homes.
Wirral's veterans and their families are about to receive extra support in a new initiative by Wirral's new Conservative-led Council. The 'Armed Forces Community Welfare Pathway' will see a new service set up to help veterans returning to Wirral after service overseas. The new service was discussed with veterans and their families at the Royal British Legion in Withens Lane during a visit by Sayeeda Warsi, Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party today.
