Frank's Westminster Blog

Over the past few weeks I have been campaigning to demand firm assurances that the government’s benefit cap will not threaten vital refuge services. One such threatened service is the Wirral Women and Children’s Aid refuge that gives sanctuary to women often fearing for their lives. The coalition government is trying to cut the Housing Benefit bill, which currently stands attwo-thirds of the defence budget. The Wirral refuge is part funded through...

Birkenhead residents, and indeed anyone living in Wirral, get a rough deal on the buses. I spoke recently to Councillor Liam Robertson who chairs Merseytravel. The culprit appears to be Arriva. They discriminate against my constituents right down the line. A traveller buying a ‘Zone Day Saver’ is charged £4 if it is bought in Birkenhead and £3.90 if purchased Liverpool. Then onwards the discrimination story gets worse. The cost of the...

Knife crime in Birkenhead was raised at a mini-summit last Friday. In 2011 a young Birkenhead resident, Jenny Minnis, witnessed a friend stabbed to death. Jenny is anxious that more young people in Birkenhead should know the risks of carrying knives. Jenny asked to meet our chief constable Jon Murphy and our new police commissioner Jane Kennedy. Jenny is interested in what is being done to raise the awareness of young people about the dangers of...