I’m pleased to report
progress on two fronts.
First, members of the
Save Woodside Ferries Action Group met last Friday with Councillor Liam
Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel and his officers.
We had a really useful
meeting. There now seems to be a common commitment to trying to keep Woodside
open. This is thanks in no small part to the thousands of Birkenhead residents
who have expressed their opposition to proposals which would bring about the
closure of the terminal.
Such is the importance of
protecting our local heritage, as well as supporting the regeneration of the
town centre, two key agreements were reached at our meeting.
The Group agreed to play its
part in helping Merseytravel seek alternative ways of maintaining the terminal at
a reduced cost. We agreed also to look at how Woodside might be built into an
asset that generates trade and further investment.
A working group is being
established with Merseytravel and other interested parties, including potential
developers, to achieve these goals.
Progress has also been
made with Liverpool Housing Trust. I wrote to them two weeks ago with grave
concerns around the state of some of its properties in Birkenhead.
The Trust immediately
acted upon these concerns. They arranged for a plumber and a plasterer to visit
one resident within 24 hours, for example.
Let us hope that this
progress can be sustained.
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