Frank’s Blog

There is some brilliant work going on locally to equip young people with the skills they need to get and keep a job. I wrote in this column about my visit to the Tranmere Community Project, and last Friday, I visited another of our local voluntary organisations performing some outstanding work to help youngsters achieve their goals in life. The Utopia Project in St Anne Street takes young people as they are and then works with them to overcome the difficulties with which, before they receive…

A new policy has been tried out in Manchester to help people combat anti-social behaviour. And it is one we should seriously think about pursuing in Birkenhead. The Community Trigger, as it is called, gives residents the power to probe the authorities’ responses to complaints of anti-social behaviour in their area. One of the things that most annoys residents in Birkenhead is that once they have phoned up to report an incident in their street, they might not necessarily see any action…

I call this week upon readers to help save our local youth services. Following the eye-watering cuts that have been forced upon Wirral Council by the Tories and the Lib Dems in Westminster, the Council is looking to move Birkenhead’s youth services into one new centre. But this means there are questions marks over the future of existing youth services in Bidston, Beechwood and Leasowe. With your help, though, we can try to work up a proposal with the Council which keeps these local…

If you have had a friend or relative who has taken their own life, you will know all too well the devastating impact of suicide; the shock and grief of sudden bereavement, but also anger, guilt and shame. Everyone pays a terrible and long-lasting price. Here on the Wirral, there have been 85 suicides in last four years alone, of which 53 were in the last two years, and most of these were men. The country is waking up to the tragedy of suicide – we even have a Department of Health…

I am writing to ask your help for the next stage of my campaign against rip-off Britain. Earlier this year, I uncovered the shocking premium levied by the energy companies on poorer households who pay for their gas and electricity using a prepayment meter. Following my campaign, EDF Energy broke cover to offer a two-year price freeze for all new and existing customers on a meter. I am now looking into the practices used by the water companies, to find out whether our poorer households are…