Frank’s Blog

A worryingly large number of families in Birkenhead have sought my help in recent years having had their budgets wrecked by a sudden problem with their tax credit or Child Benefit claim. Those families have often had to rely on food banks as a direct result of the time taken to transfer from one type of tax credit claim to another, as well as the loss of birth certificates when new Child Benefit claims are being processed. I have therefore been campaigning for HMRC to put right…

I write with sadness this week to convey news of the imminent closure of the Tranmere Community Project. As the Project wishes to express its gratitude to those many members of the community who have supported its work over the years, I have shared below a thank you note: “As the Project closes its doors on the October 31 this year we would like to thank you for allowing us to work alongside you over the past 25 years. “When we began we talked blithely of giving…

Some properties in Birkenhead are maintained and let in such a poor condition that their tenants are barely able to exist, let alone live a healthy life. In some cases this will have been due to the actions of rogue tenants who vandalised or neglected the property while they lived there, and then refused to repair or clean it at the end of their tenancy. But in many other cases decent tenants are trying to survive without bare the necessities of warmth, shelter, and basic cooking…

Would you believe that in the midst of a housing crisis there are 1,800 properties lying empty in Birkenhead? Many of those properties are situated in Rock Ferry, Tranmere, Oxton, and the streets around Hamilton Square – the areas where the need for new housing tends to be most acute. Almost all of the empty properties are in private ownership, and several hundred have been empty for more than six months. I am anxious for as many of these properties as possible to be returned to…