Data from Train Beacon showed that by 08:00 this morning (23rd January), Transpennine Express had already cancelled 60 services – more than double the next highest operator. 

The data also showed that the operator, which is owned by First Group, was continuing to use short term pre-cancellation, despite being ordered by the Office of Rail and Road to stop this practice (2).

The use of “pre-cancellations”, which is also known as “p-coding”, means that cancelled services are not included in railway performance statistics.

“Transpennine Express are making the lives of thousands of commuters miserable through cancellations. People are waking up to find their trains to work have just disappeared. This is no way to run a public service. Commuters in places like Leeds and Liverpool deserve far better.

If this sort of disruption was happening in The South we would have seen action months ago. Why should commuters in Leeds or Liverpool accept less?”

Cllr. Matt Edwards, the Green Party transport spokesperson

First Group’s contract to run the Transpennine Express service is up for renewal in May but Greens are demanding the government to remove the contract sooner.

“The mismanagement of the Transpennine Express services by First Group shows that they are not fit to run rail services in the UK. The level of cancellations in this one operator raises serious concerns about the ability of the management to do their jobs.

This is causing serious damage to the Northern economy. If the government is committed to its so-called “levelling up agenda” we need our basic infrastructure to work. First have had their chance and now the government needs to step in.”

Councillor Edwards added

Transpennine Express operates services connecting key towns and cities in the North of England and Scotland including Liverpool, Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, Doncaster, Sheffield, Hull, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

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Cllr Tom Crone said: ‘Liverpool is the right choice to host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, particularly given our musical history and historic ties with the Black Sea port of Odessa.

‘I know that everyone across the city will focus not just on making the entertainment outstanding, but on making sure we recognise the plight of Ukraine and the difference international solidarity can make to their struggle for peace and freedom.

‘Let’s also make it the greenest Eurovision ever and showcase to the world how we can become net zero and prevent the climate crisis overwhelming us all. There is no social justice without climate justice.’

Cllr Crone called for:

• Free public transport across the city region in the build-up to the televised final on Saturday 13 May
• Making the city centre car free in the week leading up to the final
• A commitment from organisers to deliver a net-zero carbon emissions event
• No single-use plastics to be used
• Meat-free and dairy free options at all venues
• A full cultural and arts programme with solidarity and the environment at their heart.

Cllr Crone said: ‘Participants, fans and journalists from across Europe and wider afield will come to Liverpool to participate. Let’s encourage as many as possible to make the journey by train, creating a ‘cavalcade against climate change’ on the way here.

‘This will be one of the greatest Eurovision Finals ever – with a TV audience likely to be over 204 million people [1]. We know that Liverpool can entertain the world and stand in solidarity with people across the world. Let’s prove we can lead the world in tackling the climate crisis too.’

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. https://eurovision.tv/about/facts-and-figures

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Cllr Crone again called for cross-party co-operation to set the strategic direction for the city and tackle mounting chaos within the council.

The call comes as it is confirmed that the Tory government is extending its hold on the city. 

Government-appointed Commissioners already oversee crucial council functions and will now extend their reach to the crucial finance function.

In addition, the government is imposing a new unelected oversight body that will include business and the leader of the City Region, but no trade union or community representation. 

‘The city is in crisis, but this Tory government move supported by the Labour City and City Region Mayors is not the solution,’ says Cllr Crone.

‘We need a radical new alternative so that the people of Liverpool can take back control of their own futures, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and face up to the climate emergency.’

Cllr Crone called for a strategy that will:

• Share political power across all parties on the council
• Establish a cross-party committee to implement changes 
• Involve a Citizens Panel from across the city to oversee the process

Cllr Crone says: ‘I know that staff are working so hard to make improvements, and we need to support them through a fundamental rebuild which will take years.’

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The historic villa contains ‘the rare survival of extensive decorative schemes by S J Waring & Sons of the highest skilled craftmanship and materials, notably mahogany, which include the entrance and stair hall, dining room, drawing room, billiards room and study,’ yet it was slated for demolition to make way for a block of modern flats.

Cllr Pitchers stepped in and backed an appeal to Historic England to protect the building. She said: ‘My hope is that this building can now be restored and sensitively converted into housing which does not take away any of the stunning architectural features and enhances the conservation area where it is located.’

This building was known as Enmore after being built to the highest architectural standards in the 1860s and now sits within the Lark Lane conservation area.

Extensions in the 1880s and 1890s were carried out by S J Waring & Sons who catered for the luxury market and had a client list that included Queen Victoria, English aristocracy and the US Vanderbilt and Searle families.

Cllr Pitchers said that preserving the building ‘will also ensure that the role of the slave trade in funding much of the city’s growth in the 18^th and 19^th centuries is not lost or glossed over.’

The villa was originally named Enmore after the sugar plantation village in Guyana owned by Charles James Crosfield, an industry closely linked to slavery. 

Cllr Pitchers added: ‘Preserving this building means that today and into the future we can continue those vital conversations about our past and how together we can make reparations for the crimes of slavery.’

The house is now Grade II listed. Historic England says that the current owner is looking to sell the property and is in talks with prospective buyers.

Stephanie says, “While I would welcome new housing in the area, I would not want it to come with a sacrifice of beautiful historic architecture. My hope for this building is that it can be restored and sensitively converted into housing which does not take away any of the stunning architectural features and enhances the conservation area where it is located.”

The post Local villa saved from the bulldozer as Historic England acts appeared first on Liverpool Green Party.

‘The departure of Liverpool City Council Chief Executive Tony Reeves is another blow to this council in crisis. 

‘He was a breath of fresh air when he came in, and played an important part in uncovering the malpractice that led to the arrest of the previous mayor and the ongoing upheavals that followed.

‘This is just the latest in a string of senior departures, leaving this council in crisis with no one at the wheel.

‘We can’t have paid officials being constantly forced out or quitting when the underlying problem is the failure of Labour’s political leadership. 

‘Labour needs to recognise just how dire the situation is and the risk they are running of further Tory government intervention. 

‘They should open up decision-making to all parties by moving the council to a committee system and not continue down their undemocratic path. 

‘Right now, while there remain gaping gaps at the top of the council organisation, a cross-party committee should be formed to oversee day-to-day decision making.’

The post What next for Liverpool City Council? appeared first on Liverpool Green Party.

The Labour leadership refused to hold a full referendum on how the city should be run after a decade of successive Mayoral failings that led to government commissioners being sent in.

Instead, the ruling Labour Group imposed a weak, underpublicised advisory consultation that led to just three in every 100 citizens (3 per cent) taking part.

Green group leader Tom Crone said: ‘This is worse than useless from Labour. Just 3 per cent of people have had their say with none of the options on offer gaining over 50 per cent support.

‘There is no democratic mandate for any way forward. We pressed for a full referendum that would have clarified the options, got people debating and led to a higher turnout.

‘We now need Labour to break a habit of a lifetime and show real leadership in the face of this disastrous turnout. Bring all the parties together and let’s devise a system of governance that is democratic, accountable and transparent.’

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The Green councillor called for a new start with a cross-party council committee established to oversee the long-term changes.

The call comes on the eve of expected new Tory government interventions in the running of the council. 

Government-appointed Commissioners already oversee crucial council functions and are believed to be poised to extend their reach after fresh revelations of Labour  failings.

‘It is clear that the Commissioners have significant new concerns,’ says Cllr Crone..

‘The Max Caller report was just a starter for ten. The more we look into how this council works the more dysfunction and poor practice we uncover.’ 

Cllr Crone said that the people of Liverpool were now paying for decades of poor political leadership from successive Labour and Liberal Democrat administrations, worsened by government cuts.

‘We have too few overworked staff being asked to work under a hopeless political leadership with government-appointed Commissioners looking over their shoulders. 

‘We need a radical new alternative so that the people of Liverpool can take back control of their own futures, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and face up to the climate emergency.’

Cllr Crone called for a strategy that will:

• Share political power across all parties on the council
• Establish a cross-party committee to implement changes 
• Involve a Citizens Panel from a cross the city to oversee the process

Cllr Crone says: ‘I know that staff are working so hard to make improvements, and we need to support them through a fundamental rebuild which will take years.

‘There is a consultation coming to a close on the future system for how the council is run. Hopefully, it will ditch the Mayor model so let’s get as many councillors as possible working cross party on a solution as soon as possible.

The post Radical rebuild required to get Council working appeared first on Liverpool Green Party.

Tom Crone, Green Group leader on Liverpool City Council said: ‘We are very critical of this consultation. Once again, the people of Liverpool are being denied a proper say on how we are governed.’

Cllr Crone urged voters to ditch the failed Mayoral model in favour of a more democratic committee structure.

In 2012, while voters in cities across the country were asked if they wanted an elected mayor, Liverpool Labour decided they knew best and imposed the mayoral model. The result was a decade of chaotic mismanagement. Now the city council is having to work round the clock trying to fix the mess left behind. 

This consultation does not have the same democratic authority as a referendum which takes the decision away from the people, allowing voters an opinion only. 

Cllr Crone pointed out: ‘We championed holding a referendum and would much prefer to trust the people of Liverpool to have been able to use that referendum to decide how their City should be run.

‘As it stands, the responses to the consultation will need interpreting, and that will still leave the final decision with the Labour Party.’

Liverpool Green Party is strongly in favour of adopting the committee system since it involves many more councillors in decision making and policy development. 

Under the current system even most Labour councillors have very little to do with real decision making. It is only Cabinet members who have real executive powers. Other democratically elected councillors are simply shut out. 

Even within the Cabinet, the Mayor sets the agenda and can predetermine outcomes. Power is really concentrated in a very small number of individuals. 

The Mayoral model led to poor decision making, not least because it fails to make use of the skills and experiences of all the 90 councillors elected to represent their communities.

The committee system, as well as sharing out power more fairly, also encourages much more constructive cross party working.

Cllr Crone added: ‘The public rightly complains about “yah-boo” politics and it is shocking how often the debates in the Council Chamber descend into pointless political point scoring because decisions are really taken elsewhere.

‘A committee system means different parties having to sit down together and really decide how best to deliver for the people of Liverpool. Councillors would soon realise that they agree on a lot, while learning to respect distinctive perspectives.

‘The imposed Mayoral system opened the door to the shame of the Joe Anderson’s years, and slammed it shut on transparency and democratic accountability. It’s time to ditch the personality politics and let the people back in.’

Liverpool Green Party recommends voters select the option “By one or more committees made up of elected councillors” on the consultation. We believe this change would make the council more accountable, more democratic and more effective.

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The Green Group leader presented key Budget amendments that would align capital spending with the immediate need to transition to a net zero carbon economy.

Cllr Crone said: ‘Last year, we proposed a £20 million fund to be earmarked from the Highways Budget to be spent on supporting people to move around our city. It’s taken a year, but Labour is now planning to switch money from more polluting cars and lorries to meet its climate pledges. It’s late but it’s welcome,’ said Cllr Crone.

‘Labour are great at taking our ideas, but are still not doing enough on climate action, so we will try again to push them to properly fund the net zero plan.’

The Green Group Budget amendment calls for a complete overhaul of the council’s long term investment strategy, worth £75 million next year alone. The amendment would ensure spending plans align with the net-zero commitments:

• Scrapping costly plans for a new cruise liner terminal, and using the £22 million to fund a Green New Deal
• Rules to ensure new highways schemes include high quality cycling and walking facilities.
• Taking £10 million currently in John Lennon Airport – which generates no return – investing it in large scale renewable projects and spending the returns on improved social care wages.

Cllr Crone urged the ruling Labour Group to back a Green Budget this year that will fund council pledges already made to move to a net zero carbon economy by 2030.

He said: ‘We can’t afford to wait another year for Labour to wake up to the need to use the limited budget the city has to meet the needs of people and planet. I’m urging Labour to back our amendment on March 2.’

He added: ‘We recognise the desperate state the city’s finances have been plunged into by a decade of Tory and Lib Dem government cuts. We are also paying the price for the last Labour administration’s terrible deals that opened the door to costly government commissioners being sent in to oversee key council functions.

‘We need a genuine new start, that puts people and planet first and leaves behind the waste and overblown development plans that have proved so costly in the past.’

NOTES TO EDITORS

Green Group Budget

The budget pressures facing the council at this time are severe. The Green group recognises the difficulty facing all departments of the council of delivering their services within budget and, as a result, setting a legal budget is a challenge for every member and officer of this council. 

Capital strategy

Within the capital strategy, tens of millions of pounds of planned expenditure are detailed. Not all of this expenditure aligns with the council’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Our amendment therefore details specific reallocations as well as new stipulations for environmental standards within the capital programme.

1. A budget saving of £22 million capital allocated for the new cruise liner terminal should instead be ring-fenced for capital projects in support of the transition to net-zero. This could for example, be used to insulate and provide new greener heating systems for households in Liverpool. This would reduce fuel poverty and cut carbon, creating jobs in our city.

2. Insert an additional point into the capital strategy: “No capital project shall be approved within highways which cannot demonstrate the inclusion of active travel infrastructure to at least London Design Standard LTN1/20.”

3. From September 2022 LCC can potentially be in a position to sell its £10m stake in Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The council will take any opportunity to do so at a reasonable price, and invest whatever it can extract directly into large scale renewable projects. Any return generated by Liverpool’s investment in renewable energy will be used to uplift payment to adult social care providers so that frontline social care workers can receive improved pay and conditions.

Revenue savings

Due to the extreme revenue pressures we acknowledge how difficult it is to make savings. However, the plan to charge for garden waste collections is regressive and counterproductive. It will lead to increased fly-tipping and reduced recycling and will impact those least well-placed to afford a new outgoing.

We therefore urge the Labour group to revisit this decision. Savings could be made in other areas such as reducing mayoral neighbourhood fund allocations, cutting the use of paper and printing and reducing the costs of the chief executive and mayor’s offices saving something in the region of £250,000.

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Green Group leader Tom Crone said that a draft passed at this month’s full council meeting was peppered with drafting errors that rendered it ‘meaningless.’

He pointed to a key paragraph designed to set standards for the council and organisations it owns, such as the ACC exhibition complex.

It reads: ‘The council will only seek to enter commercial agreements with sectors or organisations which conflict with its ethical principles where the law allows.’

He asked: ‘What does that even mean? That the council will actively seek out dodgy deals whenever it can get around the law?

‘I’m sure it is intended to mean the council will never do questionable deals when they conflict with the city’s values, but it is gibberish. This terrible wording is one reason why we voted against the draft.’

Cllr Crone said the Green Party was totally committed to a meaningful Ethical Charter that set the highest standards for the Council and organisations it owned, including ensuring venues were not let to arms dealers or hate preachers.

‘We were the first party to call for such a charter to protect the values our city holds dear from being brought into disrepute by narrow commercial interests.’

The council was faced with widespread international protests when it allowed an arms fair to be held at the ACC Exhibition Centre, despite the Mayor Joanne Anderson and her predecessor claiming they wanted it banned, but didn’t have the power to do so.

An Ethical Charter was promised to prevent the issue arising in the future.

Cllr Crone said: ‘I would appeal to the Mayor to work with all the parties on the council and important community stakeholders to get this right before final charter is adopted by the Council.

‘The city knows its values – peace-loving, open, inclusive and respectful of all. They must be at the core of a meaningful Ethical Charter that has the widest possible support.’

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