“Oh, the shark has pretty teeth dear And he shows ’em, pearly white………………” (Mack the Knife)
So farewell then Wirral Council Chief Executive Graham Burgess aka Comrade Burgesski – The Man Who Tarted Up The Town Hall. And that is your lasting legacy …… a local government vampire with veneers as shiny and bright as soap opera starlet and just as false. However you will always be remembered at Leaky Towers for this pseudo-profound shallow soundbite :
” Having won the war, we must win the peace….”
Meanwhile we’re wondering whether George phoned Rob to tell him you were a “safe pair of hands” enabling you take up “a new challenge” with another shedload of cash – possibly after you’ve had the luxury of spending the dark months of January and February in the Algarve whilst in your wake the staff you left behind face redundancies and local services are slashed? We understand that Rob likes the Algarve too doesn’t he? (although not as much as himself ).
A parting message from Wirral Leaks: You didn’t win the war – you were just a collaborator and your weapons of choice were PR and BS.
– this one’s for you – put this on your i-Pod as you walk along the beach:
So what exactly has Doncaster Council Chief Executive Jo Miller been doing on the wilder shores of Wirral? On a fishing expedition following news of the imminent departure of outgoing failure Comrade Burgesski? Or borrowing a few more bob for Doncaster Council from the Wirral kitty?
She certainly has all the right credentials for the Wirral Council Chief Executive post – female ( we all know why that is) , links to SOLACE and the Local Government Association and has had former appointments on Merseyside so will no doubt have all the “right” connections.
Please note do not make comments on Facebook page as apparently last time that led to someone banging in a hurt feelings claim to Wirral Council….(no we don’t know how that works either).
From everyone at Leaky Towers we’d like to wish all our devoted readers a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with truth and justice.
As Wirral Leaks crashes through the quarter of a million hits barrier whilst being on WordPress we celebrate the age -old Christmas Tradition of Wirral Council appearing in the Christmas edition of Private Eye. Let’s face it Rotten Boroughs is to Wirral Council what stuffing is to turkey.
The article itself titled “Stella Performance” takes centre stage with a box and a cartoon all of it’s own. As the title suggests the story concerns Wirral Council’s globetrotting exploits from the wooing of Shiu to the beano in Reno.
Private Eye writes :
“Despite all the evidence that Wirral Council was being had , it’s regeneration director Kevin Adderley insisted all ” due diligence” had been done,while council leader Phil Davies pathetically insisted: This is not a myth ,they are real companies with real investment plans.” Alas,nothing has been heard of Ms.Shiu since. Never mind,Onward!”
The story may well not be new to Wirral Leaks readers but it’s certainly the first time we’ve seen Addled and “due diligence” in the same sentence (shurely shome mishtake?!)
And we must say the word “pathetically” clings to Power Boy Pip like a limpet to a sinking ship. Leader? – the only way this guy leads the people of Wirral is up the garden path. Witness his pathetic history – ” There’s nothing we can do – they’ve all left…” he said wimping out after it was revealed that council officers had departed cheque in hand after failing to tell councillors that oops! they’d run up £30 million + in toxic debts. Byeeeee! And didn’t he chair a disciplinary hearing when he exonerated and let off two of the main protagonists involved in this financial mismanagement?
As Private Eye says: I think we should be told!
Witness also his ongoing support of Foulkesy and Georgy as Wirralgate unravels…..”I can’t defend that” he apparently said after hearing the Wirralgate recording.
Oh but he has and will continue to do so as long as he clings (pathetically) on to power ( cont. p.94).
As we predicted earlier this week it wasn’t long before a copy of that email landed on the Leaky Towers doormat…and not just one copy either! When we say email the author Martin “Mad” Morton actually describes it as “An Open Letter to Wirral Council ( & Frank Field) and there was a collective wry smile here when we read the line from one of our leakers about the leak itself which went: ” I’m sure it is what he would have wanted.” We thought it made it sound as though Morton had shuffled off this mortal coil.Although to be frank actual assassination (as opposed to character assassination) may be Wirral Council’s best option.We predict that there may come a day when we read John Brace’s forensic examination of Wirral Council’s accounts and find a payment to the contemporary equivalent of committed Marxist-Leninist hitman Carlos the Jackal.
Now we haven’t had the go ahead (yet) from the man himself to publish the letter so instead Verity is going to extract the pertinent points from the letter which are primarily concerned with “Wirralgate” and add it to what we already know from a variety of sources to bring you a Christmas cut out and keep “Wirralgate For Dummies” special.
What we can reveal is that the opening line of the letter reads : “The Mayor of Wirral Cllr Steve Foulkes and Cllr.George Davies are unfit for public office”……..which isn’t exactly news but we are wondering why Morton stopped there – we would have thrown in Frankenfield and Power Boy Pip for starters and anyone who puts their head in the sand in the hope this scandal blows over.
is that the likes of “Foulkesy” and his sidekick have been able to be involved in decisions involving redundancies,cuts to services and closure of Lyndale School when they should have been exposed and ran out of town (hall). Remember it was Foulkesy who originally chaired the Committee to “consult” on the closure of Lyndale and at a previous meeting it was Davies, G who seconded the motion for closure.
Indeed here he is this very week for voting for closure.As far as we’re concerned that should be grounds enough to have the closure decision overruled.
We implored Wirral Council to “tread softly” when it came to Lyndale School.
However reverting to type last night they decided to put on the bovver-boy boots and crush the hopes of pupils,parents,carers,teachers and supporters by deciding to close the special school.
Knowing what she was up against parent spokesperson Chrissie Woodland declined to speak at the meeting of Wirral Council’s Cabinet claiming that it was a “waste of time”.
Indeed it appears to us the whole consultation process was a completely stage managed farrago. We imagine the pre-meeting conversations went something like: ” Right Julia , Ann will ask the first question and then Bernie can ask the next one and then you give us your rehearsed answer and we’ll nod along pretending to be interested”.
Let’s face it as soon as Julia Hassall stated from the outset of the consultation that Wirral Council was “minded” to close Lyndale School it was a done deal.
What we don’t understand that if “economic considerations” were the reason for the closure why don’t the sums add up?
Are the “economic considerations” more to do with a future potential capital receipt for the land we ask ourselves?
Meanwhile the valiant parents have vowed to challenge the process which led to the decision and have it quashed at Judicial Review.
So before they bulldoze the sensory garden funded by £80,000 worth of donations from Wirral Globe readers Wirral Council need to be “minded” that the fight is far from over. We’ll be ringside hoping for a knockout blow in this David and Goliath battle.
This week Wirral Council agreed to £2.5 million worth of cuts (disguised as “budget savings) to local services. Despite the fact that the “refreshed” Corporate Plan gave “protecting the vulnerable ” top billing it’s clear from where the axe fell that this claim is nothing more than a miserable lie. It is clear that the vast majority of the cuts were aimed at vulnerable people – namely respite services for disabled adults and children and the scrapping of Council Tax discount to pensioners over 70.
The Council meeting where these cuts were discussed appears to be a rather tense affair judging by the footage on John Brace’s blog
Mayor Foulkes seemed particularly tetchy telling lone Green Councillor Pat “Green Not Mean” Cleary that he couldn’t address Council because he didn’t have a seconder (which is a bit difficult when you’re on your own) : ” I’ve made the decision.Sit down….” he yelled before going on to tell another Green ,by name if not by nature,this being the Tory leader Jefferson, to : ” Sit down. I’m speaking…” .
Foulkesy then went on to relent ” as it was Christmas” and obviously regretted the decision as Cllr Cleary’s impassioned anti-austerity speech drew rapturous applause from the public gallery. ” I won’t be ambushed again” pouted the titty-lipped tinpot dictator.
It’s clear from the public’s reaction the Green Party is cultivating a groundswell of support (geddit?) and long may it continue. Anything that disrupts the political hegemony which has blighted Wirral for far too long is alright by us at Leaky Towers.
There was another speech of note from Cllr Janette ” Millie Tant” Williamson who railed against the coalition government and their policies which was very much in the Labour tradition of blaming the government for decisions made by Wirral Council. What is always missing from the ” it’s all central government’s fault” default position is the fact that the coalition government did NOT dictate to Wirral Council how to implement the Bedroom Tax or their increasingly reprehensible approach to Council Tax discounts and exemptions or their continual scapegoating of disabled people – talking of which will this inglorious history continue tonight when Cabinet finally decides the fate of Lyndale School?
What’s more is Cllr.Williamson aware of the national Labour Party’s stance on austerity?
It is clear from policy statements made by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls that if Labour succeed in getting into power following the next General Election then Labour have promised yet more austerity measures.
News reaches us that Bob Mortimer (wacky sidekick to Vic Reeves) lookie-likie Martin Morton has been whistleblowing again.
” That man’s cheeks must look like Kim Kardashian’s arse” piped up Eldritch rather ungraciously.
Apparently there’s an email doing the rounds detailing further calamities at Wirral Council. Astonishingly we’ve been told it has absolutely nothing to do with this gobsmacking Freedom Of Information request:
Let the battle of the sexes commence as the self-serving “public servants” line up to sip from the poisoned chalice that is the Chief Executive post at Wirral Council.
Following our lead (and you know you do you clueless bunch of bottom feeders at Wirral Council ) but we suspect that the next Chief Executive will probably be of the female persuasion.
We understand the first to throw their hat in the ring is Sheena Ramsey – the former Knowsley Council official who left with a tidy £200,000 kiss off. SEE HERE
She then failed to get the top job at Bradford Council and is now sniffing round for the consolation prize at Wirral Council and may have already had a heart to heart with Comrade Burgesski to see whether it’s a goer.
Well when we say heart to heart they’ve probably got their calculators out and compared how much money is to be made from sitting there and taking the flak for a never-ending series of fuck-ups. No doubt Burgesski told her just to repeat the words ” Common Purpose” at regular intervals and she’ll be a shoe-in….
We also hear that Becky “Well Hard” Hellard, Finance Director at Liverpool City Council may also be interested in taking the Ferry Cross The Mersey.It may seem to be a bit of an ambitious punt for a mere Director – but the Liverpool connection will no doubt stand her in good stead.
Meanwhile we wonder whether Addled still thinks he’s in with a shout ? – we think it may be a case of wrong sex ,wrong time but we are living in very strange times so anything can happen…………………………… we’ll keep you posted on any developments.
Following our earlier story about the beano in Reno Verity has been doing some further research into other towns who have had the dubious honour of being twinned with Wirral. Apparently Wirral has been rather wanton with it’s unique charms and has previously wooed (in no particular order) Gennevilliers (France) ,Lorient (France) ,Latina (Italy) and Midland (Texas ,USA not the Black Country).
Then of course there was the Eurowirral office in Brussels which achieved er, well nothing much at all really.
As we’ve said before it seems to us at Leaky Towers that never has so much public money been spent on air miles by so many globetrotting councillors and officers to achieve so very little………
Of course the Twin Town debate is something that has concerned the great and the ghoul of Wirral for sometime.
Leaky Towers have always maintained we should be twinned with Jericho in recognition of our local whistleblowing community whilst Frankenfield seems to think that Birkenhead should be twinned with Beirut!.
However it seems to us that Wirral is behaving like a desperate divorcee on a dating website – posting flattering pictures to prospective partners in the hope of finding true love and salvation. The Reno hook-up seems particularly dodgy – apparently the fact that “The Chamber of Commerce had a contact over in Reno with a guy who used to work in Liverpool in the video gaming industry….” was enough for the Wirral posse to metaphorically put on the lippy ,reach for the Wonderbra and fly down to Reno on a wing and a prayer.
Finally we’d particularly love to know what clean living local Councillor Paul “Danceaway” Doughty thinks about twinning with Reno – famous for gambling and quickie divorces.
Let’s just hope if we get a delegation from Reno visiting that Wirral tops up the Botox to prevent “The Biggest Little City in The World” seeking a quickie divorce…….
Wirralleaks 