Elected Mayor for Liverpool

[aek-94]

Originally Posted by Wallasey Dave

However, my firm belief is that people like me are in the minority and the council and the people of the Wirral wouldn't want to come under Liverpool.

That's true. I have an Auntie who lives in Higher Bebington, and she's adamant that she doesn't live in Liverpool, but rather Cheshire and/or 'Wirral'. It's funny at Christmas when we send our card to her and don't include her precious Cheshire address and Chester post code, but rather put her address as 'Higher Bebington, Merseyside, L63', she always kicks off without fail.

[Pablo Diablo]

Originally Posted by Wallasey Dave

I don't disagree. I've long believed that the Wirral brand means nothing and has ZERO value (other than as a geographical term to describe the peninsula across the rivers from Liverpool and North Wales.

I personally, would scrap the term altogether and simply have an enlarged Liverpool Authority.

Certainly when we have Wirral Waters in place, it will look like an enlarged downtown Liverpool area crossing the water. In the interests of ensuring that Wallasey/Birkenhead didn't feel like it was being annexed by Liverpool, you could house a GLA style building there for the Greater Liverpool Authority (or as a term i've always had a soft spot for....'Liverpool Bay Authority') to house the additional Wallasey, Liscard, Seacombe, Birkenhead ward councillors.

http://www.shangarasingh.com/blog/im...uilding_10.jpg

However, my firm belief is that people like me are in the minority and the council and the people of the Wirral wouldn't want to come under Liverpool. So there's two major stumbling blocks.

Joe seems to understand this which is why he hasn't bothered negotiating with government to bring Wirral into the mayoral system.

You took the words right out of my mouth.
Birkenhead Town Centre would attract far more attention if it were promoted as an extension of Central Liverpool. I could really see the "Hamilton Quarter" in a similar fashion to the Georgian Quarter. With the right public and private investment in transport (specifically ferry and rail) and the built environment (i.e., densifying Vauxhall, Toxteth and "grid streets" part of Birkenhead, we would have a "Central Liverpool" spreading from Bootle to Aigburth and over the river to Peel's ITC taking in Wirral/Liverpool Waters and Birkenhead TC).

I said on another thread that Birkenhead Town Hall would make an excellent "Liverpool Bay Assembly" building! I'd say the best government system for us is a variation on the London model. I'd split the current county (+ Halton and bits of West Lancs and West Cheshire) into entirely new boroughs all making up Liverpool Bay. Five of these (Central, North, South, East and West Liverpool) would be "city boroughs" and make up the City of Liverpool and the others (Southport (inc. Ormskirk), WISH (Widnes + St Helens), Runcorn (inc Frodsham/Helsby) and Wirral (current WMBC + Ellesmere Port/Neston but minus Birkenhead and Wallasey) would be "bay boroughs". Each borough with its own elected council and all jointly electing the Liverpool Bay Assembly (the city could maybe have an elected mayor to "unify" them?).

[Pablo Diablo]

Originally Posted by aek-94

That's true. I have an Auntie who lives in Higher Bebington, and she's adamant that she doesn't live in Liverpool, but rather Cheshire and/or 'Wirral'. It's funny at Christmas when we send our card to her and don't include her precious Cheshire address and Chester post code, but rather put her address as 'Higher Bebington, Merseyside, L63', she always kicks off without fail.

Strange woman

Still not as weird as the (surprisingly) many here in Manchester that insist Salford is not Manchester. I've heard this from both Mancs and Salfordians... even some Traffordians (is that a thing?)

[aek-94]

Originally Posted by Pablo Diablo

Strange woman

The weirdest part though is that she didn't even grow up on the Wirral. She grew up in West Derby and Maghull, and somehow thinks that because she married a man from Bebington, she's suddenly above everyone else, and has nothing to do the far away land of Liverpool. So, I understand Wallasey Dave's point, whilst people like her exist there'll be no appetite on the Wirral for being ran by a Liverpool City Region Mayor.

[Pablo Diablo]

Originally Posted by aek-94

The weirdest part though is that she didn't even grow up on the Wirral. She grew up in West Derby and Maghull, and somehow thinks that because she married a man from Bebington, she's suddenly above everyone else, and has nothing to do the far away land of Liverpool. So, I understand Wallasey Dave's point, whilst people like her exist there'll be no appetite on the Wirral for being ran by a Liverpool City Region Mayor.

Snobbery. It exists everywhere.
I used to live in a place called West Bridgford, which is a wealthy, leafy suburb of Nottingham... but I used to hear snobbish types use the fact that it's technically not part of the city but a town in shire to avoid being associated with "crime-ridden Nottingham".
I've also seen a lot of people say they live in Surrey or Kent when they really mean South London. Or Lancashire, when they mean Greater Manchester.

[Joe the red]

I have relatives in Oz, Canada, NZ, Spain and others in the UK (Shrewsbury) and all, without fail, identify themselves as Scouse.

Yet there are people who move a mile across the Mersey who would rather have leprosy than identify as being from Liverpool. Bizarre - but that's their issue.

[Wallasey Dave]

Originally Posted by Pablo Diablo

I could really see the "Hamilton Quarter" in a similar fashion to the Georgian Quarter. With the right public and private investment in transport (specifically ferry and rail) and the built environment (i.e., densifying Vauxhall, Toxteth and "grid streets" part of Birkenhead, we would have a "Central Liverpool" spreading from Bootle to Aigburth and over the river to Peel's ITC taking in Wirral/Liverpool Waters and Birkenhead TC).

Ummm yes a very good way to look at it. I read (in the Echo or Post) that Merseytravel are currently in the process of doing a feasibility study for a new tram system using the Merseytram track in storage for this area of Birkenhead perhaps this could be connected to Liverpool via the Mersey tunnels (running under the roadway).

I said on another thread that Birkenhead Town Hall would make an excellent "Liverpool Bay Assembly" building! I'd say the best government system for us is a variation on the London model.

A bold new building would be my choice for the overall authority.

I see old Liverpool town hall as being the office/seat of power for a 'Liverpool Bay Area' mayor.

Birkenhead town hall should be used in some capacity for a University (John Peel Uni anyone?) to add a gravitas building in amongst what will be very modern architecture of a modern Uni/education establishment planned for Wirral Waters.

[Wallasey Dave]

Originally Posted by Pablo Diablo

Strange woman

Still not as weird as the (surprisingly) many here in Manchester that insist Salford is not Manchester. I've heard this from both Mancs and Salfordians... even some Traffordians (is that a thing?)

Yeah a very similar situation.

"City of Salford" appearing on everything.

They are fairly feircely independant.

[aek-94]

Originally Posted by Pablo Diablo

Snobbery. It exists everywhere.
I used to live in a place called West Bridgford, which is a wealthy, leafy suburb of Nottingham... but I used to hear snobbish types use the fact that it's technically not part of the city but a town in shire to avoid being associated with "crime-ridden Nottingham".
I've also seen a lot of people say they live in Surrey or Kent when they really mean South London. Or Lancashire, when they mean Greater Manchester.

It is snobbery, definitely. However having friends from Birkenhead and Bebington myself I can tell you that the snobbery is largely generational. Whereas older people still identify with Cheshire, and feel that Wirral has more in common with Chester rather than Liverpool, people my age feel the opposite. Although they don't say that they are from Liverpool, the majority identify themselves as being from Merseyside. So with future integration of the Liverpool City Region, this will only increase as more people will identify with Merseyside, and opposition towards a City Region Mayor will fall.

[tomo90]

I think it is defo generational. My Wirral friends say they are plazy scousers. It does annoy me though when people from outside the local authority slag Liverpool off but work there, go out there, shop there.

However, people from "proper" Liverpool can be just as bad:

"Your from the Wirral? WOOL!"

My mate from Litherland told that when he got the nightbus home a few years ago, once the bus stopped at the last stop in Kirkdale some lad got off and started shouting, "Ahhh you are all wools hahaha youre not from Liverpool".

This is the insular attitude that some people (some on here) go on about sometimes.

[Wallasey Dave]

Originally Posted by aek-94

It is snobbery, definitely. However having friends from Birkenhead and Bebington myself I can tell you that the snobbery is largely generational. Whereas older people still identify with Cheshire, and feel that Wirral has more in common with Chester rather than Liverpool, people my age feel the opposite. Although they don't say that they are from Liverpool, the majority identify themselves as being from Merseyside. So with future integration of the Liverpool City Region, this will only increase as more people will identify with Merseyside, and opposition towards a City Region Mayor will fall.

I think that's 25 years away at least.

[Wallasey Dave]

Originally Posted by tomo90

I think it is defo generational. My Wirral friends say they are plazy scousers. It does annoy me though when people from outside the local authority slag Liverpool off but work there, go out there, shop there.

However, people from "proper" Liverpool can be just as bad:

"Your from the Wirral? WOOL!"

My mate from Litherland told that when he got the nightbus home a few years ago, once the bus stopped at the last stop in Kirkdale some lad got off and started shouting, "Ahhh you are all wools hahaha youre not from Liverpool".

This is the insular attitude that some people (some on here) go on about sometimes.

I work for a large organisation in Liverpool, which is moving to Birkenhead in November to the partially vacant land registry office on Birkenhead waterfront (one train station/ 3 minutes away).

You wouldn't BELIEVE the fuss and ridiculous nonesense coming out of the people from Liverpool.

People from the wirral (myself included) happily commute to the city centre without even thinking about it eveery single day, but the Liverpool lot believe this to be lifechanging stuff and are moaning as if it is 1,000 miles away.

We've had people demanding to know what the "relocation" expenses are going to be and who's going to pay for their travel!!! I'm not joking!

A few have said "I'm not going over to the darkside!"

hahaha!

[aek-94]

Originally Posted by Wallasey Dave

I work for a large organisation in Liverpool, which is moving to Birkenhead in November to the partially vacant land registry office on Birkenhead waterfront (one train station/ 3 minutes away).

You wouldn't BELIEVE the fuss and ridiculous nonesense coming out of the people from Liverpool.

People from the Wirral (myself included) happily commute to the City Centre without even thinking about it every single day, but the Liverpool lot believe this to be lifechanging stuff and are moaning as if it is 1,000 miles away.

We've had people demanding to know what the "relocation" expenses are going to be and who's going to pay for their travel!!! I'm not joking!

A few have said "I'm not going over to the darkside!"

hahaha!

If people are complaining about commuting from Liverpool to Birkenhead then they're rather pathetic. The journey on Merseyrail from the stations on the Wirral Loop in the City Centre to the Hamilton Square Station is very short, and the costs are pretty minimal. And even if they're commuting from further away on the Liverpool side of the river, the changeover in the City Centre to the Wirral Line takes little time at all.

[tomo90]

It would be hard for me to get to the Wirral from where I live in Liverpool actually. Changing over is no fun and Id have to walk 20 mins to Southparkway as well. Driving would be a nightmare. I can see their point but I wouldnt think its the end of the world - just a hassle.

[aek-94]

Originally Posted by tomo90

It would be hard for me to get to the Wirral from where I live in Liverpool actually. Changing over is no fun and Id have to walk 20 mins to Southparkway as well. Driving would be a nightmare. I can see their point but I wouldnt think its the end of the world - just a hassle.

Ugh, I forget how terrible Merseyrail is in East and South Liverpool. I can see why people who live in those areas are complaining, in comparison the Wirral has fantastic access to the Merseyrail network. I doubt that Merseyrail is going to be expanded in the near future however to solve this problem, it would cost too much.

[tomo90]

Id be fine if I lived in town lol.

[Wallasey Dave]

Originally Posted by tomo90

It would be hard for me to get to the Wirral from where I live in Liverpool actually. Changing over is no fun and Id have to walk 20 mins to Southparkway as well. Driving would be a nightmare. I can see their point but I wouldnt think its the end of the world - just a hassle.

If people can get into town, surely the 3/4 min journey to Hamilton Square (one stop) is not going to stop you from commmuting to what is, your livelihood.

I'm just pointing our how archaic the attitude can be on both sides of the water.

You'd think we were divided by the alps.

[aek-94]

Urban autonomy? ‘City deals’ and elected mayors
20th February 2012

Liverpool’s city deal highlights some important questions about how cities’ potential new freedoms will fit with the wider role of cities within a region, including their role in providing jobs to a wider Travel to Work Area (TTWA).

Government guidance on city deals recognises that ‘in some areas the lowest appropriate level [to exercise power] may be a local authority, but in others it will be the local economic area. When it comes to powers related to economic development, such as strategic planning and transport, there is likely to be a strong case for aligning powers with the functional economy.’ LEPs are seen as the obvious vehicle for ‘encouraging local leaders to think and work together in ways that reflect their true economic geography’. LEPs were established in 2010, in a move seen by some as an attempt to counterbalance the government’s abolition of Regional Development Agencies, with geographic partnerships of local authorities and local business organisations invited to bid for LEP status. In theory LEPs broadly reflect established economic areas such as TTWAs. The partnerships have no statutory income but are able to bid for money from funds such as the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund and, recently, the Growing Places Fund for infrastructure development.Practically all of England is covered by LEPs as of January 2012.

Significantly, as reiterated by the government when making its ‘city deal’ offer to Liverpool, monies from business rate growth generated within an EZ will by default go to the LEP area hosting that EZ. In Liverpool, this may see tension between the city council and its partners in the city-region LEP – including the surrounding boroughs of Halton, Sefton, Knowsley, St. Helens and the Wirral – over the distribution of money raised.

Continues

[Paul D]

Significantly, as reiterated by the government when making its ‘city deal’ offer to Liverpool, monies from business rate growth generated within an EZ will by default go to the LEP area hosting that EZ. In Liverpool, this may see tension between the city council and its partners in the city-region LEP – including the surrounding boroughs of Halton, Sefton, Knowsley, St. Helens and the Wirral – over the distribution of money raised.

Well they should all get on board then or they'll simply lose out.

[Howie_P]

Liverpool mayor: Green Party's John Coyne to stand

Liverpool's first Green Party councillor has said he will stand for election as the city's directly elected mayor in May.

John Coyne, councillor for St Michael's ward since 2004, is the fourth candidate to announce their intention to stand in the 3 May election.

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