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Hello,
Today’s edition picks up on yesterday's rail strikes and news of forthcoming industrial action on the region's bus network. And we hear there's some unhappiness over the city's Westminster appointed commissioners.
Liverpool MPs defy Labour strike order
As rail commuters brace for a second day of strikes tomorrow, bus passengers across Merseyside have been warned they will face severe disruption at the beginning of next week as Stagecoach workers join the picket line.
Bus drivers and engineers will walk out as a result of Stagecoach "failing to make workers a fair pay offer", the Unite union has said.
Initial strikes have been called for Thursday, June 30 and also for Monday, July 4. If the action takes place, Stagecoach bus services in Liverpool which operate from the Gillmoss depot will not run but Stagecoach bus services which operate into Liverpool from the Wirral and Southport and Preston will be unaffected.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Stagecoach is a highly profitable company - it can easily afford to pay its workers a decent wage but it is choosing not to. Unite will always challenge employers who make excessive profits by exploiting and underpaying workers. Our members will receive Unite’s complete support until this dispute is resolved.”
It comes a day after Liverpool's Labour MPs defied orders from Sir Keir Starmer to stay away from rail picket lines.
Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators are involved in the industrial action over pay and working conditions.
In a memo leaked to PoliticsHome on Monday, Starmer’s office said Labour must “show leadership”, which meant “frontbenchers including parliamentary private secretaries (PPS) should not be on picket lines”.
Wavertree MP Paula Barker, who is a PPS, was pictured with fellow Merseyside MPs Dan Carden, Kim Johnson, Ian Byrne at Victoria Station in London with striking workers on Tuesday morning.
It is understood no decision will be taken about whether to discipline MPs pictured on picket lines until the industrial action has ended this weekend.
Such a move could prove unpopular however, as the latest opinion polls show a majority of the public back striking workers.
'Milking the city dry'
A Liverpool City Councillor has launched a stinging attack on a team of government commissioners who are "milking the city dry" .
The four Whitehall commissioners were sent to Liverpool a year ago as a response to the damning findings of a four-month inspection of the city's council. They will soon report back on their findings after 12 months in the Cunard, with expectations that the local authority's continuing problems could lead to further government intervention.
While there is plenty of anger at those perceived to have led the commissioners to Liverpool, there is some frustration now being aimed at the commissioners themselves. Some have pointed out that problems like the recent £16 million energy contract disaster, have happened on their watch.
One of those to speak out against the commissioners is former council cabinet member Steve Munby, who launched a stinging attack on the Whitehall officials who continue to oversee the work of key Cunard departments. He wrote to the Post in response to our story over a government leak which suggested that further intervention could be on the way as the commissioners still do not have confidence that progress is being made in Liverpool.
Cllr Munby said: "I’m not in the habit of giving advice to Tory Cabinet Ministers, but in this case, I’ll make an exception. I recommend Michael Gove sacks the commissioners with responsibility for Highways and premises management.
"These were two areas highlighted as a problem in the Max Caller inspection Report. A year on and the commissioners have presided over the energy bill fiasco and a series of mistakes in highways. Responsibility is shared with senior managers in the council, but they have failed to get on top of the problems and the situation has got worse."
He added: "What have they been doing? Lying in hammocks slung between the Liver Birds exchanging text messages with our chief executive, sat in a deck chair on top of the Cunard Building? They’d have done less damage if they had been. Instead, they’ve spent their time on promoting plans and processes. These don’t get things done, but make the work of the many good officers at junior and middle ranking levels of the council, harder."
Mandela family to return to Liverpool
Liverpool is preparing to welcome back the family of revolutionary leader Nelson Mandela.
The former President’s eldest daughter Dr Makaziwe ‘Maki’ Mandela and his granddaughter Tukwini Mandela, are travelling to the city to make their mark on artwork which will form part of the city’s permanent Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park.
The completed memorial will include a ‘Freedom Bridge’, a pavilion and 32 cylindrical stone-works inscribed with inspirational Mandela quotes.
These pedestals represent the oil drums used to grow an allotment on the rooftop of Pollsmoor Prison where Mandela was held for part of his prison sentence. During their six-day trip, the family will visit Crosby Memorials to personally inscribe one of the stone drums.
Dr Maki and Tukwini Mandela said: "We hold a special place in our hearts for Liverpool and its people, and we are really excited to return to see the memorial being made and be involved in a range of special events to celebrate our father and grandfather’s legacy. It is really important that now, more than ever, hope and aspiration is a key part of the legacy we continue to fulfil. We want to share that message with Liverpool when we visit.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson added: “It will be a real honour to meet Dr Maki and Tukwini in person and spend some time with a family so committed to achieving equality and devoting their lives to peace.
Paris police condemned at committee hearing
Paris police were aggressive, provocative and prejudiced against Liverpool supporters from the moment they arrived for the Champions League final in Paris last month, a French parliamentary commission was told on Tuesday.
Addressing the hearing into events in the French capital on 28 May, Liverpool fans’ representatives described the terror of being attacked by police with teargas and pepper spray on one hand and gangs of local muggers and pickpockets on the other at the Stade de France before and after their match against Real Madrid.
Children as young as six were “distressed and traumatised” and feared for their lives, the cross-party committee of senators was told.
Raising the evidence in the Commons this afternoon, Knowsley MP George Howarth said: "Both the French and UEFA authorities attempts to blame Liverpool fans for the failure to keep order at the stadium has been comprehensively disproven, will he (Boris Johnson) ensure that the French failure to police the event is roundly condemned?"
Responding, the Prime Minister said: "I think the whole House will have seen how those initial accounts of what took place were completely debunked and proved to be incorrect in respect of the Liverpool fans.
"I think it was right that the French authorities and UEFA issued a full apology for what took place."
In focus
The view
“Proud to support the workers on the picket line. These workers keep our country moving, the least they deserve is to be paid properly”
Wavertree MP Paula Barker who defied orders from Labour HQ to join the picket. |
Party in the park
Birkenhead Park will hold a summer bash for young people this weekend.
The celebration, which takes place this Saturday, will offer a range of entertainment including live music from local bands, as well as games, exhibitions, crafts and workshops.
The day is organised by Wirral Council's Youth and Play Service and offers the opportunity for young people to find out about the new and improved services available in their neighbourhood. They can also meet youth workers and other partners who are involved.
The park event, which takes place from 11am to 4pm, will feature six 'activity zones'.
These will include an Arts Zone where there's the chance to get creative and contribute to the street art boards; a Sport Zone complete with a mobile climbing wall, skateboarding, scooters, inline skating and a multi sports experience provided by the LFC Foundation; and a Virtual Reality Zone which features a VR headset to help visitors transport themselves to another world.
ECHO Chamber
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