Binmen to ballot
over strike action
by David Skentelbery
BINMEN at Warrington have taken the first step towards strike action over a plan to switch to a four-day working week.
Three unions – Unison, the GMB and the TGWU – have notified the borough council of their intention to hold a ballot on industrial action.
Council chiefs say there would be no loss of pay arising from the shorter week.
But union bosses claim some workers could lose up to ?50-a-week.
About a third of the 175 work force has signed new contracts accepting the changes. But the rest are refusing to do so. All three unions have members affected.
A union spokesman said: “The council is in breach of national agreements by seeking individual agreements with employees.
“No job descriptions details or new contracts of employment have been discussed either with the unions or with the employees who have accepted on an individual basis.
“The unions will not hesitate to take whatever action needed in support of our members – either legal action or industrial action.”
Council officers and refuse collectors have been in dispute for 18 months over the proposed changes in working practices.
Under the changes, the workers would get Mondays off, but would work longer hours over the rest of the week to make up the time.
The council claims the object is to give a better service with the same workforce with no-one losing money.
Police determined
to be “accountable”
by John Hendon
POLICE in Cheshire are determined to be accountable to local people ? but frustrated that they cannot meet everyone?s expectations.
This is made clear in the annual report on the work of the police and the Police Authority which is now going through letterboxes across Warrington and the rest of the county.
The report ? in the form of a newspaper ? is seen by Chief Constable Peter Fahy as an important means of getting information to the public.
He said: ?This year we have been driven by two key priorities ? to introduce stronger neighbourhood policing and to give a harder time to those committing crime in our area. Now that the threatened merger with Merseyside is off the agenda we can concentrate on the future.?
Mr Fahy said despite many policing successes in the area, he is frustrated that the Constabulary cannot meet everyone?s expectations ? and that there is a balance between individual people?s expectations and what the Force can provide.
?It is crucial that local people see policing as accountable to them in their neighbourhoods and that they can influence what local officers see as priorities,? he said.
Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse said: ?The past year has been a period which has seen a high degree of change. Over the past year the Authority has invested in new facilities to improve the police service in Cheshire, Halton and Warrington, including three new custody suites, improved computer systems, expanded forensics, and more neighbourhood policing.?
Last year?s annual report detailed the introduction of the new ?neighbourhood policing? model. This year?s publication explains how police have built on those links with the community, while dealing with high profile issues such as serious organised crime and the threat of terrorism.
Mr Fahy and Mr Nurse will be appearing live on the Cheshire Police website in October to answer people?s questions about policing in the area. These regular Q&A sessions have proved very popular over the past couple of years and give local people the chance to speak directly to the two men in charge of the Force.
Young people urged to
“give peace a chance”
by Lesley Wilkinson
YOUNG Israelis and Palestinians will be encouraged to “give peace a chance” at a two-day conference at Warrington this weekend.
A group of 12 Israelis and 12 Palestinians visit the ?3m purpose built Young People’s Peace Centre set up after the IRA bombing of Warrington in 1993.
The conference is on Sunday and Monday (Sept 10 and 11) and the youngsters will be guests of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Trust, named after the two children who lost their lives in the bombing.
Taking part will be Israelis, including religious Jews from West Bank settlements and secular Israelis from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and Palestinians from Hebron, Rammalah and Bethlehem.
They will meet past participants of the Tim Parry Scholarship, the trust’s Anglo-Irish youth exchange programme which works to find ways non-violent ways of resolving conflict. The conference will discuss the young people’s experiences of conflict and alternative responses to violence.
Trust chief executive Clare White said: “We are delighted to welcome this group of young people to the centre.
“The work of the trust is all about using dialogue rather than violence to solve conflict and it is encouraging that these young people will actively participate in such a programme at this time.”
The group is being brought to Warrington by Encompass – The Daniel Braden Reconciliation Trust as part of their international conflict resolution programme.
Encompass was established in the memory of Daniel Braden, one of the 202 victims of the Bali Bombings of October 12, 2002.
Alex Braden, Daniel’s father and chair of Encompass trustees said: “On Encompass projects we directly engage with young people from conflict areas, where bombings, cultural intolerance and extremist ideologies are an everyday presence.
“Through interaction with our diverse communities we believe we can tackle intolerance of other faiths, cultures and lifestyle choices and eventually defeat terrorism. We believe that this is a fitting tribute to our son Dan, himself a victim of terror.”
The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Trust was set up by Colin and Wendy Parry following the death of their 12-year-old son Tim and three-year-old Johnathan Ball. Wilf and Marie, Johnathan’s parents, gave their full support to the organisation.
The Peace Centre was built with local, national and international support, and was opened on March 20, 2000, the seventh anniversary of the bombing. It is a fully equipped learning centre offering programs to promote peace.
Schools review “will
cause anger, dismay”
by Lesley Wilkinson
THE proposed review of secondary schools in Warrington will cause “anger and dismay” among pupils, staff and parents it has been claimed.
A report to be considered by the Warrington Borough Council’s ruling Liberal Democrat/Conservative executive board next week will propose a further period of consultation before a decision on the future of Padgate and Woolston High School’s is made, according to Labour councillors.
But Labour’s education spokesperson Coun Maureen Banner (pictured)said the review would cause “anger and dismay.”
She said the report also recommends that Culcheth High School be rebuilt using capital finance from the Government.
Coun Banner said: “I am deeply concerned for pupils, parents and staff because the report leaves the future of Padgate High School and Woolston High School uncertain.
“A further period of consultation into late next year will inevitably leave a cloud over the future for these two schools as well as causing anxiety and stress for pupils, parents and staff alike,” she added.
Coun Banner said the proposed Orford Park Project would offer an opportunity to invest in a new school at Beamont, and her party was disappointed that option was not being recommended.
Parents’ ?6,000 thankyou
to children’s ward staff
by Lesley Wilkinson
THE parents of a tiny, premature baby have raised ?6,000 for Warrington Hospital Children’s Ward to thank staff for caring for their daughter.
Simone and Frank O’Rourke, of Warrington, will present the cheque on Friday in the Children’s Ward (B11).
Their 13-months-old daughter, Tilly, was born two-months early, weighing just three poun
ds with a rare respiratory condition.
Simone said: “We were massively impressed with the professionalism, dedication and high level of care provided by everyone on the Children’s Ward.
“They provided valuable support and assurance at what was obviously a difficult time for both of us. We thought it was important to do something to reward these high standards.?
The money will be used to buy a Dash Monitor for the Children’s Ward High Dependency Unit. The equipment, costing ?6,500, monitors levels of oxygen in the blood, respiration rates and blood pressure and is specially designed for children.
Ward Sister Janet Bedford said: “We are really grateful to Simone and Frank. The staff on the Children’s Ward fulfil an important role and it gives us all a lift to know that we are appreciated.”
Tilly and her twin brother Logan were born at the hospital on July 14, last year.
Although Logan was fit and healthy, Tilly was diagnosed with bronchomalacia, a degeneration of the elastic and connective tissue of the bronchi and trachea.
It means her airways are not rigid and can close when subject to the slightest exertion, including feeding, bathing or even being held, preventing her from breathing.
Following her birth, Tilly she was treated at Warrington and then at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
Simone said: “Tilly now weighs a healthy 15 pounds, but she has a long way to go to catch up with her brother. We are excited about her future and over the moon that we can now cuddle and play with her and do the things that parents want to be able to do with their children.”
Simone, an infant school teacher and Frank, who works for the Royal Navy, raised the money with support from family and friends. Events included a talent show, sponsored cycle and donations from businesses and organisations.
Pop wannabes can
be “immortalised”
by staff reporter
POTENTIAL singing stars from Warrington have the chance to be ?immortalised? on CD and video in a local competition.
The second heat of “Want Me 2006” will be held at Cinnamon Brow Community Theatre, at the club in Perth Close on Saturday September 23.
Singers will be competing for the chance to win a song written for them, a session in a recording studio and the opportunity to make a pop video.
Anyone interested in entering should contact George Greenall, project co-ordinator, on 07877033616 or by email at [email protected]
Three youngsters already have a place in the final in November. They are Natalie McRoy, 13, Liam Darbyshire, 11 and Emma Lawrence, 14. Guests are welcome and entrance is ?1 per person.
