The Formby Blog

HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FUTURE OF SEFTON LIBRARY SERVICES

The following extract is from a statement on the Sefton MBC web site.

From Monday 7 to Saturday 19 February, Sefton residents will be asked to give their opinions on the future opening hours of the Sefton library service....

Christine Hall, Head of Library Services said: “Due to a reduction in the overall funding received by Sefton Council, one of the savings for Sefton libraries, is a reduction in opening hours across all Sefton libraries.

However, before we go ahead and make those changes, we would like the residents who use the service, to have their say. There is little point reviewing the times without asking those who use the service what their opinions are and giving them a chance to have input into the changes that will effect them”.

More details are available at Formby Library, you are urged to make your views known as soon as possible.

Parking in Chapel Lane

Readers will remember the complaints made by members of the public after the accident last summer when a post box, a tree and a road sign were flattened by a vehicle reversing from the opposite pavement when the driver lost control. It was fortunate that no one was injured.

Only the HSBC bank has permission to allow three customers to park on their frontage and after discussions with Ward and Parish Councillors arrangements have had to be made to confine its use to emergencies only. At all other times the area will be cordoned off.

The action to intervene was made after a number of complaints from pedestrians who felt threatened by drivers who crossed over the pavement with no consideration for members of the public .There were a number of near misses involving children and older people who have escaped from being hit by cars and vans. Other residents have expressed dismay at the scant regard that certain drivers have for the safety of pedestrians.

The problem is made worse by the fact that the junction of Chapel Lane with Elbow Lane is directly opposite and there is also a busy bus stop.

Councillors Barry Griffiths, Denise Dutton and Parish Councillor Mike Coles took up the matter by asking the HSBC to take public safety seriously. As a result the bank has agreed to put up safety bollards which will be installed in the next few weeks. The Parish Council has contributed to the project to extend the bollards along the pavement in front of the old M&S store. Mike Coles said that the safety of pedestrians, residents or visitors, young and old, was more important than anything else in the village’. The Council will review the matter on a regular basis.

The initiative was welcomed by the Inspector Jim Atherton of Merseyside Police who added that ‘such an action would make things a good deal safer for all’.

Source: Councillor Mike Coles, Chair Formby Parish Council

Thornton to Switch island Link

Many local Formby residents will be pleased at the following announcement made today. This is an extract from the Department Of Transport web site

Nine local transport schemes were given the go-ahead today after £45.5m (14%) of savings were identified, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced.

Among the nine schemes listed was the following:

Thornton to Switch Island Link: A new single carriageway road which will take traffic away from communities in Sefton (£14.5m DfT contribution towards a total cost of £18.6m)

 

Crime Details for Formby

Following the launch of the Police.uk web site, residents of Formby can now access the details of crimes reported within the boundaries of the town.

There was some initial difficulties in accessing the web site due to the very high level of interest, as to be expected.

There is an alternative web site, which describes itself in the following way.

'Welcome to your alternative reliable local crime and policing website for England and Wales.
This website was built in one evening on the 1st of Feb 2011 and provides you with helpful information about crime and policing in your area, without costing 300k of tax payers money.'

It certainly seems to do what it, 'Say's on the tin'.