Wirral Council leader Jeff Green launches blog
Congratulations need to be sent to Wirral council leader Jeff Green who has launched a blog.
Cllr Green becomes the first Merseyside council leader to start his own blog. In terms of engaging with the electorate this is clearly a great move.
He's launched the blog on the back of his trip to China to help Peel holdings secure investment for the multi-billion pound Wirral Waters scheme.
The challenge of course will be to keep going when he is forced to make unpopular decisions.
He told his readers in his first blog post that he is not a technophobe (he's got an iPhone and an iPad), but that blogging is a different matter.
He writes: "So why do I want to blog?ÃÂ Well, to be frank, the world (well, Wirral, at least) is changing so fast and people are now so busy, that the way we communicate and provide information to people has to change as well."
So congratulations it is to Cllr Green for stepping up to the keyboard. He's already posted five items on his blog, long may it continue. Click HERE to read the blog.
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David Bartlett
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I wouldn't be so gushing just yet. Let's see how it develops. A blog is only as useful as the range of comments it tolerates. Blogs from politicians tend to be ego megaphones that censor alternative opinion. Let's see how Jeff Green responds. I've posted one sensible comment as a test: it awaits 'moderation'. Nothing wrong in that; moderation keeps out nutters. But it also keeps out inconvenient or unflattering opinion. Politicians find that hard to handle.
What I want to know is what vested interest does Mr Green have in Carpenters Investments. Being a councillor I wouldn't for one minute suggest he had a vested interest in pushing through the Sail Project in West Kirby but would like to know.
If there would be a financial benefit to him if it went ahead he should stay clear of any discussions on the project to avoid any suspicion.
Come on Mr Green, let us know.
I really don't know if Cllr Green has any interest in Carpenter Investments. However financial interests have to be declared by councillors - his declarations are here - http://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=146&HID=25&FID=0&HPID=539270 .
If he did have any financial interest he wouldn't have been able to make a decision on it, however all Conservative councillors have so far been against the Sail Project.
From next month Wirral Council will also publish the gifts register (gifts or offers of ã25 or more) which will hopefully go someway to reassure the public that councillors aren't receiving large amounts of cash for votes or opinions on a political matter.
I could push for all councillor's expenses to be put online too (like the MP's were) but I don't think this'd make me very popular with some who use their position to get nice foreign holidays at the taxpayer's expense.
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