IRRAL NEWS W BROMBOROUGH & BEBINGTON EDITION
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Cherie unveils new facility at hospital
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● During her visit to Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology Cherie Blair meets Joyce Jones, who was one of the first nurses to treat patients in the old unit in 1958 Photo by Paul Heaps PH151208D-1
CHERIE Blair was in Wirral on Monday to open Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology’s new outpatient department. The department is the first completed phase of a £3m investment plan to upgrade facilities and services at the specialist cancer hospital. During her visit the Crosby-born QC, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, took a tour of the new facility, which includes state-of-the-art clinic rooms and patient waiting areas. She said: “Due to my close links with the area I am all too aware of Clatterbridge’s excellent reputation for cancer care. “The hospital provides an invaluable service to the people of Merseyside and I’m thrilled to be opening this fantastic facility.” Chairman of Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology Alan White said: “We were delighted to welcome Cherie Blair to the Centre. “Her continued support and dedication to cancer services in Merseyside is a great benefit to the area.”
BOSSES FACE PUBLIC FURY
By LORNA HUGHES
DEMANDS for a referendum on plans to close libraries and leisure centres were defeated at a meeting of all 66 Wirral councillors on Monday.
Council leader Steve Foulkes and cabinet member for culture Councillor Bob Moon were jeered and repeatedly shouted down by members of the public sitting in a packed public gal-
Angry scenes at council meeting
lery as they tried to defend plans to invest £20m to develop a network of “multipurpose complexes”.
Eastham councillor Phil Gilchrist held up a copy of a story from the Bebington News in 1974 about the opening of Bromborough Library and Civic Centre. He said: “When I was group leader, I was being told, even then, we had too many buildings. So it’s not a new problem.
“I hope more will be done, more quickly, to cut our office costs and re-direct money to facilities in the community.” Members of the public were allowed to ask questions on the council’s controversial strategic asset review and other issues like school crossing patrols. A series of petitions protesting about plans to close buildings like Higher Bebington Library were handed in before the meeting started, con-
taining around 24,000 signatures in total. Speaking for his party’s motion, which included the referendum proposal, Wirral Conservative leader Jeff Green said: “This would have the biggest impact on local services for a generation and we believe there should be a referendum of the public of Wirral.” Speaking in favour of the closures, Liberal Democrat leader Simon Holbrook said:
“There are times when we are all called upon to do difficult things - the question is whether we rise to the challenge.” Council leader Steve Foulkes was booed as he repeated his claim that “doing nothing is not an option”. He said: “This is the start of a consultation and people are engaging, people are making their point of view known, they are asking questions.” The referendum proposal was defeated by votes from Labour and Lib Dem councillors.