LIVERPOOL COUNCIL TAX PAYERS ARE WITHOUT VITAL SERVICES

LIVERPOOL COUNCIL TAX PAYERS ARE WITHOUT VITAL SERVICES, YET THE LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL AND LIVERPOOL ENTERPRISE HAVE WASTED MILLIONS OF OUR POUNDS.

TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY THEY ARE STILL PAYING OUT ON COMPENSATION.

THE LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL SEEM TO THINK THAT 80 CLAIMS PER MONTH IS GOOD!!!!!!

GET THIS SERVICE BACK TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP AND STOP THE CONTINUED THEFT OF LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL TAX PAYERS MONEY.

Liverpool's pavements going from bad to worse

Oct 10 2006

By Sam Lister Daily Post Staff

THE state of Liverpool's pavements has got worse with four out of ten in need of repair, despite a joint venture firm being awarded a £180m contract to improve them.

Enterprise Liverpool was brought in four years ago to sort out the city's streets but the amount of cracked and broken slabs recorded is more than 13% above the national average.

Between 2003 and 2005 37.4% need to be fixed or relaid but this year the figure has gone up to 39%.

And it is feared the increase will mean Liverpool returns to its days of being dubbed "compensation city", when it had one of the highest rates of claims for tripping in the country.

Cllr Paul Brant, deputy Labour leader, said: "It's clear from these figures that the council is continuing to haemorrhage ever greater amounts of money on tripping claims.

"Residents across the city are complaining about the state of the pavements.

"There are good performing councils up and down the country who manage a much better state of maintenance and have far lowers rates of tripping claims.

"This is money that could and should be spent on front line services.

"Liverpool City Council's performance compares poorly to the average for metropolitan councils. No amount of Lib Dem spin can hide the true position."

Enterprise Liverpool, a joint venture between the council and Enterprise plc, is charged with carrying out repairs in the city in a 10-year contract worth £180m.

The council has cracked down on tripping claims by toughening up its legal stance as well as using special paving it hopes is "compo proof ". Last year, it announced that claims had dropped by almost 7,500 in two years.

But over the last four years, it has paid out more than £31m in compensation. Officials insist many of the claims still being dealt with are historic, with some dating back two or three years.

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said: "We have dramatically reduced tripping claims from around 800 per month in 2003 to less than 80 a month.

"We are aware that some of our pavements need improving and we are negotiating with the Department of Transport for additional funding.

"In terms of actual conditions of roads, Liverpool is above average but we will continue to improve both our roads and pavements."