NEW FERRY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
ORIGINS:
New Ferry Residents Association (NeFRA) was formed by a group of like-minded residents and business people who had ideas on how the town should be improved following decades of neglect. A steering committee was formed in 1999 and the group wrote and published the pioneering document, the “New Ferry Regeneration Action Plan”, in 2000. This document came about after considerable consultation with the residents and businesses of New Ferry at a series of public meetings that were held.
When the Action Plan was published, it was well received by Wirral Borough Council, who took onboard many of the recommendations contained within it. Many of NeFRA’s suggestions and goals have since been incorporated into a variety of Council plans, including the Local Area Plan for our part of the Wirral.
Between 2000 and 2006, senior Wirral Council officers met with NeFRA to progress many of the actions. Together, they set up the Wirral Farmer’s Market, installed CCTV cameras in the shopping centre, and helped to agree the priorities for the A41 Corridor Strategy which resulted in new pavements, railings and lighting columns being installed. The Action Plan was revised and updated in 2008 and will be revised again in 2022 following the many actions now being put into place to regenerate New Ferry since the devastating explosion in the town centre in March 2017.
GET INVOLVED:
New Ferry Residents Association organises public meetings on an occasional basis as and when needed to consult on important local issues. All members of the community are invited to come along, to hear what we are trying to achieve and to tell us what they think needs doing.
The group also organises the annual New Ferry Festival, and works with the New Ferry Community Land Trust and New Ferry Traders Association to organise markets in the precinct and other community events.
The team is also is looking for people with new ideas to help us improve our area, and for those with pots of money to help us achieve our goals. It is a non-political group, but will work with and are willing to receive help from anyone who has the interests of New Ferry and its community at heart.
If you would like to offer your time in helping with community issues, please email us at newferryonline@gmail.com
Founder members of New Ferry Residents Association, Mark Anthony Craig & the late Arthur Waller MBE
NEW FERRY COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
New Ferry Community Land Trust was set up in autumn 2018 by a group of local business people and residents who were concerned that the rebuilding of New Ferry following the 2017 explosion would take too long to protect the remaining businesses in the district centre.
With so many shops in New Ferry in poor condition and owners unwilling to invest in them to make them available for people wanting to set up their new businesses, the CLT aims to change things by purchasing empty retail properties, refurbish and return them to active use. This programme is to be supported by a grant from the Office of the Combined Authority for Merseyside.
The group also organise monthly litter picks in the District Shopping Centre [currently suspended due to Covid].
Find out more about the CLT, its activities and how you can join as a member to support it.
FRIENDS OF SHOREFIELDS NATURE PARK
Shorefields Nature Park has an informal Friends Group who care about this wonderful stretch of public open space overlooking the River Mersey. Their aim is to work together to protect the piece of parkland, and are seeking to work with Wirral Borough Council on a future programme of tree replacement to replace the existing aging stock which gives the space its unique character. You can join and follow the group on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/537633386972960/
Shorefields Nature Park, Wirral
Consultation on COMMUNITY POLICING
[Announced 10 August 2022. Expires: Sunday 21st August 2022]
Put your questions to Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner is inviting people to submit their questions for the Chief Constable and her senior team as she prepares for her next public Scrutiny Meeting.
Emily Spurrell is responsible for holding the Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, to account for delivering on her policing and community safety priorities and maintaining an efficient and effective police service in Merseyside.
One of the key ways the Police Commissioner undertakes this crucial role is through quarterly public Scrutiny Meetings, which include questions submitted by the public which she then puts to the Chief Constable and her Chief Officer team.
While the focus for the next Scrutiny Meeting will be Merseyside Police’s ‘people’ or workforce, for the first time the Commissioner is inviting questions on any topic with the aim of further increasing the openness and transparency around policing in our region.
The meeting will be live streamed at 1.30pm on Monday 19th September to enable everyone to watch and hear the responses to their questions. A full recording of the meeting will also be published on the Commissioner’s website following the session.
Residents can submit their questions at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ScrutinyMeetingSep2022/
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “One of my top priorities as Commissioner is to listen to what our residents have to say and to be their voice on policing and community safety issues.
“Your questions and opinions matter to me and can help to make Merseyside a safer place for everyone.
“For previous Scrutiny Meetings, I’ve asked people to submit questions on the specific topics we’ve been covering in that session. For this meeting I want to expand it out and give people the chance to ask any question about the policing of our region and how Merseyside Police are working to deliver the priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan to make our communities safer.
“It’s vitally important the public trust the police and can see that money and resources are being used wisely to deliver the best possible service to keep our communities safe. I hope by providing this opportunity it will help to reassure people that both myself and the Chief Constable are committed to being as open and transparent about the police’s work as possible.
“Don’t miss your chance to put your question to the Chief Constable and her team!”
Public questions will be asked during a specific section of the meeting. The rest of the three-hour session will cover issues such as recruitment, welfare and sickness levels, the diversity of Merseyside Police, and how officers are allocated across the region. This will include looking at how the new officers recruited as part of the national uplift programme are being deployed.
The meeting will provide Chief Officers with the opportunity to give the Commissioner a detailed account of the force’s progress on how they are addressing these issues and make our communities safer.
How to ask a question
Please submit your questions by midnight on Sunday 21st August June 2022:
- Online at: https://tinyurl.com/PCCScrutiny
- Writing to: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Mather Avenue Training Centre, Mather Avenue, Liverpool L18 9TG.
A selection of questions which are received by this deadline will be asked by the Police Commissioner and addressed by Chief Officers. Questions should not focus on individual cases as these cannot be addressed in a public domain
