Sunday Snippets, 2 March 2025 – Birkenhead News

Welcome to “Sunday Snippets” a weekly feature from Birkenhead News. It is a round-up of the important local news stories you may have missed over the last seven days. Click or tap on each story to read the full article.

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Four postal workers at a Royal Mail delivery office in Prenton were unfairly dismissed in a row over work breaks linked to pubs in Wirral, a judge has found. Royal Mail said it has now reached a resolution over the case.

In 2023, a row broke out between Royal Mail and workers at its delivery office in Prenton after a number of postal workers were suspended for breaks at two Wirral pubs, the Caernarvon Castle in Oxton and the Swan in Prenton.

This led to disruption to mail deliveries for weeks and the issue was raised by Oxton’s Liberal Democrat councillors and Birkenhead’s then-MP Mick Whitley.

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New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion theatre looks set to be turned into an arts and culture hub as plans move forward to make the theatre “more visible”.

Due to unachieved savings and issues with its budget last year, Wirral Council was forced to review the theatre’s budget as well as draw up plans to keep the building on Marine Promenade running into the future. Five options were put forward, but these were whittled down to four.

Now one option has been put forward for a full business case after a decision by councillors to progress the plans in 2024.

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Birkenhead Market’s covered outdoor space will be getting some colour just in time for Spring, with local artists set to make their mark as part of a new Art Jam event.

Taking place at Wirral’s third Youth Market on Saturday, 15 March, ten artists from across Wirral and Merseyside will be using their talent to design large scale murals and installations, transforming Birkenhead Market’s shutters live throughout the day between 10am – 4pm.

Produced by Make CIC, the event promises to be an immersive live experience, allowing the public to see artists in action creating vibrant and colourful murals across the market’s shutters.

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A storm that battered Merseyside was significant and extreme enough that it led to three homes, a café store room, and a road flooding despite a nearly £20m flood defence, an investigation has found.

As stormy weather from Storm Pierrick hit the Wirral coast on 9 April 2024, water from waves crashing against the West Kirby sea wall spilled over the top onto South Parade.

The flooding resulted in staff at Tanskeys Bistro being evacuated by the RNLI and caused damage to some properties, moved cars, and trapped people inside their homes.

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Work has begun on preparing the land where hundreds of new homes will be built in Birkenhead.

1,600 homes are planned across 26 hectares of vacant land between Green Lane and Birkenhead Central stations by Ion Developments

The new urban village, which will include rental properties, is one of the biggest proposals put forward by Wirral Council as part of its plans for Birkenhead and was recently approved by the local authority’s strategic applications sub-committee.

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Claire House Children’s Hospice is calling on supporters to get their aprons on, mixers out, and ovens preheated for its annual Butterfly Bake.

Throughout March, the community will come together to mix fun with kindness by baking and ‘raising some dough’ for the charity.

Claire House supports seriously and terminally ill babies, children, and young adults across Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales. Its Butterfly Bake helps raise awareness for the hospice’s vital bereavement care provided in its two Butterfly Suites and at home.

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Bus services across the Liverpool City Region are set for a major shake-up, as Mayor Steve Rotheram accelerates the introduction of the region’s first publicly-run bus network in nearly 40 years.

From day one of the rollout, passengers will benefit from more frequent services, extended routes, and better links to hospitals and railway stations.

A new express service between St Helens and Liverpool John Lennon Airport will also be introduced, with further enhancements being explored elsewhere as the rollout progresses.

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The average Council Tax bill in Wirral is set to increase by nearly £100 as councillors prepare to vote on their next budget on March 3.

A Council Tax rise, like for many councils across the country, has been factored in to Wirral Council’s plans to close a roughly £34m black hole in its budget for the next financial year. This is expected to raise around £9m with a further £25m coming from cuts to council services as well as some money generated from fees.

The local authority was recently awarded nearly £28m from the government to help plug gaps in its budgets for the current financial year which ends in March and the next financial year which begins in April.

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Grove Street Primary School in New Ferry has received a £5,000 donation from housebuilder Persimmon to support their outdoor play and learning projects.

Persimmon North West Managing Director Ian Hilliker was on hand recently to present the cheque to staff and pupils at the school in the presence of local MP Justin Madders.

The school has already made their own mud kitchens, tents, and dens from donated materials, and also have two donated caravans to create calmer, smaller spaces for children who need that peace and quiet to read a story, draw or play a board game.

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Actor and director Christopher Lee-Power is searching for a talented young performer to take on the role of Young Christopher in his deeply personal and powerful new play, Breaking Free.

Set to be showcased at an upcoming local theatre festival, the production delves into themes of self-liberation, defiance, and family bonds.

Christopher Lee-Power grew up in Birkenhead and had a difficult upbringing, being diagnosed with hyperactivity and speech problems at a young age.

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From early March, 50 car parking spaces at the Europa Square car park will be lost as work begins in the area.

Wirral Council is currently spending £11.89m of grant funding on two projects in Birkenhead town centre which are a key part of the local authority’s regeneration plans for the town.

The funding will see major changes to Grange Road, including Charing Cross and part of Grange Road West, as well as active travel routes on Conway Street and Europa Boulevard.

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A pioneering initiative in the Birkenhead is being hailed as a potential blueprint for transforming outcomes in left behind communities.

A new evaluation by the University of Manchester has found “much to be celebrated” in the achievements of Cradle to Career North Birkenhead since the launch of the ambitious 20-year programme in 2021.

By bringing together schools, local services, and community organisations under a shared umbrella, the project is achieving measurable improvements in education, family support, and social cohesion, offering valuable insights for other areas facing similar challenges across the UK.

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The first images have been released, showing how the £60m redevelopment of a Wirral school could look like.

The Mosslands School in Wallasey was one of two in Wirral earmarked to be rebuilt in 2022 with funding paid for by the Department for Education (DfE.) The current cost of the project is expected to be just under £58m and will see an entire redevelopment of the school site.

The new school will be built to the south of the existing school site which will enable Mosslands to continue operating in its current buildings while works take place.

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Poetry by local poet Eric Craven will be exhibited alongside original works by local artists in an exhibition at New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion opening in March.

Love, Hurt & Whimsy: Conversations Between Poetry and Art is coordinated by Mersey Arts Zone. The exhibition will contain 24 of Eric Craven’s poems, alongside artworks by local artists which have been selected to share the sentiments of the poetry.

Eric’s poems stem from personal experiences. Some have an origin in his childhood. Other poems are also thought-provoking as they portray more challenging life experiences to which others will be able to relate. Some reflect the times in which we currently live, while other tell simple stories.

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A Wirral social care charity has been recognised for the support it offers to its employees if they, or their partner, gives birth prematurely.

Autism Together has been awarded the Employer with Heart charter mark, from the organisation The Smallest Things, for supporting families of premature babies at work.

The Smallest Things is a charity run entirely by volunteers who have had premature babies. They support families, raise awareness, and instigate change to help create a better world for those affected by premature birth.

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A leading councillor has come under fire after suggesting Wirral Council needs to not “just listen to the views of old white men”.

During a Policy and Resources meeting on 19 February, a discussion was held about how the council could better engage with the public. Councillors were about to approve £1m of borrowing to fund new car parking infrastructure.

Addressing criticism from the Conservatives, Councillor Liz Grey, who chairs the council’s environment, climate emergency, and transport committee, said the council needed to improve accessibility when it came to engagement. She added, “I was also really mindful of the demographics. My concern is with the demographic reach of our consultations.

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Millions of pounds supporting the expansion of a ferry village as well as a museum are understood to be in jeopardy as Wirral Council looks to divert funding towards other regeneration projects.

In 2024, Wirral Council decided to award £4.5m of grant funding to support the revival of Birkenhead’s Transport Museum, which has been closed since 2023. Big Heritage, who took over the museum, said the aim was to “create one of the best transport-themed visitor attractions in the UK”.

At an economy, regeneration, and housing committee in December 2024, Wirral Council almost doubled the amount of money it was giving towards the Woodside Ferry village going from £396,000 to £749,654. This project is being delivered by Woodside Area CIC, which is linked to the Wirral Chamber of Commerce.

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Tranmere Rovers suffered a disappointing, but not unexpected 1-0 home defeat against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night.

Back under the floodlights for a crucial League Two encounter, Tranmere faced Accrington Stanley in a bid to steer clear of the relegation zone.

Accrington started strong, with Donald Love narrowly missing the target early on by hitting the side netting behind Luke McGee’s goal.

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Tranmere Rovers earned a draw against Port Vale following a resilient display, finishing 1-1.

The sun bathed Prenton Park as Tranmere geared up to face promotion contenders Port Vale on Saturday afternoon.

Early on, Rovers secured a corner from the left flank but failed to convert the chance to score.

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