Park Campaigners furious after it’s revealed Kew’s Lib-Dem Councillors are “sitting on a pot of gold”

Kew Ward Councillors have been accused of “betraying residents” after it was discovered they are sitting on over £40000 worth of funds.

The claim comes from local park campaigners who have been calling on the councillors to release ward funds to help save the playground on Ovington Drive. The park was closed as a safety precaution in the summer after a young girl in Formby broke her arm on equipment of the same design and age which failed.

A like-for-like replacement is estimated to cost around £50000 and Sefton Council has already guaranteed £30,000 towards it after representations from Liz Savage and local Labour party members on behalf of the campaigners.

The residents’ group also asked Kew’s three Liberal Democrat councillors to help make up the rest from the ward funds at their disposal. Ward funds are Sefton Council monies that need the specific consent of a ward’s councillors to access but despite repeated requests by the residents’ group, the councillors have yet to contribute.

Previously Kew’s councillors claimed the funds were already were committed but council records revealed at the Southport Area Committee meeting in September showed that just under £24,000 in uncommitted ward funds were available. Now it’s been revealed that the ward councillors also have over another £20,000 in development funds available on top.

Diane Thomas, one of the organisers of the Kew Playground Campaign says she’s disgusted that the councillors have so far failed to give anything to get the park opened again:

“We’ve been asking for two months.The Kew councillors claim to be supportive but they have pulled every trick in the book to try and avoid helping and paying out so far. We are desperately trying to raise money and yet we now discover the councillors are sitting on a pot of gold and but still do nothing to help us. They are betraying us and betraying residents. Worst of all they are betraying the local kids who desperately want the park re-opened as soon as possible. It’s unforgivable.”

Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for parks, Councillor Ian Moncur, confirmed that at present there was just over £40000 in uncommitted funds available to the Kew Ward councillors:

“There is now £19,863.58 in ward funds and £20,776.50 in what are known as ‘106’ funds which the councillors could use towards the park project if they wanted to. We have twice asked them how much and when they will be contributing towards the scheme but we are still completely in the dark.”

Diane’s fellow campaigner Tracy Burke says the revelation is just the latest evidence of how unhelpful their ward councillors have been:

“They have done nothing to assist us and two of our young mums were left feeling bullied and intimidated by them and some of their colleagues at the last area committee meeting when they asked for the funds. Then we had to ban another one of them from our Facebook page because of what we felt was a clear attempt at intimidation and now this. I didn’t think they could get any lower, I was wrong. They have no excuse whatsoever for sitting on this money and ignoring the children in our ward. They need to release the funds, now.”