News

A MEETING OF HALEWOOD TOWN COUNCIL WILL TAKE PLACE ON:

Thursday 21st September 2023 at 7.00 p.m. at the Arncliffe Centre, Halewood.

GERRY ALLEN, TOWN MANAGER                           DATED: 15th September 2023

Agenda: Town Council Meeting Agenda for 21 September 2023

A reminder to residents that questions for Public Forum must be logged with the Town Manager by 7.00pm on Tuesday 19th September stating the theme of your question. Please send your proposed question/comment to: gerry.allen@knowsley.gov.uk or by calling 0151 428-1929.

This meeting is open to the public.

Please note that the Public and Press are invited to attend the above meeting under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s.1, as extended by the Local Government Act 1972 s.s 100 & 102.

18 Hours Per Week Support Officer (12-Month Maternity Cover)

Halewood Town Council is looking for an enthusiastic and hard-working individual to strengthen our team and perform a vital role as a ‘Support Officer’ at its two settings, Hollies Hall and the Arncliffe Centre.

The role is for a minimum 12-month period covering the Maternity Absence of a colleague. The role may therefore be extended beyond that initial 12-month period. This work will predominately consist of evening shifts and weekend work.

Responsibilities

• To act as a Support Officer covering the activities at Hollies Hall and the Arncliffe Centre. This includes onsite support to hirers, dealing with enquiries and acting as part of our team.
• To be part of the team offering support and supervision to Bar Functions, a vital part of the work at Halewood Town Council.
• Deliver and maintain consistently high standards of service to ensure an unrivalled customer experience.

Key Characteristics

• Able to perform under pressure and make decisions.
• Excellent problem solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and organisational skills.

Salary and Benefits

• NALC Scale Points 5-6 starting at £21,575 (pro-rata) with a pay award pending
• 25 days paid annual leave, not including Bank Holidays (pro-rata)
• Job Type: Part-time, Fixed-Term (following satisfactory completion of probation)
• Closing date for applications: 10.00 am Wednesday 13^th September 2023.

For an informal chat, please contact the Town Council Development and Operations Manager, Dave Murphy on 0151 428 1929 during usual office hours (Monday to Friday, 9.30am-5.00 pm).

An application form, full job description and person specification can be found here:

JOB-APPLICATION-FORM Halewood Town Council

SUPPORT OFFICER Job Description

SUPPORT OFFICER Person Specification

Please Note: Applications will only be taken through the receipt of a completed town council application form: **Do Not** send CVs.

At the council meeting of 17^th August 2023, Halewood Town Councillors voted to object to the proposed closure of the Ticket Office at Halewood Train Station. This objection was formally and unanimously agreed by members at the meeting.

The letter of objection can be viewed here: Halewood Train Station Ticket Office Closure

There is an important update regarding significant roadworks on Higher Road through the 5th and 6th of August 2023. This is the communication received by Halewood Town Council.

For your information, essential carriageway surfacing works, are planned on a section of Higher Road, Halewood from Saturday 05^th August 2023 to Sunday 06^th August 2023 between the hours of 8:00 and 18:00. In order that the works can be undertaken quickly and safely the road will be closed, shown on the link below: 

one.network

The diversion route associated with this closure is via Leathers Lane, Baileys Lane and vice versa. 

The Town Council’s support to the Holiday Activities programme, SNAP (Sport-Nutrition-Active Play), commenced its four week run on Monday 31st July. The project will take place from Mondays to Thursdays at the Arncliffe Centre, and will be a positive experience for scores of participating children and families from across Halewood.

SNAP is a collaborative project between organisations across the borough of Knowsley led by ‘One Knowsley’ and Knowsley MBC. Funding for the projects comes from the Department for Education.

We are advising residents/parents that Hollies Playground must be closed each evening no later than 7.30pm. However, to support the work of our keyholders who open/close the park on behalf of the council, we further advise the closing time may be undertaken earlier than this on occasions between 6.30pm and 7.30pm (dependent upon weather and other factors).

We appreciate this may be disappointing to some families who would use the park in the early evenings, especially when the weather is nice in our township. However, the playground and the area around Hollies Park has once again been beset by incidents of anti-social behaviour causing stress to local residents and requiring the attention of the Police. The council has also been required to fund repairs to equipment in the playground because of damage caused through this anti-social behaviour.

It is always a difficult balance between the needs of children/families in accessing free, stimulating play experiences and the peace and security of residents who live near the park. We know we get this right most of the time but, when problems arise, they are understandably stressful for those living close to the issue and costly in terms of interventions from the Police, Council staff or local Councillors. Halewood Town Council therefore makes a further plea to the young people involved in causing these problems, and their parents/carers, to be mindful of the impact of their behaviour.

We hope residents understand the reasons for this communication and will support our decision.

It is with deep regret that we have to announce the postponement of the Halewood Summer Carnival scheduled for this Saturday, 29^th July. However, we have secured an alternative date for the event, and this will take place at Hollies Field on Saturday 16^th September.

Council staff liaised earlier today with the owner of the fairground that would be the main feature of the event. Unfortunately, due to constant rain in recent weeks, and the poor forecast for the remainder of the week, the site of the Carnival at Hollies Field would be untenable for even moderately heavy equipment. Some associated risks with the wet and muddy surface for attendees were also a consideration.

Stallholders for the event are aware of the cancellation and most will be able to join us on 16^th September. It is our hope that what will now effectively be the ‘Halewood Autumn Carnival 2023’ will be blessed with sunny and warm weather, and will be attended by residents across our township.

Please watch out for social media posts and other messages regarding the Carnival in September.

Halewood Town Council is recruiting new Casual Staff. In roles ideal for people living in or close to Halewood, we seek enthusiastic new colleagues to help provide a great service at our halls and function rooms at both the Arncliffe Centre and Hollies Hall.

The position and hours of work will be dictated by the demand for hiring at both centres, which include weekend and evening work. We also seek persons able to provide occasional early morning cleaning of our centres to cover planned staff leave. Please also note, the Town Council is a National Living Wage employer paying the current rate of £10.90 per hour.

Experience is preferred but not essential, we ask that you are hardworking and committed to providing friendly and polite service to the people, groups and organisations we serve.

Please register any interest in the post with our Operations Manager Dave Murphy via email: dave.murphy@knowsley.gov.uk (or gerry.allen@knowsley.gov.uk up to 1st August)

Or alternatively contact the Town Council on 0151 428 1929 for more information about the roles. 

Cadent will be undertaking works in the Arncliffe Road area of Halewood over the next 6 weeks or so. This is part of the work to install a new ‘Gas Governor’ that will be sited in a small section of  the overflow car park at the Arncliffe Centre.

The essential gas network improvement works, are planned on a section of Arncliffe Road from 24.07.2023 to 01.09.2023. In order that the works can be undertaken quickly and safely, the road will be closed, as described below:

1. Arncliffe Road, Halewood – From its junction with Ashton Close to its junction with Woodbine Road in a north-westerly direction.
2. Arncliffe Road, Halewood – From its junction with Woodbine Road to its junction with Camborne Avenue in a westerly direction.
3. Arncliffe Road, Halewood – From its junction with Camborne Avenue to its junction with Mackets Lane in a westerly direction.

A temporary one-way system will be implemented as a result of the closure.

This is shown on the link below:

One Network Arncliffe Road

The diversion route associated with this closure is via Arncliffe Road, Camberley Drive, Mackets Lane.

At the council meeting of 15^th June 2023, Halewood Town Council approved a project to develop a ‘Green Spaces Strategy’ for the parks/green spaces it manages. For the attention of residents, this is the following locations: Arncliffe Playing Fields, Doorstep Green, Elwyn Gardens, Frederick Lunt Field, Hollies Field, New Hutte Woods and Wood Road Field.

Initial work has now commenced on this strategy, and this will build on the excellent work undertaken by Halewood residents as part of the Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan project. Our expectation is that we will consult on this work with Halewood residents in the autumn of 2023. This the aim of the strategy, as shared at the council meeting last month:

Please look out for further posts regarding the Halewood Town Council ‘Green Spaces Strategy’ or talk to one of your elected Town Councillors.

Knowsley Council Consultation

Knowsley Council has recently launched its own Green Spaces Consultation for Halewood. The focus of this consultation, however, is the parks/green spaces that it manages in the township. You can find out more about this consultation, how to get involved, or complete an online survey here: Knowsley Council Consultation

As a Town Council we are seeking dialogue with the borough about a township-wide approach to Green Space maintenance and improvements. As a Town Council we recognise the importance of a positive relationship with the borough in securing a collaborative vision for Parks and Green Spaces in Halewood.