REVEALED: Labour Councillors try to steal credit for local resident’s crossing campaign

• Liverpool Lib Dems have uncovered Labour’s attempt to deceive voters
• Local residents shocked that Labour Councillors try to claim credit for work of community campaigners
• Cllr Carl Cashman: “Labour Councillors should apologise to residents” 

Local campaigners in West Derby are bewildered to discover that Labour Councillors have tried to take credit for their work. 

West Derby residents Kayleigh Halpin, Phil Brookes-Lennon and David Brookes-Lennon have been campaigning for a crossing in several locations across West Derby. The campaign was initiated by them after several local residents mentioned the severe need for crossings on Eaton Road, Oak Lane and Muirhead Avenue East. 

The campaigners asked the Lib Dem Council Group to put forward a motion to Liverpool City Council asking for the Highways Department to implement the crossings. At the Full Council Meeting, the Labour Administration put in an amendment to water down the request but to also give credit to Councillor Joanne Kennedy, Councillor Finlay Nolan and Councillor Colette Goulding for formally requesting it. 

This had West Derby residents confused, because the Councillors previously had no mention nor public representation asking for this crossing. A Freedom of Information request from the Lib Dems has revealed that these Labour Councillors made their request on January 15th, the day after the Lib Dem motion was published on the council website (Jan 14th), in a bid to steal credit from the community campaigners for new crossings.

West Derby residents have voiced their shock after finding this out and have called it unacceptable and cheap. 

Local Resident, Kayleigh Halpin, who spoke at the Full Council Meeting in January in favour of the crossings said:

“It’s typical of the Labour Party in West Derby and around the city - they don’t listen and they certainly don’t care. I have spent hours going out and speaking to people, asking them to sign the petition, not our Labour Councillor. It’s childish really. Rather than support our proposal, they want to play a game where they steal the credit for our efforts.

“We deserve better in West Derby - we need councillors who work hard, put the graft in, go out and speak to residents, and take action on the issues that matter to them. The only way we are going to get that is by having Lib Dem Councillors.”

Cllr Carl Cashman, Leader of the Opposition, said:

“I think Councillors Kennedy, Nolan and Goulding owe their residents an apology for lying to them and trying to take credit for the hard work of community campaigners. Given that this motion was proposed by Cllrs Small and Robertson-Collins - we can only conclude that they told them what to do. As local Councillors, we should be relentless advocates for our wards and our city - not nodding dogs for town hall bosses like the Labour Party.’