So, what would make your life better . . .?
READERS have given their views on what they think would boost quality of life in Halton ahead of the General Election next month.
A Weekly News shout-out on Facebook reached more than 20,000 viewers and accrued 61 comments.
Ideas included closing the Runcorn incinerator, backing out of Liverpool City Region (LCR) membership or having a metro mayor, better wheelchair access around Widnes.
Terry McEllroy, of Runcorn, came up with five policies: opening up the town’s canal waters to boost tourism like in Cambridge and Oxford, give vacant shops in Runcorn Old Town a facelift and potentially use them for advertising, ditching the energy-fromwaste plant, increase youth funding and generate neighbourhood pride.
Michael Gittins called for pulling out of the LCR; scrapping bridge tolls, the incinerator and 90% of the fast food outlets, creating an accident and emergency unit and youth investment.
Runcorn resident Col Campbell set all five of his proposed priorities as ‘education’, and Jennifer Latham, also Runcorn, suggested the creation of a supermarket in Weston Point, and a youth centre, hospital on the former Riverside College Runcorn campus site and better mental health awareness.
Antony Molyneux Steele called for the transformation of Runcorn docks from being industrial into a marina, offices and shops, and also for Runcorn to split from Halton.
Kate Ravenscroft called for more investment in Runcorn, while Tom Moss, of Runcorn and whose Facebook profile described his job as ‘Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street’ called for politicians to divert executive pay at Halton Council to social care and other needs. Mr Moss added that community service should be used to clean and trim the verges properly, cut the number of councillors and libraries to use the funding for mental health services and mobile libraries, sell parts of the council to promote growth and cut business rates and house prices to attract businesses to empty buildings.
Other ideas included reintroducing a late X1 bus and Sunday service, a nightclub ‘for people who like good music’, cleaning the air, reduced travel stress and a ‘road out’.
Some policies were more modest, with Robbie Kerswell requesting the reopening of the Jolly Brewer pub in Murdishaw and Don Marsden asking for a ‘four pack of Guinness and a good film’. Michael George asked for five more branches of a particular Widnes chippy. ● ● ●