Wirral councillor says sorry for e-mail rant at protester

Jan 14 2009 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

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A LABOUR councillor in Wirral has apologised after referring to a campaigner’s emails as “childish crap”.

Cllr Jim Crabtree’s response to an email by one of the leading campaigners battling against the closure of libraries in Wirral could now put him before the authority’s standards board.

Cllr Crabtree was among many recipients of emails by Jim O’Neil, who with his disabled wife Carol has been battling to save Hoylake Library from closure as part of Wirral Council’s Strategic Asset Review.

The controversial proposals have been subject to public consultation since they were announced late last year.

The local authority says it needs to make massive savings and that the borough has an “over provision” of assets.

The authority brought forward proposals to close around a dozen libraries, along with leisure centres and museums and replace them with new but fewer facilities.

But Mr O’Neil has been campaigning vigorously to save Hoylake Library and has been attempting to convince councillors to think again.

He said last night he had been shocked at the response by Cllr Crabtree, member for Bidston and St James, who he had sought to lobby as part of his campaign.

Mr O’Neil said: “It’s absolutely unreal – I’ve had several responses by other people who saw the email. I can’t believe it. We feel disempowered and frustrated and there is no need for that. All he has to do is press ‘delete’ if he isn’t interested.”

The original email had been sent to MPs Stephen Hesford, Frank Field, all elected representatives on Wirral Council, including cabinet members, and it appears Cllr Crabtree used the “reply to all” function on his email program, copying in all other recipients of the original email to his response.