ASSAULT - STANLEY STREET, SOUTHPORT

MERSEYSIDE Police have released CCTV footage of six women that detectives wish to speak to in connection with an assault.

A 38 year old man was the victim of the assault at around 2:30 am on Sunday, 19 July 2009 on Stanley Street in Liverpool City Centre, near the Eleanor Rigby statue.

The man was kicked and punched, resulting in a broken ankle, which has required surgery. The attack is believed to be unprovoked.

It is believed that witnesses may have seen the assault and may be able to assist detectives with their enquiries.

The six women that detectives wish to speak to are all believed to be in their twenties.

Detective Constable Mike James said:- “This was a vicious and unprovoked attack on a man who was enjoying a night out with his girlfriend. We urge anyone who saw the incident or anyone who recognises anyone featured in CCTV who can help us with our enquiries to come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Merseyside Police on:- 0151 777 4064 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

Rural areas miss out on market towns recession fund

THE Commission for Rural Communities has stated that it is deeply disappointed that the government's recently announced £3million Town Centre Initiative Fund will fail to reach most rural areas.

Only local authorities that are considered disadvantaged under the Index of Multiple Deprivation are to receive funding but this excludes many rural areas, meaning that 90% of the funding will go to urban areas. Over 35% of councils nationally are classified as rural, but just 3.5% of those are eligible to apply for the fund.

In the CRC's recession reports to government it has emphasised that many rural market towns are suffering from serious problems of empty retail premises due to store closures. When the fund was first announced in April 2009 the CRC emphasised to government, including communication directly with the then Secretary of State Hazel Blears, that market towns and larger villages suffering from high levels of retail closures should be eligible to apply.

Graham Russell, executive director at the CRC, says:- "We believe that government has got this decision wrong. There is clear evidence that many rural town centres have been hit hard by the recession, yet most rural local authorities will be excluded from this fund. There is currently a lack of any central government funding that these towns can draw upon to deal with these problems, so this will be a big disappointment for many.

We will be raising our concern about this issue with the Secretary of State at the Department for Local Government at the earliest opportunity and seeking to ensure that government meets the needs of rural towns and villages during the recession."

People with mental health conditions get extra support to stay in work

THOUSANDS of people with mental health problems will get extra support managing their condition to remain in the workplace, Jim Knight, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform announced on 24 August 2009.


Early indications of the government led pilots, run in conjunction with the mental health charity Mind, have shown to be 90 per cent successful in helping people with fluctuating mental health conditions retain their jobs.

Based on this trial, the Government is now looking to extend the support, with an expectation of rolling out nationally with a range of providers.

Jim Knight, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, said:- "I know disabled people dearly want to stay in work and their employers want to do everything they can to keep good staff. Our plans to offer the right help early on can end the downward spiral of people falling out of work into sick leave, and onto benefits. We are all agreed that helping people stay in work is good news for them, their bosses and for the taxpayer."

Further radical measures introduced by the Government include:-

- Our first ever National Strategy for Mental Health and Employment, for publication in the autumn. The strategy will include expectations of employers, healthcare professionals, organisations and individuals in improving well-being in the workplace.

- Ministers have also asked mental health expert Dr Rachel Perkins and Paul Farmer Chief Executive of Mind how we can better help people with mental health problems back to work.

- A new network of dedicated mental health experts across Jobcentre Plus will work together with colleagues in the health system to coordinate support for people who have mental health conditions.

- A consultation on Right to Control, which will give disabled people, including those with mental health problems, greater choice and control over how public money is spent to meet their individual needs and ambitions.

- Doubling the Access to Work fund, from £69m to £138m over the next five years - providing practical advice and financial support to disabled people and their employers to help them overcome work-related obstacles resulting from disability.

Fay (29) from London, who took part in a pilot, said:- “The support was great and l wish it had been there when l was previously off sick from work. I found it particularly helpful in the way it kept me in contact with my employer while I was off – I never felt completely isolated from work. I found myself doing things that I normally would have found terrifying. I wouldn’t have been able to cope on my own and definitely wouldn’t have gone back to work without the support given. I would recommend this service to others with a similar condition.”

Sophie Corlett, Mind's Director of External Relations, said:- "If employers put their mind to it and provide the right support they can keep their staff mentally well and fit for the workplace. People with mental health problems want to work but are often failed by employers who lack the understanding or the skills to provide the necessary support.

We welcome the Government's increased investment in mental health, particularly during these difficult economic times, when now more than ever people need the support and understanding of their employers."