NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM:- 'COUNCIL LEADER WARREN BRADLEY'

“AS we look back over the last year, it is clear that we need not have feared that 2009 would be a damp squib following the huge success of Capital of Culture in 2008.

It placed us in a strong position to weather the recession, with the latest visitor numbers, employment figures and economic statistics showing Liverpool is outperforming the rest of the region and the country.

Liverpool One and the Arena and Convention Centre are generating millions of pounds each week for the local economy and sustaining many thousands of jobs in the leisure and retail industries.

We have continued to invest in our young people, with work starting on replacing or refurbishing every secondary school. Our pupils have repaid our investment with superb results in their GCSEs and A Levels in 2009, putting Liverpool's achievements well above the national average - an impossible dream some 10 years ago. In addition, more than 50,000 under 17s continue to take advantage of our unique Lifestyles Futures scheme which gives them free access to our fitness centres.

We successfully applied to become one of 'England United' World Cup 2018 Host Cities, and are hopefully set to become the country’s first UNESCO City of Music.

The Year of the Environment has seen recycling figures reach a record high, the fabulous Stanley Park and Gladstone Conservatory restored and the regeneration of Sefton Park almost complete.

As a city we want to build on our success and are not taking our foot off the gas as we head into 2010, so there is much to look forward to over the coming 12 months.

Liverpool is the only UK city to have a dedicated pavilion at the World 2010 EXPO – the Business Olympics – in Shanghai, China. More than 70 million visitors will pass through the event and it’s estimated the economic benefit to the city will be worth up to £50 million - that’s investment and ultimately new opportunities through jobs for local people.

Work will start in the summer on the £50 million redevelopment of Central Library, the new Museum of Liverpool will open and we are pushing ahead with a 10 year masterplan to treble the number of cruise liners coming to the city annually.

We will continue our drive to improve the communities around the city with housing developments and district centres that local people want.

Our 2010 themed year will be Health and Wellbeing, and with our partners in the PCT, we will be working hard throughout the year to promote the benefits of an active lifestyle and a healthy body and mind.

With all of this going on – and more besides - it is little wonder the Audit Commission have judged that the council is performing well, making us the most improved local authority in the country.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done, no matter how small, to improve our great city and wish you all the best for the festive season and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.” said Liverpool Council Leader, Warren Bradley.

The Digital Decade

PRS for Music takes a look back at a digital decade which proved revolutionary for the music industry. Lifestyle shifting technological advances, the ubiquity of the internet, mobile phone technology and the development of social media all fundamentally changed the way people make and listen to music.
 

2000
January	AOL buys Time Warner for $126b.
July	Launch of Friends Reunited website
2001
January	Launch of Wikipedia
October	Apple launches the iPod in the US.
December	3G mobile phone network UK launch.
2002
October	Freeview – UK launch.
2003
April	iTunes Music Store US launch.
June	DVD rentals overtake VHS rentals.
August	MySpace launch.
2004
January	First HDTV broadcast in Europe.
June	Digital Download chart created.
December	Download sales overtake physical.
2005
April	UK chart includes downloads.
July	NewsCorp buys MySpace.
November	Official launch of YouTube.
2006
March	Major retailers stop selling VHS.
July	Top of the Pops is axed by the BBC.
July	Twitter launches.
September	Facebook launches.
November	Google buys YouTube for $1.65b.
2007
March	UK launch of Playstation 3
October	Radiohead offer In Rainbows as a digital downloads for customers to pay what they want.
December	BBC iPlayer launches publicly.
2008
March	AOL buys Bebo for $850m
October	Spotify launches.
November	UK digital switchover begins.
December	Zavvi goes into administration.
2009
March	Lady Gaga’s Poker Face becomes the most downloaded song in UK history.
October	The UK’s last piano factory closes.
December	AOL and Time Warner split after almost ten years as one company.

ARTS IN PRESCOT:- "Choir of King's College Cambridge"

ON Saturday, 9 January 2010 at 7.30pm in the Prescot Parish Church, The Choir of King's College Cambridge will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of Prescot Parish Church of St Mary's. Tickets cost £12 & £10 and are available from Prescot Parish Church, Prescot Museum & Prescot Library. For more information go to:- artsinprescot.org.uk.