North West rental prices buck trend

RENTAL prices in the North West have reduced this month, as tenants on lower incomes appear to be struggling to enter the private rental market, according to new research by tenant referencing provider, Home Let.

The average rental cost for a home in the North West decreased by 0.2% in July 2011 from the previous month to £616, reveals HomeLet, the market leading tenant referencing and specialist insurance company for the lettings industry. This was a contrast to all other English regions which saw increases ranging from 1.5% to 4.9%.

Meanwhile the Home Let Rental Index also shows that the average salary of tenants in the region has increased dramatically over the past month from £21,600 to £25,300.

John Boyle, Managing Director of HomeLet, said:- “Although the average salary of tenants moving into a new rented property in the North West has seen a sharp increase recently, they’re still earning an average of 10% less than the rest of the UK (source: Office of National Statistics).   It would seem that because actual salaries in this region have not grown at the same rate as those of average tenants, it has had a negative effect on rental values. This appears to indicate that despite lower rental amounts, those who are earning less than the national average remain unable to enter the private rental market.”

Home Let’s Rental Index has access to the largest volume of data on agreed rental amounts in the UK and includes data gathered from over 3,000 letting agents; more than any other report on the market. A summary of the report is available online.

Eventful time for apprentices

14 youngsters from Liverpool’s twin city are to find out exactly why we have a reputation for hosting outstanding events.  A group of 6 from Cologne will become ‘event management’ apprentices which will see them work on the hugely popular Mathew Street Music Festival, River Festival On the Waterfront, the Food and Drink Festival, the arrangements for the Labour Party Conference and other activities hosted by Liverpool ONE.

Throughout the 3 weeks, they will spend time with those who work night and day behind-the-scenes to make sure Liverpool delivers top-class events, each of which attracts tens of thousands of visitors.  The remaining 8 apprentices will get to grips with working in some of the city’s leading hotels including the Jury’s Inn, Hilton, Crowne Plaza, Hard Day’s Night, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn.

The apprentices, who are all in their early 20s, were welcomed to the city on Monday, 22 August 2011, by Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Prendergast at the Town Hall. He presented each of them with the Band Together wristband which will highlight their support for this year’s Mathew Street Music Festival. He said:- "I’m delighted to meet the apprentices and talk to them about how important events and tourism are to this city.  This is the second year we’ve been involved in this exchange programme and I couldn’t think of a better city for them to learn lessons about culture than in Liverpool. It’s certainly going to be a busy three weeks with all the fantastic events taking place. Cologne is our longest standing twin city and I’m proud our strong relationship means that young people in Germany and in Liverpool benefit from learning the tricks of the trade from experts, giving them a great start to their career."

The programme builds on a successful exchange programme which began last year and also involved young Liverpool people going to Cologne last year for 3 weeks. It forms part of a growing programme of economic links between Liverpool and Cologne which will grow during 2012 which marks 60 years of twinning between the 2 cities.

Rare Sand Lizards Released Back to the Wild on Merseyside

CONSERVATIONISTS have given the UK's rarest lizard a helping hand, with 80 captive-bred sand lizards released on the Sefton Coast at The Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Freshfield Dune Heath, as part of a long-term conservation project to restore the species’ status and historic range.

The release at Freshfield is one of nineteen projects within the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership Scheme, a three year Heritage Lottery Funded Project being delivered by the Sefton Coast Partnership. It is also supported by the North Merseyside Amphibian and Reptile Group, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Natural England.

In the UK, sand lizards only live on 2 rare habitats – sand-dunes and lowland dry heath. A healthy population still survives on the sand dunes of the Sefton Coast but they have been lost from the heathland. Last September, 34 juvenile Sand Lizards were released at Freshfield and a number have been found and photographed since, moving further away from the release site than had been anticipated.

Merseyside sand lizards have a unique genetic make-up and the juveniles due for release have been captive bred from local stock by individuals from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. The animals are being released in August to allow them to get used to the re-introduction site gradually before hibernation in October.

Fiona Whitfield of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said:- "We are excited at the arrival of a new species for the reserve and to be a part of these important local and national projects. There is a large population of common lizards on Freshfield Dune Heath so we are confident that the sand lizards will thrive here."