New scheme to get Liverpool In Work

A radical change to the way in which unemployed people in Liverpool are helped into work has begun.  Liverpool In Work is the replacement for the JET (Jobs Employment Training) service, and will see advisors working with residents in community buildings across the city, helping get them in to a job.  It will focus on those who live furthest away from employment, and target the most deprived communities. 

Around £4.4 million has been secured for the project over the next two years - with half coming from the European Social Fund and the remainder from the city council.

Councillor Nick Small, cabinet member for employment and skills said:- "This is a completely different way of tackling worklessness.  We want to be far more proactive and get to those who need support, rather than waiting for them to come to us. At a time when we are trying to squeeze as much out of every pound that we spend, it is vital we focus our funding on the front line rather than having it tied up in costly overheads such as buildings.  It is another key part of our aim to develop a well trained workforce that is well placed to take advantage of the city’s improving economic fortunes."

It is estimated that around 4,000 people will be helped into employment by this project between now and 2013. It will focus on the most deprived communities and those people who need the most support.

Nick Kavanagh, the city council’s director of regeneration, said:- "We want to eliminate the duplication and overlap between our work and that of Job Centre Plus, and make sure we get to those who most need our support."

The changes that have been made have also taken out administration costs to enable more funding to be freed up to deliver the service on the front line.

FIREARMS INCIDENT - TOXTETH

MERSEYSIDE Police Detectives are appealing for information after shots were fired at a car in Toxteth on Wednesday, 21 September 2011.

It has been reported that Police were called to Cawdor Street after receiving a report of shots being fired at a black Range Rover Sport at around 4pm.

It is believed that up to three men in their 20s wearing dark clothing, fired the shots at the car as it was travelling along Cawdor Street, resulting in damage to the rear window.

The occupants of the car; a male driver in his 40s, a 1 year old boy and 2 girls aged 9 and 11, were not injured in the incident but have been left very shaken.

Police cordoned off the road for forensic examination. House-to-house enquiries are underway, local CCTV is being examined and patrols have been stepped up in the area. The vehicle has also been removed for examination.

While the motive for the shooting is not yet known, detectives believe this was a targeted attack.

Detective Superintendent Richie Davies, from Merseyside Police's Matrix team, said:- "This was an extremely reckless act that could have seen the loss of the lives of 3 children and their father. The offenders showed a dangerous disregard for not only the occupants of the car but also for members of the public who were in the area at the time, and it is pure good fortune, given the busy nature of the road and the time of day that no-one was injured or even killed as a result of their actions. The offenders who carried out this attack need to be caught and I urge members of the community with any information that could help us with our investigation to come forward. We will not tolerate the use of guns on the streets of Merseyside and the actions of these people are completely unacceptable. We will do everything within our power to find those responsible and put them before the courts and will act on all information received in connection with the use of firearms to get them off our streets."

Anyone with any information is asked to call Merseyside Police's Matrix team on:- 0151 777 5699, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111.

PAY FREEZE AND PRESSURE HITTING NHS WORKERS HARD

HEALTH unions are warning that a toxic combination of increasing demand, shrinking resources and the pay freeze, are putting staff under severe pressure. The impact of the proposed pension changes and the massive programme of NHS reforms in the Health and Social Care Bill, are adding even more to the stress felt by staff.

In their joint evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body, the unions, which represent staff including nurses, midwives, paramedics, therapists, porters, cooks and cleaners, highlight increasing concerns about how they can maintain the quality of patient care.

High inflation and the Government’s pay freeze have resulted in a big drop in the value of NHS pay over the last few years. Many NHS staff are suffering financial hardship and the £250 given to the lowest paid has been soaked up by the impact of changes to tax credits, childcare fees and the rising cost of basic essentials such as food and fuel.

Christina McAnea, UNISON, NHS Staff-Side Chair said:- "Stability is vital in any workforce - more so during a period of change. The current turmoil in the NHS is undermining staff morale and threatening the delivery of high quality patient care. On top of job cuts and ward closures, growing waiting lists and an attack on their pension, staff face a reorganisation on an unprecedented scale.  By imposing a pay freeze for the second year running, the Government is adding insult to injury. Pay has never been generous in the NHS and, with inflation rising, many families are struggling to cover the costs of even basic essentials."

Josie Irwin, RCN, Staff-Side Secretary said:- "Coalition policy means that nurses face suffering a second year of pay cuts. This comes on top of unprecedented change and upheaval in the NHS - leading to low morale, uncertainty and insecurity. The RCN calls on the pay review body to recognise that further attacks on pay will only do more damage to recruitment and retention in the NHS."

Stephen Austin, Head of Employment Relations for the BDA Trade Union said:- "For years the public have supported the workers in the NHS to get a fair rate of pay for the caring and committed work that they do and this was achieved by the last government, but the current government under the disguise of necessary cuts are returning health workers back into the position of being poorly paid."

Rehana Azam GMB National Officer, Head of NHS said:- "At a time when working people are dealing with their own deficits as the cost of living increases including the essentials like childcare, fuel and food. Wage stagnation and the position directed from Government to Pay Review Bodies is unhelpful and unfair.  Public Sector workers are being attacked on a daily basis by this Government and the propaganda distributed about public sector workers with the attempts to put private sector workers against public sector workers will reveal that this Government's only agenda is to undermine the hard working people of this country by making them pay for a deficit which was not their making. All employers in this country are expected to negotiate, consult and agree changes to employment terms and conditions and the bullying tactics applied by this Government in imposing changes to public sector workers terms and conditions will be challenged and stopped."

Rachael Maskell, Head of Health, Unite, said:- "The Pay Review Body continues to play an important role in providing independent and robust evidence on the remuneration of NHS employees. The NHS workforce are facing unprecedented challenges to their pay, in the midst of mass re-organisation and cuts, in some cases losing 25% in pay as a result. These cuts to services and employment terms are causing morale in the NHS to fall significantly. We are hopeful that this year's Pay Review Body will ensure that NHS staff are remunerated fairly to ensure that they stop falling behind other sections of the workforce and economy. Unite further hopes that the Pay Review Body will address the recruitment and retention challenges for pharmacists, and estates and maintenance workers in this year's review."