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TRAVELODGE CALLS
ON JOHN PUGH MP TO "STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR TOURISM IN THE HOUSE
OF COMMONS"
AS English Tourism Week
kicks off, Travelodge CEO urges more than 100 MP's to promote
industry from ‘2nd class status.' Grant Hearn,
Travelodge CEO has written to 106 MP's from England's key tourism
constituencies, including John Pugh MP, to ask them to stand up in
the House of Commons and fight for the industry.
Travelodge's CEO Grant Hearn is urging Mr Pugh to promote tourism
and ensure that it thrives in his Southport constituency. There is a
new hotel
scheduled to open in October 2013, creating 26 jobs and bringing
£1.5 million each year to the local economy.
With the right regulatory framework the UK's 5th largest industry
has the potential to create 300,000 jobs by 2020. However a lack of
Government action will prevent this from happening, which is why
Travelodge's boss is asking for the support of the local MP to
promote tourism from its second class status in the eyes of
policymakers.
In the letter Mr Hearn makes a case that it is high time policy
makers woke up and unlocked the true potential of one of the UK's
fastest growing industries and asks MP's from England's key tourism
constituencies to support a 10 point plan to develop a tourism
industry capable of leading the economy to sustained growth and job
creation.
The 10 point plan calls for the Government to move tourism higher up
its agenda, and for the sector to be given the status it deserves -
by moving it from the Department of Culture Media & Sports to the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
As tourism is crucial to economic growth the plan also includes a
recommendation for a dedicated taskforce to be created, which is
headed up by a tourism minister. This group will be tasked with
delivering growth and creating a cross departmental cohesive
strategy in cooperation with all tourism partners.
The letter also calls for more to be done to increase the UK's
competiveness, especially to reduce the bureaucracy behind the visa
application process which keeps so many BRIC visitors away.
Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO said:- "English Tourism Week
celebrates a vital industry in terms of providing economic growth,
inward investment and job creation but it has been largely ignored
by successive Governments. The industry needs more than just lip
service, as we have a huge opportunity within our grasp to help the
economy recover. A lack of action is costing jobs, growth and
investment, and whilst we dither, our European neighbours and the
USA are successfully pursuing growth via forward-thinking tourism
strategies.
The difficulties in the economy are well-publicised, but British
tourism can act as a catalyst to help grow the UK's economy and
create much needed jobs. It's crucial that the Government does
everything it can to unleash the true potential of one of the few
industries that is continuing to grow, but to be able to do that we
need MP's who will champion its cause.
Our 10 point plan is about positioning tourism as a key element of a
sustainable economic recovery, so we hope this provides the catalyst
for MP's to stand up and fight for it."
The letter is published on the back of a Travelodge report which
provides stark evidence into the role that tourism can play in
delivering sustained economic growth. The first ever comprehensive
analysis into how tourism performed during the double dip recession
shows that the industry outperformed the general economy, leading
the way in terms of employment numbers and revenue growth.
The report proves that tourism is one of the few industries to have
continued growing despite the economic crisis. Whilst GDP grew by 8%
from 2007, during the same period the tourism industry increased its
revenues by 12.6% to more than £40 billion; representing 10% of
GDP.
Against a backdrop of rising unemployment, the reports shows that
the industry continued to create jobs, including 120,000 new ones in
2011 alone. As a further illustration of this growth, Travelodge is
announcing plans to help put more young and long-term Britons
into employment. The hotel chain is pledging to create 500 new jobs,
100 apprenticeships and 50 work experience positions by 2015.
The report also shows that the UK's appeal as a tourist destination
endured during the double dip recession, with overall visitor
numbers up by 3.1% to 157.4 million. Staycations form the backbone
of the tourism economy, with domestic trips and holidays increasing
by 5.6% to 126.6 million. This shows that Britons have reacquainted
themselves with holidaying at home, and City breaks emerge as
particularly popular, accounting for 23% of all
domestic breaks.
However, the report also highlights there are huge opportunities to
grow tourism particularly when it comes to boosting overseas visitor
numbers. Between 2007 and 2011, global tourism grew by 23.4% but
during that same period, 2 million fewer overseas visitors came to
the UK, a drop of more than 6%. This means the Government's target
for 4 million new overseas visitors by 2014 will be missed.
At present, Europe and the USA are leading the way in attracting
overseas visitors, particularly from emerging BRIC markets. For
every Chinese tourist who visits Britain, 8 go to Paris and 10
visit America. On average the typical Chinese visitor spends £1,600
whilst in the UK. China has a population of 1.3 billion but in 2011
just 149,000 citizens visited the UK, spending £240m. In contrast
the USA attracted 1.1 million Chinese visitors in the same year.
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Southport Access
For Everyone
THE next meeting of
Southport Access For Everyone forum will be held at the Victoria
Methodist Church, Sussex Road, Southport, PR8 6DG.
On Monday, 25 March 2013 at 7 pm. This is a free public meeting. The
premises are fully accessible for wheelchair users with adequate car
parking facilities, and light refreshments will be served will be
served before the meeting commences.
Anyone with an interest in disability issues is welcome. For
more information please visit their
website.
For further enquiries go to our website or telephone:- 07866531036
Teachers to lead
rigorous new research trials to help disadvantaged pupils achieve
academic success
A £4m research scheme is
being launched to give teachers an opportunity to lead trials to
identify the best ways of closing the attainment gap for
disadvantaged pupils.
The National College for School Leadership is encouraging teachers
with a track record of reducing the attainment gap to put forward
their best strategies for rigorous testing, using research methods
that are more common in the field of medicine and business.
Randomised controlled trials are used in medicine, business and
other sectors but have not previously been used extensively to test
the effectiveness of interventions in the education sector.
The 2-year "Closing the gap: Test and Learn" project will see
a small number of promising strategies analysed to establish which
are the most effective and could be replicated across the country.
It is anticipated that up to 1,000 schools and many more teachers
could be involved in the project with initial findings due to be
published next year.
Charlie Taylor, Chief Executive of the National College, today
called on teachers with a strong track record of closing the gap to
come forward with their ideas that could be trialled on a large
scale. He said:- "This is a great opportunity for
teachers to engage in research with universities and spread findings
about the best ways of reducing the attainment gap so that all
pupils achieve academic success, regardless of their background.
Rigorous research like this is critical because the way we teach
pupils needs to be based on good evidence, in the same way doctors
use evidence of what works when treating patients. Research skills
are the key to professional improvement and just as practising
doctors based in teaching hospitals drive medical research, so
practising teachers should drive educational research."
The initiative will be run through the growing network of teaching
schools, working with universities.
Teaching schools are a new feature of the education landscape in
England and are modelled on the concept of teaching hospitals. They
are designated to lead the training and professional development for
staff, working with other schools. Engagement in research is an
important part of the teaching school role. However this project is
adopting a research methodology similar to those in medicine and
business which will enable teachers to compare the effectiveness of
the different approaches.
A paper published last week by Dr Ben Goldacre - Building Evidence
into Education - sets out the case for more evidence-based teaching
practice. He said:- "I think there is a huge prize
waiting for teachers and school leaders if they can establish a
culture where evidence of what works best is collected and used as a
matter of routine. The experience from medicine suggests that this
will improve outcomes and increase professional independence. Some
claim, quite incorrectly, that it is impossible to run trials in
education, or gather good quality evidence on what works. This
scheme shows what can be done, with many hundreds of schools using a
rigorous randomised trial approach."
Teachers wishing to find out more or take part in the, Closing the
Gap - Test and Learn, scheme can find out more and apply via going
on
online.
FIREARMS RECOVERED - KENSINGTON
AND KIRKBY
MERSEYSIDE Police have
confirmed that 3 firearms and ammunition were recovered, on
Thursday, 14 March 2013, by officers in Kensington and Kirkby. The
1st weapon was recovered in Kensington. At about 10.40pm on Prescot
Drive a special constable on foot patrol noticed a white Peugeot van
displaying false registration plates. On checking the vehicle he
found ammunition, a knife, balaclavas and what is believed to be, a
pistol, inside. Specialist officers attended and the items were
recovered to be examined. The 2nd and 3rd weapons were recovered in
Kirkby. At about 11.30pm a silver Jaguar XF was seen by officers
travelling at high speed along Eastway towards Kirkby. A search of
the area was undertaken and officers found the vehicle abandoned on
County Road. Following a search of the vehicle, what are thought to
be, a silver revolver and a black self-loading pistol were
discovered. Specialist officers attended and the items were
recovered to be examined. Forensic experts are now examining the
items to see if they can be linked to any incidents or individuals.
Detective Chief Inspector Richie Salter from Matrix, said:-
"These were excellent recoveries thanks to the vigilance and
excellent Police work of a Special Constable and officers in Kirkby.
The fact that a 3 firearms and ammunition have been seized and taken
out of circulation is a fantastic result as they can no longer be
used to harm someone in this community. We are not complacent when
it comes to guncrime and I would encourage members of the public to
share any information they have about firearms or those using them
with us and, with their help, we can keep guns and ammunition off
our streets and put the people who use them behind bars."
Anyone who has information about those involved in organised crime
or gun crime should call Merseyside Police's Matrix Unit on:- 0151
777 5687 or Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111.
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