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CHRISTMAS JUMPER
DAY!
ON Friday 13 December the
prefects at Range High School held a 'Christmas Jumper Day'
for all 6th formers and staff. Those taking part were asked to bring
in £1 for the privilege of wearing a Christmas jumper. The money
raised was split between two charities - 'Save the Children'
and the Shyira Trust (helping to relieve poverty and to advance
health and education in Shyira, Rwanda). A fantastic £75 has been
raised at the time of going to press, with more money due to follow!
Liverpool
smuggler caught in Manchester who absconded now jailed
CIGARETTE smuggler jailed
after 6 years on the run. A convicted cigarette smuggler who
fled the country 6 years ago has been jailed. Paul James
Wright, 52, from Liverpool, smuggled over three million cigarettes
into the UK, and was wanted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for
evading over £500,000 in duty.
He absconded after conviction and was believed to have escaped to
the Far East. On 1 October 2013, Wright was stopped and arrested at
Malaysian Border Controls at Kuala Lumpur Airport travelling on a
false passport. He was deported on a direct flight back to the UK in
relation to the passport offence, and arrived at Heathrow Airport on
6 December 2013.
Sandra Smith, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation, HMRC,
said:- "Wright tried to run from justice by fleeing aboard
thinking he would be safe; but he was wrong. We relentlessly pursue
tax fugitives for their criminal activity and after 6 years on the
run, Wright is now serving his time. If anyone has any
information on any other UK tax fugitive, I urge them to contact us
via our Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000, so they can face justice."
Wright was immediately arrested when he arrived at Heathrow Airport.
He appeared before HHJ Stockdale sitting at Manchester Crown Court
on Friday, 13 December 2013, where he was ordered to serve his original
three year sentence, plus an additional 24 weeks for breaching his
bail conditions.
He is the 17th tax fugitive to be brought to justice this year. HMRC
publishes details of its Most Wanted tax fugitives at:-
flickr.com/photos/hmrcgovuk.
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Council to set 3
year budget saving £156 million
LIVERPOOL City Council is
to set a 3 year budget to meet the £156 million of savings required
between now and 2017. The City faces its biggest budget
challenge to date, following £173m of cuts already made over the
last 3 years. By 2016/17, the City will have seen government funding
cut by 56%, in real terms, since 2010/11.
In the New Year, the City will lay out a 3 year strategic programme
of reductions in funding in order to give some certainty to
residents about how services will look. It will also give certainty
to providers, partners and suppliers; helping support local
businesses through the changes and, in turn, support the local
economy. The Council needs to save £45 million in 2014/15, £63
million in 2015/16 and £48 million in 2016/17.
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- "We are in unchartered waters in
terms of the level of reductions that we are facing. That means it
is more important than ever that we take a longer term view and have
a clear idea of what the will Council will look like three years
from now. I want us to be absolutely open and honest
with people about the challenges that we face, because every single
person is going to be affected and every service; and it will be
every service; will face significant reductions. Some may be
withdrawn altogether. Some of the changes will take time to
implement, so it is important we start planning for them now. And by
planning them, now we can stop the annual cycle of cuts which brings
with it lots of uncertainty and fear. We have already had more than
6,000 people visiting our online budget simulator to look at the
issues we face and suggesting where savings should be made. I would
urge people to take the time to have a look, tell us their
priorities and have their say, and that is why I am telling people
about our plan now. But the stark reality is that it will mean fewer
libraries and leisure centres. It will mean tough choices over
social care services and it will mean transferring some services to
other organisations."
The City has also recently launched a social media campaign on
Twitter to give residents a greater understanding of the challenges
the City faces, how it is allowed to spend its finances and where it
currently uses its cash.
Mayor Anderson added:- "Council tax brings into the City £118
million per year but our adult social care bill alone is £174
million, so residents can see we fall well short of funding before
we deliver parks or leisure centres and emptying bins.
Some people assume that because we are building schools and have
money in reserves that we have a drawer full of cash which can use
to plug the gap. The truth is that Government imposes all sorts of
restrictions on the spending of different pots of money, which
prevents us from doing this.
What we are doing to offset to offset the cuts is finding new ways
of bringing in income, such as buying and renting out the Cunard
Building using invest to earn.
And to offset the cuts in the public sector, we are using our own
money to step in and ensure that businesses such as H2 Energy and BAC
Mono move to the City to create jobs and growth."
The Budget Simulator can be found
online
and will be available until mid-January 2014. The Council will set
its budget in March 2014.
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