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Landlords show
they are a CLASS act
LIVERPOOL'S landlord
accreditation scheme has reached an impressive milestone. New
company MGM Letting; which provides accommodation for students;
has become the 400th organisation in the City to sign-up for CLASS,
a Council scheme which recognises good landlords. And there has been
more good news for the scheme, with the submission of the 2,000th
property for CLASS accreditation by Elgin Management, another
Liverpool student accommodation provider.
It means more landlords than ever in Liverpool are being officially
recognised for managing their properties well and providing a good
service for tenants.
To celebrate the landmark, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member
for Housing, Councillor Ann O'Byrne, presented certificates to Ian
Howard, Property Manager at Elgin Management and John Morris
Managing Director of of MGM Letting, at Liverpool Town Hall, on
Friday, 7 March 2014.
The Council is now urging more landlords to sign-up to the City's
voluntary landlord register, to aim for CLASS accreditation, and to
work with the Council to make Liverpool a great place for all the
City's housing tenants.
Councillor O'Byrne said:- "I'm delighted that our CLASS scheme
has reached this important landmark. It is a great way of
recognising good landlords in the City, and celebrating the work
they are doing to improve life for tenants.
We want to get even more landlords registered with us and working
towards, or achieving, CLASS accreditation, because of the many
benefits it brings.
It benefits tenants, because they can make informed decisions when
choosing a property. It benefits landlords, because we can offer
them incentives which support their business. And it benefits the
Council, because it leaves us better placed to know who our
landlords are, and to communicate with them effectively.
The huge amount of work we are currently doing to drive up the
quality of our private rented sector; including our proposals to
introduce a Citywide licensing scheme; means it's more important
than ever that we establish contact with all our landlords. I would
therefore encourage all landlords to sign up for our register, talk
to us and work with us to deliver properties which fully meet the
needs of each and every one of our tenants."
CLASS (Citywide Landlord Accreditation Safety Scheme) is a voluntary
scheme which gives public recognition for being a good landlord. To
become accredited, landlords and letting agents have to ensure that
the properties they rent out are safe and well-managed, and that
they will treat their tenants fairly.
It is free to join, and carrying a CLASS accreditation offers
landlords a range of benefits otherwise not available, including:-
► Promotion of the landlord on the
Council's website.
► Properties owned by accredited landlords given priority when the
Council offers contracts for housing provision.
► Improved access to Council services via a landlord accreditation
officer.
► Substantial discounts on licensing fees for houses in multiple
occupancy.
► The opportunity to advertise vacant rental properties in
Merseyside and Halton via the City's on-line Property Pool Plus
service.
Landlords who wish to become CLASS accredited or sign-up for the
City's voluntary landlords register should visit:-
liverpool.gov.uk and type 'CLASS' into the
search box.
Get support and advice with the lung cancer heroes
SUFFERING cancer or caring for someone with
the disease can be a frightening and isolating experience. Lung
Cancer Heroes Support Group exists to help patients and their
families cope with what might be the most difficult period of their
lives. Janet Thompson, Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse at Southport and
Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, said:- "The heroes group is a
meeting place for patients who have lung cancer and their
family/carers so they have the opportunity to meet other patients
and be part of a support group. It offers support and advice on
financial, emotional and physical matters as well as signposting
patients to other sources of support." The heroes meet every
second Tuesday of the month from 2pm for 2 hours at the Macmillan
Cancer Information and Support Centre based at Southport Community
Service Station, 23 to 25 Scarisbrick Avenue, Southport, PR8 1NW.
"Anyone can become a lung cancer hero – just give us a call or
drop by..." said Janet. For more information contact Janet
on:- 01704 705161 or Macmillan Cancer Information and Support on:-
0151 288 6893. |
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Local Charities
will Benefit from the Sale of Banky's Liverpool Rat
THE Liverpool Rat is the
largest work ever created in Britain by world renowned street artist Banksy. Controversy and rumour have surrounded the piece since it
was removed from its original location last year, but the future
preservation of Liverpool's Banksy is now assured. The Rat will go
to auction in April and local children's charities stand to benefit
from its sale.
Painted onto the derelict Whitehouse pub, on the corner of Berry
Street and Duke Street, as part of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial
Festival, the enormous piece of street art sat slowly eroding for
years. Large parts of it peeled off with the plaster, or vanished on
rotted wood until this valuable creation, by the Bristol born artist,
was in danger of becoming a shadow of its former self.
Waterloo based Ascot Property Group acquired the Grade II listed
building back in 2011, with a view to revamping and re-purposing the
prime location. After seeking advice it became clear that the
artwork simply could not remain in situ. The Liverpool Rat was
deteriorating rapidly, the building was becoming unsafe and the work
of art deserved to be saved. With the support of the City Council,
in 2013 Ascot enlisted experts to undertake the painstaking process
of removing and rebuilding the iconic piece. As a result it can now
be sold at auction, enabling a portion of the profits to directly
benefit Liverpool charities.
The piece will be displayed as part of Stealing Banksy? an
exhibition and auction due to take place over 4 days between 24
April and 27 April 2014. Stealing Banksy? will see the Liverpool Rat
displayed alongside 6 other works by the artist, sourced and
presented by London concierge service, The Sincura Group. The
exhibition represents the most expensive Banksy collection ever
assembled under one roof.
A number of Liverpool causes will benefit from the funds generated
by the sale, including Rowan Park, a school for children with severe
learning difficulties, based in Litherland.
June King, Business Manager at Rowan Park School said:- "We
are thrilled that Ascot Property Group has thought of Rowan Park
School when choosing a charity. We are in the process of building
the RAP, a community adventure play park for children with
disabilities within the Sefton area. It is a massive undertaking and
the first project of its kind in the area; with sandpits, water
pumps, tunnels, zip-wires and all kind of other activities, all of
which will be accessible to children with disabilities and their
families. We need to raise £150,000 just to open up the park and we
are so grateful for any donations that we receive. We are close to
hitting our target but paying for upkeep, new equipment and 24 hour
CCTV will mean continuous fundraising, so the money donated by Ascot
will be put to very good use."
Stuart Howard of Ascot Property Group said:- "If Banksy's
Liverpool Rat could feasibly have remained on the Whitehouse pub, or
even returned to the building, then we would have been happy to give
it pride of place. We took the advice of experts and it lead to the
conclusion that this was simply not an option. The piece has now
been preserved and we will ensure that a number of fantastic
Liverpool causes benefit from its sale."
Tony Baxter, Director of Sincura Group said:- "We are
delighted to include the Liverpool Rat in our upcoming show as it
represents one of Banksy's most important pieces. We understand the
lengths Ascot Property Group went to, to safely salvage the piece,
which was no small feat given the level of damage; without this work
the piece would have been lost to the elements forever. By putting
it on the market it's sale will ensure both the piece's longevity
and benefit to local charities."
Renovation of the Grade II listed Whitehouse building was carried
out with the support of Liverpool City Council's Conservation
Department and Heritage Lottery Funding. Scaffolding has now been
removed from the building to reveal a smart appearance, with new
paintwork and tiling. The property recently obtained a 1am licence
for a food lead establishment and is due to reopen soon. |
