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North West MEP
wins environment award for his Fishy work...
NORTH West Liberal Democrat
MEP Chris Davies has been named MEP of the Year in the Environment
category at the Brussels equivalent of the Oscars. Labour's
Arlene McCarthy MEP was also presented with a trophy for her work on
banking and financial regulation.
Davies gained the prestigious award for his role in promoting major
reforms to the EU's common fisheries policy. In the annual
Brussels equivalent of the Oscars, nominated MEPs secure the awards
after a secret vote by their peers, the 756 members of the European
Parliament.
Chris Davies took the lead in forming the cross-party 'Fish for the
Future' group that helped secure a massive 502 votes of MEPs in
favour of fisheries reform. He said:- "The changes now
made will ensure that fish stocks in the seas of Europe can be
rebuilt.
We are ending the practice of discarding perfectly good fish,
encouraging more local management, and ensuring that fishermen and
scientists work closely together.
We had tremendous support from people in Britain and most
importantly this a victory for all the people across the North West
who emailed other MEPs, signed petitions and supported the fight to
end fish discards.
I was a backbench MP in the House of Commons for two years and found
it incredibly difficult to get things done. My experience is that
there is much more opportunity in the European Parliament to
influence the making of policy.
We are from different political parties but I am sure that Arlene
McCarthy will agree that the secret of achievement in Brussels is to
work across party lines and bring together MEPs of different
nationalities to common purpose."
Veterans centre
celebrates first birthday
A centre which supports
armed forces veterans and their families in civilian life celebrates
its first anniversary this week. The centre, in Breck Road,
Anfield, was officially opened last March (2013) by the Mayor of Liverpool,
Joe Anderson.
It is staffed by trained buddies all of whom are either ex-military
personal or related to veterans. They provide expert advice and
information on several issues affecting former servicemen and women
including housing, health, and employment and since opening have
advised more than 300 veterans.
The opening of the new facility followed the signing by the city of
Liverpool of a community covenant which commits it to working
closely with the military in support of serving personnel,
ex-service and their families.
On Thursday 20 March an open day will be held to celebrate its first
anniversary. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar
will start proceedings at 11.30am and representatives from the armed
forces will be present to look at the achievements of the centre and
how it will develop in the future. The local community are also
invited to attend the day.
Councillor Hayley Todd, the City's armed forces champion, said;-
"In Liverpool we recognise the debt we owe our servicemen and
women and that many of them need support when they leave the armed
forces.
The Veterans Centre shows that we have taken our commitments under
the community covenant extremely seriously and have converted it
into something really practical.
It has helped veterans with their housing and employment needs and,
in some cases, referred them for health support including mental
health issues. But veterans have also taken the opportunity just to
call in for a chat and a cuppa. Liverpool is very much a
trailblazer in this field and we will be celebrating what has been
achieved but also looking ahead to how the centre can provide even
greater support."
Parklands High
School set to close
PARKLANDS High School in
Liverpool is set to close at the end of August 2014. The
recommendation to the Council's Cabinet on Friday 21 March follows
an unsuccessful drive to reverse a slide in pupil numbers, which
have been declining steadily over the last few years.
There are currently only 198 pupils at the 916 place school, meaning
almost 80% of desks are empty. Only 34 children have applied
for places at the Speke school in September 2014; a fall of more
than half compared to 2008 when the intake was 84.
Exam results have also remained significantly lower than other
Liverpool schools; with just 32% of pupils getting 5 good GCSEs
including English and maths, compared to 58% across the rest of the
city.
Education watchdog OFSTED placed the school in special measures
following a recent inspection, meaning the City Council has had to
examine options for its future. Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for education, said:-
"Closing a school is always a matter of great sadness, but with only
1 in 5 desks occupied at Parklands there are simply not enough
pupils attending to make it viable.
It is a real shame that we have not been able to make any other
option stack up, and I know this will be upsetting for everyone who
has been involved in exhausting every single option to try and make
the school sustainable over the years.
Sadly, we are now at the stage where the numbers are so low that it
is not able to offer a full curriculum, and this is simply not in
the best interests of the pupils.
I would like to thank staff for their hard work and commitment to
the school, and the parents, carers and pupils for the way in which
they have conducted themselves during the consultation, and for
making a positive contribution.
We will work with pupils, parents and carers to find places at other
schools and ensure a smooth transition, and are also looking at how
we can help with transport and uniform costs. We will also be
working with teaching staff to help them secure alternative
employment." It is being proposed that the school close in August 2014 with
pupils transferring to others in the area including ESLA (Enterprise
South Liverpool Academy), St Julies and Gateacre. |
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Official talks
on landlord licensing underway
LIVERPOOL'S proposals to
introduce a licensing scheme for landlords continue to move forward,
with the appointment of an independent consultant.
Opinion Research Services (ORS) have been commissioned by the City
Council to carry out a 12-week consultation with landlords, tenants,
residents and other stakeholders, beginning on 24 March 2014.
The licensing proposals are an important part of the City's '10
Point Pledge' for landlords, and the start, next week, of formal
consultation on the issue will mean all 10 pledges have now either
been fulfilled or are underway.
The City Council launched its 10 Point Pledge in 2012, to build on
the positive relationship the Council has with many landlords while
taking a robust stance against the small minority of poor landlords
and provide a level playing field for all.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann O'Byrne, said:-
"This is a really important issue for our city. We want to ensure
that Liverpool has a high standard of private rented properties
which tenants can be confident in, and we believe a licensing scheme
would play a major role in helping us achieve this.
This formal consultation period gives all organisations and
individuals affected by these proposals the chance to get involved
in the discussions and have their say. We will consider all views
carefully before we make a final decision. It's great news
that we are now in a position where all 10 of our landlords pledges
have either been completed or are in motion. It reflects the huge
amount of work we are doing to connect with landlords and work with
them to drive up standards within our private rented sector."
Liverpool's proposals for a citywide licensing scheme would mean
that all landlords who privately rent properties in the city would
require a licence for each of their rented properties. The Council
would need to determine that the proposed licence holder is a 'fit
and proper' person to manage their properties.
The plans aim to drive up standards of tenancy management, isolate
poor landlords and make them easier to identify, secure a consistent
level of responsible property management, and promote an
understanding among residents about what they can reasonably expect
from their landlord.
It also aims to help empower tenants; who currently have no way of
knowing the quality of their prospective landlord; and help them
make informed choices, promote greater confidence in the rental
market and help improve demand.
Proposals for the licensing scheme were first considered at the end
of 2012, and since then, the City Council has been engaging with
stakeholders and collating an extensive range of evidence from a
number of internal and external sources to produce a comprehensive
business case, paving the way to the start of the formal
consultation.
If a decision is made to introduce a licensing scheme, it is
expected it will come into force in 2015.
Further details of the consultation, and how people can get involved
and have their say, will be released in the near future.
The other points in the City's 10 Point
Pledge for landlords are:-
► The adoption of a Liverpool Standard for private rented housing in
the city, including minimum standards based on the Decent Homes
Standard and best practice in the management of tenancies.
► A free, voluntary register for landlords, to encourage better
communications with the Council.
► The re-launch and promotion of the CLASS accreditation scheme
which recognises good landlords, and which has just achieved a major
milestone, with the 400th organisation, and 2,000th property, in the
city now signed up for the scheme.
► A 'Know Your Landlord' service, through which prospective
tenants can enquire whether landlords are registered, accredited, or
a member of a recognised landlords organisation such as the National
Landlords Association.
► A confidential freephone line:- 0800 707 6245 - where people can
report unregistered or poor quality landlords, triggering an
investigation from the City's enforcement team
► A Rogue Landlords Hit Squad, set up to seek out and investigate
poor landlords and take appropriate action.
► A Landlords Advisory Group, comprised of landlords and also
lettings and managing agents.
► Incentives for landlords who manage their properties well,
including access to renewal funding, and the opportunity to
advertise their properties on the City's on-line Property Pool Plus
service.
► Dedicated web pages, publicising the Liverpool Standard, the
accreditation scheme and general news items of interest to
landlords, tenants and people seeking accommodation.
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