user-generated Headlines and reports on this page = 4 news items.    Page - 1.

City Council to clampdown on parking abuse

LIVERPOOL City Council is set to expand its traffic warden team by a more than a ⅓ as part of a major clampdown on illegal parking and abuse of blue badges. Following an internal review of parking operations, the City Council is to recruit a further 17 Civil Enforcement Officers taking the total to 60; while increasing car park attendants from 8 to 12. Joining these recruits will be a new team of five Permit Officers who will be hired to specifically tackle the fraudulent misuse of the Blue Badge scheme and illegal selling of residential permits.

The review has been prompted by an increase in the number of residents parking zones, particularly around the City's 2 football clubs, and the continuing growth of the City Centre which has meant an increasing demand for parking enforcement. There's also been a rise in complaints from residents, businesses and tourists on inconsiderate and dangerous pavement parking and the City Council is looking to introduce an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order later in the year to enact enforcement powers in specific streets. With major regenerations schemes, such as the new Cruise Terminal, set to further fuel the rising demand for parking in and around the City Centre, the City Council is also in the process of creating 6,000 new off street spaces over the next 5 years; with its neWest car park, on Victoria Street, to open next month.

Councillor Steve Munby, Cabinet Member for Highways and Neighbourhoods, said:- "Pavement parking is a growing menace and such is the danger this is causing to pedestrians and other motorists we are looking to use all the necessary measures at our disposal to stamp this selfish practice out. We are also looking at expanding the number of permit zones which in turn means we need more officers to Police pavement parking and residential parking zones effectively. Liverpool City Centre has boomed over the past decade and continues to do so, especially around the fringe such as the Knowledge Quarter, Baltic Triangle and Liverpool Waters, which has brought additional pressures and concerns specifically the abuse of Blue Badges and selling of residential permits. We know the public want us to act and by increasing this team we can minimise the confrontations, disruption, inconvenience and upset these practices cause."

The increase in Parking Services staff will enable the authority to expand its operations across the City, target hot spots over the weekend and increase 'out of hours' enforcement during major events and to support enforcement campaigns. The cost of the recruitment drive, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year, will be covered by the additional revenue from penalty charge notices in the short to medium term. This income is projected to fall over future years as drivers take more notice of parking restrictions.

The proposals will increase staff numbers as below:-

'Take a stand against scams' at free scam awareness sessions

RESIDENTS and local organisations are being asked to:- 'take a stand against scams' and attend free awareness sessions hosted by Wirral Council's Trading Standards Team. The 'Friends Against Scams' sessions are part of a national campaign from the National Trading Standards Scams team designed to equip residents with the practical tools to spot a scam and report it. Through these sessions:- 'friends' are recruited and asked to commit to passing on their newly found knowledge to friends and family and potentially identify more victims of scams. Attendees who wish to play a bigger role can attend an extra training session and become a:- 'Scam Champion,' enabling you to recruit new Friends against Scams. Scams are the product of organised criminals who try and gain people's trust to exploit and steal money.

Cllr Phillip Brightmore, Wirral's Cabinet Member for Environment said:- "This campaign is about protecting our communities, particularly people in vulnerable situations who are deliberately targeted by criminals and we hope the people of Wirral will get on board with us. If anyone ever contacts you, be it by phone, email or knocking on your door and you are in any doubt, say NO and end the exchange as quickly as you can."

Scamming is on the rise with 53% of people aged over 65 being targeted and scams costing the UK between ₤5-10 billion each year. However, anyone can fall victim to a scam, regardless of age, gender, education or economic background and might not always admit or be aware they are the victim of a scam. Consequently, only 5% of victims report the crime.

If you would like to attend a Friends against Scams session or would like to arrange 1 for your organisation please contact Trading Standards via  email. More information about scams, including free training, is available on the 'Friends Against Scams' website. If you believe that you may have been the victim of fraud and would like to make a report or need guidance on fraud and how to protect yourself, please go to:- ActionFraud.Police.UK or call:- 0300 123 2040. If you want advice and suspected scam is taking place, you can also contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline, on:- 0345 404 0506.

Don't slip up, put your best foot forward!

STATISTICS from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows slipping and tripping to be the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces. With this in mind, clinical staff in Lancashire are trialling some new footwear to keep them safe at work. Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust's Research and Development (R&D) Department have been giving out clinical shoes to staff in order to promote a trial of high grip footwear with the aim of reducing staff slips during work.

The Research and Development Department are distributing 1000 pairs of shoes to staff working on their feet in a clinical setting, for a minimum of 30 hours a week. Taking part involves replying to one text message a week for 18 weeks, which will ask staff how many slips they have had. ½ of the staff involved will be randomly allocated to a control group who wear their own shoes whilst the other ½  will trial the shoes with high grip.

Katie Glickman, Research Operations Manager at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said:- "It is not often that we get to give something back to our hardworking NHS staff, so we are delighted to be able to visit our services in action and demonstrate that not only is service user health and wellbeing important, but also that of our workforce.  The Trust has invested in supporting a varied portfolio of research for our service users but more recently we have been able to extend these opportunities to our staff also. We are keen to demonstrate that the Trust prioritises healthcare that moves us forward and welcome the enthusiasm and support of staff in moving healthcare forward."

As an incentive and thank you for taking part all staff recruited will receive a pair of shoes to keep by the end of the study regardless of which group they are randomised to.

If you are interested in hearing more about the portfolio of research at the Trust, for both staff and service users, can call the R&D Department, on:- 01772 773498 or email them.