Liverpool Vision functions to transfer to City Council

LIVERPOOL'S Economic Development Company is to relocate to work closely with the City Council. As part of an ongoing drive to better deliver priorities set out in the City's new Inclusive Growth Plan, the Mayor has decided to transfer 2 important functions previously carried out by Liverpool Vision. A total of 37 staff employed within the Marketing Liverpool and Invest Liverpool are to move to the Cunard Building, at the start of December, to align more closely with colleagues in the Council's Regeneration and Culture departments.

On 31 March 2019 the functions and staff will formally transfer to the City Council. Marketing Liverpool will continue to successfully promote Liverpool on a national and international basis, as well as working closely with the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver destination marketing for the City Region, notably via the Visit Liverpool platform. The new arrangements will also see Liverpool Vision's Chief Executive Max Steinberg step down at the end of December after 8 years at the helm during which time he has overseen Liverpool's award winning participation at the 2010 World Expo, secured the 1st hosting in Europe of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and chaired the International Business Festivals in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Set up in 1999, Liverpool Vision was the UK's 1st Urban Regeneration Company and was tasked with leading the physical transformation of the City into the new millennium with schemes, such as the new Arena, at the Kings Dock and Liverpool One. Then in 2008, a re-organisation of Liverpool Vision saw its operations merged with both the Liverpool Land Development Company and Business Liverpool to form a single Economic Development Company.

Mayor Anderson, Chair of Liverpool Vision and a board member since its inception, said:- "Liverpool Vision has been a key player behind the City's transformation and the City's appeal to tourists and investors has boomed since its creation. I now want to build on these successes and the time has come to integrate the capabilities and expertise of the Vision staff with teams in the City Council. I believe that this will create a really strong foundation, to ensure that we meet the challenges ahead, to maintain momentum, and ensure that growth is shared around all of our communities. I'd like to thank all the staff for their work, but especially Max whose imaginative leadership and drive has ensured Liverpool Vision continued to attract investment and jobs against a particularly harsh economic backdrop. His input over the past decade has strengthened the City's national and international reputation and we are all in debt to that legacy. I also wanted to make sure the City didn't lose Max's expertise, so I have asked him to work on some special projects in the future and I'm delighted he has agreed."

Max Steinberg, CEO of Liverpool Vision, said:- "As a born and bred Liverpudlian it's been a huge privilege to have been part of the success of Liverpool Vision creating jobs, generating investment and marketing the City to investors and visitors. There are significant opportunities and challenges ahead and I am confident that the new arrangements will enable us to combine and amalgamate to strengthen and enhance the delivery of some of the most important priorities in the Inclusive Growth Plan. On a personal note, I'm honoured the Mayor has asked me to continue to play a role in delivering the inclusive growth agenda and look forward to continuing to making a contribution."

Council champs co-ordinate charity collections

LIVERPOOL City Council Offices and buildings have become food collection points as part of a campaign to support vulnerable people over the festive period. Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, has launched a fresh appeal to support the City's foodbanks, which will be facing mounting pressure over the weeks ahead. The Council's team of Charity Champions has established food collection points in a host of public buildings where members of the public can donate items. The Council has teamed up with the Trussell Trust and Fans Supporting Foodbanks to create the campaign. Everything collected will be sent on to Liverpool's North and South foodbanks, from where it will be distributed to those in need. Mayor Anderson said:- "Unfortunately, many families are continuing to struggle to support themselves which often results in them going without food. It is hard to believe, but this is a real issue in our City where we have many deprived communities."

Liverpool is currently undergoing roll out of Universal Credit (UC) and with claimants having to wait up to 5 weeks before benefits are paid, the fear is even more people will be forced to the rely on food banks. Mayor Anderson added:- "We have urged the Government to re-think its plans for welfare reform but to no avail. As pressure on food banks continues to rise, supplies are dwindling. This initiative was 1st suggested by members of Council staff, who were keen to lend a helping hand as Christmas draws near."

The 2 food banks are based at St Andrew's Community Network (North Liverpool) and Bridge Chapel Centre (South Liverpool). They provide emergency parcels, including 3 days' worth of food and other basic items, for vulnerable families and people in crisis. Between them, the foodbanks fed more than 11,000 people last year, including more than 3,000 children. The Council has invested ₤23m in supporting people and families in crisis, including those on low income or at risk of losing their home. This includes ₤2.7m in crisis payments to help people with the cost of food, fuel and clothes and ₤3.05m to protect people from reforms to housing benefit payments. Food parcels are typically made up of long shelf life items such as tinned food, jam and dried rice and pasta.

Simon Huthwaite, who is Operations Manager of St Andrew's Community Network, said:- "Here at North Liverpool Foodbank we are bracing ourselves for a very busy time. The cold of winter brings its usual challenges for the vulnerable in our society, but this year, the impact of the rollout of Universal Credit cannot be underestimated. We are already 10% busier than last year and the Trussell Trust has shown that in other areas of UC roll out there has been up to a 52% increase in food bank referrals. If that happens in Liverpool, we will struggle to meet the demand. This great initiative by the City Council will go a long way to helping us meet that demand. We thank them for this effort and encourage everyone who can, to give what they from the list below. It's not right that anyone in Liverpool is being forced to turn to our food bank. Our volunteers offer vital support when it matters most, but they should not need to. We want to see an end to local people needing emergency food with a benefits system that catches people before they fall into crisis, and secure work that provides people with enough money to cover the cost of essentials, we could reach that future. We're determined to make sure that until that time comes, emergency help is here for people, but there needs to be some long term change because we don't want to be here forever."

The foodbanks often have an urgent need for long life juice and UHT milk.

Items that are suitable for donation include:-

► UHT milk.

► Tinned food.

► Long life fruit juice.

► Dried and packet food.

► Christmas puddings and cakes.

► Boxes of biscuits, selection boxes and large bars of chocolate.

► Snacks and nibbles.

► Christmas crackers.

These items can be donated at the following venues...

► One Stop Shops:- Broadway, City Centre, Dingle, Garston, Kirkdale, Old Swan, Speke and Wavertree.

► Libraries:- Allerton, Breck Road, Central, Childwall, Croxteth, Dovecot, Fazakerley, Garston, Kensington, Lee Valley, Norris Green, Old Swan, Parklands, Sefton Park, Spellow and Toxteth.

► Lifestyles Centres:- Alsop, Aquatics, Cardinal Heenan, Garston, Ellergreen, Everton, Millennium, Park Road and Peter Lloyd.

► Children's Centres:- Anfield, Belle Vale, Childwall, Church, Clubmoor, County, Croxteth, Dingle, Ellergreen, Everton, Fazakerley, Fountains, Garston, Granby, Hunts Cross, Kensington, Picton, Speke, Stoneycroft, Tuebrook, Vauxhall, Walton, Wavertree, West Derby and Yew Tree.

► Other locations are:- Park Road Adult Centre, Granby Adult Centre, Newsham Adult Centre, Norris Green Adult Centre, and Cunard Building

Chair of Fans Supporting Foodbanks, Dave Kelly, said:- "Every major Town and City have a humanitarian crisis on its streets. This crisis is about to reach epidemic proportions with the rollout of Universal Credit. Experience tells us to expect anything up to an 80% spike once UC is rolled out. We need to become even more focused on the job ahead. We applaud Mayor Anderson and the City Council for supporting our campaign. The fight against food poverty needs to be fought not only by the voluntary sector, but also the public and the private sector. Every fan throughout the City now has the opportunity to join forces ahead of the derby and ensure the City's food banks are full for the Christmas period and the rollout of UC. The collective solidarity of our citizens is legendary and we hope this will be another example of coming together in the face of austerity and helping out our fellow citizens in need during this period."

The appeal will run until Friday, 30 November 2018.

For more information about food banks in Liverpool visit the Liverpool City Council's website:- Liverpool.Gov.UK and search for 'foodbanks.'