Cabbies caught in the act in Council crackdown

RULE breaking Taxi and Private Hire drivers have been hit with a barrage of penalties as part of a Liverpool City Council campaign to keep the public safe. During May 2019, a total of 40 cabs and Taxis were either taken off the streets or served with serious defect notices for a string of faults.

Members of the City Council's Licensing Enforcement Team patrols the City at key times on a regular basis. And during May they snared 35 Liverpool drivers whose vehicles had a string of faults such as dangerous tyres, damaged bodywork, sharp edges and unclean and unhygienic interiors. The team also took 5 cars off the road that belonged to Taxi drivers from outside Liverpool. Any driver issued with a defect notice has 7 days to make repairs or face further action.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr James Noakes, said:- "This is another successful month for the enforcement team and it is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved that they have been able to identify so many drivers who are not playing by the rules. It is regrettable that so many drivers have fallen foul of the rules when they should know the standards that are expected on them. We are committed to protecting the public of Liverpool and we know that the overwhelming majority of our Taxi drivers support us. The message from the City Council is clear; if you come into Liverpool intent on breaking the rules or with an unsafe vehicle, you will be caught."

As part of its ongoing commitment to making sure passengers get a fair deal in Liverpool, the City Council team also continued to crack down on drivers who were plying for hire and cherry picking fares. 3 Sefton based Private Hire drivers were prosecuted for taking passengers who had not booked their journey in advance (plying for hire), whilst 3 Black Cab drivers were fined for being selective in what fares they took, rather than taking the nearest available passenger (cherry picking).

The Licensing Enforcement Team also works on behalf of the Taxi trade and during May 2019 more than 150 fines were issued to private motorists who had illegally parked on Taxi stands. A further 53 Taxi and Private Hire drivers were given written cautions for violations including failing to display their badges, not having valid insurance and failing to ensure the safety of their passengers.

Summer garden party looks set to sizzle

THE St. Joseph's Hospice Summer Garden Party is turning in to a real family fun day with loads of fabulous stalls, artisan producers and a line up of entertainers all keen to take part and make the day a roaring success for the Merseyside charity.  The fun starts at 12.30pm, on Saturday, 13 July 2019, in the Hospice's beautiful woodland gardens in Thornton, near Crosby, so get the date in your diary. The Hospice's famous Teddy Bears Picnic and Teddy Bear Parade will take place again this year so children can bring along their favourite teddy bear and join them for lunch and a parade through the woods.

The event is free to enter and there will also be lots of wonderful stalls selling a wide range of locally produced crafts and artisan foods. The Prosecco Tent will be back and will be joined by Ginception, a converted horse trailer which has been lovingly restored and now offers luxurious award winning gins. Ken from KK Meats will be there with his extremely popular BBQ, which he generously donates to the Hospice every year, and, to top it all off, there will be live entertainment throughout the afternoon, including Irish Dancing, a Ukulele band and even some Morris Dancing.  The Hospice is looking for donations of any of the following things to help make the day a great success…teddies, unopened bottles (anything from wine to shampoo), bottles of prosecco, new unwanted gifts, new unopened toys and gift bags.

If you have anything to donate, please drop it off at the Hospice in Thornton or at any St. Joseph's Hospice shop across Merseyside. A full list of our shops and their addresses can be found online at:- Jospice.Org.UK. For more information, call the fundraising team on:- 0151 932 6044 or via email.

A 'good' result for Liverpool's young offenders

LIVERPOOL'S Youth Offending Service (YOS) has been rated as:- 'good' with some:- 'outstanding' areas following an official inspection. The judgement means that Liverpool becomes the first Core City in the country to be classified as:- 'good' by HM Inspector of Probation.

Chair of the Liverpool YOS Superintendent Mark Wiggins said:- "This is a great result for Liverpool and we are extremely proud of all the staff who work in the YOS. We are striving to get the best outcomes for all the children and young people we work with and while there are many positive points within the inspectors' report, there are clearly areas where we must continue to improve. We are already working together to make sure the report's recommendations are acted upon."

A team of probation service inspectors and researchers visited the Liverpool service during March and looked at every aspect of its work. The inspection report, highlights the work of the team in how young people are assessed, the delivery of services and the review process as:- 'outstanding.' Whilst the majority of other areas including leadership, staff, planning and the provision of information and services are all classed as:- 'good.' The report also sets out areas where the service needs to improve further.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Justin Russell, said of the report:- "Liverpool YOS has some real strengths and their best work is of outstanding quality. However, they need to bring the quality of their work with children and young people being dealt with outside the court system up to an acceptable standard."

Liverpool's Youth Offending Team supports children and young people aged between 10 and 18 who have either been sentenced by a court or who have come to the attention of the Police due to their offending behaviour. It is a partnership consisting of Liverpool City Council's Communities and Children's Services Children and Young People's Services departments, along with the Police, health and the National Probation Service?

In their report the inspectors praise a "clear vision for the service" and said:- "There is a broad range of specialist staff within the YOS responding to the spectrum of children and young people's needs."

The report goes on to say:- "Assessments of children and young people were completed to a high standard, drawing on a wide range of information sources." And adds that the interventions delivered for young people are:- "Of a good standard and an extensive range of programme material was available and used."

The inspectors noted:- "We were impressed with the quality of the work done with children and young people to reduce their likelihood of further offending. There was a good range of structured programmes available, and inspectors found clear evidence of children and young people participating in those programmes."

Liverpool's Youth Offending Service offers a wide variety of support to both young offenders and the victims of their crimes. One of these is the Liverpool Skill Mill, which is a not for profit social enterprise which provides training, work experience and job opportunities for young people aged between 16 and 18.

Typical comments from young people involved with the YOS are: "The Skill Mill has supported me to change my mindset. I no longer want to sell drugs or be part of a violent gang. Its opened new doors and I have benefited in many ways. I now have qualifications, a full time job and can support my family. The Skill Mill has taught me how to work in a team, we learn so much from each other. All the work I have completed with skill mill has made me believe in myself."

In Liverpool there is a declining trend for custodial sentences being given to young offenders. The latest figures show that the number of young people in Liverpool who go on to re-offend after an initial offence is also down by almost 8% year on year. It means that Liverpool has the lowest average number of re-offences among young offenders when compared to Merseyside, North West and averages for England and Wales.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships Cllr Parsons said:- "This is well deserved recognition for the work of Liverpool's Youth Offending Service and all the partners involved in the service. There are many different reasons why young people fall into offending behaviour; from economic deprivation and social isolation through to peer pressure, gang culture and involvement with drugs. In Liverpool we have taken the pragmatic approach that the best way to help our young offenders is to provide them with the support and skills they need to improve their chances in life. We look to limit their contact with the criminal justice system and make amends for their offending behaviour by making good on the things they have done both with their victims and the wider society.  Thanks to the dedication, professionalism and passion of everyone involved with our Youth Offending Service this is clearly beginning to pay off. However, with a youth offending rates that are higher than the national average, we accept that there is more to do. These inspection results mark the start of our journey to do the very best for all young people in Liverpool, rather than the finish line."