TUEBROOK HOPE GROUP

 

 

Chairman’s Report to AGM Sunday 30th at 2

All residents of Tuebrook and Stoneycroft welcome to elect next years officers and Committee

 

When I first took over as Chairman we faced an immediate financial crisis with outgoings vastly greater than income; a Centre significantly underutilized with  low recognition in the community.

 

It was therefore necessary to terminate the employment of our Centre Manager. That was a decision I am pleased the majority of the committee supported me in.this decision

 

The Tuebrook Hope Committee then set about tackling the problems of low utilization and poor recognition.   With the exceptional support of Church Wardens; in particular Paula Davidson, one of the first success events was to secure our Heritage and Arts Festival in October 2007.

 

We drove forward with raising the number of offices rented from the original 1 to 3.  We simplified payment by getting new tenants and some established tenants onto standing orders, which secured regular income and increased efficiency.  .

 

Having raised our regular core income from offices, we then brought in a vast array of new events

 

Liam’s Dance Company            Monday

Yoga                                       Monday Mornings

Adults Club                            Monday Afternoons

Spanish and Italian            Thursdays

Aerobics with Sophie            Friday Mornings

 

  One of our breakthroughs was without doubt bringing in and working with Northend    t  Writers who not only use the fourth office on the first Saturday of the month, they 

s also contribute towards the centre running.

 

I  I am delighted we have hoisted the Scouts formerly used the Methodist Church, 

  Alton Road.  However, we have not been without setbacks in many ways; I am         

   disappointed we “left” the Methodist congregation to West Derby.

 

Children’s services have moved to other premises. Whilst this has meant a loss of

   income, I have no doubt the only reason for this was  our open style at the centre was

   not most appropriate for their needs.

 

  Another advance and success story  has been the introduction of Healing days   

   which is a regular event, held on the second Saturday of the month.  It is extremely

   popular and  brings in terrific numbers  the centre. Christine  and her colleagues  

   have been assisted with centre publicity.

 

  Talking of publicity I would like to thank the work of Mike Butler who has produced our

  “Hope in Tuebrook” newsletters. I must also thank my council colleagues, Chris

   Lenton and Hazel Williams who have `assisted me in distributing tens of thousands

   of copies.

 

  Our bulletin also is not the only source of publicity.  Virtually every week the Echo,

   Mersymart, or West Derby Link carry news of another event at our Hope Centre.

 

I  Iwould also like to praise the courage and foresight of our committee who backed

   me to hoist the City’s first ever Youth Conference, dealing with issues of sexual

  health and homophobia.   Many Church focussed committees or centres would have

   been faint hearted. The credibility this has given us with terrific praise from the Youth

  Service, Merseyside Police Hate Crimes Unit and the Terence Higgins Trust, cannot

   be underrated.

 

  Being the Chair of the Liverpool East Youth Committee and the Hope Centre has

   been most helpful and our success has meant that another Youth Conference will be

   held here to tackle the issues of Drugs and Alcohol.

    However that is not the only Council Committee we host. The quarterly Safer

   Stronger Committees and LCVS Community Matters regularly meet at the Hope

   Centre.

 

  To increase utilisation, Income and broaden our services we have made contact with

  various training agencies.  We have already hosted two courses by “Seafaries”

  Company.

   Wiith our success in attracting business we have not been able to cater for all

   events. However, wiith the support of the URC Stonycroft, we have been able to

   support a Youth and Drama Club there and some training courses.  Most of all, our

  latest Committee member, Alison Micklem has been a terrific sound influence for

   which we thank her.

 

    Of the Committee, I cannot thank enough our secretary Irene Morrison, who

  meticulously minutes our meetings and Carol Sing who has fallen on the laborious

   job of accounts.

 

   Carol has not only dealt with the day to day job of treasurer, she has also been

   vigorously applying for grants, checking up on insurance policies and child

   protection procedures.

 

   For the future we need to maintain financial prudence.   We need to build up our

  daytime activities, and in particular relay out the ground floor office and entrance.

    We can also draw great merit from working with the URC and more recent contacts

   from Christ Church in Buckingham Road

 

  Both as Chairman and as a  Ward Councillor I would thank the Neighbourhood

  Manager John Oakley and Cllr Chris Lenton and Cllr Hazel Williams.  We are all

 working to open a Benefits Advisory office in Tuebrook which will probably based in

   the Hope Centre.

 

  We cannot be complacent.  But with a great band of volunteers, we have achieved a  

  tremendous amount during the past year,  but there is even greater potential for

  more.

 

 

Cllr.Steve Radford

Liverpool City Council accused of neglecting historic houses

Daily Post article  Mar 17 2008

LIVERPOOL City Council is being forced to sell properties in a Conservation Area after being accused of neglecting the housing stock and allowing it to fall into squalor.

The situation in the Newsham Park area has became so desperate that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, has upheld her predecessor’s order, forcing the council to sell up.

It is the first time the government has been forced to act under a law known as Public Request Ordering Disposal for more than a decade.

The Empty Homes Agency, an independent charity, described the tale of how Prescot Road and Prescot Drive slid into a derelict state over a decade, as “one of the most dispiriting we have heard”.

Some houses had been purchased by the council and left empty and unmanaged descending into dereliction, and cCampaigners are claiming a famous victory.

Cllr Steve Radford, leader of the Liberal Party, said: “The fact the council dragged its heels for five years and then the Secretary of State compounded this neglect for a further 18 months, does not detract from this historic victory.

“We hope this will make the council wake up concerning its role as a landlord of mass neglect when its comes to derelict homes and land.”

Campaigner Jonathan Brown, from the Friends of Newsham Park, said: “We hope this can finally signal a new beginning for this criminally neglected part of the city – and set a precedent discouraging long-term land banking of good homes at public expense.”

David Ireland, chief executive of the Empty Homes Agency, said: “These houses are some of the most neglected we have seen. Allowing them to fall into such an appalling state is nothing less than a scandal.

“The houses are a dangerous invitation to adventurous children and petty criminals. Inside one of the houses, there was evidence of drug taking, and small fires having been lit on the floors.

“The potential risk to those entering the house including children was obvious. The absence of any form of management of these properties was, in my view, negligent.

“Cases like this are thankfully rare but, where public landlords fail to bring their empty homes back into use, it is right that the government should force their sale to someone who can manage them better.

“We hope this case will serve as a warning to other public sector landlords that there is a consequence to failing to bring their empty homes back into use.”

In response, a city council spokesman said: “The problem here has been that nobody wanted to invest in these houses but as soon as we showed interest, the sharks gathered and wanted to buy.”

Cllr Frank Doran, assistant executive member neighbourhoods and housing, explained that the council had wanted to demolish the row and start again.

After a long running battle the city council has now released three prime sites for renovation for sale to the private sector "Throughout Newsham Park substantial private investors have regenerated the Park, however the public sector has been a slum landlord of mass neglect" comments Liberal Party Leader Cllr Steve Radford, we are now seeing off the dead hand of the council off are Park and no doubt will now see substantial progress   Here is the curent advert on 2020liverpool website: 16 Prescot Drive, Liverpool L6 8PB
	Residential refurbishment or redevelopment opportunity subject to planning consent Total site area about 0.0674 ha (0.1665 acres) New 125 year lease with an option to purchase the freehold for £1.00 after successful refurbishment or redevelopment of the property Closing date Wednesday 14 May 2008   No PDF datasheet available Location map>
For further details contact: Ken Kasambara (0151 237 4152)
35 Newsham Drive, Liverpool L6 7UQ
	Guide Price £155,000 Residential refurbishment subject to planning consent Total site area about 0.0223 ha (0.0551 acres) New 125 year lease with an option to purchase the freehold for £1.00 after successful refurbishment of the property Closing date Wednesday 14 May 2008 No PDF datasheet available Location map>
For further details contact: Ken Kasambara (0151 237 4152)
33 Newsham Drive, Liverpool L6 7UQ
	Guide Price £150,000 Residential refurbishment subject to planning consent Total site area about 0.0234 ha (0.0578 acres) New 125 year lease with an option to purchase the freehold for £1.00 after successful refurbishment of the property Closing date Wednesday 14 May 2008 No PDF datasheet available Location map>
For further details contact: Ken Kasambara (0151 237 4152)

Liberal Party Budget amendment approved:

Art the city council it was the Liberal Party who moved, once again, amendments to the budget where we identified what needed to be done and how to raise the cash

This year we called for the target for sales of assets like derelict houses and land to be raised from £6m to £10.5m so to carry out capital work restoring historic buildings such as Lister Drive Library. Speaking to the debate Liberal Party Leader boomed that in every ward there were dozens of waste land sites and derelict houses owned by the council, Liverpool City  Council was a landlord of mass neglect.

He added every boarded up house represeted a drain on the community and its sale would give private and local builders real opportunities, a win win siuation!

At this point Lib Dem Leader Cllr Warren Bradley accepted the amendment

However a second Liberal Party amendment calling for the press office be reduced by one third and money be put into frontline services such as community safety was defeated. This move was eveb more needed as the Labour Government had reduced the community safety grant to the council

RE: LAND 12-14 MARLBOROUGH ROAD, LIVERPOOL.  L13

having appealed for officers to have land seciured at Marlborough Road we recieved the following rely : 

Thank you for your enquiry on behalf of your constituents of Marlborough Road.

 I can inform you that we are currently awaiting estimates for work in default.  As soon as we receive the estimates and have chosen a contractor work will commence to clear the site completely and secure it on completion.

 If we do not receive an acceptable estimate within the next 14 days we will have to re-tender as we are obliged to obtain the best possible price for the work.  I would anticipate work to commence within two or three weeks of receiving the estimate.

 

I hope this information is of assistance

 

Regards