No2EU Public Meetings

BRISTOL (Friday, May 29)
GWR Staff Association Club
Temple Meads Station Approach, The Incline
Time: 18:30 - 21:30

 PRESTON (Saturday, May 30)
55th Division Club
Church Street
Time: 14:00 - 15:30

 HULL (Saturday, May 30)
Queens Gardens (near fountain)
City Centre
Time: 1pm - 2pm

 WHITECHAPEL (Saturday, May 30)
Jagonari Centre
183-185 Whitechapel Road E1 1DN
Time: 15:00 - 17:00

LEEDS (Monday, June 1)
Leeds Town Hall (Albert Room)
Time: 19:00 - 21:00

 LONDON (Monday, June 1)
Friends Meeting House (Main Hall)
173 Euston Road NW1 2BJ
Time: 19:00 - 21:00

 MANCHESTER (Monday, June 1)
Mechanics Centre
103 Princess Street
Time: 19:00 - 21:00

 CRAWLEY (Monday, June 1)
St Johns Church Hall
Time: 19:30 - 21:00

 NEWPORT (Monday, June 1)
Newport Centre
1 Kingsway NP20 1UH
Time: 19:30 - 21:30

Government set to slash number of civil service jobs in Liverpool

May 18 2009 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

Cunard Building

THE government is set to slash its presence in Liverpool by moving more than 40 key civil service jobs to Manchester.

The Government Office North West (GONW) will surrender the lease on its offices in the Cunard building in 2011 and move staff to Manchester, leaving just eight behind in new premises.

Unions fear the transfer of work away from Liverpool means a permanent government presence of any significance will be lost to Merseyside.

In 2003, officials pledged to move 2,000 civil service jobs to Liverpool.

Four years later, it was revealed 514 jobs were transferred to the city - but 700 were lost.

Last night, GONW said it had a responsibility to deliver “best value” for the taxpayer.

It said its decision to scale down its Liverpool presence was the result of responsibility for European programmes being transferred to the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA).

But Liberal Party Leaderl councillor Steve Radford, who has taken up the issue, said moving so many jobs to Manchester would be counter-productive and the city needed a GONW presence to assist its economic growth.

Last night’s revelation followed wide-scale dismay that the government was looking at creating a “Whitehall of the North” in Manchester.

That prompted the creation of a campaign, Think Big Liverpool, to persuade the government to relocate civil service jobs to Merseyside.

Last night, campaigners said the news was “certainly not positive” and efforts needed to be redoubled.

The Liverpool office of GONW takes its roots from the Merseyside Task Force set up in 1983 in response to the 1981 Toxteth riots.

The organisation underwent a number of incarnations before becoming the Government Office for Merseyside, which merged into GONW in 1998.

Staff working from Cunard building have delivered a number of key schemes in Merseyside, including two tranches of Objective One funding from Europe.

A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said the Liverpool GONW office would have cut its workforce by 41% by next month due to government pressure to make savings.

He said: “We believe the continual transfer of work away from Liverpool will mean a permanent office of any significance in Merseyside will not be retained once the lease for Cunard building comes to an end in 2011.

“We believe the economic, social and environmental issues facing Merseyside today justify the retention of a permanent office in Liverpool after 2010 and should carry the same weight as they have to retain a separate Government Office for London or the South West.

“We contend the decision to scale down a major government office presence in Liverpool will have a detrimental impact on the residents and business community of Merseyside.”

Cllr Radford added: “It would downgrade the role of Liverpool and the needs of Merseyside.

“This is about retaining an ability to respond to local needs, and this is counter productive.”

Frank McKenna, of Think Big Liverpool, said the scaling back of the GONW in Liverpool was inevitable after responsibility for European programmes transferred to the NWDA.

He said: “Moving out of Liverpool to Manchester makes it more natural for the government of the day to identify the city as the place to relocate staff.

“We are still in the running for jobs and must focus and concentrate on that.”

A spokesman for GONW said: “Our role is twofold.

“We make sure national policy works to best effect in the North West and ensure the region’s concerns are heard in Whitehall.

“But like every part of the public sector, we need to deliver best value for the resources we have been given to do that job.

“We have reduced the size of our operation in both Manchester and Liverpool over the last year as we strive to become a smaller, more strategic organisation.

“In Liverpool, a major factor in the decision was the fact responsibility for European programmes has been transferred to the NWDA.

“We will not renew our lease on our existing base in the Cunard building when it runs out in 2011.

“At the same time we have said that we will retain a presence, albeit much reduced, after that.

“While there will be fewer Liverpool-based posts, colleagues based in Manchester will continue to work flexibly and use our future Liverpool base as and when required.”

City council calls for explanation over allegations of a "fake student" scam at Liverpool Community College

May 14 2009 by Marc Waddington, Liverpool Echo

Liverpool Community College on Clarence Street _300

CITY leaders today called for education bosses to be hauled before a council committee following allegations of a “fake student” scam at Liverpool Community College.

They requested senior managers attend an education panel to “restore public confidence” in qualifications awarded by the college, one of the largest in the country.

Yesterday, the ECHO revealed details of a probe into an alleged funding scam, in which money was allegedly claimed for hundreds of students who did not really attend courses.

Material obtained by the ECHO during a three-month investigation suggested some employment references needed to claim European social funding were forged.

Cllr Flo Clucas, Liverpool council’s deputy leader and executive member for finance and Europe, said she had spoken to Government Office North West once she learned of the claims.

She added: “If these allegations are proved to be true, the government is in a position to take action speedily.”

Today, a member of the council’s education committee said he would request college managers appear before a panel of councillors.

Liberal group leader Cllr Steve Radford has written to council leader Warren Bradley and chief executive Colin Hilton, saying: “Bearing in mind the serious nature of allegations concerning Liverpool Community College, compromising the integrity of qualifications, can I formally ask at the next meeting or at a special meeting of the education committee that senior representatives of both the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the community college be invited to brief members concerning these allegations and what steps they are taking to restore public and employers’ confidence in such qualifications.”

TV crews descended on the college’s Clarence Street campus yesterday after it was revealed senior MPs were calling for a full probe into the allegations.

They include one member of staff receiving a threatening phone call from someone warning he would “break his f***ing legs if he didn’t stop making people’s lives a misery at the college”.

The former IT lecturer, Peter Daly, 47, said he believed he and fellow former lecturer Tom Hanson were victimised for trying to bring their concerns to light.

A spokesman for funding body the LSC, which is despatching its audit investigators to interview Mr Hanson, said it would be happy to attend the council committee.

A spokesman for the college was unavailable for comment.
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Cllr Steve Radford adds I fear this scam has been know by many for far ronger than the press report suggests ,including senior councillors, whose lack of response about the seriousness of the situation is alarming

Liverpool councillor to be told to remove anti-yob fence from his shop

May 9 2009 Liverpool Echo

ext

The fence at Churchill's store

A LIVERPOOL councillor is set to be ordered to pull down a security fence on his foodstore because officials do not like the way it looks.

Cllr Phil Moffat, who owns Churchill’s Food Emporium in West Derby Road, Tuebrook, put up the railings at the back of his grade II listed building to prevent break-ins from gangs of youths.

In December 2006 the Croxteth councillor was given temporary permission for the black steel railings for two years, but now officials want them removed.

The case will be heard by the city’s planning committee on Monday, and councillors have been recommended to order the railings are pulled down.

“The proposed fencing, by virtue of its design and materials, fails to respect and preserve the character of the listed building and is out of keeping with the established street scene, causing unacceptable harm to visual amenity,” city planners have written in a council report.

Cllr Moffat, who was unavailable for comment, is supported by Merseyside Police and political rival Liberal leader Cllr Steve Radford, who once witnessed an attempted break in.

Cllr Radford, who represents Tuebrook, said: “I really can’t see why the council are getting in a flap over this.

“I would expect any business to take these measures and it also helps protect households.

“The council’s action is not proportionate. The railings are tasteful and don’t destroy the character of the building.

“I find it quite repugnant that this is the same planning department that has sat by and watched Lister Drive library deteriorate.”

The council report states: “The planning manager has carefully considered the application and recognises the potential problems with anti-social behaviour and crime.

“It is for these reasons that planning permission and listed building consent were granted for a two-year period in December 2006.

“However at the time, it was also recognised that the type of fencing used was inappropriate given its location in the street scene and that it was attached to a grade II listed building.

“It is for these reasons that planning permission and listed building consent were granted for a two-year period in December 2006.

“The council does not have specific design guidance in relation to fencing either on or around the building.

“This type of fencing is generally considered unacceptable for nearly all types of development as it has a very stark and industrial appearance.

“The planning manager acknowledges the support of both Cllr Radford and Merseyside Police and would stress that he has no objection to suitable design of fence to assist in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.”

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This is from the planning dept who did not give a damm about destroying Bankfield, dumping giant Mobile masts at Queens Drive and Lister Drive and wreckig rose gardens at Newsham Park for a modernist  school totally underminig our Victoria Park ad they talk about "the street scene"
what hypocracy -Cllr Steve Radford

.Liberals support Broad Anti EU list for next election. No2EU - Yes to Democracy 

Candidates for the northwest including Lake District are:

Roger Bannister – Unison NEC member

Les Skarrot – FBU executive committee

Craig Johnston – RMT executive

Alec MacFadden – President of Merseyside trades council

Cllr Steve Radford – Liberal Party Leader Liverpool

Lynn Worthington – Community and healthcare campaigner

John Metcalfe – Former deputy Labour leader of Carlisle council

Harry Smith – former Liverpool Labour councillor

The Planning Committee is meeting on Monday 11th May from 9.45 at The Town Hall, Dale street to consider a application for 24 flats to be built at  94Townsend Lane we recommend residents attend to fight this application if possibleas this is already an excess of vacant flats