'The Spine' is the 1st Grade A office building in the Liverpool City Region for more than a decade

LIVERPOOL'S new Mayor and the City Region's Metro Mayor have officially opened 1 of the world's healthiest buildings on Friday, 21 May 2021. The landmark building, The Spine, based in Paddington Village, has been designed according to the scientific and medical research principles established in the international WELL Standard to achieve WELL Platinum. It is on track to be one of the healthiest workspaces for mental health and physical wellbeing in the UK. Costing ₤35m to construct, it is the 1st Grade A office building in the Liverpool City Region for more than a decade. It will also be the highest in the city, sitting proudly at the eastern gateway to the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Innovation District. The 200,000 square foot, 14 storey building, designed by architecture and building consultancy practice AHR and built by City Council appointed contractors and construction partners Morgan Sindall Construction, stands more than 500ft above sea level, commanding spectacular views across the city and as far as Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Pennines.

In what will be their 1st joint public event since being elected, Mayor Joanne Anderson and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram havel taken a tour of the building, which will include meeting some of the 90 young apprentices who have helped to construct The Spine over the past 4 years. Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, said:- "The Spine is simply stunning and very much reflects the Liverpool we all want to see develop in the 21st century. Its unique design and distinctive look also symbolises the ambitions we have for Paddington Village; to create an innovation district to rival any in the UK and Europe. I'm delighted the RCP will be calling this their northern home. They are joining a fantastic roster of world class institutions and am sure will help attract others to join them. Of course, it's not just about beautiful buildings. Paddington Village is stimulating new investment, creating apprenticeships and high quality job opportunities that will strengthen Liverpool's economy for decades to come.�

The Mayors will be greeted by Dr Andrew Goddard, the President of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The RCP represents over 40,000 doctors throughout the world, and RCP at The Spine will be the organisation's northern home and its 1st significant presence outside of London, providing events, activities and services closer to its Northern members. The historic medical institution, whose roots go back to the reign of Henry VIII, has spent ₤13m fitting out its offices across seven floors to accommodate exams, education facilities, conferences and meetings at a world class standard. The Spine's unique layout and design also uses biophilic design principles, with strong connections to nature established throughout the building. The distinctive fa�ade takes inspiration from the human skin, with the striking Voronoi pattern including 23 million individual polygons applied in a frit pattern to 1,400 glass panels. Richard Potts, Morgan Sindall Construction's area Director for Liverpool, said:- "The Spine's breath taking design does justice to what it represents for the future of our city. It symbolises the Council's inspirational vision of ensuring that Liverpool can become an international leader in science and technology, creating the high skilled jobs that will drive both the local and national economies forward. The economic and social benefits of The Spine have already proven significant. As part of our work on this monumental project, we're proud to have provided a sizeable skills boost for local people through creating jobs, apprenticeship and training programmes and hosting a range of events at our specially built Knowledge Quad within the Paddington Village site. It has been an absolute privilege for Morgan Sindall Construction to help deliver this sensational building and to be part of the wider Paddington Village development. I'd like to offer my congratulations to the Council, the whole project team and to warmly welcome RCP to Liverpool."

The Spine's eco-credentials are also boosted by 3 double height spaces on the ground, 10th and 12th floors, with planters containing high oxygen producing plants to improve the internal environment, a large number of cycle spaces and electric car charging points installed at the nearby car park. A dedicated exhibition space on the 1st floor will connect via a staircase to a ground floor caf� and foyer, while the higher floors, which are circa 11,550 square feet, will enjoy some of the best views of the City thanks to floor to ceiling glazing throughout. The building, which has generated a social value to the local economy of ₤28.9m, will be heated by a low carbon heating exchange based within the ground floor of brand new 14 storey car park, which is due to open in July 2021. Robert Hopkins, Regional Director at Architecture and Building Consultancy Practice, AHR, said:- "It's fantastic to see 1st hand just how inspiring this biophilic workplace is. From the distinctive Voronoi panels to the striking geometric staircase; the trabecular columns to the abundant internal space; the innovation throughout has reflected the ambitious and pioneering nature of this new Northern home for the RCP. We're delighted with the results and look forward to seeing the impact the positive and healthy workspace has on its occupants."

As well as The RCP, which has taken 7 floors within The Spine, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has taken a floor, with the City Council in negotiations to complete the occupancy of the building. When complete, Paddington Village, which received ₤12m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority towards a ₤20m infrastructure programme, will feature several other buildings, some of which are already occupied. The University of Liverpool's International College and The Rutherford Cancer Centre NW, opened in 2020 and a new hotel by Novotel will follow in April 2022. RCP president Dr Andrew Goddard said:- "RCP at The Spine will deliver what our members tells us they want the most; for the RCP to be educating, improving and influencing, with our state of the art assessment centre and educational facilities. It will allow us to have a base for our health improvement work as we continue to set high standards in educating physicians to provide the best care for patients in the UK and across the world. Our major investment in RCP at The Spine shows that we want to get closer to our members in the north and demonstrates that we're all about health and healthcare right across the UK today."

Plans for further developments on Paddington are also being progressed, with designs for HEMISPHERE, a new health, life sciences and tech focused building, soon to be revealed by Liverpool Science Park owners, Sciontec Developments Limited. Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said:- "It's brilliant to see the investment we've made in the Knowledge Quarter really starting to take shape. The Spine is a building that really encapsulates a lot of my vision for the Region: harnessing the expertise of our world class Universities, attracting nationwide jobs and housing it all in 1 of the cleanest, greenest buildings in Europe. As Mayor, it's exactly the sort of thing I am working to deliver on a region wide level. We're already seeing the difference those investments are having. From the jobs we're attracting with the Royal College of Physicians, to the training and apprenticeship opportunities we're creating for local young people like those we've met today, we're making sure that everybody in our Region is able to benefit. This is what devolution is all about us taking more decisions for ourselves and shaping the future of our Region in a way that benefits all of our communities."

At 30 acres, Paddington Village, which was once the site of a now relocated Secondary School, is being developed by Liverpool City Council in 3 phases:- Paddington Central, Paddington South and Paddington North. The ₤1 billion KQ Liverpool expansion site lies east of the city centre which, when complete, will be a key part of Liverpool's world leading innovation district; incorporating:- new science, technology, education and health space.

Championing free trade and backing British farming do not have to be mutually exclusive, CLA says

THE UK's agricultural standards shows Britain at its best says the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), an organisation representing 28,000 land managers and rural businesses in England and Wales. Responding to media reports of the UK Australia Free trade Agreement, the CLA argued that the UK is right to seek a comprehensive agreement with Australia, but calls for:-

► Provisions to guarantee imports will meet the same environmental and animal welfare standards as in the UK.

► TRQs (Tariff rate quotas) for sensitive agricultural products.

CLA President Mark Bridgeman said:- "A false narrative has emerged that being pro-free trade and supporting British farming are mutually exclusive. British food producers can look with excitement at selling their world class products to new markets, and Government should be unrelenting in championing their interests in breaking down barriers to growing UK exports. But we should also accept that it is perfectly normal for certain protections to be in place for key industries. Even the most liberal free trading nations place some restrictions on imports, and to do otherwise would make us a global outlier, making us appear a touch na�ve in the process. Zero tariffs and zero quotas on agricultural imports would not just leave British farmers exposed, it shows that the UK Government doesn't understand one of our biggest strengths. The UK has some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world. Emissions from British beef, for example, are � those of the global average. This is true British leadership that we should be proud of. By allowing imports produced to standards not allowed in this country, not only are we exposing our farmers to unfair competition; we are saying that, ultimately, these standards aren't so important after all. That's the wrong message, and one that would be heard loud and clear by other exporting nations looking to sell into the UK. Where Liz Truss is right, is that we of course should be able to strike a high quality deal with Australia, one of our closest partners. But where I think the Department for International Trade has more to do is recognising our strengths as a nation, and ensuring there are robust safeguards in place for key industries."

A cat and mouse game as Covid19 on the rise again as vaccination numbers clime

ACCORDING to the official UK Government data and insights on Coronavirus (Covid19) the percentage of the UK adult population vaccinated with the 1st dose now stands at:- 70.7% and 2nd dose now stands as:- 40.3%. This is an amazing achievement, but with the threat of the number of cases of the Indian Coronavirus variant have risen by 80% over the past week. Surge testing has been deployed in some areas of the UK due to the worry of community transmission. Public Health England (PHE) have said that the India variant, officially called:- 'B.1.617.2' is just 1 of the 4 mutated versions of the Coronavirus that have been designated as being:- "of concern." The others mutants listed by by UK public health bodies, are the:- Kent, South Africa and Brazil, the India variant is now responsible for the majority of new cases within pockets of England, including in Sefton. As the UK and sees this sharp increase over the last 2 weeks, particularly in London and the North West, we are hearing about the UK Government is now considering possible plans for Local Lockdowns, with the reintroduction of the Local Lockdown Tier System. This will be devastating for many businesses, especially on Merseyside, that are dependent on the Tourism Trade. It is thought that under the plans, non-essential shops and hospitality would be closed and people would be advised to stay at home if the Indian variant continued to spread rapidly. It is also reported in some of the national press that businesses within the areas affected would receive grants of up to ₤18,000, that would be administered by the Local Authorities. In order to stop any more Lockdowns and to prevent deaths, we must all encourage everyone who is eligible to get the vaccines to do so. But, with cases rising it will still be essential that we must all keep protecting ourselves and others, even if we have had the vaccination, by remembering and acting on:- Hands, Face, Space, or we could be the course of the economic collapse of many of our local and national businesses.

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (Covid19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by:- 2,829 cases and the total number now stand at:- 4,457,923 that includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National totals. The total number of Covid19 associated UK fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be:- 9 within 28 days of positive test, according to the Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS laboratory is:- 127,710, within 28 days of positive test. Deaths with Covid19 on the death certificate:- 151,904. The number of Covid19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 913. The current number of Covid19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 123 Daily number of Covid19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 101. In England, there are a total of:- 3,892,258 confirmed cases. North West - total of:- 614,557 confirmed cases. The number of laboratory confirmed cases within the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

Area and number of confirmed cases:- Risen by:-
Liverpool City Region

Nation Lockdown

National UK Restrictions

► Liverpool, 48,603 confirmed cases.
2

► Halton, 12,002 confirmed cases. 4

► Knowsley, 17,419 confirmed cases. 2

► Sefton, 24,212 confirmed cases. 7

► St. Helens, 17,128 confirmed cases. 0

► Wirral, 24,334 confirmed cases.
2

Colour Key:- 0 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 41 to 50 51 to 100 100 to 199 200 & over

Daily reported Covid19 deaths are now measured across the UK as deaths that occurred within 28 days of the 1st laboratory confirmed positive Covid19 test. Daily and cumulative numbers of Covid19 patients admitted to Hospital. Data are not updated every day by all 4 nations and the figures are not comparable as Wales include suspected Covid19 patients while the other nations include only confirmed cases.

Total UK people who have received Vaccination

1st Dose 2nd Dose

37,518,614

21,659,783

Jab Stats correct as of:- 20 May 2021

The Vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020 with people receiving the Vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, and people began receiving the Oxford University / AstraZeneca Vaccine from 4 January 2021. Both Vaccine s are given as 2 doses, at lEast 21 days apart, for a full Vaccination course.

'The Spine' is the 1st Grade A office building in the Liverpool City Region for more than a decade

Championing free trade and backing British farming do not have to be mutually exclusive, CLA says

A cat and mouse game as Covid19 on the rise again as vaccination numbers clime

Total UK cases Covid19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region