Liverpool takes schools case to Parliament

A LIVERPOOL delegation is to meet with the government over the future of the city’s multi-million pound schools rebuilding programme.

West Derby MP Stephen Twigg spoke on Wednesday 30 June to MPs at the Houses of Parliament about Liverpool’s Building School’s for the Future (BSF) programme and its importance to the city. During the debate, he asked Schools Minister Lord Hill of Oareford CBE to receive a delegation from Liverpool to discuss the issue. His request has now been granted.

Liverpool is included in Wave 2 and Wave 6 of the national programme, which will rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the city. Building work on the six schemes under Wave 2 is already well underway, but the city council is now seeking assurances from the government that the £350 million funding for the remaining 26 schemes under Wave 6 of the programme will not be cut.

A top level delegation is being put together to lobby the Government, led by city council leader, Councillor Joe Anderson and cabinet member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Jane Corbett. It will also include secondary school students who will be sharing their views.

Councillor Jane Corbett said:- “Building Schools for the Future is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Liverpool and is absolutely vital to the city’s future prosperity.  We have worked hard to put plans in place which will benefit generations of young people and transform education right across Liverpool. To lose this funding would be an absolute tragedy for our young people, and for our city. We’ll be doing everything we can to make sure the funding is delivered and that no school misses out.  And it’s really important that the voices of our young people are heard on this issue and that they are given the chance to tell the Government how much the BSF programme means to them - so they will have a key role in our delegation.”

Liverpool expects to receive confirmation from the government this week on the date of the visit.

1 in 5 Brits admit to being confused when it comes to energy bills

BRITS aren’t as switched on as they’d like to think when it comes to understanding their energy bill, according to new figures released by energy company E.ON.

With Ofgem’s requirements on clearer billing coming into force, E.ON, one of the UK’s leading energy suppliers, reveals that a surprising proportion of Brits remain baffled by the terminology on their bills. An amazing 1 in 5 people admitted they did not know what kWh (kilowatt hour) stands for.  Of these confused consumers, 28% thought kWh was a measurement of weight, 1 in 10 believed it to be a measurement of food calories, while 5% presumed ‘kWh’ was a make of Japanese car. All of which highlights just how many people are still in the dark when it comes to deciphering their energy bills.

Jim Macdonald, Commercial Director at E.ON Retail, said:- “We designed our new bills with help from our customers and E.ON was the first energy supplier to start sending out clearer bills earlier this year. Our aim is to cut out some of the confusing energy industry jargon.  We know that our customers are eager to be educated - almost three quarters (74%) of the people we surveyed said they’d use their household appliances more efficiently if they were aware of how much energy each of them used.   That’s why we’re taking steps to show our customers exactly what a kilowatt hour stands for and what a unit of electricity equates to. Knowledge is power and we want to help consumers get energy fit by arming them with the tools and information they need to use less energy and get lower bills.”

In response to these findings, E.ON has added jargon busting advice and downloadable ‘What’s a (kilo) Watt?’ flash cards to its website to help customers change their energy habits and take the next step in energy fitness.  In April 2010, consumer group Which? commended E.ON on the launch of its new, easier to understand bills.

To find out more customers should visit:- eonenergy.com/bills.

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