|
Hit-squad to
help bring homes back to life
A HIT-SQUAD is to be set up
to help tackle the problem of empty and poorly managed properties in
Liverpool. Liverpool City Council is putting together the
specialist team to seek out and investigate problem landlords and
take strong enforcement action where necessary.
It forms part of new plans by the city council to clamp down on poor
landlords and work with Registered Providers to bring more than
1,000 empty properties back into use.
A 3 year programme, which has been given the go-ahead by the Mayoral
Cabinet today, will also see the city launching a range of new
measures to tackle voids and improve standards of rented properties.
Extensive work has been carried out to identify priority areas in
the city, where clusters of properties exist which have been vacant
for more than 6 months. The city council will take a targeted
approach to tackling these areas, which include:-
► the Knowledge Quarter and Eastern Approaches, where the targeting
of vacant properties will support the wider investment plans for the
area.
► County and Kirkdale wards in the
north of the city, where tackling empty homes will support the
regeneration plans within the North Liverpool Mayoral Development
Zone.
The council will also launch a number of other initiatives to tackle
empty homes and improve the standard of empty properties in the
city, including:-
► the appointment of an Empty Homes Officer to work closely with
Registered Providers.
► a new ‘Liverpool Standard’ for
private rented housing, setting out minimum standards for property
condition.
► a citywide landlord
accreditation scheme, and ‘Scores on the Doors’ service which
recognise good landlords.
► incentives for landlords who
manage their properties well, including access to renewal funding.
It will be backed by the city council continuing to work with
partners to attract new investment and draw down funding to
refurbish empty properties across the city.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann
O’Byrne, said:- “These wide-ranging plans show that we are
serious about dealing with the empty homes which blight our
communities. By taking steps to secure every penny of funding we
can, supporting landlords who want to work with us and taking action
against those who don’t, we are confident we can bring more than
1,000 properties back into use.
We know it won’t be an easy task, not least because of the
significant financial challenges we are currently facing. But we are
confident that by working with partners, landlords and residents we
can make real in-roads into bringing new life to properties across
the city and driving forward the regeneration of our
neighbourhoods.”
The ‘Bringing Empty Homes Back Into Use’ programme supports
the Mayor of Liverpool’s pledge to deliver 5,000 new and refurbished
homes for the city by 2016.
Liverpool has achieved significant success in recent months in
securing Government funding to tackle vacant properties.
The city
was awarded £13.5 million in ‘Clusters of Empty Homes funding’ in
May which will bring over 700 empty homes back into use, including
in the Anfield and Welsh Streets areas of the city.
The city is also working with Liverpool based company Leader on a
£25 million scheme to refurbish 149 derelict properties and build 50
new homes in Granby Four Streets, Webster Triangle and Arnside Road.
The city also hopes to build on the success of the ‘Beautiful North’
voids pilot, which brought over 200 properties back into use in 2011. |
 |
Merseyside
Businesses Lose Millions Due to Fake Reviews
EVERYDAY Merseyside businesses lose out on new
sales due to fake or unjust reviews, affecting both the local
economy and local unemployment rates.
Review sites such as Qype, Yelp and Trip Advisor encourage consumers
to write reviews but do not authenticate them or attempt to prove
that the reviewer is genuine. It is estimated that 1 in 10 reviews
are fake.
The Internet is part of everyday life and the 1st port of call for
consumers looking for a business such as a hotel, restaurant,
solicitor, hairdresser or tradesman. 85% of consumers search for
reviews and recommendations online before making a purchase.
Mark Hall managing director of Got Juice commented:- “A single
bad review can ruin the chances of gaining new customers and create
a long standing, horrible word of mouth campaign offline. If left,
the review could quickly lead the company to bankruptcy.
Although the UK defamation law is in place to protect businesses and
individuals from unjust mentions online, this law is difficult to
enforce, as the vast majority of review sites are based overseas and
do not acknowledge the UK law.
If your business receives a negative review or mention it is very
important to respond to the customer online, always remain calm and
do not take it personally. A good response would be to offer an
apology and a invitation to discuss things in more detail.
For example: Thanks for alerting us to this. We work very hard to
offer good (food/product/service) and a friendly service, I was
sorry to hear on this occasion we didn’t meet your expectations. If
you would like to contact me directly then please call xxxxxxx and
ask for xxxxxx or email
xxxxx@XYZbusinessname. It may be possible in some cases to remove the
negative review or comment, but in many cases this requires
professional guidance and management.
What ever you do, do not argue or defend your business, as this will
only lead to more negative comments and an increased chance of the
content appearing on the first page of the search engine results
pages. Even If a business has no reviews, that can be equally as
harmful as a negative one; with over 70% of new business inquiries
coming from reviews, referrals and word of mouth, it has never been
as important to have a good online reputation" Got Juice is an online reputation management company that focuses on
helping businesses gain positive reviews and to fight back and
remove unwanted negative press from review sites and from the first
page of Google. Committed to helping business improve their
online reputations, they provide free advice on their
website on how to improve a
company’s online reputation.
STATEMENT FOLLOWING SENTENCING OF
ROY NESBITT FOR CAUSING DEATH BY CARELESS DRIVING
MERSEYSIDE Police Officers
from the Roads Policing Department are urging drivers to drive
responsibly after a taxi driver was banned from driving following a
fatal collision in Aintree in 2011. Roy Nesbitt, aged 54, of
Britonside Avenue, Southdene, Kirkby, was banned from driving for a
year and given a 4 month community order at Liverpool Crown Court on
Friday, 7 September 2012 after pleading guilty to causing the death
of 18 year old James Rogers, by careless driving on 16 October 2011.
Nesbitt had been driving a private hire taxi along Old Ormskirk
Road, Aintree when he pulled out at its junction with Topham Drive
and collided with James, who was riding a Yamaha motorcycle,
knocking him off his bike. James, who was from Ormskirk, died in
hospital of his injuries 5 days later. Sergeant Jason Higham, from
the Force's roads policing investigation unit, said the case
highlighted the dangers of drivers not paying attention to the road
ahead. He said:- "This was a tragedy that could have been
avoided. It has not only taken away the life of a young man in his
prime but it has destroyed the lives of his loved ones. James's
tragic death should highlight to motorists the absolute
responsibility they have when at the wheel to drive safely and be
aware of their surroundings at all times. Drivers who don't pay
attention to the road ahead of them risk causing collisions that
could cost someone their life."
|
