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Early Bird
Entries Available for 20th Edition of Liverpool Chester Liverpool
Bike Ride
THE award winning events
company, Pennine Events, have announced that entries are open for
the annual Liverpool Chester Liverpool Bike Ride. Taking place on
Sunday, 7 July 2013, the event is set to be particularly special as
it marks the 20th anniversary of the mass participation ride.
Officially the biggest bike ride in Merseyside, the Liverpool
Chester Liverpool caters for cyclists of all abilities. Riders will
have a choice of five routes, the Wirral Circular, Chester
Liverpool, Liverpool Chester routes all being 25 miles. The
Liverpool Chester Liverpool route is 50 miles and the Liverpool
Challenge, taking on Delamere Forest, is a challenging 90 miles.
For almost 20 years, cyclists have gathered in the
centre of the City before setting off on this prestigious ride. At
the first event back in 1994, there was just one 50 mile circular
route which attracted around 250 participants. Since then the event
has grown beyond recognition, attracting over 3,000 participants in
2012.
Involved in the 2012 event were Team GB Cyclists, Craig MacLean and
Rik Waddon, and former Atomic Kitten star and local resident,
Natasha Hamilton. Waddon, who grew up in Chester, rode the 25 mile
Liverpool Chester route just a month ahead of winning a silver medal
at the London 2012 Paralympics.
In 2013 Pennine Events will be pulling out all the
stops to mark the event's 20th birthday. Responsible for managing
all aspects of planning and delivery, they will be working
tirelessly to ensure a fun filled family day out for all.
Mark Sandamas, Director of Pennine Events, has been part of the team
organising the Liverpool Chester Liverpool from the early days.
During this time, he has seen many changes:- "Every year, I'm
blown away by the support this event receives and as a result, the
essential funds that it raises for local charities. The event
has grown substantially since we first started in 1994, and I am
incredibly grateful to my fantastic team for the time and effort
they put into delivering such a great day out."
Entries are now open, with initial early bird prices available until
2 January 2013. To get the full information on the
distances available and their entry prices, please take a look at
the forms that are available from:-
liverpoolchesterliverpool.com.
Warwickshire couple raise £5,500
for eye tumour research at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital
2 years ago, whilst
pregnant with twins, Tracy Cirin was diagnosed with an eye tumour.
Tracy did not want to put her twins' lives at risk and wanted to
carry them for the full term. Thanks to the care provided by
national specialists in ocular oncology (eye cancer) from the
Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre at the Royal Liverpool University
Hospital, Tracy was able to give birth to her twin girls Sophie and
Chloe, after going to full term, and then began treatment for her
eye tumour.
Tracy decided to give something back and signed up to run the 2011 a
half marathon to raise funds for the Eye Tumour Research Fund, a
charity set up by the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre. However,
Tracy had to pull out of the race and her husband Robert took up the
challenge and completed the race along with a family friend.
This year after making a full recovery Tracy, accompanied by her
husband Robert and two friends took part in the Cardiff
Half-Marathon and collectively over the two races, the couple have
raised £5,500 for the Eye Tumour Research Fund.
Tracy said:- "Thanks to the world renowned research at the
Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre, the clinicians were able to advise
on how I could wait for the girls to be born rather than having them
induced early, which could have put their lives at risk. Robert and
I are extremely grateful for all their work and we have two lovely
girls to thank them for. I'd like to thank all the staff at the
Centre for the amazing care they provided to me and my family."
The money raised will help to fund new materials and research within
the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre at the Royal Liverpool
University Hospital. |
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Licensing scheme
to drive up housing standards
A new licensing scheme for
private landlords could be introduced from next year, under City
Council plans to drive up the quality of rented properties in the
City.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet have approved plans for
consultation to begin over the introduction of a Citywide compulsory
licensing scheme for all private rented properties.
The new scheme, which could come into force in 2013, would mean all
property owners who rent out their properties would need to apply
for a licence, agreeing to comply with a minimum set of standards. A
breach of the conditions could lead to a fine, or even the
revocation of the licence.
There are over 50,000 rented properties in City and the sector is
vital in meeting City's housing needs. The plans aim to support the
City's pledge to work with the majority of responsible landlords,
support their businesses and create a level playing field for all,
while cracking down on landlords who do not manage their properties
properly.
The licensing scheme would also help empower tenants; who currently
have no way of knowing the quality of their prospective landlord -
and help them make informed choices. And it would protect residents
who have suffered from neighbouring properties being bought by
landlords who have then let them indiscriminately to unsuitable
tenants.
The proposals form part of the Council's 3 year 'Bringing Empty
Homes Back Into Use' programme, which aims to tackle void properties
across Liverpool, deal with problem landlords and improve the
standard of the City's rented accommodation.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann
O'Byrne, said:- "It's vital that we do all we can to work with
landlords across Liverpool to drive up the quality of our private
rented properties. Many areas which suffer blight in the City are
characterised by large numbers of poorly managed private rented
properties, leading to problems such as anti-social behaviour and
fly-tipping. The proposed licensing scheme would recognise the
majority of good landlords who manage their properties properly,
while enabling us to deal with the minority who choose not to engage
with us, and whose letting and management practices are poor.
Licensing would create a minimum standard for the private rented
sector, with landlords needing to show that they have adequate
systems in place for their tenants; for example, to report repairs
and defects. It would also enable tenants to be confident in their
choice to rent, and neighbours to be confident in landlords' ability
to effectively manage their properties. We believe this scheme would
be really beneficial for the City, but we will be consulting closely
with landlords, tenants, residents and other stakeholders over the
coming months, to make sure their views are fully taken on-board."
The licensing scheme for private rented properties would build on
the City's compulsory licensing scheme for the City's 1,250 Houses
in Multiple Occupation (HMO), which has driven an improvement in
standards and property management.
It sees landlords pay a license fee to cover operating costs, and a
licensed HMO must be reasonably suitable for occupation, have a
license holder of manager who is a fit and proper person, have
satisfactory management arrangements and comply with set standards
and licence conditions.
A fine of £20,000 can be imposed for controlling or managing an
unlicensed HMO. A breach of licence conditions can carry a fine of
up to £5,000 and licences can be revoked where there is a serious
breach of licence conditions.
The London Borough of Newham recently became first local authority
to announce mandatory licensing for private rented properties across
the entire borough. It will be introduced on 1 January 2013 in
response to high levels of anti-social behaviour associated with
rented property, and rogue landlords carrying out illegal
conversions of properties without planning or building control
approval.
Formal consultation on the City Council's plans will begin in
January 2013 and will last for 12 weeks. Groups to be consulted
include landlords and landlord associations; residents and residents
associations; private tenants; advice agencies; Registered Housing
Providers; and ward members.
As part of the consultation, information will be posted on the
Council website and information packs provided, setting out the
scope and purpose of the proposals and giving people the opportunity
to leave comments and feedback.
Questionnaires will also be sent out to residents in private rented
properties, and there will be roadshows at district centres and a
series of drop in events at local libraries and other community
venues.
The consultation is expected to be completed by April 2013, before a
further report is presented to the City Council's Cabinet in May
2013.
Liverpool's Empty Homes programme supports the Mayor of Liverpool's
pledge to deliver 5,000 new and refurbished homes for the City by
2016. It includes a 10 point pledge on landlord issues. The pledge
aims to build on the positive relationship the Council has with many
landlords while taking a robust stance against the small minority of
poor landlords.
The 10 point pledge includes a free, voluntary register for
landlords to encourage better communications with the Council; a
'Scores on the Doors' service which recognises good
landlords; and plans to set up a 'Rogue Landlords Hit Squad',
which will seek out and investigate poor landlords and take
appropriate action. It also includes a re-launch of the free
Landlord Accreditation scheme, CLASS, which requires landlords to
meet minimum management standards, and which offers incentives to
accredited landlords, including the opportunity to advertise their
properties on Property Pool Plus.
The City Council has also recently signed a statement of support for
Shelter's national campaign to stamp out rogue landlords.
It is estimated that City landlords invested over £1.8 million in
improving their property during 2012 as a result of the Councils
direct interventions. In the same period, legal action was taken
against eight landlords whose property did not meet legal
requirements, resulting in fines and court cost totalling more than
£31,000.
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