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Legal action
over European funding
THE first stage of legal
action has been launched against the Government over its European
funding allocation to Liverpool City Region.
The Liverpool City Region area; comprising Liverpool, Knowsley,
Sefton, Wirral, Halton and St Helens; faces a cut of 60%
during 2014 to 2020 compared to the previous programme which ran from
2007 to 2013.
Liverpool City Region will get less funding per head of population
than the rest of the north west, despite having a lower GDP than
Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington, Lancashire and Cumbria.
A pre-application letter; the 1st stage of a judicial review; is
being prepared as part of joint action with Sheffield City Region.
Over the next 7 years, Liverpool City Region will get 222 million euros, or around £185 million. This works out at 147 euros (£128)
per head of population, compared to 380 euros (£325) per person in
the previous funding round.
Although the money comes from the European Union, the decision on
allocations in the UK is devolved to the UK Government.
Liverpool City Region understands that the allocation made by UK
Government is 100 million euros less than it would have received
under the funding formula used by the European Commission.
Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Paul Brant, said:- "It
is regrettable that we have had to take this action, but we are left
with no option.
It is clear that despite months of lobbying both before and after
the announcement, the Government is burying its head in the sand and
hoping we will simply go away.
It is vitally important we send out a clear message about the
unfairness and injustice over the allocation and let them know we
are not prepared to accept it without a fight.
It feels like the formula has been gerrymandered, and we have been
advised we have good grounds for a legal challenge.
The Government have patently ignored the EU funding formula, and we
are now in the bizarre and baffling situation where areas better off
than ours will receive more funding per head of population. It
simply cannot be fair that Cheshire gets more when the Government's
own figures show it is already far wealthier than Liverpool. It
flies in the face of the whole purpose of European funding, and can
only serve to widen the gap between our area and other parts of not
just England, but also the north west." The funding announcement follows the Government's decision to take
£650 million of European Union funding; which the European
Commission had awarded to England for 2014 to 2020 - and reallocate
it to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It includes an estimated
£350 million which the European Commission had ring-fenced for
poorer areas (known as transition regions) such as Liverpool City
Region.
Liverpool and Sheffield had argued that a safety net should be
applied to the new funding allocations to limit the reduction. This
is the rationale the Government used to transfer the money to
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
North West MEP backs airstrikes
against Syria
A North West MEP has declared his
backing for UK participation in US-led actions against Syria's
President Bashar Assad. Liberal Democrat MEP Chris
Davies said:- "Many countries may secretly possess chemical
weapons but their use is outlawed by the UN's Chemical Weapons
Convention. Assad has crossed a red line by using them against his
own people in Syria to horrible and murderous effect. If no action
is taken against him then regimes elsewhere will feel at liberty to
follow his example. International law must not only be respected it
must also be enforced. Someone has to do this. Even the limited use
of airstrikes against military targets gives rise to risks and
dangers, but if we do nothing the consequences could be very much
worse." Davies has called for clear objectives to be
set for military action to prevent the UK from being caught up in
another Iraq conflict. He said:- "The aim should be to remove
the ability of the Assad regime to use its chemical weapon
stockpiles by degrading its military capability and air power.
Injury to civilians in Damascus or elsewhere must be avoided Bashar
Assad should be told in clear terms what he must do if the actions
against his regime are to cease." |
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Invitation to
Trust annual general meeting
WOULD you like to know more
about what your local NHS trust is achieving and what its plans for
health care in north Sefton and West Lancashire are?
The annual general meeting of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS
Trust on Tuesday, 17 September 2013, at 6pm, will give local people just
that chance.
There will be the opportunity to hear progress on how we are
integrating care for patients between hospital, health centres and
home with the support of health and social care partners.
Members of the public will also have the opportunity to ask
questions of the Board, including chairman Sir Ron Watson CBE and
chief executive Jonathan Parry.
Also attending will be members of our recently elected Council of
Governors who are operating in shadow form as we continue on our
journey to become a foundation trust.
The AGM will be held in the lecture theatre of the Clinical
Education Centre at Southport and Formby District General Hospital.
The centre will be open from 5.30pm. Light refreshments will be
available.
The Trust's annual report is available at our website or on request,
and in other formats, by calling 01704 704494.
Allotments grow
out of school move
NEW community allotments; the
1st in Liverpool for many decades; could be created as a
result of the move of 2 schools. A site has been identified
for Redbridge and Bank View High Schools to move from the current
homes, both in Sherwooods Lane Fazkerley.
The schools, which cater for pupils with learning difficulties, have
an increased demand for places but cannot be extended on their
present sites. It is hoped that they can move to new premises in
2015.
The new site, in Long Lane, at one time housed allotments but has
not been used since 1998 and has become overgrown. The ground
conditions are poor for allotments and there are a number of
alternative allotment sites nearby, which either have no waiting
list or small numbers waiting for plots.
The City Council has met with the Association of Liverpool
Allotments who, while recognising that there was formerly little or
no demand for allotments at the Long Lane site has recommended that
they be replaced with plots at in an area of the City where there is
a higher demand.
Part of the Park Hill Road recreation ground, in the Dingle, has now
been identified as a potential site for community allotments
"This is an area where there is a high demand for community
allotments and it is a site where there has been some anti-social
behaviour which a well-regarded community facility can help
prevent. This is a situation in which everybody
can win. The schools are getting brand new premises, an overgrown
and disused site is being put to a very good use and new allotments
can be created in a neighbourhood where they are wanted. This would
probably be the first new allotment site in the City since the end
of the Second World War. We have turned more than 100 sites throughout the
City into
community gardens, allotments and other facilities and they are
really appreciated. I am confident this proposal will be viewed
favourably." said Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet
member for neighbourhoods.
The Council will also make a contribution of up to £75,000 to
support allotments in the City. The proposal will be
considered by the cabinet on 30 August 2013. |
