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Councils urged
to apply for £168 million pothole repair fund
EXTRA Government funding to
fix more than 3 million potholes. Councils are being invited
to bid for a share of a £168 million Pothole Fund to repair local
roads, making them safer and smoother for motorists, cyclists and
other road users.
Successful local authorities will sign a Pothole Pledge as a
condition of the funding, setting out the number of potholes they
will have repaired by March 2015.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:- "Part of this
government's long term plan is investing in our roads. Potholes are
a menace for all road users which is why this extra funding is
provided in addition to the £10 billion already committed for
councils for road maintenance. I want councils to rise to the
challenge and to reward councils who come up with new and better
ways of making repairs quickly and effectively.
With this new pothole fund councils will need to clearly set out the
scale of the work they are doing, and local communities can have
certainty that the money is being spent fixing potholes on their
local roads."
The £168 million fund, announced in the Chancellor's March Budget
statement, is enough to fix more than 3 million potholes. It is in
addition to the £10 billion for local roads maintenance that the
Department for Transport is already providing to councils in England
between 2010 and 2021.
The guidance for the application process for local authorities is
now available on the GOV.UK website. Councils have until 4pm on
Thursday, 22 May 2014 to submit a bid to the Department for
Transport. A track record of best practice or proposals for
innovative solutions will be recognised as part of the bidding
process, potentially resulting in increased funding for those
councils.
Through its Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme, the
department also provides clear guidance to councils to make the most
of available funds and ensure they use the money efficiently.
Sport England
calls for bids for 'City of Football'
FROM Monday, cities across
England will have the chance to bid to become the first 'City of
Football’. Up to £1.6million of National Lottery funding
will be invested by Sport England in the successful City to run a
pilot programme that unites public, private and voluntary
organisations to do whatever it takes to get more people;
particularly those aged 14 to 25 years; playing all forms of the
grassroots game.
Phil Smith, Director of Sport, says:- "Whilst the number of
people playing football regularly has declined, it is still one of
England's most popular sports and the unmet demand to play is high
if the offer is right. From kick about in the park to 5 a side friendlies to 11 a side leagues, we want to find the City that wants
this title more than any other, that will do whatever it takes to
get more people playing the game regularly."
Expressions of interest are invited from consortiums of local
partners that are committed to working together to deliver a 'City
of Football’. Applications should demonstrate commitment at the
highest level and explain why this mix of local partners can
together increase the number of people playing football in their
City.
Further information about how to bid will be available at
online. The
closing date for applications is 23 May 2014. A shortlist of cities will
then be selected to explore in more detail their potential to be the
'City of Football'. |
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Lord Mayor's
Search for WW1 Heroes
AS the City prepares to
mark the 100th anniversary of WW1, Lord Mayor of Liverpool,
Councillor Gary Millar is searching for families of some of its
forgotten heroes.
A memorial plaque, thought to be from St Peter's Church, High Park
Street, in Toxteth has been unearthed in the nearby garden of the
former church caretaker.
Upon close inspection it was discovered that half of the names are
not listed in the City's Hall of Remembrance, situated at the Town
Hall, which honours Liverpool soldiers who died in the world wars.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar is hoping for
families of those named on the plaque to come forward and claim
their relatives place in Liverpool's Hall of Remembrance.
Councillor Gary Millar said:- "I think it is fitting that in
the year we commemorate the start of the First World War this
plaque, and those named on it, should take their rightful place in
the history books.
The existence of the plaque was originally brought to my attention
by local resident Irene Milson and initial detective work was
undertaken by Paul Ford from the Bootle History Group; sadly Paul
recently passed away, but without his efforts the names of these
soldiers may never have been known.
It is all too easy to forget the sacrifices made by those who fought
for our freedom but this is the perfect opportunity for friends and
relatives of the men on this plaque, to do their duty, come forward,
and ensure that the names of all of these men live on in the Hall of
Remembrance.
I hope we can do the right thing by these men and their loved ones
and ensure that they are never forgotten."
The plaque features the names:-
Clarence Adams, Vivian Adams, William Asplant, Samuel R Clarke, James Clunas/Cluness, Joseph Eardley, John
H Griffiths, Harry Griffiths, E Kingston Fleming, Wilfred W Hall, J
Keggan Maddrell, Thomas Stanley Pickersgill, William Robinson,
William Thistlewood, Harry Thistlewood, and James Thomas.
It is believed that the plaque was taken from the church for
safekeeping sometime before 2006/7 when the church and its land were
sold to make way for apartments. It was apparently kept by caretaker
Mr Harry Gardam, who was a loyal servant of the Methodist church. Mr
Gardam, who lived at 133 High Park Street, died in 2010.
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