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Birkdale care village
receives planning permission
PLANNING permission has been granted
for the building of a new Belong Care Village, in Birkdale, Southport.
With 5 existing villages and 2 under construction, Belong provide a range of
care, housing and support options for older people including independent
apartments and 24 hour care households. Each village offers a range of
facilities, some of which are open to the public including:- a bistro, hair salon,
exercise studio and function rooms.
The new Birkdale development will provide accommodation for more than 100
people, comprising a 3 storey, 74 bed care village, divided into 6 households,
as well as a 4 storey adjoining wing which will offer 30 1 and 2 bedroom
independent living apartments.
Tracy Paine, Operations Director for Belong, said:- "We are delighted to
have received planning permission to build a new care village in Southport.
Belong aims to offer the most supportive and calming environment possible to
customers, however complex their needs may become.
By opening our facilities to the wider community, we hope to create a service
that will also benefit the local communities as well as providing high quality
care services and accommodation for older people."
The new care village will take inspiration from its surroundings. Distinctive
design details and materials found in the West Birkdale Conservation Area will
be referenced throughout the building.
Work is expected to start on site by the end of 2017 and the village is set
to open in 2019. Please let us know what your views are on this
development via emailing us to:-
News24@SuthportReporter.com.
Adult learning service
praised in new report
EDUCATION watchdog Ofsted has rated
Liverpool City Council's Adult Learning Service as 'good' in a new
inspection. More than 10,500 people enrolled on to courses at its 7 sites across
the City in 2016; with ¾ of them from the most disadvantaged
communities in the City.
Inspectors praised "exemplary" changes which have been made to focus the
service on employment and skills to help residents gain qualifications that will
help them into work, such as English, maths and computer skills.
They found that:- "leaders and senior managers have focused very effectively
on improving the quality of the provision" and that learner:- s "receive
a good quality of education."
They also assessed that managers:- "have ensured that service's response to
the changing needs and priorities of disadvantaged communities in Liverpool is
outstanding"; that they are "very ambitious for the provision"
and the service is:- "striving hard to be an outstanding provider."
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for education, employment and skills,
Councillor Nick Small, said:- "In recent years we have completely
refocused the Adult Learning Service so that everything it does is around
helping people in to work. This is really important in Liverpool because we have
a considerable skills shortage which is a huge barrier to people getting in to
work.
I am delighted that Ofsted have recognised the success of our approach, and I
would like to pay tribute to all of our staff for embracing the changes we have
made and delivering amazing teaching and learning day in, day out.
Gaining a qualification is a game changer for many of the people that they are
teaching and opens the door to a whole new world of opportunities. They are
literally changing people's lives for the better.
I am also pleased that inspectors have recognised the ambition that we have for
the service and our absolute determination to make further improvements and help
more people achieve their potential."
In 2015/16, around 40% of learners did not have any previous qualifications when
they took their first course. Many went on to take further courses and gain paid
employment, work as volunteers in local businesses or become self employed.
Inspectors have made a small number of recommendations to further improve the
service, including setting clear and demanding targets for the progression of
learners in to jobs and encouraging learners to keep their work well organised.
A copy of the report can be found
online.
For further information about how to enrol on an Adult Learning Service Course,
call:- 0151 233 3026 or go
online.
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Merseyside Police make 9
arrests and size 3 bikes
MERSEYSIDE Police have arrested 9
people and seized 3 bikes, on Thursday, 12 January 2017, as part of the forces
continued response to illegal gatherings of motorbikes, in the region, in 2016.
Since October 2016, Merseyside Police have recovered more than 150 bikes and
have made numerous arrests and warrants have taken place as a result.
We are told that the Merseyside Police had issued 13 warrants across Merseyside,
at premises located within:- Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, Liverpool and St Helens.
Following the enforcement of them, the force has recovered 3 suspected stolen
motorbikes, a cannabis farm, £9,000 cash, other controlled drugs and suspected
stolen items, including:- high value watches, a drone and an industrial tool
known as a 'concrete wacker.'
The 9 arrests, made in connection to this latest action, follow an ongoing
investigation into incidents that took place in October 2016 and November 2016.
Those incidents resulted in numerous calls being made to emergency services,
reporting multiple motorbikes, including off road vehicles, been driving
dangerously across the Merseyside area. The arrests, we are told where for a
variety of offences, including:- conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, theft
and drug offences.
Following the arrests, leaflets have also been
distributed to local residents to encourage them to pass on more information, to
help locate where bikes are being stored, and to show the successes so far.
Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Rhodes, who is leading the investigation,
said:- "This arrest day is another successful step forward in our
investigations. I would like to thank the members of our communities who have
provided information so far, as this is vital in taking such positive action and
ultimately bringing offenders to justice. Individuals and groups of riders who
take to the roads in a criminal, reckless and anti social manner show a complete
disregard for public safety and will never be tolerated by Merseyside Police and
our partners. We know how strongly that members of our communities feel about
these incidents and will continue to take positive action to seize those bikes
we believe are being used illegally on our roads, and deal with associated
criminality. This is a long running and complex investigation into numerous
reports, including CCTV footage and images, and I would like to thank people who
have assisted. Action is constantly being taken behind the scenes in relation to
these incidents, and we appreciate people's patience as we thoroughly
investigate each 1. Incidents on our roads continue to show the very real
dangers to pedestrians, Officers, riders and other road users. We are determined
to make our roads safer through all our available powers, and the continued
response we have seen is once again thanks to information provided by our
community. I would urge anyone with information which enables us take these
bikes out of circulation and make our streets safer to keep coming forward."
Anyone with information on who is using these bikes and where they are being
stored is urged to call:- 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111. |
