NWAS to launch brand new staff led Instagram account

IN a 1st for Ambulance Services in the UK, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) NHS Trust will be launching a brand new Instagram account (@TeamNWAS) on Monday, 19 February 2018, which will be entirely led by the different faces of the organisation.

Each week somebody different will take control of the account, giving followers a behind the scenes peek into what life as an ambulance service worker is all about. While most services have their own Instagram account, NWAS is the only one to give control of a dedicated account to its frontline teams.

NWAS employs almost 6,000 staff in over 300 different roles across the region. From paramedics, dispatchers and ambulance care assistants to 111 health advisors and urgent care practitioners; everyone contributes in 1 way or another to saving lives every single day and this is what the service hopes to share with the public.

First to take the realm will be Advanced Paramedic (AP), David Blowers. David has worked in the ambulance service for the past 17 years, starting his career as an emergency medical technician before working his way up to become an AP in Cheshire and Merseyside.

David said:- "As an AP, there's no such thing as a typical week! Every day could be different, whether spending the day with my team on contact shifts, attending some of the most life threatening emergency incidents, or assisting with the dispatch of enhanced clinicians to the most serious traumas. I love the fact that no 2 days are the same, and I have such an amazing team of staff and work with some fantastic colleagues! I'm really excited to be launching the account which is a great way for people to learn what really goes into an Ambulance Service. People sometimes think it's all about blue lights and paramedics, but there's so much more than that."

Follow @TeamNWAS on Instagram ready for Monday to see David's week in pictures.

Land Release Fund

A ₤8.9 million cash injection into key community projects will help kick-start the building of up to 2,241 new homes across the Northern Powerhouse, Housing Minister Dominic Raab has announced, on the 16 February 2018.

As part of Government's drive to get Britain building homes again, a total of 18 projects from Rotherham to Blackpool will receive funding to support building up to 2,241 new homes on Council owned land.

To support local Councils across the country to meet their ambition to unlock enough of land they own for at least 160,000 homes by 2020, they will be able to use the Land Release Fund money to combat barriers which would otherwise make land unusable for development.

The projects; which aim to support building strong communities; including a range of necessary works, such as improving access and drainage, as well as schemes that will significantly improve quality of life such new roads to alleviate congestion.

This move comes 2 weeks after projects set to benefit from the 1st wave of funding from the ₤5bn Housing Infrastructure Fund were announced, helping to get up to 200,000 homes off the ground through investment in local housing projects. This included a ₤185.8 million investment to help unlock up to 38,000 new homes in the Northern Powerhouse - part of the Government's comprehensive strategy of planning reform and targeted investment to build 300,000 homes a year.

Housing and Planning Minister Dominic Raab said:- "We are investing ₤8.9 million across the Northern Powerhouse to build roads and provide utilities, so Councils can release the land to get up to 2,241 new homes built. It's part of our strategy to build the homes Britain needs, and carry local communities with us. We're determined to make buying or renting more affordable for young families and those on low or middle incomes."

Projects from Craven to Salford will receive funding from the Land Release Fund, which will enable:

► Poulton Le Fylde, Lancashire, to build new roads, roundabouts, and utility services, unlocking up to 330 homes potentially built with Japanese modular housing techniques. The works will cost ₤1.7 million.

► Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, to improve access and ground works to make a site suitable for housing. The project will receive ₤670,000 and will deliver up to 140 new homes.

► Scarborough, Yorkshire, to decontaminate a depot site and demolish redundant buildings to deliver up to 85 new homes. This has been awarded ₤50,000 of funding.

► Durham to improve access and install new utilities connections, unlocking up to 54 self build housing units across 5 sites. This has been awarded ₤810,000.

The Land Release Fund is being administered through a partnership with the Local Government Association and Cabinet Office's One Public Estate (OPE) programme, which make the best use of public sector land and resources through practical advice and support.

OPE already works with 90% of Councils in England to transform local communities and services through large scale economic growth, delivering new jobs and new homes.

Landlord faces ₤1,300 bill for operating unlicensed property

A Liverpool landlord has been hit with a total bill of almost ₤1,300 after being found guilty at Magistrates Court of managing a property without a compulsory licence. The licensing scheme for private landlords was introduced by Liverpool City Council in April 2015 with the aim of improving the private rental sector.

Mark McMillan, of Darmonds Green Avenue in Anfield, failed to appear at Court. In his absence he was found guilty of failing to licence the property in accordance with the scheme and fined ₤800, plus costs of ₤322 and a victim surcharge of ₤170.

A property in Winslow Street in Everton first came to the attention of Liverpool City Council in August 2017 following a compliant regarding accumulations of waste at the rear of the property. Despite a reminder from the Council which clearly outlined the scheme, the requirement to licence the property and the consequences of failing to licence, Mr McMillan still failed to licence it.

In sentencing, District Judge Lloyd confirmed there were no mitigating factors and emphasised the importance of the Landlord Licensing scheme. District Judge Lloyd noted that the case was an excellent example of why the property needed a licence due to the accumulations on the property and it clearly was not in a good enough state.

Cllr Frank Hont, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:- "We have many good private landlords in Liverpool, but we take it very seriously when they do not comply with their duties. We will continue to work hard on behalf of those tenants who find themselves in sub standard accommodation, taking landlords to task when they flagrantly breach the law."

More than 41,000 homes have been licensed as part of Liverpool's scheme, but another 6,500 have been reported as unlicensed to date, from intelligence, from communities and stakeholders or via requests for help from tenants who are living in sub standard accommodation.

There have now been around 80 successful prosecutions, 1,139 cautions issued and 79 formal written warnings. Another 670 cases are currently being considered for formal enforcement action.

Tenants can report issues of disrepair in private rented properties that have not been dealt with by their landlord to email  Liverpool City Council and you can also check if a property has the required licence at:- Liverpool.Gov.UK/LandLordLicensing.