Liverpool's latest music bar to open on Temple Court

THIS month sees the newest addition to Liverpool's vibrant night-time economy with the multi award winning music bar Maida Vale opening their newest venue in the Cavern Quarter.

Bringing live music, DJs and an eclectic mix of mod, ska, soul, funk, indie, Britpop and more to the City is something Gavin Richards Managing Director of Quantum Leisure Ltd, is thrilled about. "After Maida Vale's success in Sheffield over the past 4 years we can't wait to open our new venue in Liverpool. The Cavern Quarter is internationally renowned for its musical heritage and we're thrilled about becoming a part of it."

Maida Vale Liverpool will be open from 5:00pm Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays and from midday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The venue is set to bring a huge variety of regular live music and DJ events to the City Centre 6 nights a week, all of which are free entry:-

The launch weekend will feature live music on the Saturday, from the classic and revival mod band:- 'Forever Mod' and 1 of the most exciting soul, funk and rock bands in the North:- 'Elevation Avenue.' On the Sunday afternoon we welcome firm favourites of the live northern soul scene:- 'Sarah Collins and Keep The Faith' and special guest DJ playing classic soul and 60's RnB through until the early hours. Bank Holiday Monday brings an afternoon of live music from mod and scooter scene favourite Carl Morris . All events are FREE ENTRY.

Maida Vale Liverpool opens at 5pm, on Saturday, 25 August 2018, at 1-3 Temple Court, Liverpool, L2 6PY.

Living Wage introduced for all Merseyside Police staff

NEARLY 100 of the lowest paid staff at Merseyside Police will receive a pay rise following a decision to adopt the real living wage. A total of 97 staff, many of whom are cleaners, are set to receive extra money in their pay packets, backdated to 1 April 2018, to ensure all staff within both Merseyside Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner receive the real living wage as a minimum.

The move ensures those on the lowest paid roles within the Force will earn a minimum of ₤8.89 per hour, or the equivalent of ₤16,923 per year, effectively removing the lowest pay scale from the existing staff salary structure used by both organisations. For full time staff, this is worth an extra ₤444 per year.

The UK living wage is voluntary and is calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, based on what people need to live. It is currently set at ₤8.75 per hour.

Deputy Police Commissioner Cllr Emily Spurrell said:- "I'm proud that we have taken the decision to ensure both the Commissioner's Office and Merseyside Police are real living wage employers, joining a growing list of local employers who are helping to ensure fair pay for their staff. The staff of Merseyside Police are extremely hard working and it is only right that hard working people earn a decent wage that they can afford to live on. It shows that, as an employer, you value the people who work for you. Fair pay at work doesn't just help our employees, but is good for the regional economy too; that extra money will boost businesses throughout Merseyside. With ever increasing pressures on household budgets and, at a time when the cost of living is rising, it's essential that employers in the North West play their part in helping people to support their families and have a good quality of life."

Chief Constable Andy Cooke said:- "It is only right that we should do everything possible to ensure that our lowest paid staff receive the real living wage, as an absolute minimum, and I would hope that other organisations will following suit and show the same appreciation for their employees. In the last few years Officers and staff throughout the Force have faced increasingly hard and challenging times. We have lost Officers and staff across the board and are expecting less people to do more, because we have less resources and at the same time their pay has remained static over recent years and has not been in keeping with inflation. By adopting this approach hopefully we can show our lower paid staff that they are appreciated."

The current real living wage of ₤8.75 per hour, that is based on the real cost of living. It is different to the Government's National Minimum Wage of ₤7.38 an hour for employees aged 21 to 24 years old and ₤7.83 for those aged 25 and over. The real living wage is independently calculated each year, based on what employees and their families actually need to get by.

Interest rate rise will hurt buy to let investors and may increase rental charges

THE Bank of England's decision to increase interest rates by a quarter of a % will have a knock on effect for buy to let property owners who are already reeling from cuts in the amount of interest relief allowable as a deduction against their rental income, say leading accounting, tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. Paul Haywood Schiefer, a Manager at the firm said:- "For many people who were getting no return on their capital due to long term low interest rates and decided to invest in buy to let properties this will be another blow. They wanted to get better returns and for many it was also part of their retirement plans. The increase in the Bank of England base rate will have a knock on effect on mortgages for thousands of people. Those buy to let investors with mortgages may be some of the worse affected as not only do they have to deal with increased interest repayments, they will also be dealing with the fact that for the current tax year, they will only receive full interest relief on 50% of the cost of interest incurred, with the other 50% only receiving basic rate tax relief. The amount liable to full interest relief will reduce by a further 25% from April 2019 and from April 2020; interest incurred will only attract basic rate tax relief. At the moment this is all new and as buy to let property owners pay tax on the income they earn from this through their tax returns, many of them will not have yet calculated the position that the reduced interest relief will have had on their profits from 2017/18. Once they see the reduced profits, they could put up rents to ensure their yields, which will be bad news for those renting and trying to save for properties of their own."

Action packed FREE blue light family fun day

WHETHER you're a toddler who likes nee-naws or someone of advancing years (or anything in between) looking for an insight into how our emergency services work, you can be sure you will find something for everyone at the free to enter family fun day in aid of the Firefighter's Charity.

The action packed fun day will take place, at Merseyside Fire and Rescue's Training and Development Academy (TDA) on Storrington Avenue, Croxteth, on Friday, 10 August 2018, between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

After the huge success of last year's 50th Anniversary celebrations, at the TDA, the family fun day has been put together in aid of the Firefighter's Charity.

This free event is much wider in scope than the Anniversary celebration, with fun activities for all provided by:- Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS), Merseyside Police, Merseyside Transport Police, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), HM Coastguard, the British Army, Merseyside Search and Rescue and many more of the partner organisations who work with the emergency services to keep the public safe such as Highways England, British Red Cross, the Salvation Army and SP energy networks.

If you are looking for something to entertain the kids or yourself, don't miss out on this fantastic free to enter event for all the family. fire fighting demonstrations, rides on our hydraulic platform, vintage fire engines, modern emergency vehicles and equipment, CPR training, airsoft weapon demos from the Army, the MFRS Search and Rescue Team, Liverpool John Lennon Airport's fantastic Fire Tender (It's a bit bigger than a normal fire engine!), face painting, live displays on kitchen safety, domestic sprinklers, fire cadets and much more!

See 1st hand how we rescue casualties from cars involved in road traffic collisions, watch a real fire fighting demonstration with our fiery gas rig, say hello to some (friendly) Police dogs and give our blue light mascots a wave. Members of the emergency services and our partner agencies will be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions you may have. Come and see how we all work together to keep everyone in Merseyside and across the North West safe.

Refreshments will be available with all proceeds going to the Firefighter's charity, who provide support to serving and retired Firefighters and their families in times of need.

So if your biggest emergency is how to keep the kids entertained this summer then come and see us on August the 10, we've got it covered.

There will be 2 sessions during the day, 1 from 9.30am to 1.00pm and an afternoon session, from 1.00pm to 4.00pm. There is a lot of interest in this FREE to enter event, so don't miss out. Priority tickets have all been snapped up, but you still have a good chance of getting in at the gate on the day. Please send an email to:- FFCC@MerseyFire.Gov.UK for further details.

Alan Knell of the Firefighter's charity said:- "It's fantastic to see so many of our blue light colleagues and partner organisations turning out to show their support for the Firefighter's charity. Rain or shine, the day will be fun and action packed with something for all so if you are looking to entertain the whole family then come and see us! The Fun day is free to enter, but any funds generated will go straight into our work to support Firefighters and their families. I would like to thank all of our colleagues and partners for their support."