Beales department store in Southport reveals exciting plans to transform 1st floor

BEALES Department Store, on Lord Street, Southport, has revealed exciting plans to transform the 1st floor of the building into a brand new outlet centre with huge savings for shoppers. The new venture will enjoy its official opening on:- Thursday, 16 March 2023. Customers will be able to enjoy up to 80% off across a range of women's fashion, menswear, home and electrical goods. Customers will be able to enjoy popular big brands including:-

►  Solo women's fashions.

►  Brandtex womens fashions.

►  B.Copenhagen womens fashions.

►  B.Coastline womens fashions.

►  Ciso womens fashions.

►  Signature womens fashions.

►  Jensen womens fashions.

More brands will be revealed over the coming weeks.

Beales opened its doors on:- 12 August 2021 as hundreds of shoppers queued along Lord Street to get a look inside. The opening was a real coup for Southport, bucking a national trend of department store closures across the UK in recent years. The store is based at the entrance to Wayfarers Arcade with 3 floors for visitors to enjoy, including the Remedy, at Beales cafe, on the ground floor.

Beales CEO Tony Brown said:- "We are looking forward to opening the 1st floor at Beales in Southport as a branded outlet business with household names and new brands up to 80% off. We have worked hard with suppliers to bring the people of Southport discounted fashion and home lines. Shoppers will be able to enjoy big reductions on household and electrical as well as premier brands on the ground floor such as Apricot, Isabelle, Radley, and popular local brands such as Lucy Lou's Boutique and the Remedy, at Beales cafe. We are delighted to be supporting well-known local businesses and traders with the addition of sought-after national brands. The top floor at Beales is occupied by the VFM outlet, which is another Southport-based local business. Beales is right at the heart of Southport Town Centre, with a car park to the rear of our store, and very close to Southport Train Station and local bus stops. We are so excited to be based in Southport. We are trying all the time to develop and improve our experience for shoppers. We are looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers into an even bigger and better offering."

Beales department store is at:- 295 to 303 Lord Street, Southport Town Centre, PR81NY. Call:- 01704535177 or order online at:- Beales.Co.UK.
 

Police Commissioner invites public to attend special budget meeting

MERSEYSIDE Police's Commissioner and Chief Constable will host a special public meeting next week at which the Police's budget will be set for the year ahead. Balancing Merseyside Police's budget is one of the Police Commissioner, Emily Spurrell's most critical roles. She sets and approves the budget after presenting her proposals to the body which scrutinises her work, the Police and Crime Panel. At a meeting earlier this month, Panel members endorsed Emily's plan to help protect Merseyside Police in the year ahead in the face of spiralling inflation and rising costs. After 12 years of austerity, Merseyside Police are still missing 450 Officers and it is anticipated a further £15m of savings will have to be made by the end of 2027 / 2028.

To protect local policing, Emily is planning to generate an extra £7.9m through the Police precept;; the part of Council tax which is ring-fenced for policing. This comes after the Government announced in December that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) would be expected to raise the Police precept by £15 a year for a Band D property in 2023/24 to cover increasing costs in the year ahead. This equates to 19p a week for a Band A property; the rate paid by most Council taxpayers in Merseyside. Even with this vital extra funding provided by local people, the Police Commissioner will still need to use £7.5m of reserves and 'one-off' funding and the Chief Constable will need to make £2.4m of savings just to balance the books in the year ahead.

Despite the financial challenges, Merseyside Police continues to be graded as one of the best performing urban forces in the country and is assessed as 'outstanding' for its response to serious, organised crime. There have been significant reductions in robberies and burglaries and the force has responded to 8,000 more calls for service this year compared to last. The meeting will be held at:- 11.30am, on:- Monday, 20 February 2022, at Merseyside Police Headquarters in Cazneau Street in Liverpool. Anyone wishing to observe this meeting, must register their interest in advance by emailing:- Info@MerseysidePCC.Info.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "Setting a balanced budget is one of my most important responsibilities. It's my job to ensure Merseyside Police has the money it needs to keep our communities safe and is in the strongest possible position for the year ahead. In the face of soaring inflation and costs and more cuts anticipated in the next few years, this has been no easy task. The financial position is extremely challenging and has required very careful planning and saving over the year ahead. While I was extremely reluctant to ask taxpayers to contribute a little extra to support their Police service, I'm very grateful to have had the support of local people through my consultation and the Police and Crime Panel to protect our Police service. Even with their hugely valuable contribution, the Chief Constable will still have to make £2.4m of savings in the year ahead and Merseyside Police continue to be 450 Officers short of the number it once had. I am focused on doing everything possible to help Merseyside Police to go back to its former strength. I will continue to lobby Ministers at every chance I get to provide the funding for those missing Officers, and I will also work to secure extra grants and funding for our Region wherever I can. I'd invite anyone who is interested in finding out more the careful work being done to protect Merseyside Police's budget to attend this special public meeting."