Beans on Toast preform at Birkenhead's premium music venue
Photos and review by Charlotte Lily Jennings

FUTURE Yard, Birkenhead's premium music venue, on 1 March 2023 played host to the amazing:- 'Beans on Toast' and his brilliant opening artist:- Tommy Arch. In combination with friendly staff, an excellent selection of drinks and food, the atmosphere was exciting and the space was really enjoyable.

On entering the venue, you're greeted by the beautifully lit bar with a nice range of different drinks; from craft beers and ciders to spirits. However if you don't feel like drinking anything boozy they have numerous non alcoholic and hot drinks to enjoy too! To the right of the bar is the entrance to the live music room, and to the right of that is the garden. If dancing the night away at their events leaves you feeling peckish, their garden also houses the hatch to the kitchen, which offers plenty of vegan food to keep your energy up.

Tommy Arch opened the evening with a soulful and evocative performance. He was everything you could want in a folk artist; from his insightful songs and down to earth personality. I was pleased to witness his 1st ever performance in Birkenhead.

Beans on Toast took to the stage promptly, at 9pm, and was as charismatic as ever, performing some of his most loved tracks such as:- "M. D. M. Amazing." However he also debuted some previously unheard live singles such as:- "Against the War." While entertaining his audience with his folk-punk tunes, Beans on Toast was doing some charity work. 1 of his unorthodox punk ideas was to write his set list on a wooden table, which is being raffled off with the proceeds going to various homeless charities. Many of his works provide insight into the struggles and conflicts, both internal and external, of living in the modern world. Simultaneously he takes us back to a simpler time with music as he serenades the crowd with only himself and his guitar, which he has lovingly named Peter.

Overall the night was entertaining and fun, with laughter and good music. It was a pleasure to be there and I would recommend the venue, and the artists, to all the soulful individuals who enjoy folk music, dancing, and a friendly atmosphere.

For more information about the band please visit:- BeansOnToastMusic.Com and you can follow them on Facebook. For more information on other events at Future Yard, please visit:- FutureYard.Org.

Government spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than on repairing local potholes

THE Government spent 31 times more per mile maintaining motorways and A roads last year than they did on funding Councils to repair crumbling local roads, new Local Government Association (LGA) analysis reveals ahead of the Spring Budget.

New figures show that the Government spent £192,000 per mile on maintaining strategic roads, such as motorways or major A roads compared to just £6,000 per mile on fixing potholes on local roads.

This is despite local roads making up 180,000 miles of the UK's overall network, with strategic roads making up just 4,800 miles.

It would already take almost a decade and £12 billion to tackle our local roads repair backlog. The LGA is calling on the Government to use the upcoming Spring Budget to urgently provide Councils with additional funding so they can tackle repair backlogs and bring local road surfaces up to scratch.

Councils have faced significant increases in carrying out road repairs due to rising inflation and a shortage in material such as bitumen, with latest estimates showing it is costing some Councils up to 22 per cent more to repair a pothole.

Analysis by the LGA, which represents more than 350 Councils in England and Wales, has found that the Government could help Councils fill over 4 million extra potholes next year if they urgently meet these additional costs faced by Councils, estimated to be around £130 million.

As well as this, the LGA is calling on the Government to commit to introducing 5 year funding settlements for local road repairs, enabling Councils to plan for the future and make the best use of the money available.

Cllr David Renard, Transport spokesperson for the LGA said:- "All journeys by car begin and end on local roads, which make up the vast majority of our road network. Spending more on improving our motorways whilst neglecting crumbling local roads is counterproductive. Despite the efforts of Councils, which repair a pothole every 19 seconds, our local road repair backlog is rising, with latest estimates showing it would take over £12 billion and 9 years to clear. This coupled with soaring inflation is making it increasingly harder for Councils to keep our roads in good condition. The Government should use the Spring Budget to give Councils the funding they need to fix potholes and improve road surfaces for everyone that uses them."