Mayor Rotheram welcomes reductions in red tape for the Hospitality sector

LIVERPOOL City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has welcomed Government plans to slash red tape for the Hospitality sector in a boost for the City Region's vital visitor economy.

Tourism is worth over £6bn a year to the City Region economy, with 73,000 people employed in the visitor economy, in nearly 6,000 businesses.

Plans include:- a landmark pilot that could see more alfresco dining and later opening hours in London, as the Mayor of London is granted new:- "call in" powers to review blocked licensing applications in nightlife hotspots.

If the pilot is successful, these powers are expected to be rolled out to all Regional mayors.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "Our pubs, bars, restaurants and music venues are more than just places for a night out; they're vital to our economy, supporting thousands of jobs and helping to bring life and investment into our Town and City Centres. In the Liverpool City Region, our visitor economy is now worth more than £6bn with Hospitality alone supporting 53,000 jobs and nearly 1 in 10 of our businesses; but it's still feeling the aftershocks of the pandemic. Cutting red tape and giving local leaders more of a say in supporting our nighttime economy is a really welcome move. We know that businesses are facing an uncertain time at the moment but Hospitality is a sector with real potential to drive growth. It's good to see the Government recognising that fact, and drawing on the Liverpool City Region's experience and expertise in this space to help drive national change. With central Government working in close partnership with mayors, we can unlock that potential, building a stronger, more dynamic visitor economy that delivers jobs, investment and opportunity in communities right across the country."

Liverpool City Region Associate Director; Culture, Claire McColgan CBE, has joined some of the biggest names in the Hospitality and entertainment sector to work with Government to rapidly explore and evaluate better licensing options for businesses right across the UK.

Claire was the architect of the groundbreaking:- "Liverpool Without Walls" programme, introduced to protect the Hospitality sector during COVID, which made it easier for bars and restaurants to offer outdoor options, enabling them to keep trading.

And Claire was instrumental in supporting other parts of the country, including:- London, to implement their versions of the scheme.

Speaking about this announcement, Claire McColgan CBE, Liverpool City Region Associate Director; Culture, said:- "Liverpool is a great example of sectors working together with purple flag status and a City Centre BID working hand in hand with the Council. Our COVID response with the transformative £6m economic impact of:- "Without Walls" was simple and cost effective with a great legacy, and demonstrated how we do things differently. Being a part of this group will enable me to explore what would work for us in the Liverpool City Region. We know that resources are really tight for local authorities so I look forward to working with our business and cultural partners to look at solutions that drive business whilst also supporting Councils with their growth objectives."
 

"Father's Love Letters" a solo show by Henrietta Ackah-Joyce

However, finding time to pursue her own artistic leanings often had to take a back-seat from the demands of the classroom and it is only recently that Rita has been able to step away from education and finally devote all her energies to following her passion:- "Since retiring I have immersed myself in various art forms. Fortunately, living in the wonderful the coastal Town of Southport allows frequent opportunity to enjoy combining exercise with beach combing and meditation. However, living close to 2 Cities, Manchester and Liverpool also affords me wonderful opportunities to observe City life with all its complexities, beauty, and rawness. Furthermore, the countryside is literally on the other side of my fence and I am able to take regular walks to marvel at God's creation. I am always inspired by Nature and experiment freely through a variety of mediums where I can express my love of colour, shape, line, irregular and regular pattern, and texture. Using photography, jewellery making, glass fusion, Collage and fluid art, I create abstract art which reflects the world around me."

In particular, fluid art has increasingly become an investigative means of translating her research. Rejoicing in the endless creative possibilities, it is the spontaneity and unpredictability of the brushless technique that fascinates Rita:- "This technique involves the use of a pouring medium mixed with acrylic paint or mica pigments or inks. The acrylic paints react with each other when combined to make interesting and visually organic motifs. Over the past 2 years I have enjoyed extending my fluid art into creating functional art such as clocks, jewellery, wine glasses and I am presently trialling poured art on garments and accessories."

Rita's enthusiasm to seek out new artistic challenges not only took over her life, but also her house:- "This resulted in a very cluttered home filled with art canvases, paints and paintings. Fortunately, I found studio space above the ArtHouse gallery and discovered the Southport Contemporary Arts community of fellow artists that has been a Godsend. Joining SCA has opened a wonderful world of inspirational, supportive and like-minded fellow artists."

Evidence of Henrietta's latest free-flowing exploits will be on view at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, Southport, from:- 15 April to 3 May 2025.  Plus there will be 2 opportunities to meet with Rita at the ArtHouse, on:- Wednesday, 16 April, from:- 2 pm to 4 pm, and Friday, 2 May 2025, from:- 2 pm to 4 pm.