Support for Mothers and Babies Achieves Gold

SUPPORT for breastfeeding mothers in Blackburn with Darwen to help ensure babies get the best possible start in life has achieved a coveted international award. Health Visiting Services in Blackburn with Darwen have recently been awarded the Gold Standard Baby Friendly Award by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. This means that families in the borough can rest assured that the best standards in practice are in place. The services provide parents across the borough with the best possible care to build close and loving relationships with their babies and to feed their babies in ways which will best support health and development. Following assessment by UNICEF, the service was handed the award as a way of recognising that best practice standards are in place.

Naomi Quinn from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Health Visiting Services in Blackburn with Darwen, said:- "We're delighted by this achievement. The verbal feedback from UNICEF was that the service is exemplary at a national level. This is a fantastic achievement and the team should be very proud of the workforce they are doing. We joined Forces with UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative and we have been on a journey over the past few years to increase our breastfeeding rates and promote positive, loving relationships in families. We know breastfeeding helps massively to protect and improve both the physical and mental health of both mum and baby and so we have prioritised enhancing the skills and knowledge of our staff as well as looking how local communities can get involved. We want to ensure the support we provide our families in Blackburn with Darwen is evidence based, of a high quality and families are at the centre of all we do."

Health Visiting Services in Blackburn with Darwen are run by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust's as part of its 0-19 Universal Service offer. Set up by UNICEF (the United Nations' Children's Fund) and the World Health Organisation, the Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme that provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies.  In the UK, the Baby Friendly Initiative workforces with public services to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, and strengthen mother baby and family relationships. Support for these relationships is important for all babies, not only those who are breastfed.

Unlicensed landlord hit with ₤50k bill

A Liverpool landlord has been hit with a fine of almost ₤50,000 for failing to license properties which were rented by students. Trophy Homes Limited, based on Sandown Lane in Wavertree, failed to license 9 properties, 5 of which were Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO's). They included homes on Scotland Road, Durning Road, Wellington Avenue and Clint Road West in the City. At a hearing at Liverpool Magistrates Court, on 27 February 2020, District Judge Andrew Shaw described the company as a "profitable" outfit that was fully aware of both Landlord Licensing and the HMO Licensing Scheme. He issued a fine of ₤5,000 property, plus the Council's costs of ₤3,500, bringing their total bill to ₤48,500.  The Government recently turned down an application for the City Council to continue a City wide scheme for another 5 years, and discussions are now under way around submitting a revised bid. However, the HMO Licensing Scheme is a mandatory licensing scheme and properties now have to be licensed if they have 5 or more people living under 1 roof. Since 2015, Liverpool City Council's Private Sector Housing Team has carried out over 37,000 compliance actions, issued more than 2,500 legal and fixed penalty notices and prosecuted almost 250 landlords. This has resulted in those falling foul of their legal obligations being fined approximately ₤385,000 following Court proceedings, and approximately ₤250,000 in fines from Civil Penalty Notices. Information regarding the licensing of HMO properties can be found on Liverpool City Council's website.

Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, said:- "Although we are reviewing the next steps regarding Landlord Licensing following the Government's decision not to approve our scheme, it remains the case that ensuring HMO's are licensed, fully compliant with their licence conditions and comply with all associated legislation remains a vital part of our functions as a regulator of housing standards across the City.  We will continue to robustly enForce HMO licence conditions whilst simultaneously informing landlords of their responsibilities regarding the licensing of their properties."