Prohibition notice for pub breaching Coronavirus restrictions

A Pub in South Liverpool has been issued with a prohibition order after it was found to be open, in breach of Coronavirus restrictions. Licensing Officers were tipped off last weekend that The Orient in Speke was open, in contravention of Government orders last Friday night for entertainment, Hospitality and indoor leisure premises to close. The pub, on Eastern Avenue, was served with a notice yesterday to cease trading or face the possibility of an unlimited fine. It is the 1st pub in Liverpool to be issued with a prohibition order since the Coronavirus restrictions were introduced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The action by Liverpool City Council has been supported by Merseyside Police. A full list of premises that have to close due to Coronavirus restrictions can be found here:- Gov.UK.

City Manager Kevin Johnson said:- "The Government have been really clear that many places, including pubs and bars, should close as part of the measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and save lives. It is really important that landlords understand we will take action against them if we find they are opening in breach of the rules. They are there for good reason: to limit as far as possible the number of people getting the virus. They face the potential of an unlimited fine if we prosecute, as well as the possibility that we will review their licence. Where we receive evidence of premises opening illegally, we will investigate and take action, because they are acting irresponsibly and putting lives at risk."

Liverpool community policing Superintendent Diane Pownall said:- "We would strongly support the Local Authority in taking action against any licensed, or other, premises which are found to be in breach of Government instruction on isolation and social distancing. Some people may think they are doing no harm behind closed doors but in reality they are selfishly putting themselves, their families and their wider community at risk. Department of Health guidance is that the Covid-19 virus is spread by close human contact which is why social distancing and self-isolation has been introduced. We appreciate that business owners are feeling the financial impact of having to temporarily close their businesses but these rules are in place for the protection and benefit of everybody. I would urge anyone who is aware of any business which is in breach of the Government instruction to contact us so that we can take the appropriate action in order to keep everyone safe and healthy."

Quarrels in Quarantine - 2 in 3 Brits say working from home has already put a strain on their relationship

LET'S talk boundaries… At 1st, the prospect of working at home with your partner can seem exciting as you can spend more time together and sleep in for a few more minutes each morning. However, after a few days of being in 1 another's space all the time, your relationship dynamic may start getting a little tense.

CherryDigital.co, a London based public relations agency, conducted a survey of 3,800 Brits to find out how self isolation due to Covid-19; or Coronavirus; is affecting people's relationships across the UK. It was found that a large majority; 68%; of respondents say working from home every day has already put a strain on their relationship with their partner.

Part of the reason could be that 1 in 10 people surveyed who are working from home now say they do not shower or bathe every day (16% of men compared to 6% of women). Also, 15% of respondents say they do not get dressed out of their sleeping attire each day. Perhaps not the best combination for romance!

Moreover, 63% of Brits who are working from home with their partner say they do not have enough room to both work comfortably. Whether this is due to the lack of space inside your home or the amount of equipment you require for your job, it is difficult to find a comfortable place to work within a space designed for living.

Many of us are aware of the difficulty that could come with self isolation, however, some of us seem to be more prepared than others. The survey asked respondents which person in their relationship has taken the most steps to prepare for self isolation and 72% of women said it was them. This is compared to 52% of men who said they have prepared the most.

It can be challenging to continue to work as usual from home as compared to working from your office, especially considering the number of distractions you face; such as TV, children and pets. Despite these distractions, 61% of respondents say working from home actually increases their productivity!

If your partner knows what makes you tick and you're starting to feel like a time bomb waiting to go off, here are some tips on how to deal with the situation in a positive way:

If you find yourselves having to work in close quarters, you can each use a pair of headphones to zone out and forget your significant other is in the room. This will allow you both to get through your to-do lists and organise your thoughts without having the other person distract you.

Learn a new hobby together. Now is the perfect time to maximise bonding through activities such as cooking (buy your ingredients online to minimise contact) or learnth a new language.

Spend at least an hour per day on some sort of exercise routine. There are tons of at home workout videos available online such as yoga, HIIT, dance routines and pilates.

Ease additional stress by keeping your home neat and tidy by splitting up the household chores.

Are you working from home and finding it a strain? 

Liverpool Council gifts 1,300 free car parking spaces to NHS staff

THE Local Authority has confirmed that 1,000 free spaces have been allocated at the Mount Pleasant multi storey car park, with the remaining 300 spaces at various sites near to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. The City Council's parking services team have arranged for the free scheme to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, the Council has also offered the City's NHS Trusts and Hospitals its Victoria Street multi storey car park, which has 300 spaces, if required. A further 150 free car parking spaces have also been allocated to carers in the City. The announcement follows the Council's decision at the star of the week to suspend on street pay and display parking in the City Centre. The Council will take a further view on this new system in 12 weeks, or earlier if the Coronavirus situation improves. Parking restrictions denoted by yellow lines are still in force so the public are kindly reminded to park responsibly. In particular around any key buildings such as:- Hospitals, Care Homes, Police, Fire and Ambulance sites and Schools. The Council's Football Match Residents Parking Zones (FMRPZ) are not being enforced following the cancellation of Premier League matches, and this will continue until further notice. To protect the City's most vulnerable residents, new applications and renewals of blue badges can now only be made online via the Council's website. If people do not have access to a PC they are encouraged to ask a family member or friend to complete the application.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "Our NHS staff and carers everywhere are proving to be real heroes by putting their own lives at risk every time they go to work to help those suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The least we can do as a Council is support our nurses, doctors and carers by providing free car parking. We've already been providing free spaces for critical and emergency NHS staff at the Royal and am delighted we can roll this out to a much bigger number. We'll review these arrangements in 12 weeks, but if the situation changes we have more spaces to offer if they are needed."

Metro Mayor Announces 100% funding allocation for "ALL Adult Education Budget Providers within the Liverpool City Region" in response to Coronavirus

THE Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced that the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will pay 100% of agreed funding for all of the providers delivering its Adult Education Budget activities, through to the end of the academic year on 31 July 2020. The move is intended to provide stability and help to protect the sector during the current uncertainty created by the Coronavirus crisis. The decision goes further than national Government policy, which is that grant funded providers, namely colleges and Local Authorities, should be paid in full, whilst other service providers, of which there are 19 in the Liverpool City Region, should rely on the business support packages the Government has put in place.

Speaking about the decision, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "We have decided to pay out 100% of funding for all of our AEB providers because we know how vital the skills sector is to our economy, and how much more important it will be when we get through this crisis, whenever it ends. However long this crisis is, we know that it will create a huge economic shock to the UK economy. As we attempt to recover, ensuring that the people of our City Region have the right skills to thrive and help local businesses to recover will be more important than ever. By supporting our Adult Education Budget providers at this difficult time we will enable them to support their existing learners as well as the learners of the future."

Whilst all funding will be allocated, it will be subject to robust monitoring arrangements and any funding deemed to have been spent inappropriately will be recovered from providers. Under its devolution agreement, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority took control of its ₤51.3 million annual AEB funding in August 2019, which has enabled it to take this action.