Council tax rise
to be double
rate of inflation
by David Skentelbery
HOUSEHOLDERS in Warrington face a 4.9 per cent increase in Council Tax – more than twice the rate of inflation.
Members of the borough council’s executive board have approved the rise – which equates to about ?43 for the average Band B house.
A meeting of the full council will make the final decision later this month but it is almost certain to confirm the executive’s recommendation.
Finance chief John Morris stressed that Warrington’s would be within the Government’s guidelines and that the town would still have one of the lowest levels of council tax in the country.
But after the meeting, Liberal Democrat leader Coun Ian Marks said: “It is a big year on year increase – and it is still more than twice the level of inflation.”
He also predicted a “huge stealth tax increase” after the General Election, with Council Tax bills rising by at least 7.5 per cent next year.
Coun Morris said Warrington, historically, had a low level of council tax. Last year, only five authorities out of a total of 83 metropolitan and unitary authorities, had a council tax rate lower than Warrington.
Without an increase, the council would face an unfunded deficit of ?3.922 million.
Coun Colin Froggatt, executive member for Social Services, said at the same time as having one of the lower rates of council tax in the country, it was one of the best in the education and Social Services rankings.
“We are in the top 20 in the country – and we do this with one of the lowest Council Taxes,” he said.
Coun Marks said the Government should “come clean” about the huge stealth tax rises which would be necessary after the election.
He said: “A double council tax bombshell is coming down the track after the election. In 2006 council tax bills across the country will rise by at least 7.5% according to analysis by the Local Government Association.
“In 2005 they will be kept artificially low by a ?1 billion bribe to councils ahead of the election. This ‘one-off’ grant will not be repeated. Without this bribe, council tax in Warrington would go up far more than the five per cent guideline the government has laid down.
“Secondly some people will face massive council tax rises because of revaluation. Council tax is currently based on property values in April 1991 but the government is updating its valuation figures to take account of changes in property prices since then. New council tax bands will be based on property prices as at 1 April 2005.
“Some people will see their tax bills rocket, just because their house prices have increased. Where you happen to live has nothing to do with your ability to pay. The Government should come clean about this.
“Council tax was unfair when the Conservatives brought it in. Labour’s revaluation will make it worse. It’s time to scrap it. A Local Income Tax would be much fairer way since it is based on people’s ability to pay.”
Children compete in the
“Yellow Woods” challenge
by Lesley Wilkinson
YOUNGSTERS from Warrington schools are hunting for old Yellow Pages to send for recycling as part of a project that could see them winning cash prizes.
They are competing in the 2005 Yellow Woods Challenge, which was launched at St Thomas CE Primary School, Stockton Heath. It is an environmental campaign run by the Woodland Trust and Warrington Borough Council.
Children are being encouraged to learn about recycling and woodland conservation through recycling mascot Kirk, teaching materials and a video. They are being urged to bring old Yellow Pages directories to school for recycling into corrugated cardboard.
The schools that collect the most directories win cash prizes from Yell, publisher of the directories. For every pound awarded to schools a matching pound will be given to the Woodland Trust to support its tree-planting campaign, Tree for All, to enable hundreds of schools to plant native saplings in their grounds.
Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, said: “Since 2002, more than half a million school children have taken on the Yellow Woods Challenge. This year, we expect 300,000 pupils across the UK to have fun recycling Yellow Pages directories and learning about the environment with Kirk.”
Coun Terry O’Neill, Warrington’s executive board member for environment and regeneration, said: “This is the second year that we are recycling Yellow Pages directories with schools.
“We hope it will become something teachers, parents and pupils all look forward to in the school calendar. It not only keeps old directories out of landfill, but will also help us deliver lots of other recycling messages to schools,” he added.
Directories can also be recycled at the Recycling and Household Waste Centres in Warrington.
College students give a
taste of healthy living
by John Hendon
COLLEGE students at Warrington have been giving the public a taste of healthy living.
Students from health, catering, sports and aromatherapy courses at Warrington Collegiate gave out information on contraception, pregnancy, stress management, smoking and breast and testicular cancer to visitors at their annual health fair.
Helen Robson, health studies lecturer and joint organiser of the event, said: “This has been a really good joint effort by students from all disciplines of the college.”
Catering students were on hand to give out fresh fruit smoothies and promote healthy eating. Dan Clifford, a first year Catering Course student, said: “People need to eat more healthily and today we are trying to make them aware of that”.
Health care companies, local gyms and the NHS also took part in the event.
Elegance Beauty Salon of Lymm was on hand to give free facials and offer advice on skin care to students and staff.
Karen Taylor, owner of Elegance said: “I have had a really enjoyable day meeting all of the staff and students of the college.”
Regional youth music
festival for town
by Lesley Wilkinson
MORE than 450 young musicians, singers and dancers will take part in a Music for Youth Regional Festival in Warrington on Saturday March 5.
The youngsters, aged between six and 18 from all parts of Cheshire and from other areas including Liverpool and Manchester, will perform in the event at Great Sankey High School between 2pm and 5.45pm.
The event is one of 60 regional festival’s throughout the country and is held in collaboration with The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and with funding from Youth Music.
Sixteen groups of young musicians are performing at Great Sankey, including two from the school – a concert band and a swing band.
Other groups from Warrington are Broomfields Junior School’s Junior Voices, a samba band, Escola de Samba, Hey Pedro a jazz combo from Penketh High School, samba band, Samboteler, from Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School and Woolston Community High School Choral Group.
More than 42,000 young musicians, singers and dancers will take part in the festivals and the best 300 groups will be invited to perform at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham in July.
The best 30 groups will be invited to perform at the Music for Youth Schools Prom Concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, London in November.
Operations still being
cancelled after fire
by David Skentelbery
SOME planned surgery is still not taking place at Warrington Hospital, following the fire which blacked out part of the hospital at the weekend.
Repair work to underground cabling is still going on and is expected to take most of the week.
Although back-up generators are now supplying the power needs to enable the hospital to function safely, they are not able to provide sufficient capacity for all operating theatres to be brought back into use.
Director of Nursing and Service Development Kath
Holbourn said: “We deeply regret the inconvenience to patients and would like to thank them for their understanding.
“Patients will be notified in good time if their surgery is to be postponed and they will be offered an alternative date to come into hospital.” Kath explained that wherever possible, outpatients are still being seen and patients requiring emergency treatment are largely unaffected.
Patients requiring intensive care will be stabilised and transferred out to other hospitals and those already in hospital and in need of a CT scan will go to Halton Hospital.
A full investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.
The fire broke out late on Friday morning, resulting in a loss of power to one surgical ward from where 34 patients were transferred to other parts of the hospital. Eight patients requiring intensive care treatment were transferred to other hospitals and the accident and emergency department was closed, with patients being diverted to other hospitals.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones has congratulated hospital staff for their hard work in getting the hospital functioning again after the fire. She has promised to contact Health Secretary John Reid and seek assurances that the hospital will not be penalised for not meeting targets because of the fire and to ask him what assistance the Department of Health can give.
Broadband deal brings
high-speed internet
by business reporter
A GROUNDBREAKING deal, completing the roll-out of high-speed broadband services throughout Cheshire and Warrington, has been signed.
The announcement by broadbandCONNECT, a regionally-based project funded by the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA), and BT will see the remaining six exchanges in the region switched-on for broadband by the summer.
This will mean 100 per cent of homes and businesses will be served by a broadband-enabled exchange in line with broadbandCONNECT’s aim of making the region one of the most e-enabled in the UK by next year.
Cheshire currently has a take-up rate of 18.9 per cent, ahead of the national average (17.6 per cent), and catching up with London London (23.1 per cent). By the summer, every home and business in the region will be able to take full advantage of the benefits high-speed, always-on communications can bring.
Work to upgrade the six exchanges will begin immediately and they will all be enabled for broadband by July 1, 2005. This enablement programme is in addition to work being carried out at exchanges that have already been given broadband switch on dates by BT, and would not have taken place without broadbandCONNECT support.
broadbandCONNECT Rural Infrastructure Project manager Colin Prout, said: “With BT already rolling out broadband to exchanges serving some 98 per cent of the population of Cheshire, our priority has been to find a solution to get broadband into the smallest exchange areas that were not included in their existing plans.
“This new contract brings broadband to 100 per cent of the areas’ exchanges, and places Cheshire as the leading broadband shire county in England. This is important because we know that demand for broadband in these areas is high as rural communities increasingly rely on the internet for keeping in touch, organising local events and community projects, as well as banking, shopping and booking holidays.”
The six-exchange project is groundbreaking because two broadband technologies are being installed at the same time, providing businesses served by these exchanges the opportunity of having broadband which both sends and receives information at high speed.
“There’s no hiding place”
– court fugitives warned
by staff reporter
“THERE is nowhere to hide”- that’s the message being given to people who have failed to attend court.
The warning from Cheshire Police comes as officers turn up the heat on fugitives as part of an initiative to bring those people who have skipped bail to justice. And the Force is not alone – the national campaign is taking place across all of the 42 local criminal justice areas.
Aim of Operation Turn-Up is to reduce the amount of outstanding warrants and place victims and witnesses at the centre of the criminal justice system. When a person due to appear before court fails to turn up it de-rails the criminal justice process, it causes unnecessary stress for victims and witnesses and wastes the courts time.
Warrants are issued when a person does not appear in court on a given date. Across the county officers are locating fugitives from justice and putting them before the courts. When they appear before the court they will be dealt with immediately for failing to appear and may receive a custodial sentence.
Chief Inspector Dave Bertenshaw, Warrington’s operations manager said: “Defendants who are due to attend court should make sure they turn-up.
“You can’t hide. Save yourself the embarrassment as officers will find you whether you are at home, your place of work, or even out socialising and we will take you to face justice at court.”
He added: “If you have failed to attend court, surrender yourself now as credit may be given to you for handing yourself in when you do appear before the court.”
