Public meeting hailed
as major success
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs are hailing the recent ?Which Way Warrington? consultation conference a major success.
The borough council is now to consider the results of the evening and see how they can link them in to future decision-making on schemes and initiatives for Warrington.
Council leader Ian Marks said: “We feel that it was a great night. We achieved what we set out to do which was engage with people and encourage informed debate about the council, what it does and what people would like to see happen.
“I hope that those attended thought it was worthwhile. We’re committed to engaging the people of Warrington in debates about the future and this event is the start of a longer consultation process which we want to roll out.
It’s equally important that we feedback the results of that consultation and tell people what we’re doing as a result.” The conference was reported by Warrington-Worldwide on November 23.
But the council has now issued more details of the voting on the night, when members of the audience were able to use keypads to vote and see results displayed on a screen.
Hot topics on the agenda included the town centre, public transport, traffic issues, affordable housing, activities for young people, tackling crime, safety in the community, and care of the elderly.
Headline results from the voting showed:
Compared to a year earlier, 82 per cent are more concerned about the environment and 95 per cent either already recycle or would be prepared to recycle more and separate waste if the council collected it from households.
The top two options for making the town centre more vibrant were an attractive, accessible waterfront (42 per cent) and a clean, safe, low-crime environment (40 per cent).
On the issue of transport, 34 per cent of people said they would like to see more park and ride schemes and 43 per cent would spend more money on roads.
When asked what would be the best ways to reduce litter, 41 per cent said better education for children and 37 per cent heavier fines for dropping litter.
Parks and open spaces were important to people ? 72 per cent said it is important to have green spaces near to where they live.
The results of the consultation are being provided to everyone who attended and to members of the Citizens’ Panel.
Parcels company
bought for ?210m
by business staff
WARRINGTON-based parcels company Target has been acquired by Rentokil Initial for ?210 million to create the UK?s second biggest parcel delivery firm.
The combined business will handle 340,000 parcels a day and is not expected to shed many of the combined workforce of 8,000.
Target executive directors Petar Cvetkovic and Keith Broom will stay on with the new business.
The two businesses will start to merge operations around the middle of next year.
Target had a turnover of ?146 million and profit of ?17.3 million in the year ending in April.
The company was subject of a ?200 million management buy-out in 2000.
Students take on
technology challenge
by Gary Skentelbery
WARRINGTON students are taking on a technology challenge based at the groundbreaking Daresbury Innovation Centre.
Working in partnership with media production company Comworks, based at Daresbury Innovation Centre, it will provide hands-on experience of programme making for the students from Warrington Collegiate.
Pupils studying for a national diploma in multimedia and games technology are learning the skills of the broadcast production environment, from location filming to post production.
A pilot scheme between the Collegiate and Comworks got underway in March and now forms part of an on-going initiative to develop media talent in Warrington.
Will O?Neill took part in the pilot work experience has now achieved permanent employment with the company.
He said: ?It can be difficult for students to have a clear career direction. The experience which I received was definitely useful. There?s a lot of variety in the work I do here; web design, graphics and post production.?
Steve Bradbury, director at Comworks, added: ?Over the next five years the region can expect to see an unprecedented growth in media career opportunities and it?s crucial that we develop an industry-ready skillbase which can step into these roles.?
Aleksandra helps
in language survey
by Mark Hemmings
A WARRINGTON woman has helped to pioneer and promote the first ever language capability survey in the North of England.
Aleksandra Parker, of Thelwall, has played a key role in the Language Survey 2006, which aims to identify languages spoken, and how widely they are used with geographical breakdown, providing potential inward investors and employers with valuable data on available language skills.
Originally from Poland, Aleksandra is a business liaison officer at the Regional Language Network North West (RLN NW), a Manchester-based organisation which exists to promote the use of foreign languages in business.
Fluent in English, Polish and Russian, and conversant in Czech and Spanish, she appreciates first hand the importance of language skills.
Aleksandra said: “Living in the UK as a foreign national, I can easily recognise the value of foreign languages in business. Having seen the success of the Language Survey so far, I think there are lots of people out there who share my opinion.”
Everyone is invited to go online and complete the survey, as the more people who take part, the better the reflection of language skills will be. All North West survey participants are eligible to enter a free prize draw.
Aleksandra said: “The Language Survey is a very important study because data on languages has not been previously available. Businesses and inward investors can use this information to help them match their recruitment needs, which is obviously great news for the North West.”
Preliminary findings from the survey will be available free-of-charge to businesses looking to create opportunities in the North of England from December 12 and a full research report will be obtainable before the end of March 2007.
Planners to inspect
club car park
by David Skentelbery
PLANNING chiefs at Warrington are to inspect a car park built without planning consent at a sports club before deciding if it can stay in place.
Members of the borough?s development control committee are to visit Grappenhall Sports Club, in Stockton Lane, Grappenhall, where the hard-surfaced car park has been laid.
The club has put in a retrospective planning application, but Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council has lodged an objection.
They say the car park is unnecessary and is an intrusion in the green belt and a detriment to neighbour?s amenity.
But planning officers say the land has a history of use for parking associated with adjacent sports pitches which could continue largely without control. They say the hardstanding, with proposed landscaping, will be an improvement on the existing situation.
The club has recently undergone a major expansion, following the amalgamation on one site of Grappenhall Sports Club and Grappenhall Village Tennis Club.
Charity aims to raise
?4000 by recycling
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON-based charity The Relationships Centre could raise more than ?4000 by hitting a recycling target.
They must collect the 500 unwanted mobile phones, 500 used inkjet printer cartridges and 500 toner printer cartridges.
Marissa Hankinson, spokeswoman for The Relationships Centre said: “We provide a valuable service to the community and we are looking for schools, businesses and other organisations to support us in meeting this target.
?We will then receive the total value of these items that will allow us to continue to provide
a wide range of support services to people affected by violent, abusive or unhealthy relationships. We could get up to ?65 for a mobile phone and up to ?8 for printer cartridges.”
The scheme is operated by Office Green, the largest recycler of printer cartridges and mobile phones in the UK. It has helped charities, schools and other good causes raise millions through recycling.
Office Green can make collections on behalf of the centre via offices, schools or via any other collector and collection of items is free of charge.
Anyone who wants to help the Relationships Centre should call them on 01925 246910 or email [email protected]
[ 07.12.2006, 13:34: Message edited by: DS ]
