Consultation letter “a
waste of money” claim
by David Skentelbery
A LETTER sent to every resident of Warrington asking for views on the development of the town over the next 15-20 years has caused a storm.
Although the letter urges residents to give their views on the “Borough Portrait” and stresses the importance of people having a say, it does not contain a questionnaire.
Angry residents want to know how they are expected to respond to the letter, sent out jointly by the borough council and the Warrington Partnership – a group of public, private and voluntary sector organisations.
The letter does give the council’s web address – but visitors to the site claim the Borough Portrait is not prominently displayed.
Even when they find it through the site’s search facility, the files are so large that only people with super fast internet connections can download them.
One angry resident said: “It seems the council think that if you are not an internet user your opinion doesn’t count.
“The letter says it is ‘really important’ that people have their say. It says the views of children and teenagers are particularly important.
“It talks about full details of the Borough Portrait being available at libraries and on the council website but it makes no mention of any questionnaire.
“In fact it really gives no clue as to how people are supposed to respond to the letter.
“The whole exercise has been a complete waste of money.”
The Borough Portrait covers housing, transport and travel, jobs and business, health, community wellbeing, the environment and climate change and education, skills and training.
It highlights facts and figures about Warrington as it is today including:
Car ownership in the borough is higher than the North West average
More people aged 16-74 are economically active than regionally
Almost three quarters of people travel to work by car.
It also predicts an increase of 11,000 new households in the borough over the next 15 years – and provides the perhaps surprising information that air quality is generally very good.
Incomes are rising – but
top earners go out of town
by James Parr
WARRINGTON has levels of household income that are growing faster than the UK average according to a new report on the town?s economy.
The review, carried out by Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance and the North West Development Agency, concludes that residents of the town and the rest of Cheshire have a greater income than the typical UK household.
But the higher incomes are largely earned by people travelling outside the area ? particularly to Manchester and Liverpool.
People who work in Cheshire and Warrington often earn less.
Other findings in the report are that the working age population, in the 20-39 range, is declining faster than the UK average and is the fastest in the North West.
Distribution, hotels and restaurants – which includes retail ? is the joint largest employment sector in Warrington, with banking, finance and insurance and has also experienced the highest employment growth.
Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the North West Development Agency (pictured), said: “Cheshire boasts an impressive ?18.2 billion economy but this report shows that even more can be achieved.
?The NWDA and partners in Cheshire are working hard to ensure improved economic success with initiatives including South East Quadrant which will provide major new employment developments, the Economic Development Zone in Ellesmere Port which will reinvigorate the area and the Market Towns Initiative which is helping rural businesses.”
David Horstead, director of Strategy and Intelligence at Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance added: “This study confirms how crucial it is that economic, housing, transport and spatial planning are aligned in order to achieve economic success. CWEA and the NWDA will be working to bring together specialists in these areas to ensure that this happens and we address the above issues before they start to affect our economy.”
Man lured into alley
by girl – then robbed
by court reporter
A MAN was attacked and robbed after being lured into an alleyway on a promise of sex , Warrington Crown Court was told.
. Two men were hiding in the alleyway and punched and kicked him, knocking him to the ground, the court heard Michael Barr, 24, admitted theft and assault and was handed a six month jail sentence, suspended for a year.
Judge Janet Case told him: ?This was a very ugly incident.? Gordon Hennell, prosecuting, said 20-year-old Luke Albinson had been drinking with friends in Warrington town centre. He was walking home alone when he met Michelle Kennedy, 26, who started a conversation during which she made sexual suggestions.
As they were passing an alleyway she again suggested sex, in exchange for money. She led him towards the alley and he then became aware of two men. One was Barr, who dragged him into the alley and punched him to the ground.
The other man, Anthony Macdonald, 18, joined in the attack and he was kicked as he lay on the ground. He managed to get to his feet but was knocked down again and the woman took his wallet, which contained cards and about ?15 in cash.
After the offenders had run off, Mr Albinson went home by taxi. He went to police the next day and the same evening the three offenders were arrested after two police officers recognised them from their descriptions. CCTV footage established they had been in the area at the time of the offences.
Paulinus Barnes, defending, said Barr had played a lesser part in the offences than Kennedy and Macdonald who had appeared at an earlier hearing when they were jailed for eight months and six months respectively.
He was deeply ashamed of what he had done. At the time he was separated from his girl friend was involved in a culture of heavy drinking. But he was now again living with her and their baby , had a full-time job and was unlikely to commit further offences.
Judge Case said she was suspending the jail sentence because Barr had not been to prison before and appeared to have settled down with his partner.
Golf club jets off to
international tourney
by James Parr
MEMBERS of Lymm Golf Club jetted off to Italy to take part in an international tournament as part of the club’s celebrations to mark their centenary year.
As a result of the Society of 1907 Golf Clubs, which was initially set up by Lymm Golf Club, 15 of the club’s members were able to take part in the tournament which brought together 40 clubs from England, Ireland, Germany, France and even the Philippines.
Held over three days, players competed in Four-ball-better-ball and Stableford formats in the tournament held in Mennaggio, on the shores of Lake Como.
The eventual winner of the tournament was the host club Mennaggio and Cadenabbia, but all players participating at the event received a gift pack from sponsors Rolex, containing a souvenir book of Menaggio’s centenary, a shower-proof golf jacket, a polo shirt and logo golf ball.
All Lymm contingent extended their stay to the full week after the golfing had finished and the tournament was just the latest event held this year to mark Lymm Golf Club’s centenary.
Sleeping family
saved by alarms
by John Hendon
TWO women and a man escaped from a smoke-filled house at Warrington after being woken by their smoke alarms.
Fire chiefs say they could easily have died but for the two alarms fitted at the house in Leicester Street.
The fire was in a waste container in a ground floor room and is believed to have been caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
The house rapidly filled with smoke and the family, who were asleep in bed, were awoken by the alarms and escaped from the house and raise the alarm. Fire crews were soon on the scene and prevented seri
ous structural damage.
A Fire Service spokesman said: “The messages from this incident are that properly fitted alarms save lives – and that smoking materials should not be carelessly put in bins.”
Witnesses sought
after fatal accident
by staff reporter
POLICE have appealed for witnesses of a road accident which led to the death of a Warrington woman.
Pedestrian Dorothy Moran, of Padgate Lane, Warrington died in hospital on October 1 following the accident in Station Road, Padgate on Tuesday, September 11.
The accident also involved a motor cyclist.
Police are anxious to speak to anyone who may have seen the incident, which occurred around 3.50pm.
Anyone who can help should call PC Ian Stephenson 0845 458 0000.
A police spokesman said: “We believe there were quite a lot of people in the area at the time and that someone must have witnessed the incident.”
Standing ovation for the
three sporting tenors
MORE than 700 music fans turned up at Warrington Wolves? Halliwell Jones Stadium for the first Autumn Pops concert featuring the three sporting tenors
The concert, presented in association with Warrington Borough Council, featured John Innes, Philip O?Brien, and Tom Raskin joined by special guest soprano Michelle Crozier
They sang popular classics and up-lifting popular songs for an appreciative audience which gave them a standing ovation at the end resulting in three encores
The tenors – known collectively as La Boheme – have spent the last two weeks building up support for the ?Pops? by performing in the town centre
Dave Hutchinson, Wolves? director of commercial development said: ?It was a fantastic night
?A lot of the feedback we’ve had has been positive, with Liverpool Reserves, the Autumn Pops last week and the Northern Union fixture coming up – on top of encouraging season ticket sales, these are certainly exciting times at the Halliwell Jones Stadium,?
The Liverpool Reservies fixture drew a 3,000-plus crowd ? the highest for a home reserve game involving Liverpool for four years
‘Flu jabs arrive
at GP surgeries
by James Parr
PENSIONERS and others ?at risk? are being urged to make sure they have a ?flu jab to help beat this winter?s bugs
Over 65s and people with other medical conditions such as long-term lung, heart, kidney or liver conditions should contact their local GP to book an appointment
Warrington Primary Care Trust says ?flu is a serious illness for older people and people with serious medical conditions because it can lead to long-lasting complications, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, or even death
Vaccine is starting to arrive at local GP practices now ? and nationally it is believed it saves up to 5,000 lives a year
The vaccination is free for the over 65s and for residential nurses and carers at their GP’s discretion
Anyone unfortunate enough to catch a cold or ?flu is advised by the PCT to drink plenty of fluids, get plenty of rest and stay warm.
