Town Hall to decide on
“guaranteed” walks
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington have listed 13 walking days and festivals which should be guaranteed police and council support in future.
The list includes Warrington Walking Day, Civic Sunday, Regimental Sunday, Stockton Heath Walking Day and Lymm May Queen Festival.
But it omits century-old festivals such as Grappenhall Walking Day, Stretton Walking Day and Glazebury Gala ? all of which have been forced to cancel or curtail processions this year.
A criteria designed to end this year?s confusion over which events can or cannot go ahead will be presented to the borough council?s executive board on Monday, July 17.
It lists the following events which would be ?guaranteed? police and council support:
Warrington Walking Day, Civic Sunday, Regimental Sunday, Remembrance Sunday, St George?s Day, Penketh Carnival, Birchwood Carnival, Westy Carnival, Stockton Heath Walking Day, Padgate and Woolston Walking Day, Orford Walking Day, Appleton Bawming the Thorn ceremony and Lymm May Queen.
In a report to be considered by the executive board, chief executive David Whitehead says it is a difficult issue which has led to protracted negotiations to reach a pragmatic solution. The aim is to agree a process that will safeguard events in future.
Traditionally, the police have played a key role in making events on highways possible, by controlling traffic and ensuring the safety of those taking part. But they have become increasingly reluctant to carry out these functions because of the costs involved.
The alternative is to close roads with physical barriers such as cones, signs, crush barriers, etc., manned by non-police stewards.
But two events, held in comparatively light traffic conditions, were tried and in both cases, some motorists simply ignored all efforts to close the road and drove on the same stretch of highway as the procession.
?Given the number of children who participate in these processions, the motorists? behaviour was even more alarming,? said Mr Whitehead.
As a result, it was concluded these events could not be guaranteed to be safe unless backed by an actual police presence. But neither the council nor the police could afford the resources to support all events.
The only sensible approach was to agree a list of events that would be supported although, said Mr Whitehead, it was recognised that this involved ?rationing? support for events.
There were other possibilities for events not on the ?approved? list, including changing routes to make managing them less costly. Less police presence would be needed and more events could be funded from the same budget.
But no event could be supported if it was not properly organised and insured.
Objectors fail to block
four-storey flats plan
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall planners at Warrington have given the go-ahead for a four storey block of flats for vulnerable young people ? despite furious opposition from nearby residents.
The 38 supported housing units for youngsters aged 16-25 who require training in independent living and life skills will be built on the site of John Morris House, off Mersey Street.
Warrington?s development control committee approved the proposals, put forward by Arena Housing, after hearing the occupants of the property would be under 24-hour supervision.
Nearly 100 neighbours had lodged objections on the grounds of anti-social behaviour.
But the committee was told the building would have a training centre and the occupants would receive in-house learning programmes, individually tailored action plans, life skills sessions and basic skills provision.
Councillors also heard Arena would be contributing ?106,000 for sports facilities, ?6,000 for footpaths and ?15,000 to provide CCTV cameras.
Following the decision, local councillors Yvonne Fovargue and Paul Kenny are seeking assurances from Arena that issues raised by residents will be addressed.
Coun Fovargue said: ?Some residents raised understandable concerns regarding the social issues that may arise from this development. I have received assurances that staff will be on site 24 hours a day to deal with problems and that they will proactively work with councillors and the local community.?
Coun Kenny said: ?I have pressed Arena Housing to include respect for their neighbours and community responsibility in the education programme they will provide for their young residents as I believe this should be an integral part of any life skills course.?
School a “hive
of activity”
by Terry Johnson
THE school standards’ watchdog has given a very positive report on Christ Church CE Primary, Padgate, where lessons and activities were “full of challenge, interest and fun”.
OFSTED inspectors were impressed with the quality of teaching and learning and the ‘exceptional’ standards achieved by year-6 pupils in English, maths and science.
But they also pointed to the need for closer focus on attendance levels – to help the Warrington school improve further.
The inspectors found Padgate primary to be “a hive of activity”, both during day-time lessons and also its after-school clubs.
Pupils were involved in a lot of charity fund-raising.
“This demonstrates the exceptionally good way in which pupils learn about and contribute to their community”, state the inspectors’.
Head teacher, Ian Williams, said: “We are delighted with this report and also encouraged. I am particularly pleased that the good standards of academic achievement and the way our children think of others rather than themselves has been recognised”.
Repair work goes on
at school hit by storm
by John Hendon
WORK is continuing to repair flood damage at a Warrington school following the torrential rain which hit parts of the borough on Wednesday evening.
Rainwater cascaded in through the roof at Ravenbank Primary School, in Pepper Street, Lymm, bringing down sections of the ceiling.
A parquet tile floor in the main hall was also badly damaged by the floodwater and the school was unable to open on Thursday or Friday.
Education chiefs are at present unable to say when the school will re-open – but it will not be before Wednesday at the earliest.
A spokesman said: ?Our priority is to make the sure the school is safe and clean for the children to return.
?We had people on site dealing with the problem within a hour of the damage being caused and work has been going on ever since.? A parents evening was in progress when the storm broke, flooding parts of the school with two or three inches of water. Carpets in parts of the building were ruined and there was damage to fixtures and fittings.
But no-one was hurt and the main structure of the building remained intact.
The freak storm caused damage in other parts of Lymm, with at least a dozen flooded homes in Camsley Lane, Warrington Road, High Legh Road, Burford Lane and Pepper Street. There was also some flooding at Lymm High School in Oughtrington Lane.
A number of homes suffered flooded basements which required to be pumped out by the fire service.
The Woolston area of Warrington also suffered severe flooding.
Two firms wound up
“in the public interest”
by staff reporter
TWO Warrington-based companies have been wound up ? ?in the public interest? – following an official probe into their business activities.
The Companies Investigation Branch of The Insolvency Service found the firms misled the public with false statements about their tanning and cleaning franchises.
Tan Kwik (UK) Ltd supplied tanning equipment franchises and Kwik Jet(UK) Ltd sold cleaning service franchises at a cost of between ?20,000-?60,000.
They used a call centre at Westbrook to refer customer sales to their franchisees.
But they did not base claimed potential earnings on perf
ormance or pilots of their franchises. As a result, sales figures were ?not commercially or realistically achievable?.
The investigators also found that Tan Kwik(UK) Ltd based its figures on 100 per cent rentals – an unsustainable claim in view of the seasonable nature of the franchise.
The company failed to keep adequate records of its spending.
The probe revealed that the companies continued to make claims about potential earnings when it was known, or ought to have been known, that franchises were not performing at this level.
The Official Receiver was appointed in May and the companies have been compulsorily liquidated.
Townsfolk asked
for their views
by staff reporter
TOWNSPEOPLE are being asked their views on local issues, ranging from how road casualties can be cut to providing decent homes.
Decision-makers want the fullest input from Warrington people on matters like regeneration, waste minimisation, culture and leisure, youth justice and the secondary education review.
Details can be found on the borough council’s web site at www.warrington.gov.uk/council/scrutiny/default.asp
