Warning to be vigilant following reports of drink spiking incidents in Nantwich

Subject: Warning to be vigilant following reports of drink spiking incidents in Nantwich

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This is a message sent via The Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (England & Wales). This information has been sent on behalf of Cheshire Constabulary

(Please do not reply directly to this email, please use the Reply button at the bottom of this message)

Message sent by

William Harris (Police, Senior Media Officer , Chesh Engagement Unit)

Police are investigating a series of alleged incidents that appear to be linked to drink spiking in the Nantwich area.
A number of incidents have been reported to Cheshire police, and officers are currently investigating the circumstances.
Patrols have been stepped up on peak evenings to offer reassurance and a visible presence to ensure revellers can enjoy their evening safely. Officers are also engaging with Leighton Hospital, North West Ambulance Service, local taxi drivers and staff at licenced premises to raise awareness and encourage reports of vulnerable people to be made to the police.
Crewe Local Policing Unit Chief Inspector Gareth Lee said: “We have taken a number of calls in the last week reporting incidents that are thought to be linked to possible drink spiking. We are taking these reports seriously and, working closely with local licensees, we’re conducting a thorough investigation into each.
“At this point we are trying to establish the full circumstances, but I would remind everyone that Nantwich still remains a safe and enjoyable night out for the vast majority of people.
“Thankfully, incidents of this nature are generally rare but they can and do happen so I would urge anyone who is planning an evening in the town to be vigilant and stay safe.”
Tips to help avoid falling victim to this type of crime include:
• Keep a close eye on your drink at all times, and never leave it unattended
• Do not accept drinks from strangers – ensure you know exactly what your drink is and where it came from
• If drinking from a bottle, keep your thumb over the top
• Stay among your friends and look out for each other
If you suspect that you or a friend has been targeted, or you have witnessed anyone acting suspiciously in this way, please contact Cheshire police on 101. If you someone you know is experiencing the effects of a spiked drink, call 999 immediately.

CEC Leader’s reaction to Prime Minister’s conference speech:

 

Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones has welcomed the Prime Minister’s promise to build a further 200,000 affordable homes, as outlined in his keynote speech today.

The Borough, which is hailed the ‘best place to live in the North West’ for the second year running, has re-branded itself as a major contender for growth since its inception in 2009.

The Council is confident its bid to host an HS2 transport hub at Crewe will see an extra £3.5billion plus investment into the Borough, with neighbouring councils set to benefit also.

More jobs mean more homes will be required and the authority is already gearing up for opportunity to deliver plan-led growth through its many initiatives and investment programmes.

Councillor Jones said:  “We are already delivering low-cost homes as part of our development growth plans and it’s important to have the right homes in the right place at the right price.

“We are looking to supply low-cost homes to the market through our Affordable Homes Company.

“The Prime Minister’s promise to deliver the backbone of what this Borough needs – in terms of housing to support our rapid growth and to help the more vulnerable in society – is welcome news.”

“The Prime Minister’s speech leads the way forward to tackle the problems of today – emphasising our social liberalism. In simple terms: everybody matters and everybody now has hope and everybody should be safe and must be safe – and that is what we heard today.

“The details are bigger than the words. Cheshire East fully supports the prioritising of safeguarding, the prioritising of housing and prioritising of creating opportunity for all – and we are looking forward to helping achieve and implementing the targets signalled in the Prime Minister’s speech today.”

Freecycle Alert

Subject: Action Fraud - Freecycle Alert

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This is a message sent via The Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (England & Wales). This information has been sent on behalf of Action Fraud (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau)

(Please do not reply directly to this email, please use the Reply button at the bottom of this message)

Message sent by

Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)

Fraudsters are targeting online advertising platforms where items are acquired for free. The fraudsters will list items on the website and advise any purchasers that they have recently moved from the area they were originally living in and can arrange a courier to dispatch the items for a fee.
The payment requested for this service is usually via Money Transfer such as MoneyGram or Western Union, or an e-money voucher. The items they were promised are not received and any attempts to contact the individual to gain a refund are unsuccessful.
Protect Yourself:

• Stay within the auction guidelines stipulated on the website.
• Ask to view the item in person.
• Be cautions of making advance payments to a stranger via Money Transfer or e-money products.
• If the item advertised seems too good to be true, it probably is.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

Crewe by the Wistaston Singers.

Reporter  Jonathan White, Wistaston

The Wistaston Singers performed a fund-raising concert on the evening of Saturday 26th September 2015 at the Parish Church of St Andrew on Bedford Street in Crewe.

Phil Houghton was the Musical Director and also introduced each song and soloist. The programme included soloists Fred Allman, Chris White (ukulele), Phil Houghton (church organ), Ann Farrington (piano) and Jane Hale (flute). Fred Allman, Linda Walker and Liz Wood were involved in various duets.

The choir sang Sound ye Trumpets (Clarke), Get Me to the Church on Time (Lerner & Loewe), My Fair Lady compilation (Lerner & Loewe), Can You Feel the Love Tonight (John), Flying Free (Besig), Deep Harmony (Parker), You’ll Never Walk Alone (Rodgers), tribute to Queen compilation (Brymer), South Pacific compilation (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Love Changes Everything (Lloyd Webber) and A Clare Benediction (Rutter).

The audience were invited to participate in If You Were the Only Girl In the World (Ayer), Singin' in the Rain (Freed), You Made Me Love You (Monaco), Jerusalem (Parry) and Cwm Rhondda (Hughes).

Refreshments were served during the interval. The £185 raised at the concert will go to the Church restoration fund.

Musical Director Phil Houghton said, “We were delighted to sing at St Andrew’s Church and thank them for their hospitality. It was an evening that was enjoyed by all and we thank everyone for their support.”

The Wistaston Singers remaining concerts this year are at Port Sunlight on Saturday 7^th November and a Christmas Concert at St Stephens Church, Gainsborough Road in Crewe on Saturday 12^th December (3pm).

The Wistaston Singers were originally formed by members of the choir at St Mary's Parish Church, Wistaston in May 2000 and now number over forty members singing four-part harmony music. The choir perform a variety and eclectic choice of music ranging from choral church music and anthems, Gilbert and Sullivan items, music from the shows, music from modern composers such as John Rutter encompassing from the 15th century to the 20th century. They perform up to five concerts a year at various venues in south Cheshire. The choir is also available to perform at weddings in the area. The choir rehearse weekly in the parish rooms of St Mary's Church, Nantwich on a Wednesday evening from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. New members are welcome and further details may be obtained from Choir Secretary Jill Oakes, Tel: 01270 662940 and email:jillandjohnoakes@uwclub.net

Benefit cheats ordered to repay £15,000 fraudulently claimed in scams

 

Two fraudsters who falsely claimed more than £15,000 in benefits between them have been successfully prosecuted by Cheshire East Council.

The pair will now have to repay in full all the benefits they claimed by deception.

Amanda Edge, of Marshfield Avenue, Crewe, pleaded guilty before South and East Cheshire Magistrates Court, sitting at Crewe (on September 30, 2015), to falsely receiving housing benefit, Council Tax benefit and Council Tax support totalling £7,565 to which she was not entitled.

Edge, 44, had claimed the benefits on the basis that she was on a low income. However, an investigation by Cheshire East Council’s benefit fraud investigation team found she had not declared to the authorities that her income had increased – and had fraudulently claimed the benefits for more than four years.

Magistrates sentenced Edge to complete 60 hours’ unpaid community work. She was also ordered to pay £575 court costs and a £60 victim’s surcharge and will have to repay in full the overpaid benefits.

In a separate prosecution, Jenna Goodall, of Harrison Drive, Crewe, pleaded guilty before Crewe magistrates (September 23), to obtaining housing benefit to which she was not entitled.

Goodall, 28, had falsely claimed the benefits saying she was on a low income. However, an investigation by Cheshire East Council’s benefit fraud investigation team discovered she had failed to declare an increase in her earnings.

In failing to declare this, she was overpaid state benefits totalling £7,571.

Magistrates ordered Goodall to pay a fine of £495, prosecution costs of £500 and a £49 victim’s surcharge. In addition, she will have to repay in full all the benefits she fraudulently received.

Both prosecutions were brought by Cheshire East Council’s legal team.

Councillor Les Gilbert, Cheshire East Council’s Cabinet member for communities, said: “We are an enforcing Council and we are committed to stopping people from unlawfully helping themselves to taxpayers’ money.

“Benefit fraud will not be tolerated. The defendants in these cases thought they could get away with claiming benefits they were not entitled to – but they were making a very big mistake and will find themselves worse off as a result.

“They have ended up with criminal convictions for a serious offence of dishonesty and now each face a big bill to repay the money they have fraudulently claimed.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards benefit fraud because we are determined to ensure that the benefits system works for people who really need help.”

Since January 1 this year, Cheshire East Council has uncovered more than £890,000 in benefit fraud and prosecutions have led to 30 criminal convictions.

The Council has also imposed 24 penalty notices and issued 24 cautions. All the fraudulently received monies are being recovered and repaid by the offenders.

If you think someone is committing benefit fraud, you can ring the confidential freephone fraud hotline on 0800 389 2787. You don’t have to give your name and your call will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Alternatively, you can report suspected fraud via the Council’s website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk

MP’s 165th Bulletin

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this, my 165th news bulletin.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the switch-on of fibre-optic broadband services to homes in Hunsterson, one of the growing number of communities that have benefited from the Government's plans to extend superfast broadband connections to as many homes and businesses as possible.
The Government and local councils like Cheshire East are investing £1.7 billion of public money to bring these fast connections to places that would otherwise miss out. In August, it was announced that we had reached 3 million homes and businesses in the UK, over and above those already reached through commercial roll-out programmes.
I thought you might like to know what progress we have made in our local area. Crewe and Nantwich is part of the Connecting Cheshire programme, which has been allocated more than £6.1m of government funding for the first two phases of the Superfast Broadband Programme.
In Crewe and Nantwich constituency there are 49,984 homes and businesses. Of these, the estimate is that currently 45,046 premises have benefited from superfast coverage through commercial roll-out.  A further 3,585 will receive it by June 2017 under the taxpayer-supported programme, of which 2,988 have received coverage so far.
In the three months to June specifically, 1,172 premises gained broadband coverage as a result of the Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 projects, in postcodes across CW1, CW2 and CW5 – swiftly followed by the homes served by the ‘remote node’ I visited in Hunsterson.
That’s great news for residents who have already been connected, and a big step towards 100% complete coverage for our area.

Edward Timpson MP
Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich
Please remember, you can always contact me directly if you have any questions for me, or if there is anything I can do to assist you.

Since my last e-mail, I have...

• Attended this year's biggest-ever Nantwich Food Festival, and congratulated Deborah Robb and her team of organisers, who have made the event such a great success.
• Unveiled the brilliant artwork created by the pupils of Hungerford Primary Academy for the newly-refurbished waiting room at Hungerford Medical Centre
• Taken my family to the first 'Crewe Chronicle Family Fun Day', organised by our local newspaper and supported by a fantastic selection of local groups, performers and businesses.
• Met with Daid Terry, Principal of the new Crewe University Technical College, which is now accepting applications from young people for admission in September 2016.
• Visited Sir William Stanier School, to catch up with students and staff.
• Met with Alison Ross, Police Inspector for the Crewe LPU, the local policing unit that covers Crewe and Nantwich.
• Visited Ruskin High School, where I was pleased to be a guest at their Macmillan coffee morning, which raised more than £830 for this important charity.
• Held two of my regular constituency advice surgeries - remember, you can get in touch if you would like to speak to me about any issue of concern.

Photo: New waiting room at Hungerford Medical Centre
I was pleased to officially open the refurbished waiting room at Hungerford Medical Centre, including the unveiling of this artwork by the talented pupils of Hungerford Primary Academy, whom the practice commissioned to brighten up the area.

Parliamentary expenses watchdog apologises for mistake
You might have read recently that IPSA, the agency that scrutinises MPs' expenses wrongly included me on a list of MP debtors. IPSA's Chief Executive wrote to me to apologise for their mistake and to set the record straight, for which I am grateful.
Read more:

• Crewe Chronicle: Expenses watchdog apologise to Edward Timpson over 'bill error'
• Nantwich News: Nantwich MP Edward Timpson receives apology over debt error

Photo: Cheshire MPs meet police chief constable and commissioner
With other Cheshire Members of Parliament, I met Chief Constable Simon Byrne and PCC John Dwyer in London recently, to talk about the work that is going on across the County to keep our crime rate as low as possible.
You can get updates from our local police in Crewe and Nantwich by following @PoliceCrewe on Twitter, and if you have any concerns about crime or community safety locally that you would like me to look into, I would be very happy to take them up with our police force.

MP backing Royal Mail dog attack campaign
MP Edward Timpson has backed Royal Mail’s Dog Awareness drive, following news of 11 attacks on postmen and women in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

Bentley gearing up for £40m expansion
Bentley Motors has submitted the first planning application for its multi-million pound expansion plans, creating 300 new jobs at Pyms Lane.

Citizens Advice services praised
Edward Timpson MP has praised staff and volunteers at Crewe Citizens Advice. Edward met people from across Citizens Advice at a recent event in London.

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Leader of Cheshire East welcomes business rates boost for Councils

 

The Leader of Cheshire East Council has warmly welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement that Councils will be able to keep more of their business rates.

Councillor Michael Jones said the announcement was ‘excellent news’ for business-friendly councils like Cheshire East and will boost revenues to invest locally.

Local authorities in England will be able to keep the proceeds from business rates raised in their area under plans unveiled by Tatton MP George Osborne at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester yesterday (Monday).

Councils will also be able to cut the rate and some will be able to raise it. Mr Osborne said councils would hold on to £26bn, calling it the ‘biggest transfer of power’ in recent history.

They currently keep up to 50 per cent of the rates with the rest going to Westminster.

The Local Government Association said the move was ‘good news’.

Councillor Michael Jones, Cheshire East Council Leader, said: “This is excellent news and something we have been seeking for some time.

“It means pro-business councils like Cheshire East get to keep more of the business rates that they generate locally – and work hard to attract – and invest it in our local communities. It will be a virtuous circle and we can only gain from this arrangement.

“Cheshire East Council has the largest number of small and medium sized businesses in the North West and contributes significantly as one of the economic powerhouses of the north and for the UK.

“This authority has created the right conditions to attract private sector investment, jobs, growth and business confidence. This announcement will help us to build on this success and invest even more into the local economy and continue to put our residents first.

“We have been delighted to be at the forefront of the Chancellor’s pilot scheme to encourage and incentivise growth in local businesses and work alongside Greater Manchester to trial this.

“We embrace innovation and greater devolution of power to the regions and local authorities and have a strong commitment to delivering economic growth and prosperity for Cheshire East.

“This initiative will help to attract further investment, jobs and opportunities for the people who live and work here.

“This will become all the more important as we move towards more devolved government. Cheshire East is at the forefront of helping to drive economic growth, job creation and business confidence in the North West.”

Cheshire East Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority are already part of a government pilot scheme for full retention of business rates growth that began on April 1, 2015.

Cheshire East currently collects around £130m in business rates and keeps just 27 per cent – around £40m

The Council receives formula grant from government totalling £50m plus around £30m of other grants. The change announced could mean circa £5m-£10m of new financial benefit to Cheshire East.

Shops, offices, factories and businesses currently pay a uniform business rate set by central government.

Councils collect the tax and send the funds to the Treasury, which then redistributes them so that areas with fewer businesses do not lose out. Since 2013 local councils have been able to keep up to half.

Central government currently takes in about £11.5bn in business rates nationally and redistributes £9.4bn in grants.

Mr Osborne said the change, due to be in place by 2020, would mean cities and communities no longer would have to go to the Government ‘with a begging bowl’.

CEC Cockup of the week

As predicted at weekend the yellow lines the council spent a week painting in Underwood Lane a week ago have now been covered as the new road surface is applied today. So a total waste of tax payers money and cockup of the week

South & Mid Cheshire Tennis League

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The Winter 2015 matches of the South & Mid Cheshire Tennis League are progressing well. 

Local teams participating include Audlem, Hightown, Nantwich, Wistaston and Wrenbury. 

Wistaston A, who play in Winter Division 3, have got off to a fantastic start with 3 wins out 3 in their first 3 matches. They won their most recent match 7-1 away at Kelsall. Their captain is George Raiswell, aged 14, and a year 10 pupil at Shavington Academy. George said, "It is an honour to captain and play in the A team for my village. I hope we can carry on winning this season."

The top team and bottom team in each division will be promoted or relegated respectively. From January 2016 these teams will form the Spring league. 

Fixtures, results and tables are updated during the year via the League website: http://www.smctennis.co.uk

Council moves to bring regeneration to Crewe pool site – and preserve historic facade

 

Cheshire East Council is to seek a developer to revitalise the Crewe swimming pool site as part of its ambitious plans to regenerate Crewe.

And the Council’s preference is for proposals that would retain the current building’s classic Art Deco façade.

The swimming pool will be relocated to the new purpose-built lifestyle centre in Crewe town centre in spring 2016. This leaves the current 1.154-acre public swimming pool and gymnasium site surplus to requirements and a drain on taxpayers to maintain. The Council has therefore decided to sell the site. 

The lifestyle centre is a flagship Council project that will provide an impressive range of leisure and community facilities, including an eight-lane 25m pool and top-class fitness suite accessible for everybody in the community.

The marketing process is expected to begin shortly after the Council has formally approved the redevelopment strategy to enable a smooth transition to the new use as soon as possible following the swimming pool re-location.

The Council is seeking to maintain the historic architecture of the town where possible and will therefore be encouraging proposals that retain the existing Locally Listed building or its landmark 1930s façade. 

The Council will actively seek proposals from interested parties who can meet this aspiration while also providing a viable use to complement the immediate area, current planning policy and needs of the local community. 

It is expected that any redevelopment will enable investment to boost the local public amenities, especially the neighbouring Council-owned children’s playground and park.

Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member in charge of regeneration and assets, said: “This Council is committed to improving the living environment, leisure offer and public amenities in Crewe and is investing heavily to deliver a town centre that is worthy of its local residents.

“Clearly, if it is possible and economically viable, we would favour a redevelopment that could preserve the historic pool building façade. However, we have to balance this aspiration with getting the best amenities for local people and ensuring a development that is viable.

“Our commitment to Crewe and its people has seen us already secure millions of pounds of investment for the town centre through the new Lifestyle Centre and the university technical college, which will both open in 2016.

“There is also the prospect of significant investment and growth should Crewe be selected for a new HS2 North West gateway rail hub.

“We are keen to work with developers in Flag Lane who share our vision for Crewe. It is our passionate belief that we can forge a role for the town that is based on it being a vibrant and attractive destination for people to spend quality leisure time together.”

Specsavers Crewe Complaint

On the 10th Sept a customer went for an eye exam and hearing test to Specsavers in Crewe. The first problem was one he raised 2 years ago your taken into a room off the reception area with no door. The girl then reads out all your details from the pc these being personal details so everyone in the waiting area can hear your medical and other details. This is in breach of the Data Protection Act were you supposed to keep details secure not share it with everyone waiting.

He was then given the hearing test which took 10 mins and the girl said it didn't work so that was a waste of my time.

He then saw the optician during the test she tested his eye pressure twice and she said his left eye pressure was very high and showed this with her hands. She didn't explain what that meant other than mentioning glaucoma and possible brain tumour but said she would book and urgent appointment at the hospital.

He then discovered that he could die from a brain tumour or go blind. he has spent a horrendous couple of weeks thinking he will die or be blind soon. Do you have any idea how distressing that is you have to try and put things in order in case you die soon.

He spent 5 hours at the hospital and they are not happy. They had the test from Specsavers and the first thing they said was there is no high pressure its perfectly normal so they couldn't understand why he had been sent to waste everyone's time. He was subjected to tests on his eye and they found nothing wrong and were going mad that their time and resources had been wasted when there was clear evidence from the opticians test there was no high pressure.

This has been the most distressing couple of weeks of his life and at 67 years he doesn't need this type of worry.

A complaint was raised via the Specsavers Website and also an email to the CEO. What is interesting that he had 2 replies from two separate people and both were the same word for word. So this isn't a personal response but canned speech, it doesn't address any of the problems or say what they intended to do about the matter. The fact the Data protection has been going on for over 2 years shows little regard for people's privacy.

You must remember that its law that they keep your data safe. This is a serious breach and to make matters worse the manager range the customer and discussed his medical details without checking he was speaking to the customer by verifying his identity

Others have passed comment of the fact they never seek informed consent for what they do. They just say put your head here and you will see dots. Informed consent means you tell people what the machine will do and what its purpose is and if it will be painful like the pressure test. People going along with it as they feel under pressure to have it done and it can be argued by putting your head there you are giving consent.

Specsavers canned response

Thank you for your email concerning your experience at the Specsavers practice in Crewe, which we received today.

I was concerned to read of your dissatisfaction with the customer service and your experience at Specsavers. We do pride ourselves on our professional and courteous service and we are sorry if on this occasion this has not been met.  Please accept our apologies. 

It is our aim that Specsavers provide the highest level of customer care attainable and we very much appreciate that you have taken the time to write.

Each Specsavers store is owned and managed by one or more directors who are responsible for the day to day running of their practice and the professional service provided. I have forwarded your email to them and requested that they contact you directly in due course in order to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

Once again on behalf of Specsavers thank you for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention.

They don't take into account that this man for 2 weeks thought he was going to go blind or die and he wasted 5 hours of his life going to the hospital. You can't tell someone their eye pressure is to high and not explain what could be the problem . Failing to do that and answer any questions means people will then search the internet to get the information which may be alarming.

Imagine if you had taken a child and they had sent them to hospital with explaining to you what it was properly how much would you suffer for 2 weeks only to find that the hospital say there is no problem. It wasn't explained that the pressure like blood pressure can vary depending on what you have been doing, if you ran to the doctors your pressure may be high and very normal.

CEC Big Cockup

CEC spent a week putting nice new yellow lines all down Underwood Lane. But this week signs went up they are going to resurface the road on Monday. Speaking to the contractors I asked what about the line will they be covered up. Yes was his reply its a cockup by the CEC You couldn't make this up could you

Council will be tough on breaches of new smoking legislation

 

New laws on smoking come into effect today (Thursday) and Cheshire East Council intends to be tough on enforcing measures to protect children and young people.

From today anyone caught smoking in a car carrying a child under 18 or who sells electronic cigarettes or e-liquids to a person under 18, can be prosecuted.

Cheshire East Council is throwing its full weight around the ‘Stoptober’ campaign to encourage smokers to quit the habit.

Cheshire East Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Heather Grimbaldeston, is urging all Cheshire East residents who smoke to make a determined effort to quit this month during the Public Health England stop smoking campaign.

She said: “Research has shown that quitting even well into middle age will help smokers to avoid most of the risk of developing cancer.

“More than 90 per cent of health risks associated with smoking can be avoided if people give up smoking at a young age.

“We welcome the new legislation aimed at protecting young people from passive smoking and from the risk of becoming tobacco smokers via the route of vapour smoking.

“But above all, we would like to see people kick the habit altogether.”

Cllr Les Gilbert, Cabinet member for communities said: “While it will be the responsibility of the police to take action against motorists, the Council’s enforcement officers will have powers to investigate and prosecute traders selling e-cigarettes to under 18s.

“The jury is still out on the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes and, as a Council we do not wish to see our young people harmed by this practice or taking up tobacco smoking as a result.”

Smokers interested in quitting the habit are urged to call the Freephone number  0800 085 8818 today or visit the Kickstart Cheshire website for further information.

They can also visit the Public Health England web site at www.nhs.uk/smokefree

New £45m life sciences fund launched at Alderley Park

 

A new £45m life sciences fund has been launched in Cheshire East.

Cheshire East Council was part of the partnership team that announced the launch of the new fund to support growing businesses in the region’s burgeoning life sciences sector.

The announcement was made at the Biocap 2015 conference at Alderley Park Conference Centre today. The Greater Manchester and Cheshire Life Sciences Fund has already raised around £30.7m – and this is expected to grow to around £45m.

The fund, raised by Manchester Science Partnerships, Cheshire East Council, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, Greater Manchester Combined Authorities and managed by fund managers Catapult Ventures, offers a source of risk capital to local SMEs to drive the growth of innovative young life sciences businesses across the North West region.

A successful bid by the Greater Manchester and Cheshire and Warrington LEP secured £20m of Government funding, which has been matched by private sector investors – and is expected to reach more than £45m.

Cheshire East Council has invested £5m in the fund. A minimum of £10m of the total fund will be invested in Alderley Park, with a further £8m ringfenced for the wider Cheshire and Warrington area.

As important source of capital for Cheshire based businesses, Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council said: “This is a great achievement for Cheshire East Council and our partners and is a clear sign of our commitment to growing the already world-class life science cluster in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.   

“We look forward to working with the team at Catapult Ventures to achieve real benefits for companies in Alderley Park and across Cheshire more widely. This is great news for the whole region and strong evidence of the Northern Powerhouse in action.”

Rowena Burns, chief executive of Manchester Science Partnerships, said:  “The life sciences industry is amongst the fastest-growing sectors of our economy and is flourishing in the North West.

“Our goal is to work with our businesses to support their next stage in growth, by reducing their risks and accelerating successful innovation. We know that investment into early stage SMEs can make the world of difference in shortening the journey from idea to commercial reality.

“This new fund is just part of our commitment to the region’s wonderful life science entrepreneurs. We have already started to think about how we can extend the scope and size of the fund by attracting further investors and making Greater Manchester and Cheshire and Warrington an internationally important centre for life sciences.”

The Fund will fill an important gap in the funds available to early stage businesses, help to drive their early growth, and create additional high value employment opportunities in the area.

Clare Hayward, board member of Cheshire and Warrington LEP, said: “Cheshire and Warrington is one of the fastest growing economies in the UK and the growth of its thriving life sciences sector will play an important part in achieving our aims set out in our Devolution Growth Bid to Government – to deliver a £50bn economy by 2040.

“This fund will support small businesses to accelerate their growth and development, creating jobs and attracting new businesses to benefit from the world class facilities Cheshire and Warrington has to offer.”

The fund is now actively seeking funding opportunities and will be announced in due course.

In July this year, Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a £5m fund to kick start a new research programme in pharmaceuticals and life-science technologies at Alderley Park during a visit to the research centre.

The Tatton MP said the best of the UK’s businesses, scientists, clinicians and engineers will work side-by-side in the new ‘catapult in medicines technologies.’

The programme will further boost the economic recovery of Alderley Park and play a key role in the bioscience element in the vision for the Northern Powerhouse.

Cheshire East Council has a 10 per cent stake in the Manchester Science Partnership which aims to build on Alderley Park’s international reputation as a centre of excellent in the world of bioscience and life science research and development.

Crewe to host first ever Help to Buy Show Cheshire

 

The Help to Buy Show will offer free advice for home hunters

Cheshire’s first Help to Buy Show is coming this October and Crewe will play host to this one day event for prospective homeowners.

Taking place in Crewe Hall on 10 October, the event is aimed at anyone looking to buy their first home or take the next step up on the property ladder in Cheshire.

Hosted by government-appointed agent Help to Buy North West, Plus Dane, the event will provide a unique opportunity for hopeful buyers to find out about the affordable home ownership schemes across the region, all under one roof.

Sandy Kelly, Head of Help to Buy North West, says: “This event is a must visit for anyone considering their next steps on the property ladder. Whether they are first time buyers or second steppers, this great event pulls together expert advice from all areas.

“Attendees will have access to guidance on the government Help to Buy schemes, including Shared Ownership and the Help to Buy equity loan as well as legal advice from the region’s leading solicitors and impartial financial information at hand from a wealth of financial advisors. It’s a rare opportunity for potential buyers to get their questions answered all in one place.”

The event will also showcase the hundreds of homes available throughout Cheshire, and introduce forthcoming developments from leading house builders.

The government’s “Help to Buy” equity loan scheme makes it possible to buy a new build home with just a 5% deposit and there are other different schemes available which give prospective buyers an all-important helping hand.   

Sandy further commented: “The Help to Buy scheme continues to be a massive success, as recent figures show more than 120,000 homes have been bought under the government supported schemes. We want to continue supporting aspiring home owners, and the Help to Buy Show Cheshire is a key part of this.”      
People wishing to attend the show should register online for their free ticket. Visit www.helptobuyshow.com

Council takes major steps forward toward bold scheme to transform Crewe town centre

 

Cheshire East Council has taken major steps towards realising a bold new scheme to transform Crewe town centre.

The authority has announced it will start the process to appoint a developer to work with it to create a mixed-use town centre development on part or all of the Royal Arcade site. 

The Council’s preference is for the site to include leisure attractions, such as a new larger cinema and restaurants.

This follows on from informal discussions with developers over the summer, which has given the Council confidence that there is a strong interest in Crewe from developers and investors.

The Council is also proposing to create a new stakeholder panel with an independent chair – similar to one established for Macclesfield – to play a key role in overseeing redevelopment of the Royal Arcade site as well as other aspects of Crewe town centre regeneration.  This will help ensure plans are informed by local knowledge and opinion

Today’s announcements follow the decision of the Council in April to purchase the Royal Arcade site, which includes the bus station and 26 retail units along Queensway and Victoria Street.

This bold move followed years of speculation since plans for the Delamere Place retail and office scheme stalled in 2009. 

Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said of today’s decisions: “The redevelopment of the Royal Arcade site is pivotal for Crewe and it will set a benchmark for future schemes for other town centre sites. It is important that we get this right for the people of Crewe to give them a town centre they can be proud of – and we will.”

This Councillor Don Stockton, Cabinet member in charge of regeneration and assets, said: “We’ve already secured millions of pounds of investment for the town centre through the new Lifestyle Centre and the University Technical College, which will both open in 2016. There is also the prospect of significant investment and growth should Crewe be selected for a new HS2 North West gateway rail hub.

“This is the latest piece in the jigsaw and builds upon strong interest expressed from leisure operators, who share our vision for Crewe. It is our strong belief that we can forge a role for the town centre that is based on it being a vibrant and attractive destination for families to spend quality leisure time together.”

Cllr Stockton added: “We are keen to work with existing occupiers within Royal Arcade and will look at all options including the potential for bringing in a development partner to ensure that any scheme balances viability with our aspirations that this site can act as a significant catalyst and bring even more investment into the town. 

“The Council held an extensive consultation with local residents and businesses – called ‘Your Town Your Choice’ – on our regeneration delivery framework, to ensure we’re making the most of our key assets and opportunities in the town centre.

“The responses showed a strong endorsement of both our overall vision and the regeneration objectives of the framework.”

The full results of the public consultation will be published in the next few weeks.

The Royal Arcade site includes Crewe bus station and units on the west side of Queensway and the south side of Victoria Street, which include BHS, Santander and Wetherspoon’s.

The Council has already committed to support several major projects to unlock the potential of Crewe, revitalise the town centre and boost the surrounding local economy.

These include: proposals for a HS2 hub station – which would generate £10bn of investment and 100,000 new jobs along the M6 corridor around south Cheshire and North Staffordshire; the £6m acquisition of the Royal Arcade site; and the completion of the new £15m Crewe Lifestyle Centre for people of all ages.

Letter for publication from the Leader of Cheshire East Council:

 

Dear Residents,
I recently returned from China, following a ministerial visit along with the leaders of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle councils.
China is the second largest economy in the world and will grow by the size of Germany's economy again in the next ten years.
China is a wonder of achievement, building 17,000 km of high-speed rail in the last ten years and skyscrapers that dwarf New York’s.
So why did I go? Firstly, to support the Northern Powerhouse,  it is essential that we rebalance the UK economy as London overheats and the North has the skills base and appetite to attract investment into our growing economies.
Cheshire is the gateway to the Northern Powerhouse and we are already doing well with record low levels of unemployment and our companies are doing well – very well – and that is an important message I took to China. I believe that Cheshire has the best economy in the North, especially with our northern science corridor and our manufacturing excellence throughout the borough.
One of the key sites that the trip marketed was the Alderley Park bio-science park, which went down very well with potential investors.
Once the decision on the HS2 northern hub is announced, hopefully at Crewe, then there will be a whole range of new sites across Cheshire and potentially Staffordshire that could attract investors from China.
China, as the major exporting economy to the world, has billions of pounds worth of foreign currency to invest as well as a market of 1.5 billion people for our companies to sell into.
Because of the trip, Cheshire East was introduced to many key investors  and, for many of our companies, we have started a process they will be able to utilise to attract investment – and that should mean more jobs, more wealth across the borough.
It was an exhausting trip, three cities and six flights in six days – but it does illuminate the scale of opportunity for our employers and, potentially, to the Council.
The final message I give is that it was amazing to see how quickly major investment decisions can be made – and delivered – in China.

I do not, of course, suggest that we copy their approach, but it is nevertheless impressive and does show what people and a nation can do when they put there mind to it. I do support this kind of energy and delivery. However, a plan-led approach and thorough public consultation is the right way for us here in the UK.
So, a fascinating six days, lessons learnt and questions posed. We will need to think more about the opportunities but it was well worth a visit and hopefully the start of more jobs and wealth for the whole of Cheshire East and beyond.
Michael Jones