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St Helens Chamber
Launches New
Business Awards
St Helens Chamber is pleased to announce the launch of the first Awards dedicated to the successes of St Helens Businesses. Entries open Friday 26th January and will run until midnight on Tuesday 3rd April. Businesses and schools across St Helens can enter eight categories including: • Small Business of the Year • Export Business of the Year • Best Use of Technology • High Growth Business of the Year • Education and Business Partnership Award • Excellence in Customer Service • Commitment to People Development • Apprentice of the Year The Awards are open to businesses of all sizes and sectors and are free to enter. Tracy Mawson, Deputy Chief Executive at St Helens Chamber, commented: “We are delighted to launch the first St Helens Business Awards that will truly recognise the strength and diversity of businesses in our Borough. Through a broad range of business categories we will recognise that best of the businesses that St Helens has to offer. “We will also be giving them the opportunity to gain this recognition on a national platform, with the award winners being put forward to the national British Chambers of Commerce Awards, providing fantastic opportunities for national publicity and an Awards Ceremony in London. “I would encourage all businesses big and small to enter and join us in celebrating your success.” The Awards will be held at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Thursday 17th May. Tickets are available at £30+VAT for Members and £40+VAT for Non-Members. For more information and to download your entry form visit www. sthelenchamber.com/businessawards call 01744 742028 or email events@sthelenschamber.com
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St Helens Council awarded almost
£2.5 million in New Homes Bonus The recently announced New Homes Bonus allocations for 2018 to 2019 confirm that St Helens Council has been awarded £2,414,610 under the Government incentive scheme. In St Helens, 401 new homes were delivered last year with over 20 per cent of those being affordable homes. Introduced by the Government in 2011 to support and reward local communities for new housing development, the New Homes Bonus is based on the number of additional homes, including those brought back into use, added to the Council Tax register. The scheme was designed to ensure that the economic benefits of housing growth are returned to Councils and communities where that growth takes place. Over the previous five years from 1 April 2012 until 31 March 2017 a total of 2,461 homes were completed in St Helens. Of these 78 per cent (1,927) were on previously-developed, brownfield land. Cllr John Fulham, St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth, said: “St Helens isn’t the biggest borough but it is the second most popular place in the City Region, behind Liverpool, for new homes growth. These homes do not stand empty and the sheer number of people buying new homes here is a statement of confidence in the future of St Helens. “Nearly 4/5ths (78 per cent) of new home are built on recycled brownfield land, helping to limit the impact of growth on the environment, and our draft Local Plan will also see over 60 per cent of new homes built on recycled brownfield land. “The
New Homes Bonus grants the council an immediate cash boost, helping to deliver more new homes for residents and provide the services our residents deserve and expect, at a time when our central Government grant will be cut by £507 per person by 2020. “New homes are just one way we
aim to fund services, alongside new jobs in logistics and manufacturing, and our regenerated town centres in St Helens and Earlestown. Only by going for growth can we secure a prosperous future for our businesses and residents.” Recent large-scale housing developments include
Waterside Village, Eccleston Grange and Vulcan Place – providing over 1,500 new dwellings – and there have also been numerous small-scale, bespoke developments. This range of housing includes properties for rent and purchase in desirable locations across the borough, with a mix of sizes, from one and two bedrooms for first-time buyers, affordable homes and more expensive homes with four bedrooms and above.
Council tax rise agreed to deal with pressures
on vital council services
St Helens Council has agreed to increase council tax by 5.99 per cent for 2018-19 to help protect essential services. At Wednesday (28 February) evening’s fullcouncil meeting at St Helens Town Hall, members agreed the budget and council tax rate for 2018-19 which will see council tax rise by 2.99 per cent – the maximum increase without the need of a public referendum under revised Government regulations – with the additional 3 per cent Social Care Precept. Central Government has required councils like St Helens that provide adult social care to increase council tax by up to an additional 3 per cent in 2017-18 and 2018-19 to contribute towards these services. Despite being the 36th most deprived local authority area in England, St Helens has been hit hard by Government cuts over the years having lost well over 50 per cent of central funding since 2010. Over the next two years, the council will face further funding cuts totalling £9m, resulting in funding cuts of £90m over the ten-year period which equates to £507 less per person to spend on services than 2010, and has led to changes in the way services are delivered. Commenting on the need to raise council tax in order to meet the required savings, St Helens Council Leader Barrie Grunewald said: “I know this will be difficult for local tax payers to accept, but the additional resources - while relatively small - will protect those services provided to our most vulnerable residents. “We are committed to protecting services for the most vulnerable in St Helens and those services valued by our residents. However there are some hard choices we will have to make but these will be consulted upon, and the consequences will be considered before any decisions are taken.” Looking ahead to the future after setting this year’s budget which he described as being ‘aligned with the long-term version of the borough’ - Councillor Grunewald added: “This budget is the second year of the council’s three-year
budget set out last year, and continues For more information on the budget, c o u n c i l - f i n a n c e - p e r f o r m a n c e / the focus on our bold vision for the visit: www.sthelens.gov.uk/council/ council-budgets/ borough; a borough-wide growth strategy which will provide the jobs and opportunities the people of St Helens deserve. “We have established an Ambassadors programme which brings together key figures from business who have a shared vision for the borough and are working together to promote the benefits of St Helens as a place to establish and grow businesses.” Councillor Grunewald continued: “We have launched the town centre plan and secured ownership of Church Square Shopping Centre with a view of long-term development – and set about producing master plans for our area centres to capture the potential for sustainable growth they possess. On top of this, we are working to support the development of logistics developments along the key road and rail networks. “And finally, we have set an ambitious timescale for full integration of health and social care by recruiting our first director with joint responsibilities for both areas – while establishing a ‘People’s Board’ which now oversees the development of the integrated services. “All this has been achieved while responding to the massive budgetary challenges forced upon us by the Government.”