St Helens First magazine Spring 2017

HOW YOU CAN HELP US

St Helens Council’s community magazine

PAGE 11

ST HELENS’ BUDGET CHALLENGE 2017-2020

Spring 2017

YOUR COUNCIL TAX EXPLAINED PAGE 8-9

PAGE 14-15

BREAKING POINT

AN IN-DEPTH AND UPFRONT LOOK AT THE COUNCIL’S BUDGET POSITION sthelenscouncil |

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 1

2 St Helens First | Spring 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk

St Helens Council’s community magazine

Spring 2017

Welcome an unprecedented level of budget cuts. Merseyside Police has lost ÂŁ84 million with 1,600 officers and staff posts deleted. Merseyside Fire Service has lost ÂŁ26 million with a third of fire appliances gone, and the health service, although not directly cut, is experiencing pressure from an increasingly aging population.

CONTACT US Online: www.sthelens.gov.uk Email: contactcentre@sthelens.gov.uk Telephone: 01744 676789 Minicom: 01744 671671 Download the free, handy app – search St Helens Council on your app store. Or visit our Contact Centre, Wesley House, Corporation Street, St Helens, WA10 1HF. Please contact us to request translation of council information into Braille, audio transcription or a foreign language.

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St Helens Council Leader’s column Cllr Andy Bowden Acting Leader of St Helens Council

W

elcome to the Spring edition of St Helens First.

This edition has been dedicated to keeping you informed of the council’s financial position. As a council we are currently facing one of the most turbulent times in our history.

We’ve already lost £74 million of Government funding from our budget since 2010 with an additional £20.6 million of savings to make over the next three years, as we respond to significant cuts in funding we receive from central Government. In total, our funding to spend on services in St Helens by 2020 will be £90 million less than in 2010.

And it’s

not just us – the whole of

the public sector is experiencing

As a council, we’ve already lost more than 1,600 staff and have dramatically reduced the number of services we provide. However, the pressure we face not only comes from reduced funding, but also from increases in; the amount of children and young people needing care or some form of protection, the number of children with disabilities or severe learning difficulties and the ever increasing numbers of elderly people in need of social care as our population continues to age.

The next three years (2017-2020) will be the toughest yet for the council, and possibly the borough, as we seek a further ÂŁ20.6 million of savings.

This is particularly hard when we have already made most of the efficiency savings in previous years. There is no longer any slack left in the system.

Our approach is to be honest about what this will mean. If you have less money to spend, then you can provide fewer services. It’s as simple as that.

It also means being more open about how council finances actually work.

From 2020 the amount of money

provided to St Helens Council by Government will almost all be gone.

The main funding available to protect

St Helens Council does not warrant the accuracy of any description or statement, and does not endorse any product or service contained in any commercial advertisement featured in this publication. environmentally-friendly paper.

6

the borough. We are expected, as a borough to be self-sufficient. It means encouraging more rate paying business and increasing Council Tax so that essential services can be maintained.

It also means we must explain Council Tax better. As a council we must legally provide certain services, such as caring for the elderly, or keeping children safe. Your Council Tax is a contribution to meeting the costs of these services which the council has a statutory duty to provide.

Over the next few months we will be reviewing some of the services we offer such as libraries, waste collection and school crossing patrols – we may have to charge for services that were previously free or carry out services less often. There can be no doubt that services will be greatly affected, although we will do all we can to protect vital services to those with the greatest needs – vulnerable children and adults.

We’ve got some tough choices ahead but we will continue to consult with local people and listen carefully to what you tell us, so together we can find the best option for St Helens’

future. You can go online at www. sthelens.gov.uk/budget to find out more about our budget challenge.

Features

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vulnerable children, care for the elderly and maintain the roads will be your Council Tax and business rates generated from businesses in

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16-19 22-23

How your council is funded The cost of care Volunteers matter

News

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24-25 St Cuthbert’s glowing

Ofsted report 27 Archery club targets

new members 28-29 The best upcoming events

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Budget Challenge

What does your council spend its income on?

Your council provides a wide range of services from cradle to grave and every stage in between, many of which we take for granted every day.

St Helens has a growing population, which is currently 177,612 people in 82,000 households. Each year St Helens Council delivers hundreds of services to each and every one of them, helping to look after the local area and working to improve the lives of local people.

Your council is not only obliged to deliver local services but must also aim to balance the budget each year to pay for these services.

In order to pay for services council’s receive income from Council Tax, business rates, from fees and charges and from central Government by way of a grant.

We are legally required to provide a number

You probably know that your council does things like collect your bins, fix potholes,

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of statutory services including adult and children’s social care, where the cost of that service depends largely on the number of people in need. There are also services which we legally have to provide but it is not specified how we deliver them such as waste collection, road maintenance and library services. Some services are discretionary, meaning they are services that a council can choose to provide but does not have to, like

leisure services, pest control and parking – and we can charge for these services.

maintain the parks and keep the streets clean, but most importantly we also provide life changing support for older people, people with disabilities and children who are in need of care, amongst many other services.

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What are the budget pressures?

Like many other councils across the country, we’ve been hit hard

by Government cuts. Since 2010 we’ve had our central funding reduced by by 58% - that’s some £74 million of savings. This has led to big changes in the way our

services have been delivered.

have Over the next three years we will to face further funding cuts totalling ÂŁ15.6m. With inflation and other cost factors added on this will mean we will need to find a further ÂŁ20.6m of savings by 2020.

That’s £90 million of funding cuts over the ten-year period which equates to £507 less per person to spend on your services, than we did in 2010. That’s a much bigger cut than authorities in the more wealthier parts of the country.

4 St Helens First

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Budget Challenge

What are the demand pressures?

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west averages, resulting in a greater impact In addition to the cuts to our budget it from welfare reforms and inequalities is also costing us more to provide local across wards. services due to increasing demand and The simple truth is we can no longer continue rising costs.

to pay for all the services we have traditionally St Helens has population causing aging an provided. We must prioritise resources pressure on health and social care services towards those services which we are legally such as home carers, respite provision and required to offer and review how we provide support to people with long term health them. conditions such as dementia. In the next We will be caring for vulnerable adults 20 years the number of 90 year olds in St in need.

Helens is expected to triple and the number We will continue to protect children and of older people with complex and/or multiple keep them safe. conditions is likely to dramatically increase.

We will maintain the roads, pavements and

Demand and risk is also increasing within

Children and Young People’s services with

street lighting – but this may be to a more basic standard. an increase in looked after children or those There’s no doubt that people will be losing needing some form of protection, as well as a some of the discretionary services that they’ve rise in the number of children with disabilities come to expect. If we are not legally required or experiencing severe learning difficulties. to carry out a service, then it is possible that St Helens is the 36th most deprived local this service will no longer authority area in England with unemployment be available. rates significantly above national and north

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We may need to charge for other services that only some people require such as garden waste as other councils do. Or we may reduce services such as only cleaning the gullies and gutters once a year instead of every six months.

We are continuing to review how we provide services such as libraries, parks and leisure centres in order to deliver a further ÂŁ20.6 million worth of savings.

The decisions to be made are hard but there are few alternatives, having already managed ÂŁ74m of funding cuts through efficiencies and cutting discretionary services to the bone.

We’ve got some tough choices to make about services which we know are important to you.

We can only do that by listening to you – the people who use our services.

Visit our website at www.sthelens.gov.uk/ budget to find out more about our budget challenge.

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It also costs money to maintain parks and leisure centres, keep the roads clean and the street lights on and pay the wages of youth workers, environmental officers, maintenance workers, engineers, social workers and so on.

In order to pay for all these services, councils have four main sources of income; Council Tax, business rates, Government grants and fees and charges. The Government provides a grant to all councils across the country. The grant to St Helens Council has decreased year on year - since 2010 we have seen a cut of ÂŁ74m, a reduction of 58%. The reduction of the Government grant for 2017/18 is a further ÂŁ7m. Over the next three years

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22 222across the country "( %pay All businesses business rates. They are paid 22 222 on business premises and are set by central Government * & but collected locally( by the council. Nationally % 49% of business rates are retained by the *% council to spend / on local services – 1% is redistributed to the* Fire and Rescue

Service with the remaining 50% going to the Government. The money sent to Government gets redistributed based on need and currently, as a deprived council area, St Helens receives more funding back than it currently sends.

By 2020 this is all set to change. From this date local councils will get to keep all funds collected as business rates in their

local area, in order to maintain local services.

However, this will be accompanied by further government grant reductions. These changes will start to affect St Helens by 2017 as we are a pilot authority for these changes. * &* This policy will mean that councils will &* -

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More businesses will mean more business rates, which can help us off-set the need to make drastic cuts in some services.

More businesses will also mean more job opportunities for local people. In order to support this further, Government policy encourages local councils towards more development within their borough. St Helens is a pro-growth council, to help us to fund essential services such as adult social care and protecting children in the years

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Budget Challenge

is funded Since 2010 St Helens Council has increased its income by over ÂŁ8m, but this does not off-set the ÂŁ74m cuts to grant that we have had to make since 2010. The ways of generating income are limited and the amount generated can be relatively small. This is especially so considering the further ÂŁ20.6 million savings that need to be found by 2020.

One way of generating income is by charging fees on a number of local council services. Some fees are fixed centrally by Government – such as planning and some licensing fees – but others such as parking charges, leisure centre fees and charges for bulky item collections, can be set by local councils.

There are a number of services which the council is legally obliged to provide which can’t be charged for such as general waste collection, but as budgets are cut and savings need to be found, the council will be forced

from investment, we need to have the to start charging for more and more of those non-statutory services such as garden waste, available money to fund activities now. This is in order to secure funding for those services something which we are currently looking at which we must legally provide. It’s a simple and we will invest to generate more income or case of prioritising resources to what services cost savings in the future. we must legally provide.

Councils do have other

ways of increasing income.

In general, a council might

have access to capital funds which it can invest in buildings etc from which they can look to invest to earn income in the future.

Also, councils can invest to save by doing such things as investing capital funds in replacing street lighting with new, modern, energy efficient lighting – which reduces the annual cost of electricity.

However, in order to benefit

The budget process At St Helens Council, our process for setting our budget typically starts 14 months beforehand, and budgets are considered over a three year planning cycle. Because much information is unknown at the time, these figures provide only an indication of how much future funding will become available.

Senior staff consider spending pressures in the previous Spring. The Council Leader

and portfolio holders then set out initial guidelines over the Summer, and discussions continue as our Government grant figures are received before Christmas. Plans are refined and in the new year a consultation on budget proposals is held with local people and other stakeholders. Plans are refined and a consultation on budget proposals has been held with stakeholders and local people

sthelenscouncil |

through the online Budget Simulator over the last six months. The full budget is approved in March. All major budget decisions are discussed and approved by our Cabinet.

The final budget is then agreed at full Council meetings. The reports and minutes for these meetings are all published on our website www.sthelens.gov.uk/council

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 7

Budget Challenge

Your Council Tax

Council Tax is the local taxpayer’s contribution towards the cost of

services in your local area.

It is a tax

based on domestic property and it is collected by your local council.

Example of breakdown for council tax band A in 2016/17

Where the money goes Most of the money we collect is spent on local council services. But some of it is handed over to pay for services like the police and fire services.

Your council uses its allocation of your Council Tax contribution towards funding local services such as social care for vulnerable people, and support for children, young people and the elderly. It also pays for waste and recycling, street cleaning, parks and much more.

Therefore, Council Tax is not a direct payment for a direct service. Your Council Tax is a contribution to the costs of services that your council has to legally provide such as social care for elderly people, the protection and safeguarding of children, and even

8 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

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keeping the street lighting on. These are all services that the community benefits from, but it may not be a service that you directly receive.

The reduction of the Government grant of ÂŁ7m in 2017/18 will mean that your Council Tax contribution may not be able to provide all the services you would like, or at a level that you may expect, as it has to be used by the council to meet its minimum legal requirements in regards to vulnerable adults, children and young people and maintenance of the roads and pavements.

This is why you can’t “opt-out� of paying Council Tax – put simply if you don’t contribute your share, local children can’t be kept safe, the vulnerable can’t be cared for and the roads

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can’t be maintained. Increasingly as budget cuts bite, almost all of the funds available go to just what services we must legally provide – and what we must legally offer may not be services you personally access. However, one day a family member of yours might need care, or a child in your street may need protecting.

Your Council Tax is what allows that to take place.

As a council we can generate more Council Tax by allowing more houses to be built, but more houses means more services to provide and the additional costs associated - so there’s more to consider than simply building more to earn more!

Budget Challenge

Explained Is Council Tax set to rise?

It is likely that Council Tax will rise by 3.99% for 2017/18.

This is subject to consultation with local people and our key stakeholders and takes in to consideration a 2% increase, which the Government expects to be raised for social care and must be spent on Social Care.

Councils across the country are again having to respond to Government spending cuts, and here in St Helens we are no exception.

In simple terms, we’re getting less money to provide the services that people depend on.

So we have no alternative but to make up some of the shortfall by raising Council Tax. To do

that we are proposing to raise Council Tax by 1.99% – the maximum amount that we can legally raise without holding a public referendum. This is in addition to the 2% Care Precept mentioned above. This is in line with almost all local councils in areas such as ours.

In deprived areas like St Helens the amount of income which can be raised by Council Tax is limited. This is because 45% of property in St Helens is in Band A. Deprived areas are also in greater need of resources to pay for services due to higher levels of health inequalities, unemployment and poor lifestyle choices.

Extra for social care Councils like St Helens, which have social care responsibilities, have been allowed by Government to raise Council Tax by an extra 2% in 2016/17 with the condition that this money was set aside to pay for social care locally. Following government announcements at the end of 2016, councils can now bring forward a rise in the social care precept from 2019/20 to 2017/8 and 2018/19.

This would in effect allow the council to raise the precept by 3% for the next two years, meaning a 4.99% increase in Council Tax. Many council areas

are taking this option and are proposing increases of 4.99%.

However, we feel that this would not provide additional funding over the three years but would simply make funding available earlier.

This would have a big impact on Council Tax payers, particularly those on lower household incomes and cause further strain – it is proposed that in St Helens the increase will be a 2% social care precept each year over the next three years, but this is subject to consultation.

sthelenscouncil |

Face to face Telephone £7.40 £2.90

Online £0.32p

(SOCITM; Society of IT Managers) 2014

Do it online The internet has changed the way people do business and live their lives, and the council is moving rapidly to provide more and more information and services on-line. Our aim is for our website to be your preferred method of contact with us, wherever possible, significantly reducing the cost of running the council and providing services and information in a way that meets people’s expectations.

You can make enquiries, apply for and pay your Council Tax online at www.sthelens.gov.uk/counciltax

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 9

Budget Challenge

Changing the way we work Since 2010 we’ve been busy changing the way the council works so that we could find the majority of the £74m grant cuts we needed internally.

significantly reduced the number of directors and senior managers. There will be further reviews and no doubt further job losses as a result.

Over the last year alone, we have had to find savings of £12m. In order to do this, we have had to make further efficiency savings and change the way we deliver services, with some of our discretionary services being reduced.

We’ve also looked at the way we purchase services and maximised value for money at every opportunity. We’ve changed the way we borrow money and reduced repayments.

We’ve looked at delivering some services in new and innovative ways and wherever possible we’ve worked in partnership in order to cut costs.

Making savings on this scale has been extremely challenging and has significantly changed the scale and nature of what the council does – an inevitable consequence of the council’s workforce shrinking from 8,216 employees in 2010 to 6,574 today.

Whether you are aware of it or not as a resident, St Helens Council has a reputation for being well managed and delivering services effectively – St Helens Council has not suggested it will be financially broke in the next couple of years as some councils have and this is because it is a well-managed, efficient and effective council.

We’ll continue to do all we can…

In response to the cuts we have faced we have also looked at the structure of the council and a review of our workforce has resulted in 1,642 employees being lost since 2010 - the majority of which, (1,366 employees) have been lost from traditional council services, the remainder being from schools. We’ve also

We’ve also been busy trying to generate more revenue. Over the last two years we’ve granted consent for more than 1,800 new homes to be built in the borough, which will help to generate more Council Tax income and mean we are less reliant on Government grants. We’ve seen more business tax revenue from a higher level of commercial activity in St Helens, with more than 75,000 square metres developed for business in the last two years. A town centre redevelopment strategy is due to be launched in 2017 and the Linkway West development will see commercial interests strengthened further. We’re also improving the road and

10 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

www.sthelens.gov.uk

rail infrastructure by working in partnership with Highways England to develop the M6 growth corridor with improvements to junctions 22 and 23, to improve connectivity and encourage more businesses to invest and people to reside in the area.

As St Helens Council is a financially well managed and stable council, we will also look at ways to invest to grow. In short, this means we will look to borrow money cheaply to make capital investments which will allow us to receive additional revenue. This is an investment if the revenue we obtain is more than the cost of the borrowing and any maintenance of the asset. So we will invest in assets in order to make a surplus and use that to help support the cost of providing public services. In doing so, we also hope to improve the borough’s physical infrastructure at the same time.

You may have seen or heard news stories about other local authority areas and the financial challenges they are also facing in light of budget cuts.

It is true to say that St Helens Council is in a better position than most, and good practical financial management has meant we are more stable and resilient to face the challenges that will be coming our way over the next three years.

Budget Challenge

How you can help us …..

Shop local We can’t make the substantial savings that need to be made alone. We need your help.

We want to build a borough where everyone does their bit, and everyone benefits. We want to work with residents, businesses and other organisations, together as a team – a team of more than 177,000 people - for the good of our local area and to meet this challenge together.

St Helens is a borough where people help and look out for each other. There is already a huge amount of community work taking place, such as the army of volunteers who turn out every week to help run children’s football practice, or those who pop round to check up on their elderly neighbours, those who take time to read to children in schools, run organisations or help out at our libraries. The list is endless and we want to thank you all.

We also want to suggest some other ways in which we can work together. If we all make some small changes in our day to day lives, we could make a big difference and can help to make the most of every penny we spend.

There’s a number of ways that we can work together.

By recycling more and recycling correctly, to help reduce the councils cost, improve the environment and help save the planet. Putting the wrong things in the brown bin costs us more money, so knowing what can go in and what can’t will really make a difference. If every household put 1kg less waste in their brown bin each week we could save another £1 million in landfill tax per year. That could mean just recycling a few extra jars or cans a week instead of throwing them away. Talking of rubbish - don’t drop litter and do report any rubbish that’s been dumped. If we can stop people fly-tipping and littering, we could save another million every year.

By simply being a good neighbour and keeping an eye on an elderly relative or friend, you can help keep someone fit and healthy, living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

Keep recycling We’re making more and more of our services online and making them easier for you to access on your mobile or tablet. Pay your Council Tax and business rates online by direct debit. It costs pence rather than pounds to provide some services online rather than face to face or on the phone. Plus, it’s easier for you, as you can log on whenever it suits you. If we all supported local businesses by shopping locally and using local suppliers, we could help to grow local businesses and the economy and create jobs. We know for every £1 spent in St Helens it delivers up to £4’s worth of value to the local economy.

We’re also lucky to have the best chamber of commerce in the country. St Helens Chamber supports over 1,000 businesses, and has been named the UK’s Chamber of the Year three times in the last decade - most recently in 2016 - the only chamber to do so If you would like to know how you can play your part in helping us meet our budget challenge visit www.sthelens.gov.uk and look for tips within the relevant services pages.

sthelenscouncil |

Offer a helping hand to older people

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 11

Budget Challenge

Across the wider

As budget cuts continue to bite many public sector organisations are scaling back the services they provide to the statutory minimum in order to meet costs.

The budget cuts we are experiencing within the public sector are the most radical in a generation with the Local Government Association highlighting that the north is being hit harder by Government cuts than any other region in England.

In St Helens it is not just the council being affected, but the whole of the public sector.

As well as the £74 million of grant cuts faced by the council since 2010, Merseyside Police has seen their budget cut by £84 million and Merseyside Fire Service by £26 million. The health service, although not experiencing cuts to budgets, have seen demand increase to such a level that it now has a huge budget shortfall.

The entire local public service system in St Helens is changing – austerity and budget

12 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

reductions are likely to continue for some years based on the forecasts of Government.

Public sector organisations have managed these challenges by increased efficiency and doing the same services with less cost. As cuts have continued to bite it has led to the reduction of some services and the withdrawal from some non-statutory services. Further reductions to budgets have now resulted in public organisations simply doing the statutory minimum that is legally required.

To date Merseyside Police have lost more than 1,600 officers and staff, with Merseyside Fire and Rescue service losing nearly 300 fire fighters.

And that’s not all. By 2020 it is estimated that the council will need to find at least a further £20.6 million, Merseyside Police will need to save a further £22 million and the Merseyside Fire Service £11 million. The changes seen to date will be continuing for years to come.

In addition, the health service covering St

www.sthelens.gov.uk

Helens, Halton, Warrington and parts of Knowsley, West Lancashire and Sefton - will see an estimated budget shortfall in 2020 of £250 million – not due to cuts, but simply from rising demand as more and more people use our health services.

The current scale of change happening across the public sector is unprecedented. In St Helens we have always maintained a good record of partnership working. But budget reductions and radically changing systems call for a new “collaborative” approach to working together. One in which services are designed around the person and their needs, with relevant partners working together beyond their organisations boundaries to share services and solve problems locally.

In St Helens we are leading the way in working with our public sector partners to collaborate more to reduce demand and save money.

More and more of this will happen.

Budget Challenge

public sector

Reductions to front line services Each year at St Helens Council, we are faced with the daunting challenge of balancing the budget.

But this has become harder and harder to achieve since we’ve already made most of the efficiency savings achievable, we’ve cut discretionary services and we’ve retreated towards providing only statutory services. Now facing further savings of £20.6 million over the next three years to 2020, we have no option but to make

reductions to front line services.

But although we know we need to make further cuts, we will always do everything we can to protect those in greatest need. For this reason we have tried to protect the money we spend on keeping vulnerable children and adults safe and well.

But the reality is this round of cuts will be felt – it is impossible to make close to £100 million worth of savings and local people not to feel the resulting effect.

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@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 13

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www.sthelens.gov.uk

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@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 15

Budget Challenge

The cost of care In St Helens, like other areas of the country, health and social care faces significant challenges. An ageing population is one issue, but there are other factors that are also impacting.

One of the success stories of the last twenty years or so is the number of people who are living longer. In St Helens we are following the national trend and will see the number of

90+ year olds in the borough triple by 2037.

But this is not just about older people, but younger people with health conditions and disabilities who are living longer too. We are also experiencing an increase in the number of people with mental health problems and learning difficulties and high numbers of children with disabilities.

These complex population needs together

with reduced public funding and a high expectation of public services, have led to an unprecedented financial challenge for the borough. As well as this financial challenge, changes to the welfare and benefits system are also increasing the pressure on social care and health. With partners we have worked out that the health and care system in St Helens will suffer a £101 million gap by 2020, if decisive action isn’t taken.

What is social care and how is it different from healthcare?

Social care is the delivery of services by the council which help vulnerable people with the activities of everyday living. When we say social care people often think about care homes, but it is much more than that. It includes supporting people who are older, frail or disabled to continue living in their own homes, with support for basic needs such as washing, dressing and getting out of bed.

children and adults from harm, younger disabled people, older people nearing the end of life, people with mental health issues, people with learning and physical disabilities, and children in need of foster care and adoption.

Social care also includes supporting children who are disabled or who have special educational needs, protecting vulnerable

Social care is provided by the council and must be funded by the council and healthcare is provided largely by the NHS.

16 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

www.sthelens.gov.uk

Healthcare can be more broadly defined as the treatment, care and prevention of a disease, illness or injury.

Making social care work better with healthcare is something many people have wanted to achieve for a decade or more. In St Helens, the council, the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the hospitals work very well together to join-up what we do. We share the fact that the system will have a ÂŁ101 million funding gap in 2020 and we have all agreed to work together in response. This is an example of how your council in St Helens is trying to do the best we can to maintain services in response to the budget pressures we face.

Budget Challenge

How changes could affect local people The reality of the budget situation is that the council may not be able to provide the same level of care as it did before. We’ll have to change the way our services are provided, meaning our more vulnerable residents may be affected as the amount of money that the council has to spend on these services is reducing.

The examples that follow are fictional, but their circumstances are shared by many in St Helens, and across the country. The

examples show the potential impact on how care would have to be provided if we do not start to work differently. The examples are not being implemented, but are the type of considerations a council would have to make when trying to balance the books.

However, read on to find out how we will limit the impact on local people, and try to prevent these examples from becoming reality, through more joined-up working in the St Helens Cares partnership.

Meet Tom...

A 49 year old man with learning difficulties who sometimes exhibits challenging behaviour and is unable to live on his own. He requires support with going to the toilet. He lives with his elderly mother, Agnes, who is 74 and has some issues with her own health.

Tom presently receives a direct payment from the council to purchase five days a week day service from a local care organisation, a personal assistant on a Saturday to undertake activities and take him out for the day, a Friday night activity club, weekends and weeks away (four weeks per year), a range of leisure and recreational activities including trips to the cinema, bowling and meals out.

Agnes cares deeply for Tom but values the time on her own in order to manage her own house and health needs, maintain her wellbeing and spend time with other family members, grandchildren and friends.

What the reduction in council funding could mean for Tom and Agnes • Tom could receive a reduction in his direct payment from the equivalent of 6 days and 1 evening per week to 2.5 days per week.

• He could receive a reduction in the respite weeks from 4 weeks to 2 weeks. There would be no additional weeks or flexibility, and the council would not be able fund breaks away from the borough.

• Agnes could have to care for Tom for an additional 175 days per year, not including weekends. She would also be caring for Tom on Friday nights.

• The quality of life for both Tom and Agnes could decline, with Tom not getting the social care support he is used to, and Agnes having less time to see friends and family.

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@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 17

Budget Challenge

Sylvia...

Susan...

Is an 86 year-old widow. She is very frail and has chronic respiratory issues. She requires assistance to go to the toilet, get up and go to bed, to wash and to prepare meals.

Is 17 years old and has a learning disability, which can make her behaviour challenging. She lives at home with her parents who both work, attends a specialist school, and will transition to adult social care when she turns 18.

Sylvia currently receives 45 minute visits in the morning and night to prepare for bed, a 30 minute visit at lunchtime and a 30 minute visit at teatime every day. Her carers unofficially supplement the weekly shop carried out by her daughter, who visits at weekends from outside the borough.

Once a week she has a visit for a bath or shower, and the interaction with carers is Sylvia’s main contact with others during the week.

With our transition workers, Susan and her family have planned a care package that will support her needs when she finishes school, including 3 days per week day services; 2 days per week volunteering or work experience; 4 weeks per year respite care away from home and involvement in a local club for adults with learning disabilities.

What the reduction in council funding could mean for Sylvia

What the reduction in council funding could mean for Susan

• A reduction in the time allowed from 45 to 30 minute visits, which could mean that carers would be more rushed with less time to chat.

Susan’s adult social care package could be significantly reduced and could involve:

• Possibly no teatime visit, again with a reduction in social interaction and the opportunity to go to the toilet. A cold meal and drink for Sylvia’s evening meal would be left with lunch.

• Less social interaction with carers means Sylvia may become lonely, which can have a significant impact on wellbeing, and is associated with depression, sleep problems, high blood pressure and mental health problems.

• The option of Sylvia continuing to live in her own home if her frailty increases would not be available in the future, meaning she could have to give up some of her independence to live in sheltered housing or a care home.

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• 2½ days per week day service, instead of 3.

• Possibly no support with volunteering or work experience, meaning she may not be able to fulfil her potential.

• A direct payment for a maximum of 2 weeks respite care per year, instead of 4, putting greater pressure on her family.

• Possibly no funding for weekend or evening activities, again putting greater pressure on her family, and stress on Susan.

Susan’s parents will need to carefully consider whether they can both continue to work, as they will have to spend more time caring for Susan.

Budget Challenge

Working better together All public sector services in St Helens are working together to manage the challenges of cost and demand. They have collectively agreed to develop St Helens Cares, a local care system that will bring together all local service providers. The aim is they will become jointly responsible for the quality and cost of care for local people, working together within agreed budgets. St Helens Cares will be a leading example of “place-based” working, under which organisational boundaries will be broken down and partners will work together to meet the needs of people in St Helens.

Residents will: • benefit from a transformed, integrated care system, in which they receive care and support that is joined up, of high quality, and affordable • be supported and encouraged to do what you can to remain healthy, well and resilient • live in a borough which encourages raising ambition, achieving aspirations, connectedness and supports people to make the right choices.

To achieve this there will be a greater emphasis on preventing the need for health and social care services; self care; and supporting people to remain independent as long as possible.

The transformation of how health, care and community services are organised and delivered will: • help to achieve better outcomes for residents • promote independence and champion prevention • help us to work with local communities • ensure care is clinically and financially sustainable.

What does St Helens Cares mean for residents?

Centred around St Helens residents and communities. St Helens Cares will encourage and promote self care and individual resilience.

Fully accountable partners. All the services provided by the council, CCG, Whiston Hospital and others will fall in the remit of St Helens Cares.

Partially accountable partners. Some partners like schools, police and social landlords will directly contribute towards the objectives of St Helens Cares, while their primary purpose is not in the delivery of health and social care. As such, they will be partially accountable for health and care outcomes.

Underpinning partners. A number of community groups and networks will provide help to make St Helens Cares work. These would include faith groups, volunteer groups and sports clubs.

Will St Helens Cares close the funding gap? sthelenscouncil |

The development of St Helens Cares will make a significant contribution to closing the system’s affordability gap, reducing the estimated £101 million gap.

So the challenge will remain, and partners will be working to identify further opportunities for savings to achieve system financial balance.

St Helens Cares will launch in 2018. If you would like to contribute to the development of St Helens Cares or would like further information, please email visionandchange@ sthelens.gov.uk

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 19

Budget Challenge

Going for growth

Local Plan

We must make savings of an additional £20.6 million by 2020. After this date the council will receive virtually no further Government funded grant.

However, after this date the council will keep all the money it raises in the form of Council Tax and business rates. This will mean less uncertainty over our funding, but in order to take advantage of this we must look to increase our opportunities to encourage more businesses to invest in St Helens. We don’t just want development for the business rates it will generate, but for the jobs and prosperity it will bring to the area. We must not forget that St Helens is the 36th most deprived council area in England and still has above average unemployment rates.

These two pages show some of the ways we have been working hard to attract businesses and bring investment in...

We have been consulting on plans to transform St Helens, with a draft 30-year vision for growth, known as the Preferred Options of the Local Plan. This sets out how many new homes need to be built and how much employment land needs to be found in order to secure future growth.

We are required to produce a local plan

by Government and the process is fixed in Government guidance.

The plan also states where in the borough development should take place. Locations astride the M6 and M62 motorways are particularly attractive for large scale development.

The availability of new well located employment land is essential to St Helens’ economic prosperity as not being able to supply this kind of land will result in companies relocating to regions further along the motorway network.

As a council we have been very successful in the past at directing development to brownfield land. 59 per cent of new homes will be built on brownfield sites, but there are insufficient numbers of these sites to accommodate all our housing and employment needs for the next 30 years, and this will mean that green belt land will need to be released.

If proposals are approved, then just over a thousand hectares would be released from the local green belt, leaving 56 per cent of the borough greenbelt which is still a considerably higher proportion than other Merseyside areas.

To view the Preferred Options of the Local Plan, visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/ localplan

Local economy A new network that aims to raise the profile of tourism and leisure businesses within St Helens has been established.

The Visitor Economy Network is the brainchild of Lynn Ben-Yousef, Director of Darkstar Laser, who is urging other neighbouring companies to join forces in a bid to increase visibility for the area within the Liverpool City Region.

Supported by St Helens Council, the network is made up of a range of private sector businesses including Darkstar Laser, The World of Glass, The Transport Museum, Haydock Race Course and St Helens R.F.C, members of the network meet regularly with plans to engage and attract visitors to the array of unique offerings that are housed within the town.

Lynn said: “The overall aim of the network is to

20 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

bring together local businesses to work together to raise the profile of our thriving town within the wider Liverpool City Region, identify our unique offering for the visitor economy and ultimately improve on-going communications between the local council and the businesses within the private sector.”

The Visitor Economy Network, along with other sub-networks, will also support St Helens Council’s soon-to be established Economy Board. Made up of key partners in both the public and private sector, the Economy Board is proposed to form early this year with the task of leading the economic rejuvenation of St. Helens.

For more information on the St Helens Visitor Economy Network, contact Lynn Ben-Yousef at lynn@darkstarlaser.com

www.sthelens.gov.uk

Budget Challenge

Transport Work is now underway at Newtonle-Willows train station where rail passengers will soon benefit from improved facilities, easier access and better links between local, regional and national transport.

Ready for public use in March 2018, the £17.95m scheme - funded by the Local Growth Fund and Merseytravel, and managed by train operator Northern - incudes the creation of a new ticket office at the south entrance, a bus interchange, and a 400+ vehicle capacity car park.

posed Development

St Helens North MP Conor McGinn and local councillors at the station, where improvements are underway.

The facilities will help create a strategic transport hub, linking up to the local transport network with strategic rail links across the country – and

importantly for St Helens’ economy, support the future development of the nearby former Parkside Colliery site.

Other key transport projects to be delivered around the borough include providing access to Parkside, national road network improvements to the M6, Windle Island, and improved accessibility to the town centre via the A570 Linkway.

Improvements to sustainable transport in the borough, including pedestrian and cycling routes, have also been implemented, as a result of £1.58 million worth of funding from the Liverpool City Region Local Growth Deal.

Investment Haydock Green

Towards the end of last year, the council gave the green light to two ambitious new developments which will see an estimated 1000 jobs brought to the Haydock and Sutton areas of the borough.

The Haydock Green plans will see land adjacent to Haydock Industrial Estate built out with half a million sq ft of warehousing and new access off Penny Lane. Upon completion, the site – developed by Morley

2016 09:42:10

Estates – will provide state-of-the-art accommodation for three major national employers.

with the potential to deliver new housing and over 400 new jobs whilst attracting over £13.5m of private investment into the area.

Meanwhile, planning permission has also been granted for a multi-million pound mixed use industrial and housing development at Mere Grange near the St Helens Linkway in Lea Green, Sutton.

In addition to these developments, the council is expected to receive planning applications for over 4million square ft of warehousing and industrial development which re-enforces St. Helens’ location on the M6 and position as a premier national logistics location.

Works are expected to commence this year

Housing An assessment of St Helens’ housing land need and supply was carried out by independent assessors, who found that there was a requirement for more housing in all the key settlements within the area, in order to create a wider choice and greater affordability for local residents.

A wider selection of housing stock is needed, ranging from executive homes and including affordable homes, as well as a number of specialist homes such as bungalows and lifetime homes which can be adapted to support the needs of those with a disability or the elderly.

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Our projections highlight the need to build 570 new homes a year until 2033 to deal with a growing population, housing shortfalls and the need of the local economy.

We have identified 47 brownfield sites which we expect to deliver 2,497 new homes in the coming years, and currently have an additional 31 brownfield sites that are currently under construction or have planning permission, which will deliver a further 2,247 new homes. It is also anticipated that 1,365 new homes will come forward on unknown (windfall) brown sites.

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 21

Feature

Volunteers matter

As you’ll have read earlier in the magazine, council services must change as we adapt to meet budget pressures and constraints. We’ll become more reliant on the community to help us strengthen and enhance the valued services that we may no longer be able to provide in the same way.

Read on to discover just a few of the ways residents are helping us right now.

Couch to 5k and parkrun get residents moving Our Sports Development team leads on the popular, award-winning Couch to 5k programme. Over a ten week course, participants with no prior training build up their fitness and confidence to take part in the volunteer-led five kilometre parkrun, in Victoria Park.

Here, the parkrun volunteers greatly enhance the offer of a council service, providing a

22 St Helens First | Spring 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk www.sthelens.gov.uk

long-term sustainable exit-route for people to continue participating, giving residents a goal to work towards, and to feel proud about achieving.

Interested in taking part or helping out? Call 01744 675403 to enquire about Couch to 5k or to volunteer visit www.parkrun.org.uk/ sthelens/volunteer.

Feature

Volunteers help others live healthily Over 60 local people are currently doing their bit to help others be well and healthy, by volunteering with the council’s Healthy Living team.

These selfless people receive training to support some of the council’s frontline health programmes, keeping residents physically active by leading bike rides and walks; supporting mums with infant feeding; and championing positive mental wellbeing in the community.

Healthy Living’s volunteer coordinator, Melanie Pilling said: “Volunteers are at the very heart of our team. You raise awareness of available services and help us to deliver them. You tell people what they are entitled to and your voice helps us shape and improve the health of our town. You are essential to everything we do!”

Get involved at www. healthysthelens.co.uk or call 0300 300 0103.

Street Pastors patrol town Local Christian faith groups have set up a St Helens branch of the national organisation Street Pastors.

The group of volunteers from local churches aims to offer practical support for anyone who is feeling vulnerable in the town centre on certain Friday nights, providing a friendly face and listening ear to anyone in need.

The pastors will be on duty in small groups between 10pm and 4am – identifiable by their ‘street pastor’ branded navy blue caps,

polo shirts and jackets.

Councillor Lisa Preston, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “Working together with partners including Merseyside Police and the council’s own Community Safety team, the specially trained Street Pastors will make residents and visitors feel more secure during the night time economy, bolstering the council’s own efforts in this area and relieving some of the pressure on police resources.”

Reading Hacks help libraries A dedicated bunch of young people have proven their love of libraries and literature by volunteering their time in St Helens Libraries’ Reading Hack group – gaining skills and experience for themselves and helping staff to run events.

multi-faith lighting ceremony, and have also brought fresh ideas to libraries, like film viewings with the Small Cinema programme.

Together, the Hacks have given hundreds of hours of their time to the library service for the love of it, and provided valuable insight on what young people want from libraries.

Rose, said: “Reading Hack has built my confidence massively because when I came to the very first meeting I was so nervous and I didn’t say anything and now I go in and speak my mind.

Secondly I get involved in a lot of activities and public speaking, helping and organising the events.”

They’ve developed the children’s area of Central Library, supported recent events like the Heritage Open Day and the

Aged 13-24 and want to get involved?

Call Central Library on 01744 676954 or visit readingagency.org.uk.

Ramblers’ Association surveys path network For over a year, local members of the Ramblers` Association have been helping St Helens Council to survey 120 miles of Public Right of Way in the borough for ‘ease of use’, with the results to be used to create targeted maintenance programmes.

Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Green, Smart

and Sustainable Borough, commented: “We are proud to have 41 per cent of Merseyside’s Public Right of Way network here in St Helens, but to maintain so many miles of footpaths and tracks in rural areas incurs a significant cost.

“The work done by the Ramblers’ Association helps us to direct maintenance to the areas most in need, and removes the need for costly

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surveys.

“A well maintained path network provides wider public benefits by encouraging sustainable transport, reducing congestion and pollution, offering alternative access to areas of employment for those without their own transport and can increase the health and wellbeing of residents.”

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 23

News

#StCuthbest St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School was delighted to receive a glowing report, following an Ofsted Inspection in September 2016 Inspectors were so impressed with the rapid reversal of fortunes of St Cuthbert’s that they have handed the school a “good” rating - the second highest grading at its disposal. The glowing report concluded St Cuthbert’s is a “truly inclusive school where every pupil is valued”.

Students’ behaviour, student safety, a revitalised curriculum which prepares students for life after school and the school’s “refusal to give up on any pupil” are among the areas coming in for praise.

The report also notes the huge impact a change in leadership and the arrival of new headteacher Mrs Catherine Twist in September 2015 has had in ensuring the success of the school which enjoyed its best ever exam results this year.

Since the new headteacher’s arrival, Ofsted said the school was now home to “an ambitious and aspirational culture”.

The new classrooms have impacted our teaching in a very positive way.

The classrooms are very large which means as departments we can use the space within our lessons. Group work and active learning is easily organised using our spaces, and we are able to use the additional working space for intervention with students.

All students are responding positively to the new environment and enjoying it, and we are also all determined to make sure the quality of the environment is maintained.

Mr Butterworth and Miss Turton, CL Geography and History.

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The passion of parents was also highlighted by Ofsted who noted how they had written at length to inspectors “detailing how happy their children are and how well they are progressing”.

The inspection follows the school’s best ever GCSE results exceeding national results in English and Maths. 54 per cent of students achieved 5 A*-C grades which is a 5 per cent increase on last year’s performance. Maths increased their results by 1 per cent to 69 per cent and English results increased by 16 per cent to a fabulous 71 per cent.

The school has also recently completed a massive investment programme, which has seen nearly £1 million invested in the last six years including seven new, state-of-the-art classrooms in the Lindisfarne building which were officially opened and blessed by Father Swanson in September 2016, together with a revamped Café area. The opening of the Lindisfarne building has coincided with new leadership at the school with the appointment of our new Deputy Headteacher,

Mrs C McKeagney joining our Headteacher, Mrs C Twist.

Mrs Twist said the school’s success was a genuine team affair: “St Cuthbert’s has never been in better shape and we are delighted at the glowing Ofsted report. Our success is a team effort and we all can be rightly proud; we are all passionate about building on our success. We are celebrating a year of successes – our best ever GCSE results, the addition of our best ever new facilities, our best Ofsted report and now our preparation for the year ahead as we begin the countdown to our 60th anniversary next year”.

Birthday events will be based around the theme ‘reflect, celebrate, aspire’ including the whole school community coming together to celebrate Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool on 20 September 2017 and other events including compilations of a series of short films entitled #60at60.

News

“I like the café because it’s very comfy and has nice drinks and food. It is a great place to talk to your friends and relax”.

Year 7 student.

Since leaving in the summer here’s what our top achievers are saying: “The results that I achieved at St Cuthbert’s have opened up a wide range of opportunities for my future, including allowing me to study A-levels.

I’m now at Carmel College studying A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, History and Geography.”

Amy Lyon

“I’m pleased to say that St Cuthbert’s is moving forward with our new Head and Deputy with a dedicated staff and students who are willing to learn. The Governing Body has every confidence in our “Good” school getting even better.

Fthr P Swanson, Chair of Governors TOP LEFT: Our foyer area Remembrance Week 2016 ABOVE : GCSE results day TOP RIGHT: Mrs McKeagney, Father Swanson and Mrs Twist in the new Lindisfarne building RIGHT: Best Ofsted award BELOW: GCSE results day

&

(01744) 678123) twitter.com/stcuthbertsCHS facebook.com/stcuthbertschs www.stcuthberts.com

“I’m at Carmel College studying Law, English Literature and History. The results I achieved at St Cuthbert’s has allowed me to get into a great college studying subjects I enjoy and make a start on building my future.”

Beth Gerrard

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@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 25

Green News

Council’s bright idea to invest in street lighting After a successful first phase of the Invest to Save street lighting programme, work is now underway on phase two which will see the installation of a further 4,900 energy efficient LED street lights on various traffic routes across the borough.

This will be followed by a further phase which will comprise the installation of 4,500 LED street lights on a number of residential roads.

In August 2015, St Helens Council’s Cabinet supported plans to invest £2.978m in order to replace

obsolete and inefficient street lighting luminaires with energy efficient LED luminaires. Taking just over seven years to recoup, the investment is expected to bring energy savings of £422,101 per annum at today’s energy prices, producing an estimated reduction to the Energy Budget of £363,389 in 2017/18.

The council operates and maintains 23,750 street lighting units within the borough, which is subject to small annual increases as new developments have been added to the highway network. By the end of

the 2017/18 financial year, approximately 70 per cent of all street lighting across the borough will have been updated with new LED luminaires.

St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Green, Smart and Sustainable Borough, Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron said: “Our innovative thinking means that we have to cut around £360,000 less from the budget in the face of government austerity and shows how we are keen to protect services in the face of around £68m of cuts so far whilst also providing a better service.”

Local charities share £10,000 thanks to residents who recycle St Helens Council’s award-winning Recycling Rewards scheme has raised £10,000 for four local charities who received their donations at the Town Hall as part of a drive to encourage St Helens residents to waste less and recycle more.

St Helens Recycling Rewards is a partnership initiative between St Helens Council and specialist provider, Local Green Points. It has been running for a year now and already over

10,000 residents have signed up. Members earn points for their community for recycling the more materials they save from the brown bin, the more points they earn.

During the last 12 months, members of the scheme have been voting for their favourite local charity, with Willowbrook Hospice winning the top prize of £5,000. Second favourite, the Steve Prescott Foundation won £3,000 and the two runners up, Honey Rose Foundation and

The Hope Centre, were both awarded £1,000 each.

If you haven’t already signed up to the Recycling Reward scheme, you can request an information pack which contains everything you need to start participating in the scheme.

For further information, please call: 01744 676789 or go to www.sthelens.gov.uk/ recyclingrewards

Council quids in after Multihog investment St Helens Council is set to save a significant amount of money each week after investing in a machine that will change the face of highway maintenance in the borough.

The council has purchased a Multihog MH90 vehicle that repairs highway defects such as potholes in a fraction of the time it would normally take after trail hiring it last year and achieving savings of £2400+ per week.

In road repair mode, the Multihog delivers a more permanent repair by removing underlying imperfections, but can also be fitted with a range of attachments for road gritting, flood

26 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

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prevention, grass cutting and snow ploughing – reducing material costs by 50 per cent, while increasing activity by the same percentage.

St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Green, Smart and Sustainable Borough, Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, said: “In this time of austerity, it takes forward thinking organisations like St Helens Council to identify efficiency savings which sometimes can only be achieved by investing to save.

“This means the limited highways budget can now be stretched that little bit further, after being cut by 60% by government since 2010.”

Community News

Bowling green revamp gathers pace Earlier this year, the newly formed Bold Bowling Club set out to find a new home, but the home they found at Bold Miners Community Centre, Fleet Lane, was in a poor state.

Since then, with support from St Helens Council and the St Helens College Prince’s Trust, the crown green bowlers – some of whom are in their 80s – have turned

their mossy monstrosity into a championship grade surface, with facilities to match.

and the green, and we’re installing flowerbeds to make the grounds much more attractive.

The club’s voluntary renovation efforts received a welcomed boost with a successful grant application to the Cory Environmental Trust, to the tune of almost £6900.

With the refurbishment hopefully complete in early 2017, we can finally be proud of our home at Bold Miners, and we’re hoping more people will come and join us!”

Club Chairman, Barry Rolls said: “We’re using the money to upgrade the toilets, floodlights

Barry hopes more women will take an interest in the club as they look

to form a ladies team.

He added: “There are no age limits as we have young bowlers and those in their 80s. We’ll be running an open day soon so come along – whether you’ve bowled before or not, you’ll be most welcome.”

Contact Barry on 01744 811 016 or 07591 202 965 to find out more.

Another arrow to your quiver

Muttley Crew Archers are looking for new members to join their merry band. Why not add an arrow to your quiver by taking up a very rewarding pastime – field archery.

It’s a lot different from the sport you’d see at the Olympics, being much more organic. Field archery takes place largely outdoors (the group also has indoor facilities), in woodland and fields around expertly designed courses – much like golf. Imitation animal targets set at unspecified distances on

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uneven terrain simulate an exciting medieval hunting experience.

The Muttley Crew Archers compete in local and regional shoots, but mostly just enjoy being outdoors, keeping active and aiming to improve their skill each week. In fact, it’s only in recent times that the medieval law requiring every Englishman to practice his archery on Sunday was abolished!

Get involved by visiting www. muttleyarchers.co.uk or calling Geoff Weldon on 07796 253 871.

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 27

TENSATIONAL SEASON OPENER 29 April Haydock Park Racecourse, call 01942 725963.

CLASSIC CAR SHOW Phoenix-Clock Face Classic Car Club 29 April Mansion House, Victoria Park

May MANSION HOUSE BEER FESTIVAL 6 May £3 entry, noon until late, proceeds go to AgeUK Mid Mersey. Call 01744 752 644 THE DOORS ALIVE PLUS GUESTS 6 May The Citadel, call 01744 735436.

CLASSIC CAR SHOW 6 May Phoenix-Clock Face Classic Car Club Earlestown, Market Square HEALTHY IN ST HELENS EVENT 12-13 May – 10am-4pm Church Square TOTALLY TINA 19 May St Helens Theatre Royal, call 01744 756000.

ST HELENS R.F.C VS WIGAN WARRIORS 25 May – 8pm Totally Wicked Stadium, call 01744 455 052.

TENSATIONAL PERTEMPS SWINTON HURDLE The only mixed, jump and flat, meeting in England.

13 May Haydock Park Racecourse, call 01942 725963.

June THE JOHNNY CASH ROADSHOW 2017 9 June St Helens Theatre Royal, call 01744 756000.

ST HELENS R.F.C VS WIDNES VIKINGS 9 June – 8pm Totally Wicked Stadium, call 01744 455 052.

TENSATIONAL TIMEFORM JURY/ SANDY LANE STAKES 14 June Haydock Park Racecourse, call 01942 725963.

DESPERADO – THE HISTORY OF THE EAGLES 24 June The Citadel, call 01744 735436.

EVENTS FROM THE NATIONAL LOTTERY AWARD-WINNING CULTURAL HUBS PROGRAMME CARDBOARD CITIZENS PRESENTS – CATHY 10 February – 7pm St Helens Central Library £6 or £5 for library card holders, £3 concessions.

Audience: 14+ PREVAIL Premiere of Iain Stringer Works’ latest LGBT performance, ‘Prevail.’

24 February – 1pm & 7pm St Helens Central Library £6, or £5 for library card holders, £3 concessions.

Audience: Teenagers aged 13+ and adults.

RAMS 8 April I AM LOVE 12 May WHALE RIDER 16 June HEADHUNTERS 30 June

HIPPO ON ICE – UC CREW 2 March – 4pm St Helens Central Library FREE (booking required) Audience: Families

*Lucem House Community Cinema Plus+ reserves the right to alter any programme in unforeseen circumstances.

GET WELL ON THE WALL 20 March -12pm to 6:30pm ST Helens Central Library FREE (booking required) Audience: Everyone.

For more information on screening times, additional titles or to book, visit www.lucemhouse.co.uk

A PLACE CALLED HAPPINESS 20 March – 7pm St Helens Central Library £6, or £5 for library card holders, £3 concessions.

Audience: 16+ BEST FOOT FORWARD – Theatre performance 1 April – 1pm St Helens Central Library £6 or £5 for library card holders, £3 concessions.

Audience: Everyone BBC GET CREATIVE DAY 10 April St Helens Central Library FREE – just turn up.

Audience: Everyone.

For more information on the events listed or to book, please go to www.culturalhubs. eventbrite.co.uk, visit any St Helens library or call Central Library on 01744 676954.

sthelenscouncil |

FILM SHOWINGS AT LUCEM HOUSE COMMUNITY CINEMA PLUS+

Address: Lucem House, 100 Corporation Street , St Helens, WA10 1SX.

For more events and details, and regular updates, like our facebook.com/ whatsoninsthelens page, and follow us on Twitter @whatsonsthelens

@sthelenscouncil | Spring 2017 | St Helens First 29

First Feedback St Helens Council’s community magazine

Spring 2017

What’s your problem?

We do all we can to fix problems quickly and efficiently. But sometimes you’ll become aware of an issue before we do – so we depend on our residents to tell us what needs fixing, moving, inspecting or clearing. If we don’t know about it – we can’t help.

BY PHONE – 01744 676789

BY EMAIL – contactcentre@sthelens.gov.uk USING THE COUNCIL APP - search ‘St Helens Council’ in your app store

BY MINICOM - 01744 671671 VIA OUR WEBSITE - www.sthelens.gov.uk/self-service

A big thank you to everyone who flagged up local issues to us over the last few weeks. Here are just a few of the problems we’ve helped people with.

Your Problem Resident asked for a ‘ride-through’ gate facility on his regular cycle path route via Wagon Lane, Haydock, as lifting his bike over the current gate was painful.

We’ll be installing the new ride-through gate soon.

Resident of Cavan Drive, Haydock called about a faulty street light that came on only for an hour.

Lamp was promptly repaired.

Resident called to inform us there were bolts in the floor near Boots on Church Street that were hazardous to pedestrians.

Bolts were swiftly removed.

Pothole on Gorsey Lane, Bold, was spread over both lanes causing traffic in both directions to hit it.

thole was repaired.

Raised grid was proving an issue to residents on Morley Way, Moss Bank.

Grid was replaced the same day.

Flytipping was reported on Burrows Lane, Eccleston.

Rubbish was removed.

Follow us on Twitter: @sthelenscouncil 30 St Helens First | Spring 2017 |

Action

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32 St Helens First | Spring 2017 | www.sthelens.gov.uk