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Broadband boost for
businesses
SMALL and medium sized businesses
across Liverpool can now benefit from funding to help with the set up costs of
high speed broadband.
The Liverpool Broadband Vouchers Scheme, which has been operating in parts of
Liverpool City Centre since September 2014, has now been opened up to
applications from across the entire city council boundary area.
It gives eligible SMEs up to £3,000 towards the capital costs of a
super / ultra-fast broadband connection.
It is being implemented as part of a national drive to provide a much better
service of superfast broadband.
Councillor Gary Millar, Cabinet member for business, enterprise and investment,
said:- "We want Liverpool to be the best digitally connected city in the
UK.
We have a long road ahead to achieve this but the expansion of this scheme is a
major leap in taking the city's economy to the next level. We are competing on a
global stage and investment in our digital infrastructure is a real priority for
the city."
The scheme has proved successful in the parts of Liverpool City Centre that have
been covered to date and it is hoped that the expansion of the scheme will
result in many more Liverpool businesses taking up the offer.
The voucher can be used towards the cost of making the physical connection to
business premises but cannot pay for monthly rental or for any IT equipment.
The connection needs to give a real change in service speed - upgrading to a
minimum of 30Mbps on a shared line or 20Mbps on a dedicated business grade line.
More information on the scheme is available
online.
The eligibility criteria are:-
► Must be an SME (Small or Medium Enterprise), Charity or Social Enterprise.
► Must be located within Liverpool Local Authority area.
► The connection must cost more than £100.
► Must be seeking a connection to the SME's business premises.
► Must sign up for a minimum 6 month contract with their supplier.
► Must select a service that is capable of achieving 30Mbps or higher or a
doubling of existing speeds.
► Must not have received more than approximately £120,000 in grants in the last
3 years.
More information about eligibility and an eligibility checker is available on
the vouchers scheme
website.
Brass Proms at Prescot
Festival Fundraiser
ON Friday, 13 March 2015, from 7.00pm
to 8.40pm, back by popular demand for a Last Night of the Proms themed concert
with all your brass favourites! The event takes place as normal at the Prescot
Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA. Tickets £6 on the door. |
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Model Boat Show
returns to the National Waterways Museum
THE Canal and River Trust is
welcoming the return of the Model Boat Show to the National
Waterways Museum for the 7th consecutive year over the weekend
Saturday, 7 March and Sunday, 8 March 2015.
The weekend is a fun packed event for enthusiasts and beginners
alike as the boats will once again occupy a large section of the
canal. Model Boat Clubs from across the North West will assemble to
display and exhibit hundreds of the best boats built by their clubs
in the past year.
John Inch, general manager at the
National Waterways Museum, said:- "The annual Ellesmere Port
Model Boat Show gives members of the public the unique chance to
take control and try steering the intricately designed boats for
themselves. Special highlights of the weekend include boat
races, steering challenges, free sailing, model boat building
demonstration and the award for the best boat."
There will also be multiple model boat traders selling parts and
full kits as well as being available to offer advice on how to
construct your own models. Admission to the event is only £3.50
which includes access to the rest of the museum. For more
information contact the museum on:- 0151 355 5017 or visit the
website.
Further 300 Jobs To Go As AA
Struggles To Cope With Interest Payments On Massive Debts
"THIS is yet more bad news from the AA.
This comes on top of seventy front line staff who were taken out of the business
in 2014" says the GMB. The union for AA workers, reacted to the
announcement of 300 back office job losses at the AA offices in Basingstoke.
Paul Maloney, GMB Regional Secretary said:- "This is yet more bad news
from the AA. This comes on top of seventy front line staff who were taken out of
the business in 2014. Waiting times for customers is now around 2 hours up from
the ½ hour before the sale to private equity in 2005. If you have to wait for
recovery you could be at the side of the road now for up to four hours. The
purchase of the AA by private equity back in 2005 has turned out to be a smash
and grab robbery of a great British company. Having taken over the company the
private equity owners proceeded to sink it in to debt and stuck the blood out of
it. The sale to SAGA continued the pattern of leaving the AA high and dry with
billions of pounds of debt while the private equity owners retired with the cash
and left the UK motorist and AA staff to pick up the pieces." For more
information, please visit:-
GMB.Org.UK.
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