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Maghull North Station scheme
on track for 2018 opening
AS work to build the new Maghull North
Station heads into its next phase, key Liverpool City Region partners visited
site, on Friday, 24 November 2017, to see the progress being made on site.
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, Sefton Central MP Bill
Esterson and other representatives from the key delivery partners involved in
developing the scheme joined Merseytravel and Network Rail, at the Station
compound, just off School Lane in Maghull.
Since work began, in September 2017, engineers
have been hard at work preparing the site for the construction phase of the
works, while enabling services to operate on the Ormskirk line as normal. Extensive excavation and grading works have
already been completed on the embankments to accommodate the new Station
platforms and significant progress has been made installing the platform
foundations. Groundworks have also been completed in preparation for the new 156
space car park alongside the new Station.
Forthcoming works planned to take place overnight on Saturdays will involve
realigning both tracks to ensure the lines are level and spaced correctly in
line with the new platforms.
After the festive period, from 27 December
2017 to 8 January 2018, the line will be closed to enable engineers to install
the new platforms, the new footbridge to the platforms and associated
staircases, lift shafts, and new track drainage. During this time, there will be
a rail replacement bus service in operation between Maghull and Ormskirk.
The new Maghull North Station will be located just off School Lane next to the
former Ashworth Hospital site, between the existing Maghull and Town Green
Stations on the Ormskirk branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line.
The Station forms a key piece of infrastructure in the Sefton Local Plan,
supporting local public transport demand from a nearby new housing development
that will include 370 homes, with more homes planned for the area in the near
future. It will also offer relief for the existing Station in the Town. Facilities at the new Station will include:-
► Staffed Station building and ticket office with passenger toilet.
► Passenger waiting facilities on the platforms.
► Step free access with lifts and a bridge to, from and between both platforms
and the Station building.
► 156 space car park with blue badge and motorcycle parking facilities, as well
as cycle storage.
► Pedestrian and cycle routes from School Lane and Park Lane to the Station, and
bus stops on School Lane.
► Future provision for electric vehicle charging points.
The ₤13m scheme is being funded through the Government's Local Growth Fund (LGF),
Merseytravel and the Homes and Communities Association, which previously owned
the land on which the Station will be built. While Network Rail is building the
Station, it forms part of the wider ₤340m investment of rail improvements across
the Liverpool City Region, over the next 3 years.
The new Station, which will be operated by
Merseyrail, is expected to be open to the public, in May 2018.
More details on the scheme can be found on the Merseytravel
website. You can find out more about the wider investment across
the Liverpool City Region at
KeepLiverpoolMoving.Com.
Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor said:- "It was great to
visit the Maghull North development today and see the fantastic progress that
has been made in such a short period of time. This much needed new Station will
greatly benefit the people of Maghull, as the Town continues to grow in the
years ahead. I am really looking forward to visiting the site again when the
Station opens next year."
Bill Esterson, MP for Sefton Central added:- "The new Station will make a
big difference to people in North Maghull and Lydiate, with the extra parking
also a help to the rest of Maghull as well. This investment in Maghull is also
important because of the new homes which are being built and will help
commuters, students and shoppers alike. I am pleased that Merseytravel and
Network Rail are talking to nearby residents about the building works as it is
important to keep them notified of upcoming works. Once the Station is open, I
hope that the benefits will outweigh the inconvenience during construction. This
Station has been talked about for over 30 years and I am pleased that Metro
Mayor Steve Rotheram, the Combined Liverpool City Region Authority, Sefton
Council, Merseytravel and Network Rail have worked together to make sure it is
finally being built for the many in Maghull and Lydiate."
Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel said:- "The Maghull North
Station scheme is a prime example of our Long Term Rail Strategy being put into
practice area and it's great to see how much has been achieved on the site in
such a short space of time. The new Station will be of huge benefit to local
residents, giving more travel options while playing a big part in helping the on
going development of Maghull in the coming years."
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail's London North Western route managing director,
said:- "Fantastic progress is being made on the new Maghull North Station,
which is an important part of the ₤340m investment in the Liverpool City Region.
Improved rail links are vital to boost connectivity and improve capacity within
the City Region and beyond, getting more people to work, education, services and
leisure opportunities more quickly and easily. Much of our work has been
completed at night when trains are not running to prepare for the new platforms,
Station and car park. Our 12 day upgrade after the festive period will be vital
to install key elements of the new Station including the new steel footbridge
and lifts."
Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member Locality Services, added:-
"This project is a very important piece of infrastructure promoting public
transport in Maghull and the wider Liverpool City Region. It's fantastic to see
progress being made and moving on to the next stage with completion planned for
2018. Once finished, the new Station will provide some of the key infrastructure
needed to support our Local Plan and will also complement other transport
schemes like the improvements to Junction 1, on the M58 and the A59, making Sefton
even more accessible to everyone."
Andy Heath, Merseyrail's deputy managing director, said:- "With more and
more people coming to live in the area and further house building planned,
improved access to a local rail network is great news for the community, will
ease congestion on the roads and help get people from A to B quickly and
conveniently. We look forward to working with all the agents involved in this
exciting project, ahead of the Station opening in 2018."
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Community invited to public meeting to
hear about College's plans for Bootle's St Winefride's Roman Catholic Church
HUGH Baird College is inviting members
of the local community to an open public meeting to hear about their plans to
transform the former St Winefride's Roman Catholic Church in Bootle into a state
of the art Health, Engagement and Training Hub complete with Mersey Care Life
Rooms.
The College appreciate the importance of the site to local people and they are
encouraging those with concerns, questions, comments, ideas and feedback to
attend to have their say.
Present at the meeting will be Project Managers, Architects, College staff and
representatives from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust who are working with the
College on the Life Rooms aspect of the project.
The meeting takes place at Hugh Baird College's University Centre L20 Building
on Stanley Road in Bootle on Thursday, 7 December 2017, at 7pm. Refreshments will be
available and all are welcome.
Yana Williams, Hugh Baird College Principal and Chief Executive, said:-
"The redevelopment of the St Winefride's Roman Catholic Church will bring back
to life an important community venue and will provide vital life changing
services and welcoming shared spaces. I'd personally like to encourage members
of the local community to come along to the meeting so they can have their input
on the project and hear about the exciting and positive plans we have."
Metro Mayor sets out City Region asks
ahead of Budget
LIVERPOOL City Region Metro Mayor Steve
Rotheram has set out his key asks from the Chancellor ahead of this week's
budget, focussing on the issues that will test the Government's genuine
commitment to devolution and economic re-balancing. The City Region's asks to
Treasury were submitted back in September, but Steve Rotheram is now anxious to
see whether the Government's devolution rhetoric will be matched by actions.
Amongst the Metro Mayor's key priorities are major infrastructure projects
including:- rail investment, digital connectivity and tidal energy, housing and
homelessness and skills.
The City Region's asks to Treasury for additional infrastructure investment
include:- a clear commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail, support for transport
improvements within the City Region, enhanced digital connectivity, backing for
the region's burgeoning science assets and feasibility spending towards the
proposed Mersey Tidal Energy project.
Steve Rotheram said:- "We are still facing a situation where for every ₤1
spent on infrastructure in the North, ₤6 is spent in London and the South East.
This is not just about fairness, it's about recognising that rail connectivity,
a modern and efficient transport system, state of the art digital connectivity
and exploiting our renewable energy and science assets are absolutely
fundamental to our economic future. Government needs to start thinking about our
regions in a more entrepreneurial way. If you want to improve productivity, and
re-balance our economy, then you have to invest in the things that are going to
drive and accelerate growth."
The City Region has asked for additional devolved powers and resources for
housing where it believes it could make a massive difference locally, and really
get to grips with the shortage of affordable accommodation and the scandal of
homelessness.
The key housing asks are:-
► The creation of a devolved Housing Investment Fund to the City Region to allow
money spent by Government and the Homes and Communities Agency in the region to
be targeted to where it is most needed.
► A collaboration with Government to pioneer a radical Housing First model to
tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
► A Stamp Duty Holiday to allow the City Region to create a fund to remediate
uneconomic brown field land and boost house building in urban neighbourhoods.
Steve Rotheram said:- "This is a real no brainer and an obvious area where
modest additional resources, financial flexibility and a real commitment to
devolution would give us the tools to tackle 1 of our biggest policy priorities.
It is obviously an area where local people know best, and local decision making
can deliver a great deal more."
In addition to his asks on infrastructure and housing, the Metro Mayor is
calling for greater flexibility on skills expenditure including local control
over the underspend on the national apprenticeship levy.
Steve Rotheram said:- "Allowing us to spend money paid by businesses from
the City Region, within the City Region is both logical and efficient. It's such
a small ask, and for that reason it really does provide a measure of the
Government's willingness to relax the Whitehall knows best mantra."
47% of Graduates in the North West
Acknowledge They're No Better Off Having Studied
MUCH of the region's graduates have not
benefited from or used their degree in the world of work. New research conducted
by Able Skills, surveyed graduates across the region and found that many had
regrets. 47% feel they could be in the same position without a degree whilst 20%
said their degree was a waste of time.
28% of those surveyed in the area believe they could be earning more if they
started working straight from school and 17% wish they didn't go to university
at all. Perhaps because they are not using their degrees, 34% of North West
graduates have never used their qualification at work. But this doesn't look set
to change, 72% of employed graduates in the North West have no plans to move
jobs to make use of their studies.
The study also revealed the top 10 most useless degrees, as voted for by
employed graduates in the North West:-
► Film Studies.
►
Art History.
►
Fine Arts.
►
Fashion.
►
Media Studies.
►
Drama.
►
Philosophy.
►
Sports Management.
►
Advertising.
►
PR and Communications.
Gary Measures, Managing Director of Able
Skills says:- "The education, education, education boom in the 90's has
had a knock on effect. Many graduates seem to have taken this on board without
seriously considering what they wanted to do post study. Evidently, further
education is not the best career route for everyone and is such an investment
that young people seriously need to consider their skill set and future before
taking on such a commitment of their time and money. More needs to be done to
educate young people on the other options available to prevent another
generation making the same mistakes when they could be earning and on a career
ladder."
A lack of planning could be the problem as 48% didn't know what they wanted to
do with their degree after studying, or ended up doing something else entirely.
Able Skills offer construction training courses in:- electrical, plumbing, gas,
plastering, carpentry, tiling, decorating and bricklaying. To learn more about
Able Skills training or courses please visit:-
AbleSkills.Co.UK.
Digital economy; new paper a useful
contribution to reform debate
TAX advisers have welcomed the
Treasury's 'Position Paper' consulting on ways of modernising the
international Tax system to Tax the 'digital economy' more effectively.
Glyn Fullelove, Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation,
commented:- "Governments continue to struggle to reconcile the perception
from their citizens that 'internet giants' have a significant 'footprint' in
economies where they have a lot of sales but relatively little other presence,
with an international corporate Tax system that Taxes value creation, and
attributes little if anything of that to sales activity."
The CIOT welcomes the Government's statement in the Position Paper that the UK
remains committed to the principle of Taxation where value is created. It is
realistic and sensible to try to sustain the internationally negotiated and
agreed basis for allocating Taxing rights between countries. But the Institute
recognises that further work is needed internationally on modernising this
framework, and the Position Paper represents a useful contribution to this
process.
The Chancellor announced in his Budget statement that the UK will in any event
proceed with one unilateral measure, a withholding Tax on intellectual property
('IP') royalty element of payments for digital services provided to the UK from
abroad, where the IP is held in a low Tax jurisdiction. The CIOT notes that the
revenue forecasts from this measure contain a cautionary message about the
effectiveness of unilateral measures without broader international agreement. It
is expected to raise ₤285m in its first year, declining to ₤130m, in 2022 to 2023, its
4th year of operation, in part because the affected multinationals can be
expected to adjust their structure and behaviours to mitigate the effect of the
Tax
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