News Bluebell Park Celebrates
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Issue 39 March 2014 News 3 Bluebell Park celebrates 4 Join us online 14 Kirkby regeneration progress Contents Welcome to the latest edition of in this issue: News Your views Commemorating What’s hot 02 If you have any comments, please WWI contact Knowsley Council’s 02 Budget update Communications Team. 03 Lots to celebrate at Bluebell Park 04 Join us... online Knowsley News 05 A place to be yourself Knowsley Council 05 Easter holiday library fun Huyton Municipal Buildings 06 Take control of your finances Archway Road 06 Elizabethan Fayre returns Huyton L36 9YU 06 On your bike 07 07 Commemorating WWI telephone: 0151 443 3536 email: 08 The Venue comes to Huyton Spring has well and truly sprung in [email protected] 08 Healthy smiles, happy kids! Knowsley and already the memories of dark 09 Eyesore transformed into a home Knowsley News is also available via 09 Win tickets to the Wizard of Oz nights and cold days are well behind us. podcast on the council’s website 14 10 Cycling news and in other formats including 10 Investment to support ‘green’ travel Braille, large print and audio tape. 10 Support the Knowsley Foodbank s the weather starts to warm up of some of the interesting and special educational needs. It really is a up, you might be thinking exciting things you can see on a walk fantastic read that is sure to put a smile Ring customer services on Knowsley business 11 about getting out and about in the borough. on your face! 0151 443 4031 or email A [email protected] 11 International Festival for Business with your family and friends – maybe going for a walk or taking a bike ride. And if all this isn’t enough to Enjoy the magazine... 12 Business & Regeneration Awards invigorate and inspire you, then take Visit our website: 12 Knowsley Industrial & Business Park For those of you looking for a little a look at our fantastic front cover and www.knowsley.gov.uk New Kirkby Centre inspiration, see page 6 where you can read the article on page 3. It tells you Regenerate Knowsley 13 find out more about the latest Sky more about the wonderful people Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/knowsley.council Rides programme. Or you can take a working right here in Knowsley to Cllr Ron Round 13 Prescot - make the time look at page 21 for a fantastic round nurture and support children with Leader of Knowsley Council 14 It’s all part of your Kirkby... Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/knowsleycouncil 17 Green Knowsley 16 Front cover: In focus 17 Harrison Bowden, Local and European elections pupil of Bluebell 17 Bravery that inspires a whole School, Kirkby community Make sure your voice is heard when the Local and European elections take 17 Prescot Soccer & Leisure Centre place in Knowsley on Thursday 22 May. Knowsley News 18 Just the job for local job hunters is produced 18 Domestic abuse – support is available This is your chance to vote for the people you want to represent you and your by Knowsley 19 Protecting children and young people community. Metropolitan Borough Council. Charity inspiration 19 100 women in Knowsley Remember that you can only vote if you are on the electoral register. The next edition will 20 Easter at the Spa be published in 20 Know the signs of cancer June 2014. If you have recently moved house, please don’t assume you are automatically 20 Staying safe in your home registered at your new address, as this is not the case. Designed by Knowsley Council 21 Out and about in Knowsley Communications Team, Municipal Buildings, 22 Have you considered adoption? Archway Road, Huyton, Knowsley, L36 9YU. 21 If you think you may not be registered to vote in Knowsley, you can request an 23 Foster for Knowsley application form by calling 0151 443 2222 or emailing [email protected] Printed on Signa Coat Silk: 100% waste paper The deadline for completed application forms is Tuesday 6 May. (secondary fibre), mainly from household Your neighbourhood 24 collections, minimum 50% post-consumer If you wish to vote by post, please contact us on the helpline number or email us at waste, no chlorine bleaching in production. 24 Huyton the address above. The deadline for completed postal vote application forms 25 Kirkby is Wednesday 7 May. 26 Halewood Out and 27 Prescot, Whiston, Cronton and The list of candidates nominated for each of the elections will be confirmed at Knowsley Village the end of April and published on the council’s website at about www.knowsley.gov.uk/your-council/voting-and-elections.aspx What’s on 28 www.knowsley.gov.uk www.knowsley.gov.uk 01 What’s hot What’s hot Budget update The Government has recently announced further significant cuts in funding for local authorities. These cuts continue to be higher in the most deprived areas of the country, Lots to celebrate like Knowsley. at Bluebell Park Knowsley has been hit the hardest of The council has done what it can Bluebell Park in Kirkby is not your average school. It’s much more than that to all metropolitan authorities in the UK, to plan for these cuts. Last year, a losing funding of £172 per household wide range of savings were agreed both the staff and pupils who just love spending their time there. in 2014/15. The average cut across to balance the budget up to 2015. England is £62 per household. In addition all services continue to Catering specifically for children and John Parkes is the Headteacher of The play area “My child has be reviewed to see if there are more young people with a range of complex Bluebell Park. He said, complements only been in The least deprived area of the country, efficient ways to do business. special educational needs, the school the range of school since Wokingham in Surrey - which has a Knowsley will lose £172 of provides educational and emotional other facilities November and similar size population to Knowsley – At the same time, the council is also funding per household support for nearly 200 children and already on already we feel will actually get an increase of £5 per trying to improve the longer-term young people. When people visit the offer at Bluebell like the family household. sustainability of the borough by school the most common Park including a belong!” investing in initiatives to create new Constructed as part of the Building feedback is that they can’t hydrotherapy pool, The council is faced with managing houses, businesses and jobs. Schools for the Future Programme, believe the number of smiles 18 metre warm water funding cuts of around £42m – 30% the school provides that greet them in every pool, sensory rooms, horticultural of our overall budget - over the next The council also understands that a state-of-the- room. We feel that it is such gardens and fully accessible classrooms. three years. This comes on top of the residents are experiencing financial art learning an important part of our job £56m saved in Knowsley since 2010. pressures, so has again agreed to “My son environment to support and nurture the A specialised curriculum is delivered freeze Council Tax for 2014/15. This with a whole children in our care and there throughout the week including literacy, means you are still paying the same loves school, Wokingham get an extra host of is no bigger reward for us numeracy, science, PE, design and food today as you did back in 2010. thank you £5 of funding per household specialist than to see the pupils so technology, dance, music and art. The Bluebell Park.” facilities. But settled and happy here. school also offers a variety of extra- Cllr Norman Keats, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and IT, said, those lucky curricular activities including gardening enough to We work daily with children clubs, choir and sports club. visit the school who may have significant soon see that there is disabilities or a range of For further information about We will continue to lobby the Government to make future distribution of funding fairer and allocate more to Bluebell Park than just its complex needs. We aim to Bluebell Park, visit the grant to where it is needed most. facilities - it’s the people that make it deliver bespoke support to www.bluebellparkknowsley.co.uk come to life! each and every child to ensure or call 0151 477 8350. Given the scale of the Government’s funding cuts, while we will endeavour to protect key front-line that they are supported and services, there is no doubt that services and staff numbers will have to reduce in the coming years. encouraged to reach their individual potential. We will continue to identify and implement savings in a prioritised and planned manner with the needs of residents being the driving factor, but there are going to be some very difficult decisions ahead and no area can remain untouched. Recently, the school celebrated its first birthday and the opening of a brand new, fully accessible outdoor play area - the latest facility for the children to enjoy. The outdoor area now boasts swings, a roundabout and a climbing frame that all pupils can use regardless of their mobility issues. Pupils at the school were even involved in the design of the play area and the equipment included. 02 www.knowsley.gov.uk www.knowsley.gov.uk 03 What’s hot What’s hot If you haven’t visited the council Join us..