Tag Archives: Economy

Fire Service counts the cost of arson!

Arson attacks in Warwickshire have cost Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and it’s communities an estimated £21,830,084 in economic costs over the past four years.

More than 1,249 fires were deliberately started in the last year, totalling to 1652 fire appliances being called to deal with the fires. Deliberate attacks on commercial premises cost an average of £4365 with deliberate fires in domestic premises estimated at £12,800.

Around half of the fires attended were rubbish or bin fires, with the biggest being derelict buildings and skips.

Arson Reduction Manager, Ian Tonner, said: “Deliberate fire setting is not only dangerous for the individual involved, but it can devastate communities, schools and businesses. In the worst cases, lives can be lost.

“Ultimately, our priority is to keep the public and our firefighters safe and reducing arson and anti-social behaviour plays a big part in how we achieve that. We also need to support businesses to stay in business during this economic downturn, by educating them on how to reduce the risks of arson attacks on their premises.”

Whilst arson is a real issue and one we continue to drive down, we have had some real success.  In just two years we have managed to almost halve the economic cost of fire in Warwickshire. This has been driven by both preventative measures and an excellent operational response. However, we can not be complacent, which is why we have recently

launched our Small Fires Unit, which is already working in communities affected by arson. In addition we remain committed to our partnerships as we work together to protect the community and make Warwickshire a safer place to live.

To reduce the chances of being a victim of arson either at home or for commercial premises, there are some simple steps you can take:

  • Ensure your wheelie bin or your black bags are kept in a secure place away from buildings, so they cannot be set alight.
  •  Put rubbish out on the day of collection and then bring your bin in as soon as possible.
  • Never leave commercial bins open, keep them locked and secured before you leave the building for the evening and over the weekends.
  • Using a skip for building work or rubbish removal? Try to fill it and remove it on the same day.

For more information on fire safety log onto  http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/warksfirerescue

Businesses bid for growth

A major new fund to boost development and help grow the local economy has been oversubscribed with applications from local businesses.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was awarded an allocation of £12.8 million from the Government’s Growing Places Fund – designed to kick-start developments and other infrastructure projects allowing them to deliver quicker economic benefits.

Applications to the fund had to be submitted to Warwickshire County Council this week, and eight schemes have put themselves forward for loans from the scheme.

Businesses have requested funding of more than £20 million for developments which could lead to the creation of 18,000 new jobs by 2016.

Denys Shortt, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, said the schemes would be assessed in the next two weeks.

“We are really pleased that we have had such a good response,” he said. “We will be looking at the schemes in real detail over the coming days to ensure we can produce the best results to boost the economy of Coventry and Warwickshire.

“The programme is designed to kick-start projects which could otherwise be stuck. The eight applications would involve other investment of more than £250 million, so we are talking about some key strategic schemes.”

“These projects will be initially assessed by a technical group and then  the CWLEP Growing Places Appraisal Panel meets later in the month to score and approve which projects should then move to the due diligence stage.”

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Communities and CWLEP board member, said: “The interest generated by the Growing Places Fund shows there are major schemes out there ready to kick start the local economy. We are in the process of evaluating the applications and anticipate being able to make announcements on the successful schemes from early June.”

The Fund has been established to be as flexible and as streamlined as possible with the aim of offering loans at highly attractive rates. The minimum sized investment is £1 million.

Financial returns will then be used for further projects with the aim of developing a long-term “ever-green” fund.

Projects which applied had to be ‘ready-to-go’ as possible, and to have, or had to show, a reasonable expectation of gaining planning consent by September this year with work ideally starting on-site by the end of 2012, or as soon as possible after that date.

Projects had to be predominantly employment focused, and of benefit to the local economy.

Warwickshire County Council is acting as the fund holder for the scheme and handling the application process on behalf of the CW LEP.

Suppliers invited to engage with superfast broadband project

Warwickshire County Council is calling on suppliers to register their interest if they hope to get work from the superfast broadband project.

The project aims to provide superfast broadband speeds across Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, but is concentrating on the rural areas, where there have traditionally been much poorer broadband services available.

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Communities, said: “We see this as a real opportunity for local businesses to get involved in this exciting project. We are hoping to tender for a main contractor in the autumn and will be using the BDUK framework for this. However, there will also be a need for sub-contractors across a wide range of disciplines and trades, and we would like to see local businesses having an opportunity to bid for that work.

“Potential work packages might include areas such as surveying, civil engineering or cable laying, but also includes wireless and other broadband suppliers and a host of other services. While we will not be engaging these trades directly, we can make sure that our main contractor is aware of the very broad range of skills and services that are available within our sub-region.”

The superfast broadband project currently has funding of over £8m for the delivery of a wholesale network in the area, and it is anticipated that there will be further significant investment in the future. To register go to www.cswbroadband.org.uk and look for the suppliers tab, or for more information email broadband@warwickshire.gov.uk

Applications for fund are ‘growing’

Applicants from Warwickshire businesses are being sought to bid for a share of a major new fund designed to boost development and help grow the local economy.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been allocated £12.8 million from the Government’s Growing Places Fund – aimed at kick-starting developments and other infrastructure projects to allow them to deliver quicker economic benefits.

The LEP is inviting bids from county firms for a share of the fund which has been established to be as flexible and as streamlined as possible and offer loans at highly attractive rates.

The minimum sized investment is £1 million and financial returns to the fund will be used for further projects with the aim of developing a long-term “ever-green” pot.

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Communities and CW LEP board member, said: “We are encouraging Warwickshire businesses to come forward and apply for a share of this pot of money.

“The principal aim of the fund is to be able to deliver additional finance to schemes which could move forward at a quicker pace and bring earlier benefits to the local economy.

“The goal is to develop a long-term fund by reinvesting returns, so that we can keep schemes moving forward and allowing them to realise their full economic benefits.”

The application process has been opened this month and all bids need to be in by April 30.

Eligible projects should be as ‘ready-to-go’ as possible, and to have or show a reasonable expectation of gaining planning consent by September this year with work ideally starting on-site by the end of 2012, or as soon as possible after that date. Projects should be predominantly employment focused, and will benefit the local economy.

The fund’s preference is to provide loans at attractive market rates (from 2.34%), although equity finance will also be considered.

Warwickshire County Council is acting as the fund holder for the scheme and handling the application process on behalf of the CW LEP.

Details, along with applications details, can be found on the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP website at http://www.cwlep.com

Advice for all traders – butchers, bakers and even candlestick makers

Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service works with the Warwickshire business community to help them trade safely and fairly and give confidence to consumers.

Businesses require information on topics as diverse as the labeling of honey and the sale of traditional Chinese herbal remedies, to the advertising of cars and the importation of toys. They look to Warwickshire Trading Standards for advice and guidance.

Trading Standards helps new and existing businesses of all shapes and sizes including large companies with a national and international presence, to traders who run their businesses from home.

Trading Standards Officers assist businesses to meet their legal responsibilities and obligations, helping them to get it right first time and saving businesses time and money in the process.

Businesses requiring help and advice can contact Warwickshire Trading Standards on 01926 414040 or email: tradingstandards@warwickshire.gov.uk.

The service has a wide range of self help business guidance leaflets, visit: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards

You can also follow Warwickshire Trading Standards on its new business advice and information twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/warkstss

New on-street parking charges in Leamington

Warwickshire County Council is preparing to introduce a linear rate 50p per half and hour charge which makes parking for one hour or over cheaper for motorists and provides greater flexibility.

The on-street parking charges will be reduced from £1.20 to £1 for one hour and from £2.40 to £2 for two hours. The cost of half an hour parking will go up from 40p to 50p to accommodate the benefits of the linear charge.

Cllr Peter Butlin, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport, said: “We have listened to businesses and have reached a solution which we hope will benefit the town.

“Previously it has been the policy for on-street parking charges to be kept more expensive than off street charges to encourage drivers to use off street car parks. However, in light of a request from Warwick District Council, we are introducing a new linear charging structure for on-street parking that will be the same as the district council is expected to introduce at off-street car parks in the town centre.”

A linear charging structure will result in people being credited with time to the value they have paid – for example a payment of 60p would give 36 minutes and £1.50 would buy 90 minutes. This proposed charging structure will bring charges in line and provide more flexibility, meaning that people are credited for the time they pay for if they do not have exact change.

It is proposed that the changes to on street charges be introduced at the same time as Warwick District Council is expected to introduce its new charges in off-street car parks in June 2012. WDC is also intending to introduce a 20p off-street charge for shorter stays of to 12 minutes.

Area Committee is scheduled to be consulted on the proposals on April 10 and a decision will be ratified by Portfolio Holder decision on April 20.