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Top story
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Women still struggle to reach positions of power
The successful women of Liverpool were today speaking out for their struggling counterparts as the Equality and Human Rights Commission released its annual report into the woes of women who feel unable to reach positions of power and influence. “Great strides to achieve equality in the workplace have certainly been made in this last generation. However, unless you are extremely focussed and ambitious the top job still eludes many women,” said Michelle Helsby, co-director of Liverpool-based 3D design studio Evolve, who left her job as a corporate lawyer to set up in business with husband Stephen. “It is rare that you hear of a woman achieving this goal without sacrificing a fulfilling family life. With the correct infrastructure, effective use of flexible hours and recognition that if a woman has a family it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have career aspirations, so much more could be achieved to the benefit of all.” This year’s Sex and Power report revealed a trend of reversal or stalled progress as fewer women hold top posts in 12 out of the report’s 25 categories.
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Business
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Bank holds interest rates again
The Bank of England has again kept interest rates on hold at 5 per cent, but analysts are predicting cuts before the end of the year. David Kern, economic adviser for the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cannot ignore the mounting threats of falling UK house prices and worsening pressures on the global banking system. The MPC must start cutting rates in October or November, as soon as inflation peaks." And Peter Spencer, chief economic adviser to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, added: "With oil prices having fallen sharply in recent months and no sign of any second-round effects on wages, we expect the Bank to reduce interest rates once there are clear signs that inflation has peaked. This could be as early as the end of this year." 
Merseyside's plans to tackle waste mountain
Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) is to submit plans to create a £20m recycling park in Gillmoss as part of a £3bn programme. It would complement an existing waste transfer station on a 22-acre site the MWDA owns in Stonebridge Lane, Gillmoss. The development, which could be operational by 2010, would include a visitor centre and a materials recovery facility to sort 100,000 tonnes of recyclable materials each year. A formal planning application will be made to Liverpool City Council later this year and proposals could include composting of organic rubbish.
Premier League unaffected by credit crunch
The multimillion-pound transfers of Robbie Keane to Liverpool and Marouane Fellaini to Everton helped boost Premier League spending to £468m in this year's summer transfer window, although spending for the Big Four clubs - Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Liverpool - was down 27 per cent. According to KPMG's newly-launched Football Transfer Barometer, Big Four spending fell to £101m while other clubs drove their spending up from £293m to £367m. Geoff Mesher, head of KPMG Forensic's sports disputes team, said: "We are seeing a new situation where it is not just one heavily cash-backed club that will pay top prices but a number of clubs competing for the very best. There is no sign of the credit crunch here."
Online boost for Shiverpool
Liverpool's ghost-tour company Shiverpool has seen a jump in interest since the launch of its website. The online booking facilities are thought to be the reason for a 31 per cent rise in sales compared with this time last year. The website also includes a gallery of pictures from previous tours and a regular newsletter. Set up in 2005, Shiverpool has been endorsed by the Liverpool Culture Company and has been recommended as a top attraction by both local and national media.
RDA promises £200m to help businesses
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is today launching a new document for discussion with business, local authorities, housing groups, communities and the voluntary sector that sets out how the regional economy has changed in recent years and the main challenges and opportunities it faces in the period ahead. At an event today attended by treasury ministers Yvette Cooper and Jane Kennedy, alongside regional minister Beverley Hughes and 100 business leaders, the NWDA also outlined new initiatives totalling £200m, such as the £140m Venture Capital Loan Fund being launched in 2009, which will be one of the first initiatives announced from the £521m European Regional Development Fund Programme.
Training gains
The TUC has revealed that 1.6 million workers in the North West would use the right to ask for training at work if it were available. 69 per cent of people working in the North West would like to see a legal right to request paid time off for training and 57 per cent say they would be likely to use it, according to a YouGov survey released by the TUC.
New programme to boost food and drink sector
Secondary schools and employers in the North West's £6.6bn food and drink manufacturing industry are being encouraged to form stronger links through a work-experience teaching programme launched by Improve, the industry's skills council. The Food and Drink Schools Challenge is a free teaching programme that introduces pupils to the world of food and drink manufacturing. It also aims to help employers make an early contribution to tackling its growing recruitment problem because of higher technology demanding higher skills.
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Property
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RDAs face budget cut to fund HomeBuy scheme
Regional development agencies are facing the prospect of having to stump up a total of £300m from their budget over the next three years to fund HomeBuy Direct, part of the government's new package designed to rescue the housing market. The money will be used to fund a shared equity scheme aimed at helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder by offering them an equity loan of up to 30 per cent. The news has raised fears that this will divert resources away from other worthwhile schemes.
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Deals
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Gamingking grasps Orb and Sceptre
Preston-based Sceptre Leisure, an operator of amusement, gaming and leisure equipment, has been taken over by Gamingking, an AIM-quoted company based in Ilford that supplies gaming machines to the registered members' club market. In a reverse takeover of Sceptre owner Orb Holdings, which was advised by Lancashire law firm Napthens, a new company will be formed, called Sceptre Leisure, employing 400 people and looking to roll out up to 2,000 lottering machines in the next 12 to 18 months. In May 2005 Gamingking acquired its largest competitor, Kelly's Eye, and is looking to build on the changes to rules governing lottery machines and bingo games in pubs.
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