Author: Martin Driver

Sefton Council is reminding households across the Borough who have prepayment meters to ensure they use vouchers sent through the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme.

Vouchers worth £66 were sent out by SMS text, email or post to prepayment meter customer from the start of October, as the first instalment of the Support Scheme.

Vouchers

Most households will have £400 automatically taken off their electricity bills in six instalments across the winter. However, those on prepayment meters need the vouchers to get the discount.

For most suppliers the vouchers, which can be redeemed at a Post Office or other locations such as PayPoint shops, should arrive in the post by 17th of each month but they are only valid for 90 days.

With PayPoint reporting that only around a third of the expected number of vouchers have been cashed so far, the Council wants to make sure that Sefton households don’t miss out.

Families hit hard

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “With average energy bills reaching £2,500, which is going to hit many families very hard this winter, we don’t want anyone to miss out on the help available.

“I would urge any households in Sefton who have a pre-payment to check whether they have been sent a voucher and use it, and also to keep an eye out for the following vouchers when they arrive.”

Payments of £67 in December, January, February and March will follow the £66 payments for October and November. Households with smart prepayment meters will be credited directly in the first week of each month.

Disappointing

When the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme was announced Cllr Hardy said: “It is disappointing that while we’re told it means typical households will pay no more than £2,500 a year for energy for the next two years, Ms Truss’s plan will see those same households having to pay back the extra costs in the long term, no matter what their ability to do so, while the fuel companies continue to enjoy huge windfall profits as a result of the enormous current price rises.”

People struggling with the Cost of Living crisis can find advice and support at:

• www.sefton.gov.uk/cost-of-living;
• www.sefton.gov.uk/seftonsupporthub;
• https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk

Engineering work that was expected to affect services on Merseyrail’s Southport, Kirkby, Ormskirk and Hunts Cross lines next month, have been cancelled.

Scheduled to take place from Sunday 6^th  to Wednesday 9^th  November, the work at Liverpool Central station, has been delayed due to industrial action by Network Rail maintenance staff.

The RMT has announced that its members will be taking industrial action from 2am on Saturday 5^th  to 1:59am on Sunday 6^th  November, from 2am on Monday 7^th  to 1:59am on Tuesday 8^th  November, and from 2am on Wednesday 9^th  November to 1:59am on Thursday 10^th  November.

Merseyrail services will remain as normal throughout Sunday 6^th November but will be affected on Saturday 5^th, Monday 7^th  and Wednesday 9^th November due to the planned strikes.

A future date for the work at Liverpool Central station will be publicly announced when decided.

Further information about how the industrial action will affect Merseyrail services will be announced soon.

You can find out more about Merseyrail here.

Sefton Council has been awarded a prestigious ‘best in the region’ award for its support for the local small business community.

Sefton scooped council of the year in the COVID-19 Support and Recovery category which is a testament to its fantastic work supporting businesses during the pandemic.

Biggest impact

It was among 250 councils in England who entered the inaugural Local Government Awards run by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the UK’s ’s biggest business representative group, ultimately emerging triumphant. Sponsored by Maybe, the FSB’s inaugural Local Government awards, were aimed at celebrating and recognising those that had made the biggest impact on local SMEs during the Covid crisis and beyond.

At a virtual online final on Friday, 14 October, Sefton Council was named as the North West regional champion, with judges being impressed by the council’s work to help the local small business community during the pandemic.

Delighted

Responding to the news, Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said: “During the COVID pandemic, our Invest Sefton and Business Rates teams paid out a total of over £100 million in grants to hundreds local businesses to support them, so I am delighted that work has been recognised through this FSB award.” 

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Services said: “It was an unprecedented time and I am so proud of the way our teams adapted quickly to enable them to provide so much this financial and practical support to local businesses.”

High-quality field of entries

FSB Area Leader for Merseyside and Cheshire, Michael Sandys – himself based in Southport – said he was pleased Sefton Council’s hard work had been recognised amid a high-quality field of entries by local councils.

“It is really pleasing to see Sefton Council rewarded for its hard work and effort to help local SMEs through what has been a very challenging couple of years,” he said.

“Both the quality and quantity of entries from this region and beyond was incredibly high so Sefton should feel very proud to be among the winners. We look forward to continuing to work with Sefton – and all our other business-supporting councils – to ensure we can build a vibrant and strong local SME community.” 

Businesses can find out more about the support and advice available from Sefton Council here.