April 2008 Archives

That old chestnut of 'too many empty city centre apartments' returned with a vengeance this week, with a local estate agent predicting that the current 'credit crunch' was likely to see about 25% wiped off the value of many city centre flats.
This announcement led to the inevitable conclusion by some, that this was because too many developments had taken place in Liverpool City Centre in recent years, and that it was time for the council to place a ban on all future residential schemes.

Last week I took a trip over to the 'dark side', attending the annual dinner of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce at the G-Mex centre as a guest of my good friend, and Liverpool Daily Post columnist, Jim Hancock.
There is much to admire about the lot from the other end of the East Lancashire road. From a tired and dull industrial town, Manchester has transformed itself into arguably the UK's second city.

I am astonished that, in 2008 as the city celebrates its year as the European Capital of Culture, we are debating whether Liverpool should have a full time political leader. The only debate should be about how much we pay them.
We are often told that if Liverpool is to build on the renaissance it has enjoyed during the past decade, we need to learn the lessons from that even more successful city 30-odd miles down the road.

One of Tony Blair's most memorable phrases was "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime."
With massive investment in health, education and the infrastructure of our cities, alongside significant monies being directed into deprived communities, I would argue that a decent effort has been made in delivering the second part of that pledge.