Daily Post

Pounds 200m Leisure Plan to Create 300 Speke Jobs ; Council Leader Welcomes Plans

A NEW pounds 200m leisure and entertainment park could be built in Speke, creating 300 jobs. The development is being proposed for a 50-acre site currently home to a vehicle storage yard next to the New Mersey Retail Park on Speke Road.

Ftse-100 4914.22 157.46

THE FTSE 100 Index plunged more than 3% yesterday as fresh doubts about the state of the global economic recovery shook stock markets across the world. The Footsie eventually finished 157.5 points lower at 4914.2 or 3.1% - its lowest close since last September - with every single blue-chip stock in the red.

Inside

Seaside towns still thriving, says report REPORTS of the demise of the seaside tourism industry are greatly exaggerated, a study claims. PAGE 2 Ryanair cuts BUDGET airline Ryanair will slash its winter schedule at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) in a protest at Air Passenger Duty (APD) charges.

Financiers Set Pupils Winter Challenge

Southport Prospers From Seaside Tourist Strengths

REPORTS of the demise of the seaside tourism industry are greatly exaggerated, it has been claimed. Despite the popularity of short foreign breaks an investigation by Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research has found that seaside tourism directly supports as many jobs in England and Wales as the entire telecommunications sector and more than the motor industry - and job levels have been rising by about 1% every year for the past decade.

Morgan Award

Woods Squared Wins Contracts

WIRRAL accountancy firm Woods Squared has secured four new client wins and five contract renewals. The Birkenhead-based business has picked up a range of new clients including Church Farm Organics, Marvell Training and Development and letting agents Blackstone Property, Plan-it Design and Build and Construction Systems (Liverpool).

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'We're Trying to Get Away From That 1970s Roadie Mentality' ; Alistair Houghton Meets Andy Dockerty, Md of Adlib Audio

ANDY Dockerty has a mission - to tell the world that the world of live music is about more than just the people on stage. While all the attention is on the artists under the spotlights, the real stars of the show are often behind the scenes - those who set up those spotlights, or built the speaker systems, or mix the sound.

National Express Expects' Good Progress' From Efficiency Drive

TRANSPORT group National Express yesterday said it expected "good progress" in half-year profits thanks to a major efficiency drive. The bus, coach and rail firm said cost savings were helping shore up results, while revenue trends have also been "resilient".

Wi-Fi Deal for Flower Show

VISITORS to the Southport Flower Show will be able surf the internet for free thanks to a West Lancashire company. WiFi Solutions UK has been appointed to install a wireless connection for the event, which takes place between August 19 and 22.

Ryanair's Apd Protest to Hit Liverpool Jla Routes

BUDGET airline Ryanair will slash its winter schedule at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) in a protest at Air Passenger Duty (APD) charges. The Dublin-based operator's chief executive Michael O'Leary said only two of its 15 UK airports - Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford - will escape a 16% cut in services from the end of October as aircraft are diverted to European locations which have no equivalent of APD, or have axed their own versi on of the tax.

Directors' Pay Cuts Double Profits ; Private Business

DIRECTORS taking a massive pay cut were responsible for the doubling of profits at Clarke Energy Holdings. The group, which is based at Knowsley Industrial Park, includes firms Clarke Energy and Clarke Telecom.

Green Energy Firms Honoured

A WIRRAL company has scooped the top honour at an awards ceremony highlighting green energy initiatives. West Kirby-based E-Energy Enterprise won the Grand Prix Award at the inaugural Energy Innovation Awards. The awards were created by the Energy Innovation Centre in Capenhurst to showcase the success of North West companies researching energy-efficient technology. E-Energy also won the New Energy Generation Award after impressing judges with its "E- Engine", which allows low-temperature was...

Relocation a Threat to 109 Liverpool Jobs

UNCERTAINTY surrounds more than 100 call centre jobs in Liverpool after the company refused to rule out relocating to Yorkshire. Arvato Services has been at the Cunard Building on Liverpool's waterfront since 2000 but it has the option of exercising a break clause in its lease.

Lovell On Site with Pounds 7.3m Netherley Homes Project

BIRKENHEAD housebuilder Lovell has commenced work on a pounds 7.3m housing scheme in Netherley. Residents joined in the celebrations as the affordable housing and regeneration specialist went on site in the project that will create 67 new homes for social rent, shared ownership and open market sale.

Carpetright Sees Sales Rise but Warns On Tough Year Ahead

FLOORING firm Carpetright reported a 64% rise in annual profits yesterday after seeing a return to sales growth in the UK. Sales rose 3.1% on a like-for-like basis across its 586 stores in the UK and Ireland.

Services Firm's Safety Honour

SERVICES company Hertel has won an award for its health and safety practices at the Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port. Hertel, which has its regional headquarters in St Helens and has hundreds of employees at the Shell-owned site, won The Order of Distinction in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) 2010 Occupational Health and Safety Awards.

Wireless Internet Firm's New Md

WARRINGTON wi-fi provider Airangel has promoted sales manager Dean Wilkinson to managing director after he led the drive to double the company's turnover to pounds 1.4m in the last year. His appointment comes as Warrington-based Airangel, which specialises in branded wired and wireless guest internet access for the hospitality and conferencing industries, reported a 130 per cent increase in internet connections. The company has branched into new sectors including sports stadia - working with ...

United Utilities in Pounds 1.5m Scheme to Combat Flooding

WATER company United Utilities is creating a huge storage tank in a pounds 1.5m project to tackle sewer flooding at an Ashton-in- Makerfield housing estate. Some homes on low-lying ground next to Millingford Brook have a history of flooding when water in the sewers backs up during heavy rain.