Tag Archives: Aberdeen

East Coast main line company pledges to improve services and invest for the future

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Rail services formerly operated by National Express East Coast will from just before midnight transfer to East Coast Main Line Company Limited (East Coast), the new operator of the service.

The services run between London Kings Cross and destinations including York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

East Coast has pledged continuity of service but also improvements to the service over the next two years while it rests in public hands.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:

East Coast will remain in public hands for two years and there will be full continuity of service. But this is not a care and maintenance job I want to see real improvements in the service and better value for money.

East Coast staff have real pride in their jobs; they want to offer a fantastic service, and the new company will give them the tools for the job.

This is a profitable railway it needs to be the pride of its passengers and staff too and thats my aim for East Coast.

Improvements and changes include:

An end to charges for seat reservations from January 1, 2010;12 million for improvements at stations, including enhancements to Newcastle, York, and Peterborough. The focus of investment in stations is designed to add significant benefits for customers, these include the provision of 200 new cycle spaces at Newcastle, 100 at York and 150 at Peterborough;An immediate review of on-board catering in both standard and first-class, with a view to improvements from next year; Better standards of cleanliness on board trains and at East Coast managed stations;Further service improvements including a new Saturday evening service from Kings Cross to Leeds and an additional Sunday morning service from Leeds to Kings Cross;The withdrawal of the planned gating of York station in order to maintain the existing through access for non-passengers, while accelerating the completion of gating at Kings Cross to deter fare dodgers.

Elaine Holt, Chairman of East Coast, said:

On day one its about business as usual for staff and customers. In the coming weeks and months, our first priority is to deliver the basics to a consistently high standard. That means systematically maintaining a good reliable and punctual train service; helpful and proactive staff; well maintained, clean and accessible stations and trains; and good quality information for every step of the journey.

Over time well introduce further improvements to the service, the stations and the trains our aim is to make sure that East Coast is the preferred way to travel along the length of the route and the best performing long distance rail operator.

The Company also announced today the appointment of Karen Boswell [note 4] as the new Managing Director of East Coast.

At the point of transfer, all other members of the former National Express East Coast management team will join East Coast Main Line Company, under TUPE arrangements.

Still at least 22 cities and areas in the running to become first UK ‘City of Culture’

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Each of the 22 cities has now got expert feedback on their plans before deciding whether they want to submit a firm and final bid.

The 22 are Aberdeen, Barnsley, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Cheshire West and Chester, Chichester, Cornwall, Derry, Durham, Gloucester and Cheltenham, Hull and East Yorkshire, Ipswich and the Haven Gateway, Lancaster, ManchesterSalford, Norwich, Pennine Lancashire, Portsmouth and Southampton, Sheffield, Southend-on-Sea, Swansea Bay, and Wakefield.

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said:

The UK City of Culture competition has caught the imagination of people all over the country. The city or place winning the title for 2013 will enjoy a golden opportunity to have the spotlight of national attention focused on them. They will have the chance to show the rest of the UK what they have to offer. So theres everything to play for, and the prospect of a really good competition in the weeks to come. I cant wait to see what each place has to offer, and which ones go into the next round.

The next mile post in the competition comes on 11 December, the deadline for initial bids. A shortlist will then be drawn up in January 2010 and those chosen will have until 28 May 2010 to submit a full and final bid. The winning city or place will be announced in the Summer.

Notes to Editors

1. Ben Bradshaw announced the launch of this competition in July 2009 (DCMS Press notice 979) available at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/6256.aspx

2. We expect bids to be from a partnership from the city or area. This will need to include the relevant local authorities, with a lead organisation (normally a local authority) for the purposes of communication during the bidding process. The definition of city is intended to be flexible what matters is the ability of the host to deliver a substantial programme of cultural activity in 2013, that can demonstrably lead to a step change in the area. There must be a clear central focus to the area, although part of the programme can be delivered in a wider hinterland (as was the case in Liverpool, Capital of Culture 2008). The location that is bidding should have a clear identity for visitors: a city and its hinterland, or a closely linked set of urban areas.

3. The Government welcomes bids from all areas of the UK. The only areas precluded from bidding (at least for 2013) are London as a whole or any part of London. The Government wants the inaugural UK City of Culture to be outside London, not least as the capital will have celebrated the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games the year before.

4. Bids will be assessed in terms of the ability of the proposed City of Culture programme to make a step change in that city. Culture will not be narrowly defined but bidding cities will be asked to spell out their own vision for City of Culture and how they will use that in making a step change. Bidders will need to demonstrate:

a. A high quality cultural programme that reaches a wide variety of audiences, and is a fitting follow-on from Liverpool Capital of Culture and the Cultural Olympiad;

b. A programme that uses culture to lead to lasting social regeneration by engagement, widening participation and supporting cultural diversity;

c. A demonstrable and significant economic impact from the programme;

d. Credibility in their plans (including support from key partners) and track record in delivery; and

e. A clear approach to maximising legacy and being able to evaluate impact.

5. It will be up to bidders to find the necessary resources for bidding from their existing budgets and those of partners. DCMS have engaged the support of Regeneris Consulting to act as expert assessors throughout the process. Regeneris will be providing support to all bidders on understanding and interpreting the bidding guidance. Any information passed on to a potential bidder will be made available to all bidders in due course.

6. The winning city will be provided with the title of UK City of Culture for their year, and given rights to the UK City of Culture brand, with scope to tailor it to their own city if desired. During the bidding process, initial bidders will be able to use a bidding city version of the logo without the double cs; shortlisted bidders will be able to use a candidate city version of the logo. Logos and guidelines are available from DCMS Corporate Communications on 020 7211 6268 / 6051.

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Coastguard teams help evacuate flood victims

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Stonehaven Coastguard Rescue Officers went to assist the Fire Brigade to evacuate flooding homes around the Carron River in Stonehaven between 8pm and midnight, whilst Between 7.30pm and 9.30pm, Coastguard Rescue Officers from St Andrews and Leven went to assist the Fire and Rescue Service to evacuate people from homes in Kinnesburn area of St Andrews.

Aberdeen Coastguard was contacted at 3.30am this morning and asked to assist with evacuation of homes from flooding around the River Deveron in Huntly. The Coastguard Flood Team attended consisting of eight swift water rescue trained officers from Coastguard Rescue Teams in Buckie, Lossiemouth and Burghead with the Moray Sector Manager. The teams have now been stood down.

Men’s gift and accessories firm is groomed for success thanks to bank and Government funding

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£987,000 enterprise fund cash helps ensure new stores are looking good
EXPANSION plans for men’s gift and accessories company Menkind Stores certainly created the right impression with the Royal Bank of Scotland, when it agreed to help fund the company’s plans to open five new stores.
The high street bank decided that Menkind could benefit from a little ‘grooming’ if its plans to expand beyond its original single store and launch a cutting-edge new website were to take it to the next level.
So Menkind Stores’ founder, Paul Kraftman, went to his bank manager, Robert Laurie, with his plans, and was put in touch with the administrators of the government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme.
And the bank helped Menkind secure £987,000 of EFG cash which has gone a long way to funding the buying and fitting out of the five new stores.
The funding boost has certainly had the desired effect on the business’s fortunes.
“Our new store openings were fitted out in a new concept, which has proven to be a great success in driving sales,” said Mr Kraftman.
“We are grateful to Robert and the team at RBS for arranging the finance package we needed.”
One thing Mr Kraftman is only too well aware of is the seasonal nature of the men’s gift market, but he believes Menkind’s growth has been achieved because of, rather than in spite of, this.
“Our flexible operating model allows us to manage and align costs so effectively with the seasonality of our market,” he added.
Menkind opened its first store in 2001 in the Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex. The five new stores are in Aberdeen, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool and Manchester.
Its new-look website, www.menkind.co.uk, is now live in good time for Christmas, and is crammed with thousands gift and novelty ideas for men (and big boys) of all ages to suit every pocket.
ENDS

Source: WEBWIRE