Taking your first step onto any career ladder can be a daunting prospect.

But this February 26th and 27th, the Connexions team are offering vital help by hosting a careers fair at Grimsby Town Hall, supporting people aged 13-24 with their future plans. Parents and carers are also welcome.

Hull University, the Royal Air Force, the Care Plus Trust and a number of other exhibitors will be on hand to offer advice on all manner of subjects, including employment, training and further education.

The fair will be open to the public from 3pm to 6pm on Friday 26th and 10am to 2pm on Saturday 27th. If you’d like any other advice from the Connexions team, call (01472) 325000 or visit their centre on Queens Street, Grimsby, DN31 1JA.

“We really want to make this a family event,” said Paula Shaw, of Connexions.

“It’s just as important for parents, carers and families to help young people make decisions on the shape of their future.”

A number of council teams in recent months have joined forces to tackle build up of grime and detritus through our local borough, and they have also actively been working within the East Marsh Ward. 

Today, and recently the council’s street cleansing, highways along with the environmental enforcement teams have been in the East Marsh for Operation Street Pride, cleansing gullies and rain water channels, de-weeding, highway and footpath repairs as well as giving both Tunnard Street and Castle Street a deep clean.  

The operation in Tunnard Street was highly successful, and I understand that today’s in Castle Street was once again a success. 

Cllr Peter Burgess, the council’s portfolio holder for environment, said: “This was a highly disciplined and successful blitz on two streets that needed something of a tidy-up. 

“By working in partnership we were able to achieve speedy results that will be of immense benefit to people living in the area.” 

With a parking prohibition brought by environmental enforcement and a recovery vehicle on-site to tow away any offending vehicles, the entire street was cleansed within two hours. 

Cllr Steve Beasant portfolio holder for community safety and public protection; who visited both Tunnard Street and Castle before and after the process was highly delighted that local residents had benifted. 

He said: “Both Streets were in urgent need of a deep clean, they were beginning to look very tired; but now beginning to sparkle once again. 

“It was remarkable, that only the before process began both streets looked like many others but now they are ‘spick and span’; all of the road repairs are now complete; road markings have been refreshed; gulleys have been cleaned; and some of the pavements have been repaired. 

“One or two residents were concerned at first that they would have to move there car onto a side-street, but now they can see the benefit – the outcome is superb. 

“I have spoken to a number of local residents, and they are highly delighted. They have thanked me, and asked me to pass on their thanks to all of the council staff who worked really hard – on this tremendous scheme – well done!”

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne. 

Commenting on Government figures which show that spending on overtime for police officers went up by nearly 50% in just five years, Chris Huhne said: “Spurious and unnecessary overtime must end but not at the expense of frontline policing.

“Three quarters of forces have made it clear that large overtime expenditure is due to a lack of police.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street.”

  “Every party wants to provide the best possible care for those who need it, but making promises to vulnerable people that you can’t deliver is grossly irresponsible,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb. 

  Responding to Andy Burnham’s comments on the social care system, Norman Lamb said: “It is increasingly clear that the Government’s plans on care for the elderly are in disarray.

“Labour’s pledge on personal care at home is going to cost much more than they claim and will not provide the long-term solution people need.

“Every party wants to provide the best possible care for those who need it, but making promises to vulnerable people that you can’t deliver is grossly irresponsible.

“This issue is far too important to be used as a political football. The Liberal Democrats want to see a cross-party agreement on social care to sort this problem out once for all.”

“There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable. 

Commenting on the resignation of Hector Sants, Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority, Vince Cable said: “We are still in the middle of a crisis and the FSA has an important part to play in effecting far reaching and lasting change. 

“There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty.  

“We don’t know if this decision is a direct result of the Tories’ stance on the FSA’s future but what we can say is that their proposals are creating uncertainty for an organisation that has a vital role to play.”

Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Clement-Jones’s Live Music Bill has its third reading in the House of Lords today after which it goes to the Commons. It has sailed through previous stages in the Lords with no amendments. 

The Bill proposes that schools, hospitals, colleges, and small venues up to a capacity of 200 should not need a licence for a live music performance, and that the “two-in-a-bar” exemption should be reinstated.

The Government’s 2003 Licensing Act means live musical performances must have a licence or the organisers risk criminal prosecution.

Lord Clement-Jones said: “The Government’s stubborn refusal to accept the recommendations of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee that licensing be relaxed for live music is short-sighted and illiberal.

“Live music used to be at the core of our society. But it’s harder for someone to play the piano in a bar now than it was in 1899.

“We should be supporting small venues not strangling them with red tape. More live music in our pubs would mean more punters and fewer pubs closing.

“My Bill is the only chance to change the law before the general election and breathe new life in to the live music scene. I challenge the Government to explain why they will not support it.”

  “We need a public body to look at the BBC’s full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster. 

  Commenting on the BBC’s disclosure that it paid £229m to performers, Don Foster said: “These are eye-watering figures. Licence fee payers have a right to know if they represent good value for money.

“We need a public body to look at the BBC’s full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served. Scrutiny of this kind is a job for the National Audit Office, not commercial accountants.

“While we all want to know how much stars are being paid, public disclosure is likely to be ruled illegal. It could also lead to a bidding war, pushing salaries and hence BBC costs up, not down.”

“The benefits system needs to be much simpler, not least so officials can understand it properly,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb. 

Commenting on today’s Work and Pensions Select Committee report, Steve Webb said: “The Government’s failure to get to grips with the over-complex benefits system is appalling, especially when so much is down to official error.

“It is staggeringly unfair that the taxpayer is forced to stump up almost £1bn just because officials are unable to administer a system of their own creation.

“These blunders cause hardship and stress for many vulnerable people.

“The benefits system needs to be much simpler, not least so officials can understand it properly.”

The Liberal Democrats will today seek to change the question to offer the choice of a more proportional system - the single transferable vote - instead of AV. 

They also want to bring forward the last date of the referendum to May next year, and close what they say is a loophole that would allow an incoming Conservative administration to abandon the vote without the need for fresh primary legislation. 

  Speaking on Sky News earlier today, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said that whilst the proposals are not a true proportional system this move “is a baby step in the right direction.” 

  However, Chris Huhne said that the alternative vote does not in his view “give people the real choice that I think voters want” namely, supporting the candidate rather than the party. 

Chris Huhne ended by saying if the Liberal Democrats own amendments were not passed “we will support the government proposals.” 

Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Howarth said: it is “unacceptable that Labour’s amendments would make it childishly easy for the next Government to kill a referendum without further legislation”. 

David Howarth added: “By acting purely out of naked self-interest, the Conservative Party has long been a roadblock to electoral reform.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Rochdale, Paul Rowen is supporting this year’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day which takes place on 12 February; it is a national campaign that aims to highlight the effects of living in a cold home on people’s health.

The country is still in the grip of the most severe winter in over 30 years, and there is still more severe weather forecast. The campaign aims to draw attention to the health problems caused by living in a cold, damp home and urges vulnerable people to keep their heating on until winter ends and temperatures start to warm up.

Government statistics have shown that during the winter of 2008/9, there was a 49% rise in excess winter death across England. In Rochdale, 13.6% of households are living in fuel poverty and National Energy Action estimate that the average number of excess winter deaths in Rochdale over the last 5 years is 60.

Last winter temperatures remained as low as minus 6 degrees well into March, leading to concerns that people may have been risking their health by turning their heating off too early in order to save money on their fuel bills.

Paul Rowen in support of the Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, said: “Living in a cold damp home can lead to extremely poor health, especially in those who are vulnerable such as older people, young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed and those with long terms sickness and disabilities.

“It is important that people in Rochdale know that there are schemes in place to help them, and to ensure they are keeping warm and healthy throughout the winter period and for as long as the cold weather lasts. Fuel Poverty Awareness day is about acknowledging the issues, helping people to understand the links between fuel poverty and poor health, and making them aware of the help that is available to ensue they are kept warm and well.

“The most important message is that there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone who is concerned about their fuel bill to contact their energy supplier or to call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to access help and advice on staying warm when it is cold without the fear of fuel debt and ill health.”

A “stop before your op” initiative has been introduced by North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Pus. The policy, endorsed by the Department of Health, has been introduced to encourage smokers to quit their habit before they have surgery.

Research has shown that smoking is a major cause of post-operative complications, resulting in delayed recovery. The message to patients is that surgery will be safer and recovery time reduced if they stop smoking at least eight weeks before surgery.  

Patients who smoke and require surgery will be encouraged and offered support to quit when they first go to a health professional, such as a GP, and then again when they see a specialist at a hospital outpatients department. 

If they have not already stopped, they will be encouraged to do so again if their surgical procedure requires them to attend a pre-admission assessment clinic at a hospital. 

Greg Gilbert, North East Lincolnshire smoke-free alliance coordinator, said: “It must be stressed that smokers will not be barred from surgery. It is not a ‘stop’ or ‘no op’ policy. If they do not stop smoking the operation will still go ahead as long as it is clinically safe to do so. 

“Although the ‘stop before your op’ policy was not introduced until 2010 it is in many ways only formalising what has already been happening nationally. For example, many GPs have for years been advising smokers to stop before their operation (and offering them support to do so), but we hope this practice will become more widespread now that we have introduced this initiative.” 

Dr Tony Hill, director of public health, said: “Smokers are more likely to have delayed healing, breathing difficulties and other complications after surgery. Stopping smoking will reduce the risk of these complications, especially if they stop at least eight weeks before their operation.

“People who had tried and failed many times in the past to quit smoking would be more likely to make a fresh attempt if they were aware of the wide range of treatments now available. For example the stop smoking medicine Champix introduced by North East Lincolnshire is proving very successful at helping smokers to quit.” 

Leaflets about the policy have been distributed to GP practices and hospitals and are shortly due to be also sent to dentists and opticians.