Tips for Employing a Trader

Top tips for employing a trader

Trading Standards officers from Shropshire Council’s county public protection team are advising residents to properly plan and prepare their home improvement projects, to avoid being caught out with cowboy builders.

The following advice has been issued to help anyone thinking of employing a trader to carry out work at their home.

· Work out how much you want to spend.
· Get at least three written quotations from businesses.
· Compare prices as well as standards of service.
· Discuss the work required with the trader and agree exactly what you want doing in advance.
· Agree all details in writing: a standard contract is available at www.fmb.org.uk.
· Get a completion date in writing before any work starts.
· Discuss any problems with the builder as soon as they arise.
· Never agree to contract with doorstep sellers.

People can also visit the online Trader Register which has been set up by Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council to help consumers locate home improvement traders in the county. People can use this register – at www.traderregister.org.uk – to find a trader who has made a commitment to fair, honest trade, and to providing good customer service.

Anyone needing advice about problems that have already arisen should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

Councillor David Roberts, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for local environment and economy, said: “With Christmas nearly over and many people now thinking about home improvements, we hope this advice will help them avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous or dishonest traders.

“We especially encourage people to visit the Trader Register as members of the scheme have signed up to a code of practice.  In choosing a trader from the Register you are therefore making an important first step towards achieving the repair or home improvement that you want.”

For information on finding a trader visit www.traderregister.org.uk. or telephone Shropshire Council Customer Service Centre on 0845 6789 023.

Local Business Graduate Scheme

Scheme helps local businesses recruit graduates

Shropshire Council has welcomed a new initiative funded by Advantage West Midland that helps Shropshire businesses find and recruit graduates who are looking for work.

Under the scheme Grad Central Ltd manages the entire recruitment process including advertising roles on the their website and other popular jobs boards; searching a database of 6000 graduates across the West Midlands; providing a shortlist of candidates; arranging interviews, and negotiating offers.

There are currently 223 new and experienced Shropshire-based graduates registered on the Grad Central database, all actively seeking work. Of these 153 of have business-related degrees and 67 have an engineering background.

Councillor David Roberts, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for local environment and economy, said: “This is an excellent scheme for businesses interested in recruiting a graduate but who don’t know where to start, and for graduates seeking work. It is one of the council’s objectives to improve employment and self-employment prospects for graduates, and any regional initiative to help enable them to gain experience with businesses is therefore very welcome.”

Business wanting more information on how Grad Central can help find the right graduate for their business at no cost, can call 01675 461500 or visit the website at www.grad-central.co.uk.

Shrewsbury Delays 09 January

Shrewsbury town centre car parks opening

Car parks in the Bridge Street area of Shrewsbury will be open this weekend to help boost trade in the town centre following Sunday’s explosion.

Only St Austin’s car park will remain closed, with Bridge Street and Barker Street car parks re-opened on Friday afternoon.

Work is still taking place by utility companies to make repairs at the site of the explosion on the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road, but the council is doing its best to get Shrewsbury moving as smoothly as possible.

Drivers are asked to be patient and follow signs, as the situation may change depending on how quickly work is finished at the site.

All businesses in the area are accessible by pedestrians, and Welsh Bridge opened to traffic from the direction of Frankwell on Thursday evening. It is hoped the bridge will open in both directions over the weekend.

Councillor David Roberts, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for local environment and economy, said: “Staff from the council, emergency services and other agencies are working extremely hard to get as many roads open as possible, so people can get in to Shrewsbury and support their local businesses and shops.

“The town is very much open for business and people should not be put off from visiting the town centre because of the few remaining road closures – buses are operating, car parks are open, and diversions are in place to get around the forced closures.”

Bridge Street, Victoria Quay and the bottom of Mardol currently remain closed to traffic, but diversions are in place and the roads will be opened – most likely with traffic lights in operation – as quickly as possible.

Smithfield Road is open to traffic from Welsh Bridge, and from the direction of the railway station as far as Roushill for people to access Raven Meadows car park.

Park and ride services are operating, as are most bus services, and the message is that Shrewsbury is open for business.

A number of services have changed in the town following the explosion on Sunday (3 January 2010) and also due to the extreme weather conditions

The following services have changed or are currently not running due to bad weather.

Shrewsbury

A number of services have changed in the town following the explosion on Sunday (3 January 2010) and also due to the extreme weather conditions.

Into bus station
The following services will operate to and from the bus station:

Arriva Midlands

24 – Moston Road to bus station.
25 – Harlescott to bus station.
26 – Sundorne/Tesco to bus station.
64 – Operating as normal.
511 – Operating as normal.
519 – Operating as normal.
576 – This service is not running except from Shrewsbury as far as Bomere Heath until further notice.
Changes to scheduled services
Arriva Midlands
1 Service – This will split and operatefrom Telford Estate to the Gyratory and Hospital/Gains Park to Frankwell.
2 Service – Will now operate and run into the bus station.
8 Service – Will operate Sutton Farm to the Gyratory.
12 Service – Will operate Kingswood – Frankwell – Kingswood.
20 Service – This will split and operate Reabrook – Gyratory – Reabrook/Radbrook Green – Frankwell – Radbrook Green.
23 Service – Monkmoor – Gyratory – Monkmoor.
24 Service – This will split and operateMoneybrook Way – Belle Vue Road – Gyratory – Moneybrook Way/Harlescott Tesco – bus station.
25 Service – This will split and operateBayston Hill (past ASDA, not Belle Vue) to Gyratory / Harlescott Tesco – bus station.
26 Service – This will split and operate Harlescott Tesco to bus station and Meole Village to Gyratory.
64 Service – Running as normal.
70 Service – Operating to Frankwell. The timetable is also revised to an hourly service leaving Oswestry at 20 minutes past the hour and leaving Frankwell at 15 minutes past the hour.
436 Service – Operating to Gyratory.
511 Service – Running as normal.
519 Service – Running as normal
544 Service – This service is not running until further notice.
546 Service – Pulverbatch to Gyratory.
X5/81/96 Services – will operate to Gyratory.
7 Service – will operate from Coton Hill to Railway Station and Chester Street.
D74 – Operating to Frankwell Roundabout (Theatre Severn).
D71 – Operating to Frankwell Roundabout (Theatre Severn).
53 – Not running until further notice

Bus station shuttle bus

On Friday 8 January 2010 there will be a shuttle bus operating from the bus station to the Gyratory near the English Bridge. This will operate every 30 minutes from 9.30am until 3.30pm. This service will take passengers dropped off at the English Bridge into town.

Shrewsbury Park & Ride services

Harlescott will operate to Raven Meadows.
Oxon will operate to Frankwell (Theatre Severn).
Meole Brace will operate to Gyratory, close to the English Bridge.

Shrewsbury Dial-A-Ride

Shrewsbury Dial-A-Ride will be operating a normal service for more details please call the booking line on 01743 450270.

ShropshireLink

Due to the extreme weather conditions, ShropshireLink will also be effected. For information on current bookings please call the booking line on 0345 678 9068

Ludlow

First Midland Red – 292 – This service will only be operating between Bewdley and Kidderminster and will not serve Ludlow until further notice.

Oswestry

Tanat Valley Coaches – 84, 81, 71, D78, D79 and 406 – Have been cancelled until further notice.

Telephone / Broadband Delays 6 January

It is possible that the Welsh Bridge will be open to pedestrian traffic from 7.00am tomorrow morning.

BT are progressing well with their work, but we will still maintain our current business continuity plans until we are reasonably sure that the connections will be maintained and reliable.

Connections resumed (as at 4.30pm 6th January 2010) –
· Guildhall
· Crematorium
· Sports Village
· Weeping Cross
· Theatre Severn
· Nettles Lane
· Castle View
· Alexander Road, Oswestry
· Oswestry Leisure Centre
· Ellesmere Country Team
· Lakelands School

Interruptions Still Continuing (as at 4.30pm 6th January 2010) –
· Victoria House, Shrewsbury
· Winston Churchill Building
· Old Market Hall
· Ashford Carbonell School
· Bridgnorth Endowed School
· Maesbury Primary
· Meole Brace CoE Infants
· Oldbury Wells
· Corbett School
· Grove School
· Marches School
· Whitchurch CofE
· Bishops Castle School

The council are operating a Snow Line again tomorrow morning in case of school closures resulting from the inclement weather conditions.

Youth Opportunity Fund

If you are a young person aged between 13 and 19 why not apply to Shropshire Council’s Youth Opportunity Fund.  You can apply for funds for a wide range of activities including arts, sport, games, team building or even training to run your own business! It’s best to apply as part of a group so get together with a group of friends and make an application.

This is the third year that the fund has been available and so far more than 200 grants have been awarded to young people’s projects.  The fund is split into five blocks which are then allocated to Oswestry, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Shrewsbury areas.  In this round up to £22,000 is available for each area which must be allocated and spent this year.  So, get your application forms in quickly.

Some of the projects that have been successful in previous rounds include a Safe New Drivers project, music equipment and team building events. A recently successful group took themselves to Liverpool to learn what was happening in the city of culture.  The majority of the grants are for amounts of £1000 and make a real difference to the range of activities that are organised for young people.

All applications must be received by 12 noon on 9 October 2009.  Forms are available from Shropshire Youth at Shropshire Council both electronically and by post.  Email: youth.service@shropshire.gov.uk or call 01743 254488.

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