The Nifty 250: News of the day in so many words

EDGE LANE IS POISED FOR A £200 MILLION DEVELOPMENT as city leaders prepare to sign a landmark deal with a developer. Owners of Edge Lane Retail Park, Derwent Holdings, said it was on the cusp of agreeing to build a retail park with around 600,000 sq ft shopping space. The regeneration will see all the existing retail units torn down and replaced with new units.

OVER 11,000 MERSEYSIDE FAMILIES WILL RECEIVE FREE LAPTOPS and broadband as part of a Government scheme to bridge the gap between rich and poor.

Families claiming free school meals for children aged seven to 14 can apply for a ‘Home Access’ grant, which will provide them with a preloaded debit card to make the purchase from an approved supplier.

PM Gordon Brown, said, “We want every family to become a broadband family and we want every home linked to a school.”

A CROXTETH SCHOOL WAS THE TOAST OF DOWNING STREET after being among the most improved in the country.

De La Salle Community College was threatened with closure two years ago, but in a reception held for head teachers, Gordon Brown said, “They represent the creme de la creme of head teachers and are a real credit to their school and the local communities they serve."

RICE LANE TO BE CLOSED FOR FIVE MONTHS as part of an improvement plan. For the duration of the improvements, Rice Lane will be one-way only for traffic coming into the city centre between Hornby Road and Cavendish Drive.