Sefton council agrees to raise council tax by 4.99% and increase costs for parking and leisure facilities in order to fund social care and invest in children’s services.
Author: James Cave
Members of the public are being asked to only call 999 for an ambulance in a life-threatening emergency, with GMB paramedics walking out on a 24 hour strike today (Monday). North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) have stressed that ambulances will remain available, but will likely only be dispatched to the most severe cases, and that some patients may be asked to arrange their own transport to hospital. The PTS service arranging transport for various local medical appointments will also be affected. NWAS say they will be supported throughout the day by members of the military and a number of private…
Leader of Sefton Council, Labour’s Ian Maher, has criticised Southport MP Damien Moore over comments made regarding Home Office proposals to house asylum seekers at Pontins. Sefton Council publicly stated last week that they had been informed that the Home Office was no longer planning to continue with the proposals, but Damien Moore posted via his Facebook page on Monday calling on the Council to “publicly state as soon as possible that they are axing the Pontins asylum-seekers plan.” Mr Moore said on Monday: “It is not right for the Council to keep my constituents waiting anxiously, when a short…
Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust will merge with St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals, chief executive Ann Marr has confirmed. St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals (SHKT) took over managing Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust (S&ONHS) in 2021. Following the announcement of the resignation of SONHS Chief Executive Trish Armstrong-Child in 2021, the S&ONHS Trust Board had confirmed there were ‘a dozen or so ‘fragile’ clinical services’ which the Trust was struggling to continue offering alone – paving the way for an SHKT takeover. The move was all but confirmed when SHKT Chief Executive Ann Marr took on the same…
The Home Office are unlikely to move forward with controversial plans to house up to 3,000 asylum seekers at Pontins in Ainsdale, OTS News understands. Sefton Council and the Home Office had been locked in discussions for months after the government department enquired to the Council about housing families of asylum seekers at the holiday camp back in 2022. Southport MP Damien Moore vehemently opposed the plans, citing concerns over additional stresses to local social services and the impact on the town as a holiday destination. OTS understands that Sefton Council shared similar concerns, in addition to issues such as…
Merseyside Police have launched an investigation after an on-pitch confrontation between two footballers left one youth player with a broken nose and fractured eye socket. Police were called to the Rookery on January 14th after receiving reports of on-pitch violence during a youth game. OTS News understands that the alleged attacker received a short-term ban from the Football Association (FA). The victim is unlikely to be able to return to football this season. Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm that officers are investigating following an assault at a youth football match in Southport earlier this month. “At around 10.30am on…
Southport MP Damien Moore and Sefton Council Chief Executive Dwayne Johnson are set for tense talks this afternoon, after the Council received Home Office representations to house asylum seekers in the area, with Pontins identified as a potential site. Both Damien Moore and Sefton Council are opposed to plans to house asylum seekers at the site. OTS News understands that the Home Office originally suggested Pontins in 2022 and that both Mr Moore and senior leadership of Sefton Council share a number of similar concerns over the proposal, including access to social care and security of the site. No information…
Southport FC Ladies
Southport Pier will remain closed for the foreseeable future after Sefton Council confirmed that December’s cold weather “exacerbated existing damage”. Independent structural engineers have now been called in to assess the damage to the Pier. The country’s second-longest pier was originally closed temporarily in the middle of December due to structural concerns arising from a significant cold snap. However, Sefton Council say they are still unable to determine a reopening date. A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we work hard to ensure Southport Pier is safe to reopen. “Recent extreme…
A government commissioner appointed to review Children’s Services in Sefton says that improvements are being made but there must be “significant additional pace to the improvement work” in the coming months. Commissioner Paul Moffatt was appointed by the government earlier this year to report on changes to Children’s Services in Sefton, following the latest in a series of damning Ofsted assessments published in May. In his final report published last week, Mr Moffatt says that while “the Council has made a good start to its improvement work […] its progress remains hampered by workforce challenges, quality of practice, which is…
Sefton’s councillors cost the taxpayer over £930,000 during the 2021-22 financial year, according to figures published by Sefton Council. The Members’ Allowances End Of Year statement showed councillors receiving an average of £12,000 each before the amount is topped up with employers’ National Insurance contributions. Sefton Council has 66 serving councillors, with the financial year including a local election, meaning 74 councillors received contributions in 2021-22. Allowances totalled £888,071.99, with an additional £43,264.39 spent on employers’ National Insurance. Serving councillors are currently entitled to a £9,590.40 basic allowance each year as compensation for their time. This figure can be supplemented…
Hundreds of advertisements for a Pleasureland festival event are set to be removed by Sefton Council after they were erected around town on street furnishing without permission. Councillor John Pugh has also criticised the adverts, suggesting that a number posted on the junction of Eastbank Street and Lord Street pose a danger to pedestrians. Fly-posting, the promotion of events with posters, stickers or bills that are put up without the permission of the property owner, is a criminal offence. A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We would like to remind all businesses that advertising erected on highway furnishings is not…
Southport MP Damien Moore has launched a campaign to return a children’s A+E service to Southport. Southport and Formby Hospital on Town Lane stopped offering a paediatric A+E service in 2003, with the department moving to Ormskirk. A “temporary” overnight closure of children’s A+E at Ormskirk since 2020 has prompted renewed calls to return services to Southport. The Member of Parliament for Southport is now asking residents to sign a petition in support of the return. Damien Moore MP said: “Southport needs a Children’s A&E, and our town’s residents can help make it happen. This is why I’m launching a petition…
Sefton Council are to set aside over £1m to upgrade the cycle path alongside the Formby Bypass. The decision comes as Cabinet member John Fairclough has now confirmed funding for Sefton Council’s 2022/23 transportation initiatives, with over £14m allocated across the borough. Sefton’s councillors have one week to ‘call in’ the allocation, subjecting the budget to additional scrutiny. The funding allocation will be accepted if not called in by next Wednesday. The allocation includes a range of plans in and around Southport, including a new cycle route next to KGV College, and structural repairs of the bridge at Hillside Railway…
Planning permission documents for the new Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) and Light Show have been made public. Hundreds of pages of documents have now been released, in the hope of a successful planning decision later this year. If granted, demolition of the existing STCC building and construction would begin early next year, with the new facility opening to the public in either late 2025 or early 2026. Council documents suggest that the consultation period showed 84% of respondents were supportive of the project. The plan features a theatre/auditorium of 1,200 capacity all seated or 1,500 partially seated and standing…
A motion calling for additional scrutiny of Sefton Council’s children’s services sparked angry debate at Southport Town Hall last night. Children’s Services within Sefton have come under considerable criticism from Ofsted, to varying extents, for over a decade. In May, Sefton’s children’s services were listed as inadequate, the lowest possible rating. Councillor Mike Prendergast tabled a motion calling on the council to adopt indicators for measuring the improvement of children’s services, while requesting cabinet member Cllr Mhairi Doyle provide a report at each full council meeting. The motion passed, but with amendments removing a number of the reporting requirements. The…
The Southport Area Committee (SAC) will not be reformed, after a motion to recreate it was voted down by councillors last night. Sir Ron Watson had called for the re-formation of the SAC “at the earliest opportunity.” The SAC was disbanded by Sefton Council in 2018 after a report questioned its success and viability. At the time, the closure was met with challenges from opposition councillors who argued the legal methods used in the closure were invalid. Last night Sir Ron said the SAC “was a success and enabled the public who often attended in not insignificant numbers the opportunity…
The family of a lady killed in a road traffic accident on Lulworth Road has submitted a petition to Sefton Council calling for a pedestrian crossing in the area. Terry Cunningham presented the petition to Sefton Council last night after his mother Marie Cunningham and her friend Grace Foulds were tragically killed in an accident on Lulworth Road in November. The full circumstances of the incident remain unknown and subject to police investigation. Marie Cunningham and Grace Foulds had been for coffee that afternoon but were later involved in an RTC while crossing Lulworth Road, close to the junction of…
Local Labour councillor Greg Myers has criticised MP Damien Moore on his stance on Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Mr Moore voted against Boris Johnson in last month’s confidence vote, but only released a statement confirming his stance when it looked certain Mr Johnson would resign. Cllr Myers says that: “a few weeks doesn’t change that [Moore] supported Johnson for years” Southport Labour meanwhile says that Damien Moore’s: “new political makeover comes in the ‘lipstick on a pig’ category”. Mr Moore confirmed over the weekend that he will back Tom Tugendhat in the forthcoming Conservative leadership election. Norwood Councillor Greg Myers…
Damien Moore has given his support to Tom Tugenhadt to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister. On Thursday Boris Johnson announced his intention to resign once the Conservative Party have confirmed a new leader, following a record number of ministerial and cabinet resignations from his government. Damien Moore said: “I’m backing Tom Tugendhat as he’s a fresh face for a clean start. “Restoring integrity, building a strong team, tackling the cost of living crisis and levelling up – all are things which I believe Tom can deliver for the whole UK.” 49-year-old Tom Tugendhat has…
It’s been many years since I had the chance to just sit and watch the Southport Air Show in its entirety. I’ve been guilty before of just watching whatever I could see from my backyard a mile away, or meandering down to the front but staying outside of the spectator’s area and watching half of the Red Arrows. The return of the Air Show this year was an important event for the tourism arm of Sefton Council. It’s been difficult to promote tourism for Southport while the country has been locked away at home for two summers. Tickets for the…
Damien Moore has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign. Mr Moore said that he believes that Southport constituents are “rightly uncomfortable” with the leadership of the Conservative party. The Southport MP also publicly revealed for the first time that he voted against the Prime Minister in last month’s confidence vote, which Mr Johnson won. Boris Johnson faces new pressure over his handling of Conservative MP Chris Pincher, who allegedly groped two men at a function at the end of June this year. Mr Pincher voluntarily referred himself to the Conservative Party’s complaints procedure and the police following allegations…
Southport FC
A decision to grant planning permission to a contested housing development on Bankfield Lane has been deferred. Council planning officers had recommended that permission be granted to construct houses at the base of the Bankfield Lane to Rufford Road bridge as part of a larger development on the adjoining disused farmland. Sefton Council told OTS News that the decision has been deferred “so that further traffic surveys can be undertaken”. Local residents had voiced concerns over the plans, predominantly against the creation of a new access road at the bottom of the bridge, which would serve 6 of the 9…
Sefton Council have moved to save their controversial town centre cycle lanes, as OTS News can exclusively reveal that the legal orders used to enable them expired over four months ago. Cycle lanes on Hoghton Street, Talbot Street and Queens Road, along with access to cyclists on Chapel Street, were installed in September 2020. Agenda documents published by the Council reveal that the Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) used to create the lanes is no longer valid, and that the funding for their installation was dependent on monitoring and assessment that has not been conducted in time. Council officers are…
Demolition of the former Homebase unit on Kew Retail Park will begin next month, after years of legal challenges against a new Sainsbury’s ended unsuccessfully. Demolition of the Homebase unit, and construction of the new Sainsbury’s is expected to take a year. A spokesperson for Sefton Council said they expect demolition to begin “in the coming weeks.” Plans for the new store were initially proposed in 2014 but have been regularly opposed by competitors and councillors. An enquiry into the development back in 2015 cost the Council £130,000. In 2017, planning permission was initially granted for Sainsbury’s to demolish the…
Network Rail and over a dozen rail operators are set to walk out on strike next week, which will see some services from Southport cancelled. Northern, who operate services to Manchester from Southport station, are one of 13 rail operators whose RMT Union members have called for strikes. Should the planned strikes go ahead, it will be the largest day of industrial strikes on Britain’s railways for a generation, with more than 40,000 RMT union members set to picket. Strikes are planned on Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 23 June, and Saturday 25 June in a dispute over pay and job…
Former Southport FC manager Billy Bingham, who secured promotion for the Sandgrounders among a career otherwise littered with honours, has died aged 90. Bingham passed away yesterday in his Southport care home after a period of illness. Southport FC said they were “saddened” by the passing of Bingham, while preparing a full tribute to the legendary manager. The Southport FC Former Players Association said: “Our hearts are broken”. Bingham managed the Sandgrounders for 128 games across three seasons, earning promotion to the Third Division, thanks in no small part to an unprecedented fitness regime imposed on the players. The previous…
Data obtained by OTS News shows that Southport residents wait longer for ambulances than emergency calls placed nationally or within the North West. Using the Freedom of Information Act, OTS News asked the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to confirm the average wait times of calls for the last twelve months coming from a PR8 or PR9 address. The data shows that, for months, the time taken for an ambulance to arrive at a call placed from a PR8 or PR9 postcode will normally be longer than a call placed elsewhere in England or the North West. NWAS say the…
Former Southport MP John Pugh says that councillors have received “a flurry of complaints” regarding delays in distributing new or renewed taxi licences in Sefton. He says that “many taxi drivers have in desperation tried to use other licensing offices as far away as Wolverhampton” while expressing concern about the council’s “laid back” approach to the complaints. Sefton Council blames the delays on drivers attending appointments without the required documentation. Cllr Pugh, Lib Dem opposition leader on Sefton, says that a recent ‘performance report’ on taxi licensing was missing key information, such as processing time and delays. “To tell the…