Southport MP Damien Moore has joined the Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing in criticising the Labour-led Sefton Council for insufficient improvement to their Children’s Social Services. Since the most recent damning Ofsted report, in which Sefton Council was awarded the lowest attenable rating of ‘inadequate’, a Government-appointed Commissioner has been tasked with ensuring that the Local Authority makes rapid progress to improve the failing social services. The Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, has this week written to the Council, directing Sefton to deliver the recommendations set out in the Commissioner’s June 2023 report, alongside any…
Author: Conservative Press Release
Local Southport MP Damien Moore has argued for the role that strengthening transport infrastructure plays in creating more highly-skilled, highly-paid jobs in Southport, and in ensuring that those qualified and willing to work these jobs remain local. Speaking in a panel discussion on “A Northern Skills Base for the Future”, hosted by the Northern Research Group at its inaugural conference in Doncaster, Mr. Moore argued that transport infrastructure such as the Burscough Curves and Manchester Piccadilly direct rail link are crucial not just for visitors, but also for ensuring that Southport’s young people have in our town the opportunities that…
Birkdale’s Lee Durkin is pursuing funding for a number of damaged metal street name signs after raising this last year. Mr. Durkin said: “After visiting Birkdale and Hillside before the very first Covid Lockdown in 2020, I made a record of damaged signs at the time which I reported to the Council for maintenance.” “I’d just like to point out that I recognize and am pleased that other people have also reported signs, sometimes before me, however I’d like to bring attention to some of the older signs which really need urgent attention.” “Plates like Ashton Road are at risk…
Nearly 9,000 police officers have been recruited as part of the Conservative Government’s campaign to recruit an additional 20,000 by March 2023, with 529 more in Merseyside alone. This means the target for year one of the recruitment push – to recruit 6,000 officers by March 2021 – has been dramatically exceeded, with nearly 45 per cent of the 20,000 already recruited by forces. Boris Johnson has urged the public to vote for their local Conservative candidates at the upcoming Police and Crime Commissioner elections, to help cut crime and build back safer from the pandemic. Damien Moore MP has…
New lifts will begin to be installed at Hillside Station in Southport in May, finally giving passengers step-free access to the platforms. Southport MP Damien Moore is delighted to see work taking place after campaigning for the scheme in Parliament. The railway station is on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network between Southport and Liverpool. Lifts at Hillside will be built thanks to funding through the Department for Transport (DfT)’s Access For All Scheme with additional funding through the Combined Authority (CA) Transforming Cities Fund. The building work is expected to be completed later this year. The upgrades will…
Southport’s Member of Parliament is calling on rail campaigners and local residents to keep up the pressure on the Manchester Recovery Task Force to protect and enhance rail services to the coastal seaside town. The ‘Manchester Recovery Task Force’, which is leading the review, is working with the Department for Transport, TfN, Network Rail and train operators Northern and Transpenine Express. The public consultation is aimed at investigating what can be done to improve the performance of the rail network around Manchester and how it can be made more into a reliable service for users. Rail passengers are being presented…
Conservative Candidate for Liverpool Regional Mayor, Jade Marsden, has been in Southport this week as part of her campaign, and met with Southport’s MP, Damien Moore, to discuss their priorities for Liverpool City region. They discussed pressing issues around Southport business, the environment and the £37.5million Town Deal fund. Damien offered his endorsement of the candidate saying; “I have known Jade [Marsden] for a number of years and I know how hard she works and how passionate she is about our region. She’s a dedicated activist and has a strong track record of delivering for local people. But most importantly,…
The Conservative Party candidate for Meols Ward, Thomas de Freitas, has ‘put Sefton Council on notice’ that if elected, he will push for local residents to be given a much greater say on planning issues affecting their areas. Residents across Meols Ward – which covers Crossens, Churchtown, and Marshside – have seen a sharp increase in the number of planning applications and development proposals in recent years. These include the proposed Lidl store in Crossens, the development off Bankfield Lane, the development on the former Phillips Factory site, and the development off Barton’s Close. De Freitas has argued that the…
Results from the latest National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit reveal that Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust is the highest performing trust against the NICE standards of care, with patients seeing specialists in record time. The audit, conducted by the British Society for Rheumatology, is the largest and most comprehensive study into the condition. It aims to improve patient care and treatment and has collected data from over 13,500 patients, with 96% of trusts in England and Wales participating. Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis and back pain affected an estimated 18.8 million people across the UK in 2017, with…
On Friday, the deep internal divisions of the Southport Liberal Democrat Party were exposed and laid bare for the town’s residents to witness. Tony Dawson, the once infamous right-hand man to long-serving MP John Pugh had gloated early in the day at being unanimously endorsed by the Liberal Democrat Group on Sefton Council and local party members to stand in Dukes Ward at this May’s elections uncontested, despite having been expelled by the Party, nationally. However, in a turn of events that could only have been inspired by a scene out of House of Cards, it transpired that David Newman,…
After reporting Crescent Roads surface issues over the past year, then recently highlighting that micro-surfacing that was scheduled to take place, Conservative councillor candidate for Birkdale Lee Durkin is overjoyed for local residents at the reassessment of Crescent Road and the works being carried out. Mr Durkin first reported Crescent Road in August 2020 and again in February 2021 after motorists, cyclists and even pedestrians contacted him with their concerns. Birkdale’s Lee Durkin said: “I am truly delighted that Dowhigh, who are one of the largest independent public works companies in the region when it comes to roads, have assessed…
Birkdale’s Lee Durkin has concerns after being contacted by a local resident after a leaflet from the current Birkdale Councillors was delivered. Mr Durkin said: “I was contacted online by a local resident that had received a leaflet about Crescent Road which has become well known for its condition. Upon reading it I have noticed the current Birkdale Councillors have said they have lobbied the Council’s highway department for over 8 months, and at long last it will be resurfaced later in April. Unfortunately by going to the councils website it clearly states that micro surfacing will take place which…
The Conservatives have been out in force this week, campaigning in their respective Wards, delivering leaflets across Southport, with the local elections only a few short weeks away. The candidates are as follows; Michael Shaw – Ainsdale Ward Lee Durkin – Birkdale Ward Sinclair D’Albuquerque – Cambridge Ward Mike Prendergast – Dukes Ward Laura Nuttall – Kew Ward Thomas de Freitas – Meols Ward Pam Teesdale – Norwood Ward Bob Teesdale – Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate Jade Marsden – Liverpool City Region Mayoral Candidate They pledge to unlock the door on secretive practices currently being exercised by Labour-led…