Labour’s Liz issues clarification to clear up Sefton Committee attendance issue

Labour’s Liz issues clarification to clear up Sefton Committee attendance issue.

Labour’s Liz Savage has issued a correction to a press release she issued yesterday. It follows a story we ran: https://www.otsnews.co.uk/southport-experience-reveals-lib-dem-leaders-claims-hollow-say-critics/

Liz Savage says:

“Yesterday I issued a release pointing out how the local Liberal Democrat party are at odds with their party leader’s claim of good local government.

I highlighted the recent plan by Cllr Pugh who proposed that £400,000 should be spent on potholes and the money for this should be borrowed and then paid back over out of the rods budget for the following nine years.

“This potholed potholes plan would have seen a small one off hit that would not have even touched the sides of the problem and then left the council with even less money to tackle the problem for the rest of a decade. It was little more than headline grabbing, not a real solution. Restoring funds for the highways budget which the Lib-Dems and Tories have slashed would go some way to being a real solution.”

“I then commented on how local Lib-Dems were seemingly at odds with their leader’s bold claims over housing, given their opposition locally to Sefton’s efforts to meet the housing crisis.”

“Included in the piece I also described a serious situation which had threatened Hightown Village Surgery. This could have resulted in patients not receiving GP cover and was averted in no small part due to the efforts of Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson and Labour colleagues.

Labour councillors at Sefton have also raised critical concerns about how the issue has been handled by NHS England; over communications issues with clinical commissioning groups and NHS England and the lack of a transparent complaints procedure. I noted that currently there are also issues with Lancashire Care’s review of Formby Clinic which could have knock-one effects in Ainsdale and Southport, something again that Labour is raising.

During this, I detailed how a special meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care and Health was held on 3rd April. This was to hear the second report of NHS England and NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group regarding the threat to the GP practice and I drew attention to the Lib-Dem’s poor attendance record at the committee.

“None of the Lib-Dems who are part of the committee made the April 3rd meeting and I also stated that they had all failed to attend the previous meeting on it on the 22nd March. This was incorrect, one did on that occasion, Cllr Lynne Thomson. As such I’m happy to correct this and say sorry to Lynne for that. I’ve not been asked to do this by her but personally feel it’s important to do so.”

“The political point I was making still stands though – I do not believe that an 83% non-attendance record on such an important matter qualifies as good local government service by Lib-Dem councillors. The Labour councillors, meanwhile, had an 86% attendance record and actually dealt with the issue.”

“Indeed, my point was rather reinforced by one of the Lib-Dem’s very own local politicians, Cllr Simon Shaw, who commented on the article stating that:

“That Surgery’s in Hightown, isn’t it? So not in Churchtown, or Southport or Birkdale or Ainsdale, all areas where Lib Dem councillors represent the community.” (Cllr Simon Shaw)

This is exactly the type of attitude I was highlighting. It seems that Lib-Dem councillors are apparently Sefton councillors when they want to comment on and attack decisions made regarding other parts of the borough and not Sefton councillors when they need to take responsibility.”

“As such I’m happy to issue this correction regarding Lynne who I respect on a personal basis but stand-by my concerns about her party locally.”