LOCAL ISSUES WHICH LABOUR DOESN’T DARE MENTION
Sefton’s Labour candidates’ statements for the local elections are revealing for what they don’t say, rather than what they have achieved in the local community or their proposals for the future. Their literature lacks detail and refers to fighting for a Labour Government, rather than supporting Sefton. This is a local election, NOT a general election!
It is curious therefore that Labour’s candidates are silent on a number of key issues which affect our local communities.
For example:
SEFTON’S CHILDREN’S SERVICES
In February 2022 Sefton’s management of Children’s Services was deemed inadequate. Yet there is no mention in Labour’s leaflets of what steps are being taken to bring this service to an acceptable standard.
OFSTED’s monitoring visit report, published in March 2024, notes that “Despite some improvements, the pace of progress in some areas of practice has been too slow.”
We are not told what steps the councillors intend to make to address this situation. Instead of written reports to Members, the Scrutiny Committee receives only verbal presentations which allow no examination by the public.
Likewise, Labour’s election literature ignores Adult Social Care, which is the highest area of spending of Council Tax resources, accounting for 35.75% of the budget.
What is this Council doing to ensure these key services are fit for purpose?
We are not being told.
EDUCATION
Education is not mentioned by the Labour candidates. One would have thought they would be proud of the hard work of teachers, non-teaching staff and school governors to ensure Sefton’s schools achieve the high expectations our children deserve.
The provision of quality pre-school nursery provision is an important issue for parents and guardians but this too is ignored by Labour.
Many of our schools have decided to opt out of Local Authority control, as they establish new Multi-Academy Trusts. How will this council work alongside the Academies and the private sector to maximise resources and standards for local education?
We are not being told.
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Sefton’s local planning process has allowed and encouraged thousands of new houses to be built in Sefton Central, very often on prime agricultural land.
When private developers try to develop new houses on brownfield sites, especially in town centres, they have been obstructed by the council’s planning committee, resulting in costly appeals which often find the council’s refusals to be unsound.
Along with the new homes, we would expect the council to carefully examine the capacity of local services such as schools, doctors and dentists, to be able to cope with this influx of new residents. We would also expect the council to review whether the existing sewers are able to meet the demands of the new housing developments.
As a result of new housing in Maghull it was found necessary to increase the capacity of a local primary school to meet the demand, yet the council’s planning committee refused their own planning application. How perverse!
The Labour Council does not tell us how they intend to prevent the education, health and social care infrastructure being overwhelmed by excessive development.
We are not being told.
PARKS AND PLAY AREAS
Sefton’s council tax leaflet tells us that 15.35% of the council tax budget is spent on “Living, working and having fun.”
A significant element of that budget should be spent on managing and maintaining our local parks and playgrounds. However, this has now fallen to the willing volunteer groups as “Friends of the parks” to maintain the parks and raise funds for their investment. How frustrating therefore that in addition to the Council Tax income the Council retains £3,461,957.09 of Section 106 monies received prior to 2022/23 for local infrastructure, which should include our parks and play areas.
At a time when the Labour Council continues to blame the government for the declining standard of our local environment it is ironic that they are sitting on large sums of money which they have failed to spend on our communities.
The Council also delegates annually a budget to local Ward Councillors to spend on projects which will have a beneficial impact on the local area. The Council’s website showing Ward budgets was last updated in 2020/21 which showed that over £101,000 had been accumulated but had not been spent on the community.
How much money is lying unexpended from S106 developer contributions and within Ward budgets, which should be spent on our parks?
We are not being told.
CROSBY VILLAGE REGENERATION
Sefton’s Labour Council has obtained Outline Planning Consent for a new Library, Health Hub and café on the car park alongside Islington (behind Boots and Farm Foods). The planning application is vague and fails to mention what form of health hub is planned. Will it be a new home for Crosby Village Surgery, will it offer clinic services, will it provide dentistry?
The planning application also illustrated new car park layouts in the Village’s 3 car parks. These showed that there would be a loss of 62 spaces as a result of the new car park design and the loss of valuable spaces to build the new health hub.
Despite local objection to the loss of parking spaces the planning application was not even referred to the Planning Committee and no account was taken of the local residents’ comments.
Who is making decisions about this scheme, why has there been no community involvement and why are residents being kept in the dark?
We are not being told.
CROSBY VILLAGE SURGERY
This GP Surgery at Liverpool Road, Crosby has been closed for several years.
The GP’s fell they would be able to run a better service by bringing the Crosby Village Practice to join their Crossways Practice at the junction of Myers Road West and Liverpool Road, as part of the Primary Care:24 Group.
However, the signs still remain at the Crosby Village surgery but who is paying for this empty building?
Is it intended that this surgery will be relocated into the new health hub, if it is ever built?
We are not being told.
CROSBY LIBRARY AND CIVIC HALL
In May 2023, Sefton Council resolved to sell the Library and Civic Hall on Crosby Road North and to plough the proceeds of sale into the proposed health hub in Crosby Village. A development brief was produced with a suggestion the site be offered for housing.
Unsurprisingly, the residents of Waterloo and Seaforth were unhappy about the planned closure and in August 2023 had a u-turn, decided to deliver the Crosby Village scheme and, at the same time retain the existing library in Waterloo.
In September 2023 Cabinet noted:
“The Council recently announced that Cabinet had given consideration as to how refurbishment of the existing Crosby Library in Waterloo could be included in the Crosby Village project. It was announced that both schemes would be progressed as separate schemes - continuing to deliver the Crosby Village scheme whilst at the same time retaining the existing library in Waterloo. Cabinet is therefore asked to note that the Council will procure an updated Stock Condition Survey for the existing library in Waterloo.”
Six months later, there has been no report on the findings of the Stock Condition Survey, what has been revealed and the consequences arising from the survey. Is the building in as poor condition as was feared in May 2023? Is it to be retained? What is proposed for the Civic Hall, which was last used in 2014?
We are not being told.
CROSBY CARNEGIE LIBRARY
We have written repeatedly about Carnegie Library, Crosby, which was closed to the public 10 years ago on 10th December 2013 and allowed to deteriorate.
Whilst a preferred developer was selected in June 2020, and planning and listed building consent obtained, no works have yet commenced on this building. There seems no urgency from this Council to safeguard the building and see it brought back into productive use.
Cunard Construction’s intention was to repair the building, creating a business hub, community café and a headquarters office for themselves.
This year a new Planning Application has been submitted to the Council and until this is granted the building and grounds remains the responsibility of Sefton Council to manage and maintain.
When is the regeneration likely to begin?
We are not being told.
There are countless other initiatives by this Labour-run Council which are shrouded in mystery.
- How much money is being ploughed into Bootle Strand and will it ever become a viable scheme?.
- Why has Sefton Council allowed Southport pier to fall into disrepair and what are their plans for restoring this historic Listed structure?
- What are the long-term plans to maintain the Town Halls, especially Waterloo Town Hall and Bootle Town Hall, which are listed buildings? Consultancy studies have been carried out but not made public. Why the secrecy?
- Why is this Council ploughing public money into Sefton Hospitality Operations Ltd to run loss-making catering operations?
- Why is this Council using community taxpayers’ money to subsidise Sandway Homes Ltd but not offering the same incentives to other commercial housebuilders?
WE ARE NOT BEING TOLD!
