On 6th September 2019, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the first wave of towns which have been invited to develop proposals for a share of the £3.6bn Towns Fund.
Southport has been selected as one of 45 townships within the Northern Power House area.
Communities, businesses and local leaders are now invited to join forces to draw up ambitious plans to transform their town’s economic growth prospects with a focus on improved transport, broadband connectivity, skills and culture.
It is pleasing that Southport has been selected for this exciting opportunity and the team from the Business Improvement District will be working with the Conservative MP, Damien Moore, to progress their ideas.
But what of the town centres of Crosby, Formby and Maghull? Why have the Labour MP’s, Bill Esterson and Peter Dowd, not supported their constituencies and tried to secure funding from the Government’s massive £3.6bn Town Fund?
Sefton Council has also bid for funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Town Centre Fund. This amounts to £6m shared across the 6 Merseyside Authorities and is administered via the Metro-mayor, Steve Rotherham. Regrettably, the town centres within central Sefton have been ignored by our Council and their bid is solely for improvements in Bootle and Southport.
We urgently need this council to demonstrate commitment and leadership to ensure the survival and imaginative regeneration of our local town centres in the Sefton Central Constituency.
