News reports located on this page = 2.

Work Begins To Transform Southport Market

SOUTHPORT Market is a step closer to being transformed into a new 'culture experience' with work set to start, on Monday, 2 November 2020, with the reopening scheduled for Spring 2021. The incredible ₤1.4 million redesign and refurbishment of the Town Centre Market site will create a modern food and drinks space, along with a flexible events and Market area with the ability to host casual Markets. The new look Market will be an all year round attraction with space for up to 10 delicious food and drinks units.  Acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of Southport and surrounding area, and providing a vital boost to the local economy and continued regeneration of Southport's Market quarter and King Street, the Market will also include units for fresh produce stalls, including the popular Blackhurst Butchers, who has been trading in the Market for over 20 years and will be moving into a brand new unit.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said:- "I'm delighted that work on this exciting project has finally started, we know just how much of an important asset Southport Market is to the town. This project is a cornerstone of the Southport Town Deal, but we've also managed to secure additional external funding to completely transform the building, which shows real commitment from Sefton Council. I'm thrilled that already a number of new food and drink traders have already signed up to be a part of the new Southport Market, creating new job opportunities and business start ups, and demonstrating a real confidence in the scheme. This ambitious and exciting project demonstrates the growing confidence in the Town and builds on the further good news of 'Southport Cove' announced last week. What an exciting time for Southport and for Sefton!"

No 1 coming in = food in the bin... BusinessWaste.Co.UK asks:- "Was Eat out to help out a fail?"

2020 will go down as the year we all stayed home, clapped for the NHS, and then rushed back out again to spend our money on dinner with friends and family we couldn't see for months. But according to 1 company, it looks like:- 'Eat Out To Help Out' been a disaster; in more ways than 1.  Yet, food waste collection experts BusinessWaste.Co.UK say that the:- "Government scheme has been a complete fail, due to the rising R Number and a huge rise in food waste the scheme created." BusinessWaste.Co.UK Company Spokesman Mark Hall commented in a press release sent to us that:- "Food waste went through the roof during the scheme, people over ordered on discounted food meaning platefuls were being chucked in the bin,. It should be a crime to throw away perfectly good food, especially when we had empty shelves in our supermarkets and a rise in food bank use during the Pandemic."

The Eat Out To Help Out (EOTHO) scheme was used to discount over 100 million deals during August, but as BusinessWaste.Co.UK points out, it doesn't mean 100 million people went out for dinner. Mark Hall said:- "It's more likely that people are ordering more food than they can eat because it's discounted. It's the old psychological pull of buying things because they're on offer, which ultimately means more food going to waste because customers have eyes bigger than their bellies."

This was true for Ellie from Norwich who used the scheme to try new dishes she wasn't sure she would like:- "I've always been curious about some of the more adventurous dishes, but at ½ price I can afford to order them and not eat it if I don't like it and order myself something else."

But not everyone was happy to venture out to use the Government scheme in August 2020.  People were reluctant to go out again after months of strict lockdown measures, fearing that venturing into the outside world would put their family's health at risk.  Mental health charity Anxiety UK have dubbed this as:- 'Post lockdown anxiety,' and reported that in June 2020, more than 60% of Britons felt uncomfortable about the idea of returning to bars and restaurants as they began to reopen. But despite this, BusinessWaste.Co.UK have found that many businesses restocked ready for a surge of customers that never came, so the surplus of food ended up chucked in the bin.  Hall:- "Hospitality businesses were promised that customer levels would be as good as pre-lockdown due to the EOTHO scheme, but quickly found this wasn't the case. If anything, it's cost these businesses more in waste. Complete fail. If the amount of wasted food wasn't enough of a fail, the Government have now admitted that the EOTHO scheme may have actually increased the number of Covid19 cases in the UK.  Boris Johnson has admitted that new restrictions to control the virus were being bought in to:- 'counteract' any damage that the scheme may have caused, as people from multiple households ventured out to use the scheme together. Public Health England have also reported that between 10 August and 20 September 2020, eating out was the most commonly reported activity in the days prior to those who have tested positive for the virus. And to add insult to injury, recent financial reports are finding that the Government scheme didn't boost the economy as much as they had hoped, with spending levels not rising to what they were before the Pandemic began. I think it is probably fair to say that whole scheme was a massive fail, and that it appears that nobody actually benefited from it. All going out for a cheeky discounted dinner with your mates in August has done is put more food in the bin, and put you at risk of catching the virus."

So do you agree with BusinessWaste.Co.UK's 'Eat Out To Help Out'  views? Please do email your thoughts on this topic to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.