Sefton supports full refurbishment of Southport Pier

THE 2nd longest pier in the country closed in December 2022 for health and safety reasons and Sefton Council has now said it:- "must remain closed until the full refurbishment project is completed."

This is a devastating blow to Southport tourism industry given the Pier's popularity and iconic status. Back in May, Sefton Council hit back at a suggestion online that the Pier could be permanently closed or demolished, due to the:- "significant damage" to the landmark structure. And have yet again recently reaffirmed its support for the full refurbishment of the Pier.

On a press release Sefton Council has told the media that:- "Although the final survey report is awaited, the Council has received sufficient interim feedback to inform recommended next steps that will be presented to an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, on Thursday, 29 June 2023. The independent survey is expected to identify that more than 25% of the Pier's decking has major damaged or in need of immediate replacement, reaffirming the regrettable decision to close the Pier for health and safety reasons, and meaning the Pier will remain closed until the full refurbishment completed. This equates to over 14 miles of severely decayed decking."

The press release also had this statment from Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, who said:- "Sefton Council gives its full support to recommending the full refurbishment project, recognising the huge importance of Southport's Pier, the second longest in the country. However, while the final survey report is awaited, and without construction tender feedback for a full refurbishment project, the capital cost of these works are uncertain. It is estimated that the full refurbishment works required to ensure The Pier can open safely again could exceed £13 million, more than £10 million in excess of the £3m that the Council agreed to borrow to fund decking replacement. In addition to the full decking replacement, this would include additional work to the Pier's sub-structure and steelwork, but the likely costs of this full refurbishment project are beyond the affordability of the Council. In order to address this significant funding gap, the Council proposes to progress engagement as quickly as possible with potential funders and stakeholders, given the importance of this heritage asset to the town and to local businesses. This Cabinet Report makes sobering reading. It is going to be a huge and costly scheme, but the Cabinet is supportive of the proposal for a full refurbishment project. We recognise the Pier's importance in Southport's, in Sefton's and in the country's seaside heritage as well as its popularity with the many millions who visit Southport's wide range of attractions each year. The Cabinet report also leaves me in no doubt that the decision to close the Pier after last December's extreme weather to ensure the safety of people visiting and working on the pier, although not taken lightly, was the right one. Last year, before the Pier was hit by the extreme weather in December 2022, which significantly worsened some of the wear already identified, the Council had already earmarked £3 million to replace all the decking. The actual refurbishment figure could exceed that by more than £10 million, such is the amount of deterioration inflicted by the elements on our much-loved Pier. We have to consider all options available to us, but the Council is not supportive of any suggestion of closing the Pier permanently, and it has been disappointing to see some casting doubt on it's future and talking down the Council's commitment to it - particularly as some of those doing so claim to represent the town's best interests. Support What we need now is support and we are certainly not too proud to ask for help on behalf of this important asset, on behalf of the town and on behalf of our borough. Given the scale of investment needed and the unprecedented financial pressures the Council is under, there is a clear need to engage with other funding agencies and specialist heritage and pier related organisations to identify opportunities to provide financial support and ensure this project will deal fully with all current known maintenance, refurbishment, repair and replacement requirements."

The press release continued saying:- "Southport Pier must remain closed until the full refurbishment project is completed and Sefton Council has committed to engaging with all businesses and stakeholders affected by the ongoing closure."

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Skills, also added to the press release, saying:- "I fully sympathise with all the business who have been affected by the closure and understand their frustrations while waiting for this independent report. But Sefton Council will always put the safety of the public and those companies' employees 1st. We will continue to work with affected businesses owners, including the current Pier concessionaire. The halfway concessionary store, which can be found attached to the side of Southport Pier remains open. Despite unwarranted speculation about the need for the closure, independent health and safety experts will confirm that the Pier must remain closed until the full refurbishment project been carried out. Iconic This is an iconic but complex Grade II Listed structure that is hundreds of years old and is a thousand metres long. We have 56 miles of underfoot decking which needs replacing. It is also the case that the number and condition of piers nationally is diminishing, and the cultural and social significance of those remaining is increasing. Given the age, location and scale of historic structures of this nature, it is unsustainable for these to remain the sole financial responsibility of any Local Authority, as this report demonstrates in the case of Southport Pier. To me there is clearly a case to lobby Government for a national fund to address this pressure, and to ensure Piers receive an ongoing, ringfenced, realistic and proactive maintenance budget allocation rather than having to reactively respond as seems to be commonplace nationally. Everyone, not just the Local Authority, has to be totally realistic and accept that this is not a task which will be finished in a matter of weeks or even months. Once a funding solution is identified, we will ensure the works are undertaken diligently and effectively in order to restore and protect Southport Pier for many years to come, but we cannot provide any firm timescales at present, until a solution to the funding gap is secured."
 

Jobs, investment, volunteering and donations... Report reveals huge benefits of Mayor Rotheram's social value pledge to local communities

MAYOR Steve Rotheram's commitment to spread social value across the Liverpool City Region has helped to create new jobs, investment, voluntary work and donations, according to a new report.

The Social Value Annual Report found that the Combined Authority's Social Value Policy and Framework, which was launched in April last year, has led to the creation of more than 130 full time jobs and 8 apprenticeships.

It has ensured that the Combined Authority's £100m devolved annual funding budget prioritises delivering benefits to local communities, with 65% of all contracts above £20,000 delivering social value. This is helping to deliver the Mayor's manifesto pledge to build a Region where no 1 is left behind.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "As Mayor, it's my duty to ensure that every penny we spend and every decision we take positively impacts the communities that we represent. Because true prosperity is not just about maximising the financial value that we are able to generate, but the social value too. Every year, the Combined Authority spends more than £100m and, in doing so, I want to ensure that we're getting the biggest bang for our buck and making the greatest difference possible. That could be by investing in projects led by underrepresented groups, improving people's confidence and ability to find work, or easing their money worries by improving the energy efficiency of their homes. I don't want the Combined Authority to just make good investments, but investments that do good too. I want to make the Liverpool City Region the fairest, most inclusive place in the country with an economy that works for everyone. Ensuring that we are embedding social value in everything that we do will be key to bringing that vision to life; and this report shows that we're already making a massive difference."

Social value has been delivered through a range of Combined Authority funded programmes, including:-

• Community interest company Kindred, which used an initial £1m investment to create 77 new jobs and attract £10.5million of additional funding.

• An employee volunteer scheme worth £225,000 to organisations.

• Hundreds of phones and laptops were donated to jobseekers alongside £55,000 in resources and equipment for Schools, food banks and charities.

• Race equality training for the CA's 1,000 employees and 21,000 Local Authority workers used an estimated impact of £400 per trainee to create £8m in social value.

• The Region's full fibre network LCR Connect, a half publicly owned joint venture, delivered 20 full time jobs, 6 apprenticeships and 3 work experience opportunities.

• Households into Work, which supports long term unemployed residents, helped 185 people secure entry level IT qualifications.

• The Combined Authority's £55m Adult Education Budget saw a range of benefits to community organisations, including £1.1 million in-kind contributions such as staff time, equipment, room hire and IT support.

• Further education employees and students completed 14,000 hours of volunteering.

• Construction of Headbolt Lane station, in Kirkby, created improvements to the public realm. 2 local people were recruited to work on the project, career development sessions were held in Schools and a work academy led to 8 people going on to secure full time jobs.

The Social Value Annual Report was approved by the Combined Authority at its meeting on:- 9 June 2023.