Letters to Editor:- "River Alt breaks the new flood defence"

"I just walked down the Alt and took some pictures of Lunt Meadows, which is a flood plain behind Sefton Church to Lunt. Formby And Hightown residents can breath a a sigh of relief as the new flood defence are finishes just hours before, on 20 October 2023 I took these photos. The new flood defence has been built on Ĺunt Meadows went into action just half an hour before high tide. As you can see, the very high river levels of the Alt River breached the new river Bank construction, allowing the very high levels to flow into the flood plains of Lunt Meadows, and not into the newly built houses of Formby!" Glen.

Reintroduction of dog licences receives nationwide support in a bid to deter unsuitable dog owners Independent Chair sought for Liverpool Safeguarding Children Partnership

A search is under way for an Independent Chair for Liverpool Safeguarding Children Partnership. The position will be a key role in ensuring that local multi agency safeguarding arrangements for young people operate effectively.

Liverpool City Council's Children's Social Services told us:- "We are looking far and wide to find the best candidate and would appreciate your assistance in sharing details of this role with your channels and networks. The appointed person will also provide assurance and scrutiny that all relevant organisations and agencies co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children and young people in Liverpool and they will review serious child safeguarding cases. The aim of the role is to ensure scrutiny is objective, acts as a constructive critical friend and promotes reflection to drive continuous improvement. The creation of the role follows a review to strengthen the approach to child safeguarding by moving to a best practice model. Currently, the role of Chair alternates between:- the 3 lead agencies:- Liverpool City Council, Merseyside Police and the NHS. The Chair will be expected to work between:- 40 to 50 days per year for a period of up to 4 years, with costs shared among the lead agencies. Applications can be made at:- LCCJobs.Liverpool.Gov.UK."

Cabinet Member for Liverpool City Council's Children's Social Services, Cllr Liz Parsons, said:- "This is a really important role and is designed to make sure our child safeguarding arrangements are as effective as they possibly can be. A huge amount of effort goes into keeping young people in Liverpool safe, but continuous learning to improve the practice, working and sharing of information between:- different organisations is absolutely vital. We want to recruit an exceptional individual with extensive knowledge and experience in safeguarding, who will have the skills to act as a critical friend to the organisations involved in safeguarding our young people."