Southport Councillors raise questions over the future of the White House Cafe

LIBERAL Democrat Councillors in Cambridge Ward have been raising questions over the future of the White House Café after its sudden closure for renovations this summer with a fantastic outcome! The site was redeveloped and taken over by Sefton Hospitality Operations Limited (SHOL), which Sefton Council describes as an:- 'arms length' company, in May 2023 after the site had sat empty for a number of years. In July 2024, little more than a year after opening, it closed again for::-- 'essential maintenance works in the kitchen,' originally for a just a few weeks. However, the restaurant has never fully returned to operation, recently re-opening for a limited offer with no hot food. At a meeting of Sefton Council on:- 12 September 2024, Cllr Mike Sammon asked a question about the future of the site and when it would be returning to a full menu. In answer to his question, the Sefton Council Cabinet member stated:- "The strategy (including:- any menu changes) for the future of the venue is under review and will be communicated to customers in due course."

Councillor Mike Sammon said:- "It is deeply concerning that after little more than a year, the future of the White House is:- 'under review' once more. Sefton's Hospitality company are keeping quiet on the future of the site, and residents are rightly getting worried. The lack of communication with residents and customers is worrying many. Whilst empty, the White House became an eyesore and an embarrassment for the Town and none of us want to see it return to that state."

Fellow Ward Councillor Leo Evans says:- "I 1st met with Sefton Council" about the White House 5 years ago whilst it was sitting empty. At that point, Officers were talking about its future as a focal point and part of an offer with the Municipal Golf Course. A few years later, all plans of an external partner taking over the café were shelved and SHOL had taken over, and in just over a year the site is closed once again. Something has clearly been going wrong, and if Sefton aren't careful, they risk turning the White House into yet another white elephant in this Town."

It has now been announced that the family centre where 3 girls were fatally stabbed in Hart Space, Southport, will now move into The White House

Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson has told the media that:- "We are committed to doing whatever it takes to support our communities in the ongoing recovery of Southport. We are pleased to be able to have had this opportunity to support Jenie and the Hart Space family over a number of weeks so that they can resume their incredible work, providing classes and programmes for new mothers and families. In addition to the support of our Southport Business Recovery Fund, we are able to offer a beautiful venue in a lovely location for them to use."

Liverpool 1 launches major recruitment drive with hundreds of job opportunities

LIVERPOOL 1 is set to kick off its annual recruitment drive, offering hundreds of job opportunities across its retail and hospitality brands over the next 4 weeks. Launched on:- Monday, 23 September 2024, the initial phase of the initiative features several job vacancies, with further roles set to be up for grabs in the coming weeks. As part of the drive, several jobs are currently available with stores including:- Pandora, The Fragrance Shop, COSMO, The Body Shop, Jo Malone and Nespresso. Plus, sportswear favourite JD is expected to offer more than 100 job opportunities from mid-October, giving jobseekers multiple options when on the hunt for a new role.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director, at Liverpool ONE, said:- "We're excited to launch this recruitment drive. Our retail and hospitality brands are preparing to enter the busiest shopping time of the year as we start the countdown to Christmas, so it's a fantastic opportunity for local people to take up a new role. Supporting local communities and promoting careers in retail and hospitality is important to us and initiatives like this ensure that we are helping to showcase local employment across the Region as much as possible. We encourage everyone to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies tend to fill quickly."

For more information about Liverpool ONE's recruitment drive, visit:- Liverpool-One.Com/Vacancies.

Southport Conservative Association appoints Parliamentary Spokesperson

MIKE Prendergast, Dukes Ward Councillor and Conservative Group Leader, on Sefton Council, has been appointed as the Parliamentary Spokesperson for Southport Conservatives to champion local residents and take the fight to Labour in Southport. Mike Prendergast, 1st elected as Councillor in 2021 and re-elected in 2024, was unanimously selected at a meeting of Southport Conservative Association on:- 19 September 2024. Mike said:- "Southport is my home, I've lived here for 25 years, it's where I got married, where I'm bringing up my 2 children and it means a great deal to me. Southport is a wonderful place to live with great people, a rich history and huge potential for the future. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to our Town's previous MP, Damien Moore who served as our MP for 7 years delivering £38.5 million of Town Deal funding, helping thousands of constituents with all manner of issues and advocating on behalf of Southport in Westminster. I wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavours. We now have, for the 1st time, a Labour MP in Southport. Along with a Labour Government and Labour run Councils, the Southport constituency now faces a triple threat from Labour. We've already seen with the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance from over 20,000 pensioners in Southport the cost of Labour in Southport, with the very real prospect that things could get worse. In the Northern Parishes, threats to our green belt from Labour could see huge swathes of some of the North West's best farmland carpeted in concrete with huge developments a possibility, which will exacerbate existing transport problems and potentially cause flooding issues. I will be working hard to stand up for our local residents, businesses and farmers against a Labour Party that clearly does not care for or understand Southport. Only the Conservatives can be trusted with Southport's future."