News reports located on this page = 4.

Letter to Editor:- "Public Toilets within Southport"

THE following email was sent to us on Friday, 17 July 2020 by Sharman Whitehead. It reads:- "Went to Southport for a nice day out today. Arrived after a long journey to find all public toilets were closed. Cafes and Restaurants had signs saying "we welcome you back," alongside a further notice saying all their Toilets Were CLOSED too. They were happy for you to spend your money on drink and food, but you could not use their facilities when eating there. Poor Show Southport we will not be coming back and we are telling all our friends of our horrible experience there. Appalling!"

Editors Reply:- "Thank you for your email. We have look into this and checked with the Council about the claim that the public toilets were closed. We know that the Southport Eco Centre's public toilets are still closed due to social distancing guidelines, but all the other public toilets in Southport Town Centre have been open for a number of weeks. As for the venues, within pubs and restaurants, they are subject to a Covid-19 secure risk assessments and the majority of restroom facilities are open, from what we have found out. Please can you give us the information as to what venues you tried as we are completely puzzled by this."

LGA responds to the new laws to extend homes upwards and relaxing of planning applications

RESPONDING to new laws laid in the UK's Parliament, on 21 July 2020, in which will mean full planning applications will not be required to demolish and rebuild unused buildings as homes, and will allow homeowners to add up to 2 additional storeys to their home to create new homes or more living space, Local Government Association housing spokesman, Cllr David Renard, said:- "The planning system is not a barrier to house building with nine in 10 planning applications approved by Councils. It gives local communities the power to shape the area they live in and provides an effective means of balancing the interests of homeowners and their neighbours. Neighbours have the right to a say on development and should not be exposed to the potential of unsightly large scale unsuitable extensions being built unchallenged and without scrutiny in their communities. Taking further planning powers away from communities and Councils will only deprive them of the ability to define the area they live in and know best. It risks giving developers the freedom to ride roughshod over local areas with communities having no way of ensuring they meet high quality standards, provide any affordable homes as part of the development or ensure supporting infrastructure such as:- roads, Schools and Health Services are in place. It is vital that Councils and local communities have a voice in the planning process and are able to oversee all local developments."

MP calls for new Motorway Junction to open

SEFTON Central MP Bill Esterson has called on Highways England to approve the opening of the new M58 Junction 1 slip roads:- "without delay." The ₤5.5m project, which provides a northbound off-slip and a southbound on-slip to the M58, will improve journey times between Maghull and Liverpool and will reduce traffic on the A59. The works were substantially completed in early April, but the handover process between Sefton Council and Highways England has faced delays. Mr Esterson said:- "Highways England need to progress this handover without delay. There have been difficulties relating to the Coronavirus lockdown, but they should now be able to confirm that the slip roads can open."

Sefton Council told the Primie Mister:- "We have been in discussion with Highways England (HE) for some months and were aware that the 'handover process' involved a number of stages. These included the completion of Road Safety Audit (as per all significant schemes), the handover of the As Built Drawings and the completion of an Inspection by members of HE's team. In addition, HE needed to process the necessary orders for the slip roads to become Motorway. HE initially informed us that, because of the restrictions placed on their staff in the early stages of lockdown, they weren't able to attend the site to complete the necessary processes as it wasn't deemed an emergency. As such the slip roads remain closed and the Contractor has had to maintain the necessary traffic management. I am pleased that, following some discussions, the necessary audits and inspections have been completed and information handed over. Some issues, mostly minor, have been identified and actions put in place. These include a small element of additional vehicle restraint barrier. We are hopeful that these will be completed within 2 weeks and we can agree a date for opening. I appreciate there have been some discussion between HE and the Department for Transport regarding the order. The Council has previously received advice from HE's legal team that the slip roads can open prior to the formal order being signed. HE have promised to confirm this. When a firm date for opening has been agreed, I'll provide a further update. We will then agree a programme of monitoring to be undertaken when traffic patterns return to 'normal'."

It takes 6 adults to raise a child in the North West

IT takes an average of 6 adults to raise a single child in the North West, with Grandmothers (39%), teachers (35%), grandfathers (34%), aunts (20%) and uncles (19%) all playing key roles alongside parents, according to the results of a study amongst British parents and children. Nearly a ⅕ of those surveyed believe it takes as many as 10 people to bring up a child, highlighting the extent of those involved in raising a family in modern Britain. ¾ of parents in the Region agree that the main attribute needed to raise a child is love, with this ranking higher than being related to the child or regularly looking after them. The survey, commissioned by My Nametags, a leading name label manufacturer, suggests that the proverb 'it takes a village to raise a child' rings true for families across the North West, with members of the wider family and community playing important roles in a child's upbringing. For instance, great reliance is placed on Grandmothers (40%) and Afterschool staff (20%) for childcare whilst parents are at work. This contrasts to other Regions, such as Northern Ireland, where parents are more reliant on their friends. Parents in the Region agree that older siblings have the biggest impact on a child's personality (16%), as well as influence their bad habits (27%).

Grandmothers are also critical to forming the personality of a child, with nearly a ⅕ of parents believing they have the closest rapport with their children. Additionally, grandmothers are considered to teach them the most of anyone in the family. The influence of older siblings and Grandmothers is also felt by children themselves, with 29% agreeing they look up to their Grandmothers the most, and 16% stating they have the most fun with their older siblings. Interestingly, despite this village mentality, teachers are often the only group outside the immediate family that parents in the North West are happy to let discipline their child (39%), with parents putting much less trust in their friends, Sports Coaches, after School staff, and nannies. According to the study, there are several reasons why parents choose to involve their wider social networks when raising children, with almost a fifth agreeing that it is an essential part of modern parenting. In addition to practical reasons, parents suggest that it improves children's social skills (31%) and helps them build strong relationships (25%).

Commenting on the findings, Bea Marshall, Parenting Expert and Founder of Yes Parenting, said: "Humans are generally social creatures who thrive in communal and cooperative environments. Nowadays it is common for families to live away from their extended families and without the day to day support of their immediate neighbours. However, it is still so important for families to create a network of support as they raise their children. When other people help care for children, it provides parents with the opportunity to recharge, work or play. Those other people also give children a secure set of relationships in which their needs for connection, safety and belonging are met. Children have an opportunity to learn from the different people around them and they receive different things from each person; 1 may be more playful, another more nurturing, for example. Each person in a child's life contributes something unique that helps them to grow into a well rounded individual, while offering crucial support to their parents."

Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, said:- "After noticing a range of family members ordering name labels for children in recent years, we were interested to discover more about the varying roles that family members and friends take on when raising a child. Although every household will have their own approach to parenting, it is interesting to see the importance of the wider community when raising children in the UK, and how each individual helps to shape a child's life."