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Author: Bridie Finnan

Sefton celebrate Plastic Free July with plea to cut down on single use plastics

5 July 2021
Bridie Finnan
No comments
Categories: Uncategorized

Sefton Council have joined organisations across the UK in celebrating Plastic Free July and reflecting how we can all do more to reduce plastic pollution.

In 2018, Sefton Council passed a motion to reduce the use of single use plastics in order to protect our Borough, particularly our coastal environment.

Since then, the Council have required new concessions stalls, e.g. ice cream vans to be plastic free – no longer using plastic straws, stirrers, cups, cutlery, bags etc and only selling bottles which are 100% recyclable.

The Council have also made great strides in removing single use plastic, such as tea and coffee sachets, from our office spaces. However, the onset of the global pandemic and the associated reliance this has brought on Single Use Plastic (e.g. face masks, test kits, gloves) is a cause for concern.

The Council are calling on residents and businesses to do #OneSmallThing to reduce their use of single use plastics. This ‘Plastic Free July’ think about:

  1. Taking your own reusable bags when shopping
  2. Carrying a reusable water bottle and hot beverage cup
  3. Using reusable containers for lunches and picnics when at work or on day trips
  4. Avoiding plastic disposable straws, cutlery, cups or plates etc.
  5. Making sure that if you do use some plastic items, please take them home with you and put them in your recycle bin.
  6. Can your business provide a Single Use plastic alternative?

 

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said:

“Plastic is a material designed to last for hundreds of years but we now make things that are used just once and thrown away. A plastic bag is used, on average, for 12 minutes, but it’s likely to be around when our great-great-great grandchildren are born!

“Sefton Council have made great strides in phasing out single use plastics in our Borough, but we all have to work together to reduce them even further.

“Plastic Free July should get people thinking about how a small change can result in a big reduction in single use plastics across the Borough and I hope people will join me in changing One Small Thing about the way we live to make Sefton cleaner and greener.”

 

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. You can find more great tips on becoming plastic free at the Plastic Free July website

For more information on what Sefton are doing to tackle the Climate Emergency, visit our website

Sefton kids and Council staff help coastal scientists make a splash with YouTube channel

1 July 2021
Bridie Finnan
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Green Sefton, Latest News

Coastal scientists at Edge Hill University are making waves on the internet after launching their own YouTube channel in a bid to inspire the next generation of learners to protect the world’s coastlines.

Professor Irene Delgado-Fernandez, from the Department of Geography and Geology, has co-ordinated and produced Coasts for Kids, a series of short, educational videos to teach primary school children aged six to eight about the vital role that coasts play in our ecosystem.

Developed in partnership with Sefton Council and Southport Eco Visitor Centre, the Coasts for Kids videos have attracted global attention from across the international coastal community. Coastal scientists from other universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, and Mexico were involved in the project, as well as teachers and community artists.

The series of five videos have been narrated by school children in Sefton and are designed to empower children to understand the often complex language used in coastal science, in the hope that they will develop a greater awareness and interest in the challenges facing the world’s coastlines from an early age.

Prof Irene Delgado-Fernandez is a coastal geomorphologist and marine geoscientist and lead researcher on the Coasts to Kids project.

 

Prof Delgado-Fernandez said: “Our coastlines are under serious threat from rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flooding. These are significant challenges for our global community, and it’s critical that we educate children about this issue from an early age.

“One day this will be their world and their responsibility, so it’s vital that they are empowered with the knowledge to understand and enjoy learning about the precious and irreplaceable landscapes that make up our coasts.

“These children hold the potential within them to one day be the scientists and leaders with the power to influence the policies and decision-making that can protect our coastlines. It has been a wonderful experience to work with the children and to help them learn the language we use so often in our research. Not only has it bettered their understanding of our coasts, but it has reinforced our own knowledge and process on how we communicate our work to young people.”

 

Coasts for Kids is a collaborative experience between children and their parents, coastal scientists, community artists, teachers, animators and coastal managers.

Michelle Barnes, Lead Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Officer for Sefton Council’s Green Sefton Service, said: “In Sefton we have 22-miles of stunning dynamic coastline, constantly changing with tides, winds, waves, storms and people. It is important that we understand how these have shaped our coast over the years and will continue to do so into the future and with the threat of climate change.

“The Council’s Green Sefton team are incredibly proud to have supported this project, with my own son Henry, taking part to record a voiceover for episode two of the series. I know that these lasting resources will help to inform children and adults alike across the globe about how our coasts work, how precious they are, and I hope they will encourage and inspire more people into roles like my own where we are doing all we can to better understand and manage our changing coastline now and in the future.”

 

Darren Lloyd, Resident Teacher and Education Projects Co-ordinator at Southport’s Eco Centre, said: “Throughout much of our work the main ethos has always been about creating platforms to equip our young people with the skills and confidence to become educators in their own right. The Coast for Kids series is a fantastic tool to allow both teachers and parents to nurture this. As ambassadors for the future it is paramount that they understand the impact, both negative and positive, we can have on our environment.”

 

The series is also available via the Eco Centre’s website for download in high resolution and supporting teacher/parent notes and the education team will be working on curriculum focussed resources to support the series in the near future.

This latest project builds on from a series of important coastal research projects undertaken by Edge Hill’s Geography and Geology department. In 2020 the University was awarded £25,000 from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) to explore how coastal communities in Thailand can use data to manage risks around climate change.

Sefton Council is ‘Reimagining Crosby’ as funding bid is submitted

25 June 2021
Bridie Finnan
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Regeneration

Sefton Council and its partners have submitted a £19.2 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for a range of schemes to revitalise Crosby town centre after the COVID-19 pandemic,

Entitled ‘Reimagining Crosby’ the bid includes plans for a new, state-of-the-art library in the town centre along with community facilities, a new Health and Wellbeing Hub and 30 new apartment homes.

Located on the site of the current Green Car Park and combined with the library, the Health and Wellbeing Hub will be able to provide central GP services and other community health provision. Further details of the centre’s design are still to be finalised.

Alongside the library and Wellbeing Hub, the Levelling Up Fund bid also includes improved access to the town centre. The strong focus on making Crosby more pedestrian and cycle friendly is in line with the Council climate emergency declaration and commitment to active travel.

This will remove barriers, enhance the ease of movement and improve access to the public spaces in and around the Centre, making them more user friendly for all kinds of journeys.  Improvement to town centre parking is included in the bid, with additional spaces provided, as well as electric vehicle charging points.

The Bid’s proposals will support the recovery of Crosby improving access to local services, diversifying what the town can offer and encouraging people to stay for longer.

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council said:

“Our approach to the Levelling Up Fund has focused on bringing benefits to local people and developing opportunities for jobs, investment and recovery to parts of our Borough that have been hit hard by the pandemic.

“Health, wellbeing and community are at the heart of our £19.2million ‘Reimagining Crosby’ bid, which has been designed to deliver a range of benefits to people in Crosby and across our Borough.”

Sefton Council is also submitting a £14.5 million bid designed to kick-start nearby Bootle’s economy.

Cllr Maher added:
“The projects being submitted as part of our bid for funding are varied, ambitious and will shine a light on what Crosby and Bootle have to offer, bringing much needed footfall and focus to our town centres.”

 

Bill Esterson MP for Sefton Central said:

“The vision of a new village centre would make Crosby a very attractive destination for many people living nearby and from further afield and would revitalise a centre that is in need of a significant investment.”

 

Dr Craig Gillespie, Clinical Director for Bootle, Crosby and Maghull Primary Care Network said:
“The proposed Crosby town centre project is a great opportunity to knit modern health and social care services in to the heart of our community; it could allow a Primary Care Network hub to

develop and deliver services ‘closer to home’, thereby impacting on the wider determinants of health and reducing inequalities.”

 

Consultation will take place on the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub proposals, alongside other works including highway changes and plans for the improvement of other public areas in the town centre as these schemes progress.

If the necessary Levelling Up Funding is approved the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub could be opening its doors as early as the second half of 2023.

Sefton is eligible to submit up to three bids to the ÂŁ4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which has been established to invest in projects focused on town centre and high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage schemes.

/ends

For a more detailed look at our plans, watch this clip

Sefton Council’s ÂŁ14.5 million Levelling Up Fund bid will kick-start Bootle’s post-COVID recovery

24 June 2021
Bridie Finnan
No comments
Categories: Bootle Strand, Front Page, Latest News, Regeneration, Uncategorized

Sefton Council has submitted a £14.5 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund that will help kick-start Bootle’s economic recovery.

Proposals in the bid will transform the hard-hit town’s night-time economy and include plans for the North of England’s first ‘Flying Theatre’.

Bootle is one of the towns in the UK hit hardest by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Council has submitted a bid based on a two-stage plan to establish the Bootle Canalside site as a destination for residents and visitors alike.

‘Bootle Canalside’

Stage One will see the completion of ‘Bootle Canalside’, a multi-functional events, entertainment, food and drink space. Bootle Canalside has been designed to kick-start new energy and optimism in Bootle, attract more visitors to the town, increase footfall on the High Street and create new jobs in the area.

Located on a once-derelict site alongside the Leeds-Liverpool canal, it will include an urban garden, food and drink offer, leisure uses and events space. It will be a vibrant recreation and leisure area that makes full use of its fantastic setting and brings a new element to Bootle’s local economy.

Stage Two will see the construction and launch of a new, hi-tech digital and Virtual Reality (VR) venue hosting a unique visitor attraction and providing places for technology enhanced ‘competitive socialising.’

Bootle’s “Flying Theatre” will use a robotic hydraulic platform to create the feeling of flight and will enable visitors to take an exhilarating airborne tour showcasing the geographic and cultural beauty and diversity of the British Isles.

Time-travel

A VR Time-Travel Tunnel will take visitors on a journey through the ‘History of Bootle and Liverpool’, including an experience of the Blitz with audio and visuals adding to this immersive and educational experience.

Additionally, the funding would be used to maximise the potential of Bootle’s proximity to Liverpool and the new Everton stadium development at Bramley Moore Dock, with Everton FC supportive of the Council’s bid. Working with the Canals and Rivers Trust, there are plans to improve the tow-paths and the navigability of the canal all the way down to by Bramley Moore Dock, enabling a ‘blue-green’ highway between the new facilities in Bootle and the new stadium. This will include improved walk-ways, cycle-ways and ‘canal-taxi’ services.

 

Sefton Council Leader, Cllr Ian Maher said:
“Bootle is a proud, passionate and resilient place whose people have made many sacrifices during the pandemic on behalf of their communities, their families and friends and the Borough’s businesses.

“But as one of the country’s towns hardest hit by COVID Bootle and its people now need support from the Levelling Up Funding, and we look forward to starting a conversation with Government about investing in the town.”

 

Bootle MP Peter Dowd said:
“I would like to commend the submission prepared for Bootle.

“This submission comes with support from a wide range of local stakeholders who passionately believe that this bid could potentially have a significant and transformational impact on the prospects for Bootle , its residents and local communities, and help drive the much needed change this area deserves to help bring it level with the rest of the UK and contribute positively to the regional economy.”

 

Steve Rotherham, Metro Mayor, Liverpool City Region said:

“I am excited by the opportunities arising from this project. Not only will it provide an immediate boost to the local economy through job creation, but it will act as a catalyst for wider investment.

“Bootle lies adjacent to key investment opportunities including Liverpool Waters and Bramley Moore Dock Everton Stadium, as well as being only 10 minutes by train from Liverpool City Centre.  The town is undergoing economic change but has strong fundamentals to enable it to revitalise its offer and thus benefit its community.”

 

Sefton is eligible to submit up to three bids to the ÂŁ4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which has been established to invest in projects focused on town centre and high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage schemes. A second bid based on Crosby has also been submitted.

 

Cllr Maher added:

“Our Levelling Up Fund bid contains innovative opportunities to bring jobs, investment and recovery to parts of our Borough that have been hit hard by the pandemic.

“Community remains at the heart of our plans for regeneration and we want to attract people to our town centres as well as improving them for the people who live there.

“The projects that will be submitted as part of our bid for funding are varied, ambitious and will shine a light on what Bootle and Crosby have to offer, bringing much needed footfall and focus to our town centres.”

 

 

Sefton celebrates air quality improvements on Clean Air Day

17 June 2021
Bridie Finnan
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Sefton Council is getting behind Clean Air Day this year and urging people to take small steps to make a big difference to air pollution in Sefton.

Air pollution is damaging to the health of our population and can be particularly damaging to the health and development of children and young people. The national Clean Air Day campaign focuses on the impact of air pollution on children and how adults can make small changes to protect them.

The past year has been encouraging for Sefton in terms of air pollution, with all air quality monitoring stations seeing a significant reduction in levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). This has been largely due to reduced traffic levels  in our borough as a result of the pandemic. In some areas, this reduction in traffic has been as high as 50% and this has translated into large improvement in air quality.

These good results come as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and road traffic increases. There are many alternatives to travelling alone in a car, particularly for short journeys. Changing how we travel is just one way that people can help to maintain the recent decreases in air pollution.

 

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory and Corporate Services said:

“Clean Air Day is an important initiative to raise awareness of the issue of air quality and prompt people to change their behaviour

“The pandemic changed the way we live and work and, in many ways, this has been good for the air quality in Sefton, but we mustn’t go back to normal!

“We cannot just think about clean air on Clean Air Day, this is something that matters to everyone, all the time. Everyone can make a small change to make our borough cleaner and greener”

 

Sefton Council is keen to maintain this progress in cleaning up our air and is using Clean Air Day to raise awareness of the small things people can do that will keep our air pollution levels falling.

Some top tips include:

  • No idling! If you’ve stopped your car, turn it off!
  • Consider Active Travel for short journeys – walk, run, cycle!
  • Consider a low emission vehicle.
  • Use public transport where you can!

You can find more info on air quality in Sefton at our website

 

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