As the world marks World Polio Day, which falls a few days from the birthdate of Jonas Salk, who developed the first polio vaccine, Margaret Jones our Director of Public Health reflects on the importance of vaccinations and the huge benefits they have provided.
Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health
As Sefton Councilâs Director of Health, I am reminded daily just how lucky we are to live in a world where vaccinations prevent so much suffering and misery from serious illnesses that affected people in living memory.
Measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis are just some of the vaccinations now provided routinely to young people through the NHS. So successfully, in fact, that many younger people are unlikely to have heard of some of them.
Suffering and misery
However, as someone who has worked in the NHS and local council, I know all about these diseases and the suffering and misery they can cause and did cause before people were protected from them.
More recently, we have seen the introduction of annual jabs to prevent people from catching âflu, a virus that can make us feel very ill and which for some, can have even worse effects.
As a result, most of us, while we have the occasional bad cold, thankfully wonât have suffered from actual flu. And those of us who have, will certainly remember the fever, aches pains and fatigue that goes with it.
And of course, the past two and a half years of my life, like everyone elseâs, have been dominated by COVID-19, a virus that seemed to come out of nowhere, but which became a global pandemic in no time.
Liberated by vaccines
When I look back to those early days of COVID, when the country was in lockdown and the frequent sirens of ambulances were all that seemed to break the enveloping silence, when hospitals were full of seriously ill people, many of them on ventilators and in induced comas, when we couldnât be with our friends and neighbours even at times of celebration or grief, I can only be thankful that we were eventually liberated from that situation â by vaccines.
It was vaccines, developed by scientists and manufactured in record times and rolled out to so many quickly by the NHS, which gave and are still giving us the protection from COVID.
It was vaccines that have enabled most of us to get back to lives that are relatively normal, although I think forever changed.
It is vaccines that mean for most of us, catching COVID makes us a bit unwell but no longer puts us at risk of hospitalisation, although there are some concerns about the long-term effects of contracting the virus for some.
Ongoing roll outs
And it will be vaccines, in ongoing roll outs and top-up doses, that will continue to protect us from COVID, which look likely to stick around, in the same way that is already happening so successfully with flu and those nasty childhood illnesses that we rarely see any more.
So I thank Jonas Salk and the developers of all the other viruses from which weâre protected today. And all those other scientists who are working right now, to find new preventions and cures that can improve all our lives.
And I will also be pressing on with my work as the Councilâs Director of Public Health, which means encouraging everyone who lives and works in Sefton or who visits the Borough to ensure they are fully vaccinated, against flu and COVID 19.
After a three-month consultation earlier this year and with the positive responses received, Sefton Council is extending its successful Selective and Additional (HMO) Licensing schemes for private rented homes until February 2028.
Hazards removed
Sefton Council introduced Licensing in March 2018 and has used the scheme to improve the management of privately rented properties, including the removal of over 3,000 serious health and safety hazards from licensed properties. These have included fire safety, electrical hazards, damp & mould and excess cold.
Resolved
Cllr Trish Hardy Sefton Councilâs Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: âHaving these Licensing schemes in place has helped the Council to step in and deal with thousands of hazards being faced by private rented tenants across Sefton.
âThe vast majority of cases are resolved informally by us working with the landlord, but we do not hesitate to use formal enforcement powers when necessary.
âSefton Councilâs approach is very much at odds with recent reports implying councils across the country are âfailingâ private renters by failing to use enforcement powers and I am pleased we are continuing the Licensing schemes for a further five years from 2023.â
You can find out more and the Public Notices for the schemes here.
Following an incident on Friday 7th October, in which a vehicle struck it, the A5036 Park Lane footbridge it is no longer safe for pedestrians to use.
Demolition
After carrying out an assessment of the damage, National Highways will be demolishing the existing bridge overnight from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 23rd October.
This will require a full overnight closure of the A5036 in both directions between Park Lane footbridge and A5038 Netherton Way from 8pm on Saturday 22 to 7am on Sunday 23 October.
Temporary pedestrian crossing
The Park Lane junction and the temporary pedestrian crossing approximately 60 metres west of the footbridge will remain open while the demolition takes place.
A diversion route via Netherton Way, Bridle Road and Park Lane will be clearly signposted. People are being advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
National Highways aims to complete this work to schedule, but the times above may need to be extended if affected by bad weather. They apologise for any inconvenience this overnight road closure causes.
Vital crossing
Park Lane footbridge is located at the junction with the A5036 Dunnings Bridge Road and provides a vital crossing point for the local community and amenities such as Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School.
National Highways have considered many options, while bearing in mind the inevitable disruption to the local community and road users and believes the best, quickest, most practical and safest option is to replace the bridge completely.
The new footbridge will reflect changes to design standards introduced since the existing bridge was constructed in 1968 and will comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (1995 and 2005).
To help people facing a difficult winter because of soaring fuel bills and rising prices in the shops, Sefton Council and Sefton Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) have been developing a âWarm Places scheme.
Keep warm without fear
Seftonâs Warm Places will be a network of community venues that local people affected by the current cost of living crisis can visit to keep warm without the fear of what they are spending on gas and electricity.
Sefton Council and Sefton CVS have identified a number of local community organisations that responded to a recent Cost Of Living survey, to set up a network of Warm Spaces. At each location, hot drinks and snacks will be available and there will be access to books and games for people to enjoy while they are there. Some would also include social activities run by volunteers.,
Libraries across the Borough will be part of the Warm Places network but are already providing a warm, year-round welcome as well as free computer and Wi-Fi access for people who might struggle to get online.
Enormous pressure
Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Councilâs Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: âRecognising the enormous pressure that some households across Sefton would be facing under the growing cost of living crisis, which is, in reality, about the cost of surviving, the Council and Sefton Council for Voluntary Services began the process of establishing these Warm Places.
âWe approached community groups and venues across the Borough because they are already geared up to meet the needs of local people. We asked them to propose suitable locations that are accessible, are on or close to public transport routes and that can cater for people of all ages including parents and young babies.
âWe have had a number of proposals, which we now need to follow up so that Warm Places can start to open up for local people who have been left desperate, not knowing donât where to turn, before winter really hits.â
Welcoming
Angel White, Chief Executive of Sefton CVS said: âDuring a time when our local communities are facing unprecedented pressures of the cost of living crisis, Seftonâs voluntary, community and faith sector have once again risen to the challenge to provide practical frontline support to Sefton residents.
âSefton CVS are pleased to be working in partnership with Sefton Council to coordinate a network of community venues across the borough to offer warm, welcoming spaces to local residents who may be struggling with their household energy costs during the winter monthsâ.
Participating organisations will have to show that providing a Warm Hub place will be over and above the existing services they provide. They will also need to prove they have measure such as health and safety, safeguarding and liability insurances in place. As well as covering the running of venues and providing warm meals and drinks, the funding will help with the additional costs for activities and volunteers to run them.
Stepped up
Cllr Hardy added: âAs hard as it is to believe that in this day and age, we are having to take these measures to help people with a national crisis that is about the cost of people surviving, I am pleased that Setonâs local community groups and organisations have stepped up with some positive proposals, which we hope to see in place soon.â
Sefton Council has set up a special Cost of Living section on its website at www.sefton.gov.uk/costofliving . Areas it covers include Welfare Benefits, free school meals, help with rent and Council Tax, debt advice, health and wellbeing, foodbanks & food pantries and a link to the Sefton Support Hub.
Additionally, there are details of the Emergency Limited Assistance (ELAS) scheme, which can provide a one-off payment to Sefton residents experiencing severe hardship, a disaster or emergency.
And, because there are those who do not have easy access to digital information, the Council has also produced and distributed an easy-print factsheet. It contains advice about support available as well as a reminder that there is free computer and Wi-Fi access at all Sefton Council Libraries. People just need to visit their local branch to find out more.
Sefton Council Cabinet Member Cllr Paulette Lappin has expressed concern that households in the Borough may be missing out on a possible ÂŁ150 energy rebate payment, because it is being overshadowed by peopleâs concerns about domestic fuel bills.
Apply online
Households in Sefton, in Council Tax bands A to D, that have not yet received a one-off ÂŁ150 Energy Rebate can apply online for a payment through a discretionary scheme. Those who are eligible could include people who are directly responsible for energy costs but whose Council Tax is paid by someone else such as a housing provider, a charity or a non-resident owner.
People who became liable to pay Council Tax to Sefton Council on or after 2nd April 2022, perhaps because of a house move, could also qualify.
Cllr Lappin, who is Sefton Councilâs Cabinet Member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Services, said: âWe have finished making automatic payments to eligible properties and now we want to make sure that households in this last group who qualify donât miss out by missing the end-of-October deadline.
âWe donât know exactly how many households will qualify for this discretionary ÂŁ150 payment, but it could be between 200 and 300 across the Borough. But although we have been publicising the scheme since it opened, so far we have had relatively few applications.â
Concern and uncertainty
Cllr Lappin puts this down to the huge levels of concern and uncertainty people have been facing over sky-rocketing electricity and gas bills, and the subsequent announcement of the Governmentâs per-unit price cap scheme.
She said: âI think people have been so focused on whether they are going to be able to heat their homes and the long wait for the Prime Minister to eventually announce the Government would be providing households with a loan to keep bills down, they may have not noticed this scheme.
âIt is open to those who were for whatever reason excluded from the initial payments, but the closing date for applications is Monday 31st October.
Completing the application requires applicants to provide evidence of occupation and direct payment of energy costs. This means having their Tenancy Agreement, Rent Statement or Completion Statement and their energy bills. They also need to provide their Bank Sort Code and their Bank Account name and number.
Sefton Council has already paid out in the region of ÂŁ15 million to around 106,000 households in Sefton through the original scheme of automatic payments.
Cllr Lappin added: âI would also like to remind anyone struggling to access the online application that there is free computer and Wi-Fi access at all Sefton Council Libraries. They just need to visit their local branch to find out more.â
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