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Author: Martin Driver

Catch the ‘Living Well’ bus in Bootle to get a free health check and COVID-19 vaccine, on Tuesday 28th March

27 March 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Health, Uncategorized

Living Well Bus graphicThe ‘Living Well’ bus service has been back to Sefton offering residents a free health check and the opportunity to catch up on first and second COVID-19 vaccines, as well as third primary doses for those who are immunosuppressed.

Range of health checks

Operating as a drop-in service, the bus offers a range of physical health checks, COVID-19 vaccinations, and referrals to talking therapies.

The bus will be at LIDL car park, Marsh Lane, Bootle, L20 5BQ, from 10:30am-3pm on Tuesday 28th March -with no appointments needed.

Consistent health and care approach

The service, which is delivered by the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, was launched in June 2022 to offer a consistent health and care approach across communities across Cheshire and Merseyside. All activity is recorded and

shared with your GP, ensuring ongoing understanding and support for your health is in place.

You can find out more about the service here. 

You can find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine, who is eligible, and to book an appointment online or find other walk-in vaccination sites on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.

 

New Housing Strategy Action Plan underpins Borough’s Housing Strategy

23 March 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News

The cover of the draft Housing Strategy 2022- 2027Sefton Council has developed a new Housing Strategy Action Plan.

The Plan is made up of specific actions and roles of key stakeholders to address the issues outlined in Council’s overall Housing Strategy, which was published in November 2022.

Action points, targets and timescales

As well as action points, targets and timescales to meet the housing priority topics, the Plan is also responsive to changes in market conditions and Government legislation, and the new opportunities and challenges they present.

The Council’s plan includes a diverse range of housing actions such as – improving the quality of Sefton’s housing across all tenures, meeting people’s housing needs, climate change, helping people live independently, talking barriers to obtaining suitable housing for the most vulnerable and supporting housing delivery.  

Secure foundation

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “The new Housing Strategy Action Plan is an important which underpins how we  and our partners will implement our five-year Housing Strategy which focuses on providing a secure foundation for individuals to live the lives they want to live.

“It identifies our specific plans & roles of as well as action points, targets and timescales to meet the Strategy’s priorities while at the same time ensuring we can remain flexible and responsive to changes in market conditions and new opportunities.

“New issues and topics, such as changing legislation and new governmental policy. can also be introduced as they arise.”

People can find the Housing Strategy Action Plan and the five-year Housing Strategy here. 

Anyone wanting the Action Plan in a more accessible format should contact housing.strategy@sefton.gov.uk.

Ageing in Sefton is focus of Council’s Public Health Annual Report

22 March 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

Front cover of Public Health annual ReportAgeing in Sefton is the theme of this year’s annual report by the Council’s Director of Public Health, Margaret Jones.

Covering 2022, the Report takes a closer look at the topic of ageing and what life and health is like for older adults in Sefton’s communities.

Ageing, health and wellbeing

There are chapters exploring different aspects of ageing, health and wellbeing. The themes covered are Talking about Ageing, Sefton’s population, the Health of Older Adults, Prevention and Healthy Ageing and Living Well.

Among the report’s recommendations and learning points is the need for appropriate language and to avoid using blanket terms such as ‘the elderly’. Also blanket assumptions like ‘getting older means a loss of independence’ can have a negative effect.

Important to plan

The Report also says that Sefton has a high and growing number of older residents and it is important to plan for their health and care needs. This means recognising the factors that affect all of us throughout our lives to ensure everyone’s long-term wellbeing.

Older people to whom the Public Health spoke associated being healthy with maintaining their independence, keeping active in the community, and having positive connections with others. Accessible, well-connected neighbourhoods with places where everyone can meet, connect and participate are good for everyone’s health.

Focus

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: “Ageing is something we all have in common, so I am glad to see this focus on Sefton’s older people in this Annual Report from our Public Health Team.

“With an ageing population, locally and nationally it highlights the need for us to continue listening to older people and engaging them actively in developing our communities and services.

“And with the current national cost of living crisis, we need to remain aware of the negative impact fuel and food poverty are having across our communities, an impact which us seen us have to open a network of Warm Spaces across the Borough.

“The past year has seen us take big steps towards creating a more joined up NHS and Social Care system in Sefton and I am pleased that developments and improvements that are part of the Ageing Well priority are cornerstones of our plans.”

In her introduction to the Report, Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health, writes that a wide range of information have been used in its production ‘to help bring important issues and people’s own experiences to life.’

Indispensable

Cllr Paul Cummins, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: “As this Report points out, senior adults have an indispensable role to play in shaping strategic changes that meet their varied needs and benefit the wider community.

“We need to be valuing older people and ensuring they are engaged actively in the plans and changes happening in Sefton today which will shape our Borough’s future.

“And we must call out, and tackle age unfriendly language and stereotypes in how they operate and communicate.”

An online version of the Ageing in Sefton report can be found here. 

People can us the site’s Recite Me facility to listen to the report, increase or decrease the type size or translate it into different languages.

A downloadable pdf version of the report is also available here.

Your help wanted to shape the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership Strategy

20 March 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News

Cover of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership Interim Strategy.Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership wants the views of its partners, people and communities on the priorities within its Interim Strategy. 

You can find the Interim Strategy here.

The development of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine efforts and resources to make real improvements to people’s lives.

They want to hear your thoughts on their priorities and experience of living and accessing services in Cheshire and Merseyside.

You can review the interim strategy and answer some simple survey questions here.

Your feedback will be reviewed and uses to finalise the Partnership’s strategy and develop a more detailed delivery plan (a Joint Forward Plan) by the end of June 2023.

As well as providing your own feedback, the Partnership wants you to help spread the word and gather as many views as possible by sharing widely within your organisation, networks, and communities.

Sefton welcomes £20 million funding announcement for Bootle Strand regeneration

16 March 2023
Martin Driver
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Categories: Business and Economy, Front Page, Latest News

Shoppers in the Bootle Strand Shopping CentreYesterday (Wednesday 15th March) Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced, as part of the Spring Budget, a £58 million fund for “Levelling Up Capital Projects”, of which £20 million has been allocated to the first phase of repurposing the Strand shopping centre and wider transformation of Bootle Town Centre.

Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) has also shown its commitment to supporting Sefton Council with its vision for the future of Bootle Town Centre, by awarding a further £2 million of funding to enable the Council to carry out further pre-development work to bring forward a Full Business Case for future phases of the project.

Delighted

Leader of Sefton Council, Cllr Ian Maher, said: “Of course, we were naturally disappointed about the outcome of our bids for Levelling Up funding in both Bootle and Crosby.  However, we are delighted to have received notification of the intent to award Sefton Council £20m of capital funding for the first phase of the repurposing of the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle town centre.

“This award reflects the quality of the Levelling Up funding bid submissions we made to Government, the vision we developed for the future of the town centre, and the strength and breadth of consultation and engagement with stakeholders and communities across the town.

“It also reflects the need in Bootle for such funding, given the continued economic challenges the town faces, that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis in recent years.”

Big step in the right direction

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Devolution has given regions like ours the opportunity to chart our own course and invest in projects that will make a genuine difference to people’s lives.

“Despite some setbacks and disappointing decisions via the Levelling Up Fund, today’s announcement is a big step in the right direction and it is fantastic to see that Sefton’s ambitions for the future of Bootle Town Centre are finally being realised. This is the difference devolution makes – we are helping to open doors to projects that are rejuvenating parts of our communities which have been starved of funding for decades. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Bootle Town Centre.”

Sefton Council’s vision for Bootle aims to create a thriving town centre that works for all people, brings investment and interest to an area filled with opportunities and builds a happier, healthier, more resilient population.

This vision has been developed, and will continue to be progressed, in close consultation and engagement with stakeholders and communities across Bootle, building on local pride in our town and passion for its exciting future.

Private sector investment

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said: “£20m will help us to deliver phase 1 of this project, and we believe, will unlock millions of pounds of private sector investment bringing many benefits to Bootle’s economy.

“By broadening the use of space in the town centre, we will be able to keep some retail space, but also be able to allocate space for education, health and social care uses, an enhanced leisure and hospitality offer, and the development of further community, cultural and creative spaces and offers in the town centre.

“We’ve said it before, Sefton Council is unashamedly ambitious for our communities and our people. We have ambitious plans for Bootle and are committed to delivering the vision for the future of the town centre, which can now progress at pace with this financial support.  We’ve also made similar commitments to the revitalisation of Southport Market, the opening of the Lake House in Waterloo, and the exciting range of projects that form the Southport Town Deal – not least the new £73m Marine Lake Events Centre!

“Sefton truly is ‘Open For Business’!”

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