Author: Ollie Cowan

As Splash World, Southport reflects on the 10 years since it first opened its doors in 2008, the Sefton Council run centre has discovered that it has saved almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2.

 This massive saving would be enough to run nearly 800 homes for an entire year and is the equivalent to planting over 31,000 trees.

 The huge savings have been achieved through the use of an onsite Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP) which has allowed the centre to generate its own electricity by using renewable energy from solar power.

 While new and more efficient technology has facilitated the savings, the indoor water park and leisure centre has worked closely with the council’s Energy and Environmental Management Section to make changes to how the site is run to ensure better energy efficiency. This includes the installation of pool covers, LED lighting, better controls to air conditioning and more up to date and energy efficient gym equipment.

 The centre also ensures that all of its staff are trained to ensure that energy saving is part of their everyday job.

 Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic to see that energy saving has become such a huge priority in recent years.

 “To see the amount of CO2 emissions that have been avoided since Splash World first opened its doors 10 years ago really sets a precedent for local businesses to take action and undertake measures to use alternative energy sources.

 “I am delighted that such a great Sefton Council run facility has made an important and positive change and look forward to seeing how other businesses look to follow suit in the future.”

Steve Rotheram has marked the first anniversary of his election as the first Metro Mayor and the creation of a Mayoral Combined Authority by celebrating the achievements of the Combined Authority over the last year.

Elections for the new role were held on 4 May 2017, with Steve officially taking up the role on Monday 8 May, 2017.

The city region has had a Combined Authority since 2014, bringing together the political leaders of the six local authorities – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral – along with the Local Enterprise Partnership.

With the election of a Metro Mayor, that body became a Mayoral Combined Authority with additional powers over key priorities including employment and skills, strategic housing and planning, transport and highways, economic and business growth, energy and environment, culture, finance, European funding, information sharing, constitutional and governance issues.

Commenting on the one-year anniversary, Steve Rotheram said:

“This has been a very exciting first year as Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and, working with the leaders of our six local authorities, we have already achieved so much.

“Devolution means that we can make our own decisions here, rather than having them taken for us in Whitehall.

“We’re using that power to deliver an investment programme of over £1bn in transport, skills, economic development and housing.

“Whilst transformational change will inevitably take time, today is an opportunity to assess our progress to date. Some of the key achievements over the last year include: our £5m Households into Work programme, helping 800 families into new jobs; building a new station at Maghull North; and securing £234m in additional government funding to modernise our transport network and connect the City Region to HS2.

“This is just the start. I stood as Metro Mayor because I believe that devolution can be a game changer for our region.

“One year on I’m more convinced than ever that we are making real progress towards a brighter future. “

The 15 Combined Authority achievements over the last year highlighted by the Metro Mayor are listed below:

1. Launched our pioneering Households into Work initiative to support 800 families with two or more people in long-term unemployment back into work

2. Secured £5m to support the growth of digital and creative businesses through the LCR Activate programme

3. Invested £3.4 million in Alstom, for a state-of-the-art train maintenance and repair facility, creating hundreds of local jobs and apprenticeships.

4. Started work on a city region full-fibre network, providing ultra-fast digital connectivity across the whole of the Liverpool City Region

5. Building a new £13m station for Maghull North and a £19m interchange scheme, new station building and park and ride facility at Newton-le-Willows

6. Constructing a new £19m railway line connecting our region to North Wales via the Halton Curve

7. Established a Mersey Tidal Power commission to harness the power of the River Mersey

8. Providing £12m funding for the Paddington Village development – an integral part of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter

9. Providing cleaner public transport where low emission buses make up 70% of bus fleet, with one fifth of those powered by electricity

10. Introducing a “1% for culture” programme to support cultural activities across our region and naming St Helens as our inaugural “Borough of Culture”

11. Delivering £5m to support the Liverpool 2018 cultural programme– the celebration of the 10th anniversary since it was European Capital of Culture.

12. Investing in initiatives to support the creation of 5,000 local jobs, 2,000 apprenticeships and 25,000 new homes by 2020.

13. Securing £234m in additional government funding to modernise our transport network and connect the City Region to HS2.

14. Establishing FASJAB (the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board), the first of its kind in the country, to ensure fairness and social justice is at the heart of decision-making across the Liverpool City Region.

15. Securing a share of £28m from government to deliver a ‘Housing First’ approach to homelessness.