Author: Ollie Cowan

Sefton Council will light up a number of buildings blue this weekend to mark the 72nd anniversary of the formation of the National Health Service (NHS).

Both Bootle Town Hall and Crosby Library will be bathed in blue lights this evening of Sunday July 5 to celebrate the NHS and health workers both past and present. 

Sefton Council, while working hard with partners to ensure vulnerable residents are  protected from the spread of COVID-19, have also taken time to praise the vital work of the NHS and key workers, many of whom work for the Local Authority. 

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Now more than ever is the time to show how indebted we all are to the National Health Service and say thank you the thousands of residents across our borough who work tirelessly as doctors, nurses, administrators, support workers and cleaners to keep our incredible health service running.

“We’re delighted that we are able to light up Crosby Library and Bootle Town Hall as just a small token of our massive appreciation for the NHS and we are continuing to do all we can to support our communities and make them as resilient as possible to keep pressure off health workers at this time.”

Sefton Council wants your views on upgrading and developing cycling and walking provision in the borough following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The local authority aims to increase support and facilities for people to walk and cycle across Sefton, which allow for social distancing and provide direct safe routes to key locations, and ultimately improve the air quality in the borough.

Sefton Council want residents, cyclists, commuters and visitors to the borough to give their views to the comprehensive ‘Sefton Liveable Streets’ consultation, which runs until August 31, 2020.

Those commenting on the consultation can give their in depth views on the area by answering a range of detailed questions.

Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Locality Services, said: “It is so important for everyone to give their views so that we can shape what we do effectively to better help our communities and commuters.

“It’s easy to get involved, just drop a pin on the map to quickly comment about a specific location.

“Once you’ve left a comment we would encourage you to share the consultation with your friends and family for them to also give their views.”

To comment on the Sefton Liveable Streets consultation, please click here

A peaceful socially distanced protest is expected to take place in Southport on Saturday June 13, to join others in support of the Black Lives Matters movement and to show solidarity with black and minority ethnic communities.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “We are aware of a peaceful protest planned for Southport and we are proud to see our communities coming together for change and championing equality and diversity.

“As a local authority we have a proud history of tackling all forms of racism, hate crimes, discrimination and abuse and continue to do so wherever it may be found.

“We urge all those who are joining the event to ensure they adhere to strict social distancing measures, wear face coverings where possible and avoid close contact with others.”

Last week the Council illuminated Bootle Town Hall and Crosby Library as a symbol of support for equality and diversity across the world.

Innovative practices, dedicated staff and new technology has allowed Sefton Council’s Planning team to remain working seamlessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 650 planning decisions and applications have been made in Sefton since March as Sefton Council continues to deliver this vital service without disruption.

Planning has been identified as one of the key factors in helping boost the borough’s well-being once the COVID-19 pandemic is over and work is now well underway to help kick start the economic recovery of Sefton.

To allow for this Sefton Council have implemented a number of both temporary and permanent changes to how the Planning process works to help support residents and businesses.

This includes:

Free pre-application advice
Refunding schemes which require a renewal of consent due to being impacted by COVID-19.
Issuing 5-year timeframes on all new consented schemes to help combat lost time due to COVID-19.
The news has been warmly welcomed by property developers and planning agents in the borough.

Rob Anderson from RAL Architects said: “During this pandemic I have not observed any difference in the high quality of service provided by Sefton Council, with the speed of decision making on planning application not noticeably affected, which is a real credit to the Council.”

While major borough investor Mike McComb of McComb Property Co added: “It is critical that during times like these that planning departments remain open for business and adopt flexible and innovative approaches that help build investor confidence and stimulate economic recovery, making it easier to attract funding.

“This is exactly what Sefton Council is doing and I will continue to invest in Sefton as a result of this, and no doubt many others will too.”

Cllr Daren Viedman, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning & Building Control, praised the work of the Planning team, saying: “I am proud that we have excelled during these challenging times.

“It is vitally important that we do what we can to support the local economy and work to secure investment and opportunity across the borough and we are fully geared up to meet this challenge.”

“We also recognise that the Planning Committee must also does its part to ensure that decisions can continue to be made on some of the more complex and challenging proposals to compliment the proactive work of our officers. In this respect, we plan to meet more frequently than normal to ensure decisions on key proposals are made.”

For more information on Sefton Council’s Planning & Building Control services visit www.sefton.gov.uk/planning