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European Parliamentary Elections: Registration deadline is looming

There are just days left for anyone in Sefton wishing to have their say in the European Parliamentary Elections to ensure they are registered to vote.

More than five million voters across the North West England region will go to the polls on Thursday 23 May to elect the region’s eight Members of the European Parliament (MEPs.)

Vote being cast at a polling station

But in order to be able to vote, people must be on the Electoral Register by Tuesday, May 7. If you’re not registered already, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote as soon as possible.

European Union citizens living in the North West are eligible to vote in the United Kingdom or their country of origin but not both. To vote in the United Kingdom, they must be registered to vote and have completed an additional form available at www.northwestvotes.gov.uk by Tuesday, May 7.

Anyone who is already on the electoral register can also choose to register by post. Applications for a postal vote in this election must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, May 8.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday, May 15. To find out more visit www.yourvotematters.co.uk

A full list of candidates for the European Parliamentary Elections is available at www.northwestvotes.gov.uk

Joanne Roney OBE, Regional Returning Officer for the European Elections in the North West, said: “We don’t want anyone who wants to have their say in these elections to miss out because they are not registered.”

The European Parliamentary Elections are run using a form of proportional representation. Voters have one vote only, and this can be cast for either a political party or an individual candidate. Each party puts forward a list of candidates for the North West and the allocation of the eight MEP positions will depend on the overall share of the vote that a party or individual candidate receives in the region.

MEPs represent the whole of the North West region and so everybody who is eligible to vote in the region will be voting from the same list of parties and candidates.

The North West region covers Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

Your chance to nominate a Sefton Sporting Star for 2019

The honour of joining Sefton’s sporting hall of fame is one step closer as entries open for the 2019 Sefton Sports Awards.

Now in its 17th year, the awards celebrate the very best of the sporting offer across the borough with categories celebrating the outstanding talent and commitment of local athletes, coaches, volunteers, clubs and schools.

Special guest for the Awards, which takes place in June, will be motivational speaker and former Royal Marine Andy Grant from Bootle. Andy became the world’s fastest single leg amputee after being blown up by an IED during active duty.

The inspirational runner is set to explain to nominees and guests that life will put you in all kinds of challenging situations, but it need not determine you as a person – it’s how you react to these challenges.

Taking place at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre on Wednesday, June 26, the annual event is organised by Sefton Council’s Active Sefton team and budding sporting legends will vie for glory over ten categories.

Nominees will reflect the very best of all aspects of Sefton sporting achievements from school teams to top coaches and even a sports personality of the year.

You can make your nominations in the following groups:

Young Volunteer of the Year (14 – 19 Years)
Volunteer of the Year
School of the Year – (Primary and Secondary)
Sports Personality of the Year (Jnr Sports Personality U18, Sefton Sports Personality, Disabled Sports Personality)
Club of the Year
Team of the Year
Coach of the Year
Workplace of the Year
Community Project of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award

Heather Redhead, Sefton Council’s Health and Wellbeing Development Manager, said: “Each year our communities nominate the very best sporting stars across Sefton and we want 2019 to be even bigger and better than ever before.

“If you know of an individual or group who are deserving then please nominate them – this is a fantastic opportunity for those involved with sports across the borough to be recognised for their efforts.

“We look forward to seeing another strong list of nominations this year.”

Nominations can be made at sefton.gov.uk/seftonsportsawards. The deadline for entries is May 10.

Take on the 3 Club Challenge and win big in May!

As part of Sefton Council’s fabulous Festival of Golf, a raft of prizes are up for grabs as part a special 3-club competition.

Golfers can play a free round at Southport Municipal Golf Links on May 6 or May 12 as long as they complete the course using just 3 clubs.

Prizes on offer for the lowest score include tickets for a 4-ball at Hillside Golf Club and Hesketh Golf Club, further tickets for the Southport Airshow and British Musical Fireworks Championship and some further free rounds of golf at Southport Muni.

The competition is part of Sefton Council’s Festival of Golf that is taking place at Southport Municipal and Bootle Golf Course from May 4-12.

It is set to coincide with the British Masters tournament at Hillside Golf Club hosted by Southport star Tommy Fleetwood.

People must call 01704 535286 to book a tee slot and then they will be allocated a tee time on arrival and the rules are they are only allowed to take 3 clubs on the course.

Tickets are still available for the British Masters at Hillside Golf Club and for more information visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/betfred-british-masters-hosted-by-tommy-fleetwood-2019-tickets-52081823135

For information about the Festival of Golf agenda, visit mysefton.co.uk.

Formby Bypass

Essential carriageway works are taking place at the junction of the A565 and Altcar Road, Formby.

The works, which commenced on Monday, April 29, are part of a traffic signal upgrade on the A565 (Formby Bypass) to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility at the junction. Contractors are expected to take up to four weeks to complete the works.

In order to facilitate these upgrades, phased lane closures will be in place during off peak hours and motorists are advised that some delays are likely during this time.

Peter Moore, Sefton Council’s Head of Highways & Public Protection, said: “The upgrade works will require the excavation of the carriageway, including the full width of Altcar Road on the Tesco side and the northern side of the A565.

“These works are due to take up to four weeks to complete and phased lane closures will be necessary during off peak hours

“Motorists are advised to expect some delays and extended journey times during these works however we will be taking all steps possible to reduce disruption. We appreciate motorists’ patience while this essential work takes place.

“The works will be suspended during both Bank Holiday weekends to allow for additional traffic on our road network.”

For more information about any roadworks or closures throughout Sefton, visit www.roadworks.org.

Dwayne Johnson to be Sefton Council’s new Chief Executive

Sefton Council has formally approved the appointment of Dwayne Johnson to be its new Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.

The appointment, confirmed during last night’s Full Council meeting at Southport Town Hall (April 25) followed a rigorous selection process.

Dwayne, who is currently Director of Social Care and Health at Sefton and has been in post since 2014, will replace Margaret Carney when she retires on May 31 after 10 years at the helm.

Following confirmation of his appointment, Dwayne said: “I’m very proud and honoured to be appointed to the position of Chief Executive in Sefton. Having worked here for the last five years, I can see how much Sefton has to offer in supporting existing and attracting new businesses into our area, how engaged our communities are in what we are trying to deliver, and we have such a talented workforce to match. I am really looking forward to working with the Leader and Elected Members on delivering the vision of this wonderful Borough and so looking forward to starting the role in June.”

Congratulating Dwayne on his appointment, Sefton’s current CEO Margaret Carney said: “I am delighted that Dwayne has been appointed as my successor.  He has an excellent track record in local government across a wide range of services and has always been committed to improving outcomes for our communities.”

With an extensive background in social care, Dwayne started his career working with disabled and older people as a care assistant in Durham, before going on to manage a care home. After qualifying as a social worker, Dwayne held a number of roles in the sector before climbing the ladder to strategic director in Halton where he was responsible for social care, housing, waste, libraries, community safety, before joining Sefton.

Nationally, Dwayne sits on the Association Directors Adult Social Services (ADASS) which aims to further the interests of people in need of social care by promoting high standards of services and influencing the development of social care legislation.

Dwayne has been the forefront of influencing many legislation changes around improving older people’s services and safeguarding and protecting adults. He is also Vice Chair of Directors Children Services in the North West. On a more personal level, Dwayne is also a strong advocate for the role of foster carers having seen the benefits himself because of his mother, who herself was fostered as a child.

Dwayne takes the leadership role at Sefton a time when the vibrant local authority is on a journey of ambition and change as it works towards its exciting Vision 2030 with partners to ensure Sefton is a confident and connected borough – focussing on what is important for the borough and its communities in the future.

Earlier this year, the Council was also praised for demonstrating real ambition for Sefton, for its strong track record of partnership working, place leadership and for having such a dedicated, passionate workforce by the Local Government Association’s (LGA) peer review team. This, Dwayne says, is a high standard to start the next chapter of his career on.

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