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Once again, Sefton Council will be supporting local families over the forthcoming half-term holiday by providing meal vouchers.

Eligible Sefton families can use the vouchers, worth £15 per child per week, to buy food in-store and online at local supermarkets.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said:

“With local families struggling to cope with the spiralling cost-of-living, I am pleased that Sefton Council has again been able to act decisively by stepping in to provide them with direct help through these holiday vouchers.

“This additional £15 per week for each eligible child will help families manage over this difficult period but if people are experiencing severe hardship, a disaster or emergency, details of our Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/elas.”

Sefton Families that don’t receive free school meals at the moment but think they might qualify should visit www.sefton.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals.

The half-term vouchers, which the Council is providing through its Household Support Grant funding allocation from the Department of Work and Pensions, are for buying food and essentials only. They cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, phone top-ups or stamps.

Cllr Hardy added:

“In addition to the school meals vouchers, we have now paid out over £9.8 million of the one-off, £150 Council Tax Energy rebate payments to the almost 67,000 eligible Council Tax Band A to D households, which will also provide them with some help.

“And, over 20,600 households have responded to the letter we sent them by using the secure code to provide their details and register to receive the payment.

“I would urge anyone who has received the letter to register today, and if they have any concerns about the process to visit www.sefton.gov.uk/energyrebate where they can find out more.”

As Sefton residents prepare to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, NHS leaders are sharing information on how to get healthcare help while enjoying the long bank holiday weekend.

Think 111 first

Anyone in need of urgent NHS care, but it is not a 999 emergency, is advised to contact NHS 111 which is staffed by trained professionals and clinicians who will direct you to the most appropriate health service, including appointments with a GP outside of your practice’s regular opening hours.

Dr Pete Chamberlain, chair of NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on bank holidays.

“You can visit 111.nhs.uk online or call 111 over the phone to get healthcare support. You can also call 18001 111 on a textphone.”

Plan ahead for prescriptions

Residents are also advised to order their repeat prescriptions early, to make sure they have enough supply while some services are closed over the bank holiday weekend.

Dr Rob Caudwell, chair of NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “Pharmacies and GP practices may change their opening hours over the bank holiday, so it’s best to be prepared and plan ahead.

“Your local pharmacists are highly qualified and can give free, confidential advice on many healthcare concerns, as well as help you get your medicine cabinet stocked up with treatments for common ailments.”

Jubilee bank holiday pharmacy opening times

A number of pharmacies in Sefton are open on the bank holiday Thursday and Friday. Opening times for these pharmacies can be found on the link below when they become available. Residents are advised to call ahead to their local pharmacy before travelling, to confirm that they are open as advertised.

• southseftonccg.nhs.uk/jubilee-bank-hol-2022
• southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/jubilee-bank-hol-2022

Booking GP appointments

Anyone registered with a GP surgery in Sefton can book a routine, non urgent evening and weekend appointment with a doctor, practice nurse or other healthcare professional through the ‘GP Extra’ service in south Sefton and the ‘7 day GP service’ in Southport and Formby. The opening hours for these services over the bank holiday weekend are:

7 day GP service – The Family Surgery, 107 Liverpool Rd, Birkdale

Thursday 2 June: 5pm-9pm

Friday 3 June: 9am-1pm

Saturday 4 June: 9am-1pm

Sunday 5 June: 9am-1pm

GP Extra – Litherland Town Hall, Hatton Hill Rd, Litherland

Thursday 2 June: 10am-1pm

Friday 3 June: 10am-1pm (Physiotherapist available 7pm-8pm)

Saturday 4 June: 10am-1pm

Sunday 5 June: 10am-1pm

Patients can pre-book routine appointments with these services by calling their own GP practice during their usual practice opening hours. Find out more about the ‘GP Extra’ service and ‘7 day GP service’ and their usual opening hours at:

• southseftonccg.nhs.uk/your-health-and-services/gp-extra
• southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/your-health-and-services/7-day-gp-service

Bootle Canalside will soon become a reality after Sefton Council’s cabinet’s approval of its business case, and additional funding to bring the project to completion.

Bootle Canalside will serve as a multi-functional events, entertainment, and hospitality venue. It will stimulate the local economy, transforming the look and feel of the town for residents, businesses and visitors and improving the quality of life for the community.

Further artists impressions released today give a flavour of what the site adjoining the Strand will soon look like with, a dynamic, multi-purpose open air venue sitting alongside the waters of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. The finished site will include food and drink offer outlets, located in our refurbished shipping containers, in a nod to Bootle’s industrial past. It will also feature an urban community garden to bring green space into the town centre.

The Council has committed £567,000 to complete the physical works on site, open up the canal towpath and start work on developing a full events programme, from Summer 2022. It will potentially include Christmas markets, music events and comedy shows.

The work will improve the environment and open up the canal for use, as well as providing a link to the future Bramley Moore Dock Everton development. The aim is to bring new activity to the under-used land as the long-term regeneration of Bootle develops.

The completion of the site is highly anticipated with a number of groups seeing the potential of such a diverse space. These include a ‘Street Food Regeneration Programme’ set to be delivered in partnership with the Government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Nationwide Caterers Association, Hugh Baird College and Everton in the Community.

The approval of the Bootle Canalside Business Case by Sefton Council’s cabinet brings completion one step closer and signals its long-term commitment to the regeneration of Bootle.

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council said:  

“It is hugely positive that we are making a commitment to develop Level Up our communities and provide important new infrastructure which will kickstart the regeneration and reorientation of Bootle town centre.

“On the back of the acquisition of the Strand and adjacent sites, we have an amazing opportunity to open up a substantial stretch of canal frontage, and the opportunities for community groups, events, and leisure activities are endless.

“We look forward to providing more updates on the progress of the physical works and the development of an events programme for this and next year, in the coming months.”