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Sefton Council is writing to eligible Sefton businesses encouraging them to apply to the latest round of the COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund.

Business rates

To qualify, companies must have had a business rates charge to pay for the whole of the 2021/22 financial year.

They need to have been in continuous occupation of the premises from the 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022 unless required to close under COVID-19 restrictions. And they must be able to provide evidence they have had a decline in turnover during that time compared to the same period in 2019/20.

Closing date

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said:  “The closing date for applications is Wednesday 31st August 2022. Any received after this date cannot be considered, so I would encourage any companies that think they are eligible to check the information on our website and fill out the online application form as soon as possible.

“The amount of funding available for this relief is a fixed sum, which means the exact amount of relief that will be awarded will depend on the number of eligible applications received.”

Apply online

You can find details of the COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund and the online application form here. 

Companies that have been awarded or are eligible for the Expanded Retail Discount covering Retail, Hospitality and Leisure or Nursery Discount for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 do not qualify. Neither will those that have exceeded the national subsidy control limits.

Information about the Business Rates Subsidy Allowance can be found here.

As Love Parks Week continues, Sefton Council is joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to call on dog owners across the city to bag and bin their dog’s litter. As part of this new measures are being introduced at Crosby Seafront to help reduce dog fouling and littering.

Sefton Council’s Green Sefton service has teamed up with Britain’s largest canine charity, the Dogs Trust, to draw up a series of dog-friendly walking routes at Crosby Coastal Park.

New maps have been installed at Hall Road in the north of the Park and by the south end of the Marine Lake showing suggested routes and highlight the position of ‘poo bins’ for dog owners. This is part of the Trust’s national Walk This Way programme.

Also, the bins have been marked with “Bag that poo” stickers and helpful arrow signs highlighting the possible routes a dog walker could take around this open site.

The Park is one of the most popular sites along the coast, and home to Antony Gormley’s globally famous “Another Place” art installation.

While many dog owners visit the coast responsibly and clean up after their dogs, dog mess can still be an issue on many sites. As a result of Sefton Council’s recently-reintroduced Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on dog control people not picking after their pets can find themselves receiving a fixed penalty notice or fine.

The Order includes dog littering such as leaving poo bags behind, which is something more than one in ten dog owners admit to doing.

Crosby Coastal Park is one of 6 new sites participating in the Dogs Trust’s national Walk This Way programme, which is now in its third year. The Trust works with Keep Britain Tidy and local Councils to help keep public spaces clean from dog mess.

Cllr Ian Moncur Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said:

“Crosby Coastal Park, which is home to Antony Gormley’s globally famous “Another Place” art installation, is one the most popular sites along Sefton’s 22-mile nature coast.

“By introducing the new Walk This Way dog walking routes around the park and highlighting the locations of bins, we want to make it easier for dog owners to work with us to keep it a beautiful spot for visitors and local residents.

“We appreciate that most dog owners are responsible and do clear up after their pets but for those who aren’t, we do have a PSPO in place and we will take action against them.”

Michelle Moat, Community Education & Engagement Officer at Dogs Trust, said:

“Walking a dog is a wonderful pastime with many health benefits for both owner and pooch.

“However, part of being a responsible dog owner is ensuring you pick up after your dog and suitably dispose of the waste. Previous interventions have shown that by having more bins available, clearer signposting and messaging that ‘Any Bin Will Do’ has dramatically improved the surrounding areas.

“We are excited by the potential of our Walk This Way routes and can’t wait to see the improvements it will make. Hopefully it will be a long-term change to the area and make the space more enjoyable for everyone.”

People can find out about Sefton Council’s Coastal and Visitor Areas Public Space at www.sefton.gov.uk/CoastalPSPO.

Merseyrail has warned there will be significant disruption to services on Tuesday 19 July due to the forecast high temperatures and red weather warnings in place. Passengers are advised not to travel unless essential.

The extremely high temperatures are causing a number of heat related problems to Network Rail track and equipment.

Some routes closed

As a result, the number of trains running and journey times will be seriously affected. Additionally, some routes will be closed completely.

On the West Kirby and New Brighton lines, services will only run between Birkenhead North and Liverpool city centre with a 15-minute frequency. No rail replacement buses will run.

Chester and Ellesmere Port services will only run between Rock Ferry and Liverpool city centre again with a 15-minute frequency. No rail replacement buses will run.

Limited

A 15-minute service will operate on the Southport to Hunts Cross line. There will be a limited service at the Bank Hall, Hightown, Hall Road and Hillside stations which will have a 30-minute service.

On the Hunts Cross line, services will start and terminate at Liverpool South Parkway. Rail replacement buses will continue to run between Liverpool South Parkway and Hunts Cross stations.

On the Kirkby line no train services or rail replacement buses will run.

On the Ormskirk line a normal service will operate.

All of these changes will be in place from the start to end of service on Tuesday 19 July.

Infrastructure

Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail said: “We apologise to Merseyrail passengers for the reduction of some services, this is due to a number of heat related issues with the infrastructure which mean our trains are unable to operate as normal.

“If you do have to travel, please remember to take water with you and to leave more time for your journey as disruption is possible.

“We are confident that services will return to normal from Wednesday onwards”

Safety precaution

Kara Wood, Head of Performance and Customer at Network Rail’s North West route, said: “We’re sorry to announce that due to the unprecedented heatwave forecast on Tuesday, we’re restricting some services on the Merseyrail network as a safety precaution.

“The predicted high temperatures could cause track temperatures to reach more than 50°C. When steel becomes very hot, it expands and rails can bend, flex and, in serious cases, buckle. These could lead to some trains being delayed, cancelled or stranded.

“In this extraordinary heat, rail passengers are being asked to only travel if absolutely necessary.”

People who are still travelling are advised to take a soft drink or water. Merseyrail staff will be on hand to help passengers who may struggle with the heat.

Any passengers who are feeling unwell while on a train should get off at the next stop and request help from station staff. Water will be available at all staffed stations for passengers who are feeling unwell.

Find out more from Merseyrail.

Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health Margaret Jones said today that she hasn’t gone away and neither has COVID.

With levels of COVID infections in the Borough at the highest level for 15 months Margaret Jones said it was important that people remember the measures needed to avoid getting infected and passing the virus on.

Margaret, who was the public face of Sefton’s response to the pandemic, said: “Everyone will have hoped that COVID had gone away and that they had heard and seen the last of me and I hoped that would be the case too.

“However, COVID is still very much with us, and I am still here to stress that thorough hand washing, ensuring ventilation in busy indoor spaces, wearing masks in crowded areas and sensible social distancing are still key ways to avoid getting infected.

“And, of course making sure we are fully vaccinated with the first and second jab and any boosters we’re eligible for, is vital.

“The NHS vaccination programme means people who have had at least all three jabs and any further boosters available, are far less likely to be seriously ill or need hospitalisation, and it’s still not too late to get one.

“All you need to do is call 119 or visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.”

Mrs Jones went on to say that despite the protection the vaccinations provide, there are still those form whom contracting COVID could have major consequences.

She added: “Remembering the simple measures could help keep you, and them, safe.”

Recently one of the UK’s most senior health officials Dame Dr Jenny Harries, who last year praised Sefton for doing a ‘brilliant job’ dealing with the COVID variant that first emerged in India, urged people to wear masks in crowded places. She said the latest the wave of infections is a result of the Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 and is “quite likely” to rise.

Last week the 200,000^th UK death from coronavirus was reported by the Office for National Statistics.

People can find the Government’s latest advice on living safely with COVID at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Margaret Jones added that families that are struggling from the impact of the COVID pandemic and the rising prices of fuel, food and other essentials may be able to find help with one-off costs through Sefton Council’s Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme (ELAS). Details are at www.sefton.gov.uk/elas