£450k spent on keeping Toad Hall standing - now it's coming down
Plus: Salfordian Hotel plan defended, Patrick Hurley on flags, and Southport Inquiry latest
Hello and welcome to the 78th edition of The Southport Lead.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Sefton Council’s vision for the Ainsdale Gateway and how it hopes to see the area transformed to create a more modern and welcoming environment for a beach which attracts huge numbers of visitors (and is frankly a stunning place to visit).
During the course of writing that piece, I spoke to a few people and one councillor mentioned they had first suggested the building needed to come down several years ago but hadn’t been listened to. That got me thinking and asking questions and as a result we now can exclusively report the six-figure sum that has been spent maintaining, securing and assessing a building which is now earmarked for demolition anyway - as well as some reflection on the frustration felt by those who don’t feel their voices are listened to.
Today’s edition also hears a defence of the council’s plan to repurpose the vacant Salfordian Hotel for homeless people in need of temporary housing - as well as how those against the current plans propose to challenge it.
We also have a round up of the latest from the Southport Inquiry, some positive news of new attractions coming to the town and hear from Southport MP Patrick Hurley as he offers his opinion on the Unite the Kingdom flag-raising.
Salfordian Hotel plan defended as opposition group calls for rethink
The leader of Sefton Council has responded to concerns about the proposed use of the Salfordian Hotel as homeless accommodation by calling for more compassion.
The local authority is in the process of buying the disused hotel from Salford Council and sees it as a way to tackle the high demand for homelessness provision across Southport and the borough.
As previously reported by The Southport Lead, Sefton is experiencing unprecedented levels of demand on its homelessness services and earlier this year approved a £1m funding in its budget for the potential acquisition and refurbishment works of properties deemed to be suitable for the provision of temporary accommodation.
The hotel purchase is not yet finalised and planning permission will be needed to change the use of the Park Crescent building - at which point the public can formally object.
A petition has already been created by anonymous people who say they are families living close to the site calling for the council to withdraw the proposal and carry out a “full and open” consultation. Letters delivered to neighbours have also raised concern over who will need help and opponents have stated that no checks will be carried out on their suitability.
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson categorically ruled out the suggestion the facility would be used for asylum seekers and rejected a suggestion about a potential lack of risk assessments.
She said: “We’ve got a challenge in Sefton like we have across the city region and across the country with homelessness. This is a stop gap in order to get people into safe accommodation.
“They will be there for a short time and then what we will be doing and what we are doing is working really closely with our housing providers for what’s called ‘moving on accommodation’. So we get people sorted and we get them into homes.”
She added: “Of course there will be risk assessments carried out. In my view, we have to stop putting people in boxes. People are humans. Whether they’ve been in relationship breakups, whether they’ve been in the army, whether they’ve been in jail there’s a reason why they’re homeless and we need facilities.
“It’s costing the council an absolute fortune and we need facilities like this to get them moved on.”
Meanwhile, Sefton’s Liberal Democrat group have called in the decision by the council’s cabinet to proceed with the purchase, meaning the matter will be referred to a scrutiny committee which can decide to ask the cabinet to reconsider.
He said: “There is a clear shortage of housing for homeless families in Southport. Yet this location opposite Hesketh Park appears to have been overlooked for that purpose.
“The council has stated the Salfordian will initially be used solely for single adults, but we believe cabinet should reconsider whether this is the most appropriate use. We suggest that this site would be far better suited to supporting homeless families in need”
Southport Inquiry latest
This week the Southport Inquiry has been hearing more about the killer’s past and the missed opportunities for intervention. Here’s a selection of some of the coverage:
Killer’s obsession with school shootings aged 13 was ‘criminal, not terrorism’ (Liverpool Echo)
Referral ‘would have continued if officer saw internet history’ (Evening Standard)
Killer called Manchester bombing a ‘good battle’ and attacked innocent boy (Liverpool Echo)
MP: Choose connection, not division
Southport MP Patrick Hurley has stepped into the row over flag bearing - urging people to choose ‘connection’ and ‘peace’ over division.
Recent weeks have seen Union and St George’s Flags flown in more and more places across the country but greeted with mixed reactions over its intent. For many of those raising flags outside their homes, it is a show of patriotism and pride in their home.
But there is also undoubtedly another group for whom the display is about intimidation and sending a message about who is and isn’t welcome in society. While it is common for St George’s flags to be flown during football tournaments and for Union flags to be displayed during Royal celebrations, the former also has a long association with national groups and far right thugs in previous decades.
In Southport, flags have appeared on locations including roundabouts in the town centre and been painted on mini-roundabout such as one on Stamford Road. The reality is almost all of the contexts, no-one can know whether someone is being unfairly questioned or using plausible deniability.
Wading into the row, Hurley called for people to have more understanding of other people’s viewpoints. He said: “We live in polarised times. Across the country, bedraggled flags tied to lampposts still hang from a campaign called Operation Raise the Colours. Its founders say it’s about patriotism, not intimidation. But for many, it doesn’t feel that way. One person’s proud display can feel like a threat to someone else’s identity.”
Citing a homophobic group which marched through Soho in black uniforms; the terror attack which left two Jewish man dead at a synagogue in Manchester; and an arson attack at a mosque all happening in the same week, he said this “ isn’t the Britain we know”
Hurley continued: “Yes, people have the right to fly flags, to march, to protest. But sometimes, being a good neighbour means choosing not to exercise those rights in ways that divide.
“Flags can embolden the online loner. The loner can join a uniformed gang. That gang can validate extremists and thugs. The more this happens, the deeper the divides become.
“The answer isn’t to retreat into our own tribes. It’s to reach out. To unify. To live together under a shared identity. To cross boundaries of faith, politics, and community.
“To get offline and back into the real world and to connect with our community.”
“There’s a statistic that sticks with me: the rise in support for political extremes correlates with the closure of community spaces such as pubs, youth clubs and libraries.
“When we lose places to meet, we lose chances to understand each other. Online, we’re pushed further apart.
“Unless we reach out of our comfort zones and listen to those we share our towns with - even if we don’t share their politics, region, race, religion, or culture - the cycle of division will continue.”
Recommended reading
⭐ Despite what the doom-mongers may say, there’s a lot going on in Southport and plenty more in the works too. Now feels like a good time to highlight some of the new ventures which are coming to boost the town’s offering.
👻 First up, Liverpool World reports on a new Fear on the Pier event which will provide family fun at Halloween. Over on Stand Up For Southport, there is news of an inflatable obstacle course which will open at Ocean Plaza - that’s in addition to the UK-first Footy Nation which will also soon open on the retail park.
🍝 Looking away from family fun, there’s also an update on a new bar and restaurant which is coming to Churchtown - which I’m told will be a new site from a business which already has very popular and well regarded venues.
£450k bill to maintain building which is now going to be knocked down
By Jamie Lopez
Sefton Council has spent more than £450,000 on Toad Hall over the past 10 years, The Southport Lead can reveal.
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