Children's home plan proceeds in face of neighbour complaints
Those living nearby have objected to a plan providing a home for children in care
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
The majority of children living in care have experienced abuse or neglect and statistically have below average outcomes across a range of measures. However, efforts to integrate such children into communities through the use of traditional family homes often face opposition - with stigma-inducing remarks over anti-social behaviour and impact on quality of life often used in attempts to block such plans.
Today’s newsletter focuses on one such example where neighbours have used such reasons in an attempt to convince Sefton Council not to allow a house to be used as supported accommodation which could help set cared for children up for living independently as adults.
Southport briefing
🏖️ Southport MP Patrick Hurley has welcome a government decision to launch Mission Coastal, an initiative aimed at tackling entrenched disadvantage in seaside towns and boosting educational opportunity for children growing up by the coast. Hurley was one of 67 Labour MPs representing coastal areas whoc campaigned for national action to improve outcomes for those living in seaside locations. The group hope to see the appointment of a Minister for Coastal Communities with the responsibility for driving a coastal communities strategy across government, increased investment in public transport infrastructure around the coast; and sustained investment in post-16 education, apprenticeships, and non-graduate jobs in deprived coastal towns. Hurley said: “I was proud to back this campaign from the very beginning, because young people across Southport and its Northern Parishes deserve the same focus, ambition and support from government as those growing up in our major cities. The Government’s decision to launch Mission Coastal is a huge step forward for our young people. It is exactly the kind of bold, targeted intervention local schools and families have been calling for, with the potential to deliver the same lasting, transformative impact for coastal communities as New Labour’s London Challenge did for young people in the capital.”
🏅 Sergio Aguiar completed the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday - the fourth of his challenge to complete the six World Marathon Majors. Sergio is completing the marathons in honour of daughter Alice and to raise funds for the WonderDance Foundation which was founded in memory of the nine-year-old. He said: “Tokyo thank you! For me, this marathon held a different atmosphere compared to the others. I think this was due to the culture of this beautiful city. A different world to anything I’ve experienced. This was my best time recorded.... but also the hardest one of the majors so far. Unexpected warm weather. Of course Alice sent the sunshine, as she always does.” Sergio will next take on the Boston Marathon in the USA on Monday 20th April 2026 before his finale at the London Marathon on Sunday 26th April 2026.
🔥 Sefton Council has been awarded £17,250 in compensation after a building at one of its park buildings was seriously damaged by fire. An outbuilding at Coronation Park in Crosby was damaged in March 2025 and a court has now ordered the payment as part of Joe Henderson’s sentencing. Cllr Mhairi Doyle, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “It is important that the Council follow up cases such as this where public property, which belongs to the people of Sefton, has been damaged or destroyed intentionally and unlawfully. I also hope this will act as a reminder to others, that we will not tolerate this kind of vandalism and that it you commit it, we will pursue you through the courts.”
Councillors told to allow children’s home as neighbours complain about quality of life
By Jamie Lopez
An Ainsdale home looks set to be allowed to be used by children in care despite neighbours rallying to block the attempted use.
Supported accommodation provider Kilter Care has asked for permission to use a family home on Unit Road as home for up to four people aged 16 or over.
Children in care, the majority of whom have suffered trauma, abuse or neglect before entering the system, statistically have worse outcomes in adulthood than other children and being able to transition to living as a safe part of a community is considered a vital aspect in countering this.
The extent of the problem is such that national data shows that nearly one in 10 young people leaving care become homeless in the two years after they turn 18 and Stephen Hulme, Development Manager at young people’s charity Break, says that “a significant contributing factor to the cliff edge young people experience when leaving care is access to safe, comfortable, and aspirational housing”.
Semi-independent living accommodation such as the type proposed here involve 24/7 support and are designed to help young people in care develop their independence skills to help them gain their own tenancy once they turn 18 and it is seen essential that such homes mirror a normal household environment in touch with the wider community.
However, as is often the case with such applications, several of those living near the property, have sought to prevent them from being given the opportunity to live in the neighbourhood by issuing objections against the planning application.
In total, 13 individual letters of objection have been submitted ahead of the matter going before Sefton Council’s planning committee next week, along with a further letter signed by 25 people.
Among the reasons cited, many of which tie into the stigma experienced by cared-for children, are concerns over anti-social behaviour, security risks, and an impact on the quality of life for elderly and vulnerable residents. In its response to the application, Merseyside Police raised no such concerns.
