Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
Big news landed on Friday as Sefton Council finally gave in on its ill-thought out plan to quietly close Botanic Gardens Aviary. Leaders drastically misjudged the public’s reaction and in the face of a legal challenge have now relented - instead promising to run a consultation.
You can read about that in today’s briefing and we’ll focus more on what comes next in future editions.
Today’s main story focuses on a warning given to health leaders about snooping staff - something brought on directly as a result of Southport attack victims being affected and refusing to accept it.
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Southport briefing
🦜 Sefton Council has reversed its plan to close the Botanic Gardens Aviary after conceding it could not fight a legal challenge against the decision. The closure was originally set in place during this year’s budget setting which led to a farcical situation in which the authority said the decision was based on animal welfare but not consulted on as it was a budgetary matter. Under the plan, the aviary would have permanently closed in early 2027 with the birds moved to alternative locations but the public responded with a furious backlash. After petitions received thousands of signatures and packed public meetings, the council was confronted with a legal challenge from Botanic Gardens Community Association and the Save Our Aviary campaign. Only at this stage did the leaders show any willingness to reconsider or listen to opposing views and it has now confirmed the decision has been reversed. Instead, it will hold a public consultation on the future of the aviary and its management.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “As has already been publicised, Sefton Council has received a legal challenge over an operational decision to close the Aviary at Botanic Gardens in Southport. Fighting a legal challenge requires significant expense and this cost is an unfair and unnecessary burden on the Sefton taxpayer. As a result of this challenge the operational decision in question has been rescinded by the Local Authority. Sefton Council will now conduct a public consultation into the future of the Aviary which will include animal welfare, rising financial demands, current infrastructure and future operational challenges. Details of this consultation will be published in due course.”
🏆 Southport is among 31 towns shortlisted to win a £20,000 prize in recognition of work helping local business and communities thrive. The town has been named a finalist in the High Street Revival category at Visa and Nationwide’s Let’s Celebrate Towns competition. This year, more than 350 towns across over 280 constituencies entered the competition and were assessed across five categories as Southport’s nomination in the High Street Revival category acknowledges the example the town has set in adapting to new challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing high street environment. A panel of expert judges will now review the finalists in each category and select winners from across the UK. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Parliament on Monday 14 December.
Patrick Hurley, Chair of the Town Centres APPG and MP for Southport and the Northern Parishes, said: “It’s brilliant to see Southport recognised for the work going on across our town centre to support local businesses and give people more reasons to spend time here. We’ve got some truly unique business models, a growing cultural and creative scene, and a lot of people working hard to breathe new life into the town centre. This nomination is a real reflection of that effort. As Chair of the Town Centres APPG, I want places like Southport to have the tools and investment they need to keep adapting and thriving. If we were successful in securing the £20,000 award, it would be another opportunity to back one of the many brilliant local initiatives that are already making a difference.”
Compassion Acts has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK. The charity, which operates food banks, uniform hubs and benefit services, is one of 250 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award - equivalent to an MBE - this year. It has grown from its roots as an emergency foodbank into an all round poverty reduction and wellbeing charity and has 250 volunteers working on 20 projects across the Southport area. Representatives of Compassion Acts will receive the award crystal and certificate from Mr Peter Oliver OBE Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside in the coming months. In addition, two volunteers from Compassion Acts will attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May or June 2027, along with other recipients of this year’s award.
Richard Owens, Compassion Acts Chief Executive, said: “This is a huge honour. I am so proud for all of our volunteers as it is a prestigious recognition of their efforts.” Chair of Trustees Dr Dympna Edwards added: “The Trustees and I are profoundly honoured that Compassion Acts has received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. The recognition belongs to our volunteers, whose compassion, commitment and generosity have touched countless lives across our communities. Every act of kindness, every hour given and every person supported has contributed to this achievement”.
🛏️ Sefton Council has been given an additional £340k of government money to help tackle homelessness. The money has been awarded from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)’s Rough Sleeping Programme which aims to ensure that everyone is offered a route off the street or wider support before Christmas. Tackling rough sleeping has been made one of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s key priorities and the extra funding for councils aim to help with both immediate and longer-term solutions.
The funding is designed to allow local authorities to provide services that are based on local need and these can include, but are not limited to, preventative services, specialist physical and mental health support, specialist adult social care services, plus place-based responses to support multi-agency approaches to rough sleeping. Sefton has been given £340k for 2026/27 and further funding is allocated for the following two years. However, those years have only been designated at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority level so it is not yet known how much each council will receive.
We are offering our biggest ever saving with 50% off annual subscriptions to The Southport Lead. You’ll have to act quick to take advantage, with the Black Friday offer only available until the end of November.
Health leaders warned to take action after staff snooped on records of Southport victims
By Jamie Lopez
Health leaders have been warned to take action to stop staff snooping on medical records after repeated incidents of Southport victims being affected.
Staff from two hospital trusts and North West Ambulance Service have been found to have searched the records of attack victims despite having no legitimate reason to do so - something survivor Leanne Lucas said caused her extra distress and left her feeling violated
In some cases, the victims were only informed as a result of investigations by journalists, notably at the Health Sector Journal, after hospital leaders decided to keep the breaches secret.
Earlier this month survivors of the Southport attack, along with those from the Nottingham attack and maternity scandals called on the government and NHS to make procedural and cultural changes to end the idea that such snooping could be seen as acceptable.
In an open letter sent to Health Secretary, Yvette Cooper; Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy; and NHS Chief Executive, Jim Mackey, they said: “Until this year, surviving children of the Southport attack had believed their details would be protected by court-ordered anonymity, safeguarding their privacy and protecting them from further distress.
“They and their families also believed their confidential medical records would be protected from inappropriate access. All those affected by the attack, including adult victims, survivors, and the families of those who died, should have been entitled to the same basic respect for their privacy and dignity. But the reality was that strangers, who had no direct involvement in their care, probed their most sensitive and personal information in a flagrant abuse of power.”
Now, the Information Commission’s Office (ICO) is calling on health leaders across the UK to act now to stop staff viewing medical records without a legitimate reason, warning that unauthorised access is putting public trust in the health sector at risk.
ICO Chief Executive Paul Arnold has written to more than 200 of the most senior leaders in the health service across the UK, urgently asking for their personal assurance that measures are in place and working effectively to prevent and detect staff prying into medical records.
The regulator has received more than 300 reports of unauthorised access from health sector organisations so far this year including issues with staff looking at records with no legitimate need or viewing the records of people they know or sharing information with others.
