Lancs councillor planning legal action against Sefton Council in forced resignation claim
Plus: Homeless shelter plan defended, Tommy Fleetwood's 'generous gift' and What's On This Week
Hello and welcome to the 76th edition of The Southport Lead.
Before his election to Lancashire County Council and his appointment there as deputy leader, Simon Evans spent 10 years working for Sefton Council.
His role as Antisocial Behaviour Manager came to an end as his political life became more active and Evans says he believes he was forced out due to those beliefs. Sefton Council firmly denies those suggestions and says it will defend itself against any legal claim.
Elsewhere, the council’s plan to buy a disused hotel to provide accommodation for people experiencing homelessness moves forward but is also facing opposition from those living nearby.
Ex-ASB boss launches employment battle against Sefton Council after quitting role
By Jamie Lopez
The deputy leader of Lancashire County Council has vowed to take Sefton Council to an employment tribunal, believing he was forced out for his political beliefs.
County Councillor Simon Evans, who was elected as a Reform councillor for Skelmersdale Central in May, previously worked as Sefton’s anti-social behaviour manager until quitting the authority soon after the election.
He spent ten years working for the local authority but says he was effectively forced out from the role as a result of his political beliefs and claims to have been suspended for three months and given a written warning over “some trumped up charges”.
Sefton Council declined to comment in detail but said it rejected the allegations and is prepared to defend itself against any potential claim.
Cllr Evans is now hoping to raise £1,500 for his initial legal fees with an ultimate goal of £50,000 to take the matter to a tribunal. At the time of writing, he had received four donations totalling £220, including from a ‘Nigel’ and a ‘Richard’.
In his explanation, Cllr Evans says he was forced to quit due to his association with Reform UK and that he had previously been reprimanded for wearing a T-shirt with the party logo while on a video meeting as he worked from home. He says a similar attitude was not applied to other people wearing different political messages while working for the council.
He wrote: “During the 2024 general election, I stood for Reform UK in West Lancashire. When I came back to work in July, I was suspended for three months and investigated for seven on some trumped up charges, then issued with a written warning but I completely deny any wrongdoing. I believe that this was simply to make my life as unpleasant as possible to make me leave, all because I stood for Reform UK - the process was the punishment.
“In May 2025, I was elected councillor for Skelmersdale. Two weeks later, it was clear to me that I was simply not wanted at the council because I was a Reform UK councillor. So I sent an email to senior management enquiring about how to end my time as amicably as possible. Immediately, I was sent an aggressive email telling me that I needed to confirm whether or not this was my last day. I was so shocked by this treatment that I decided that because of my beliefs I was simply not wanted and so forced to resign.”
Cllr Evans further claims that an elected Labour councillor said “O here he is, f**king Reform, turn coat, we all heard about you” upon seeing him when he returned his equipment and that he was told his social media account had been “spied on” by the council.
In his request for support, Cllr Evans says he is now unemployed and only able to support his family with money received in his elected roles. As deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, he receives allowances of £44,000.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We are aware of the claims and we strongly refute them. If a case is brought then we will defend the matters in full.”
Cllr Evans said that he would prefer to keep the matter private ahead of any potential proceedings when contacted by The Southport Lead.
No, Tommy Fleetwood hasn’t given $10.9m dollars to homeless support centres
According to a post which did the rounds of Facebook this week, golfer Tommy Fleetwood has donated $10.9m from sponsorship and Ryder Cup prize money to “fund a series of homeless support centres in his hometown of Southport”. It was said the initiative “will help build 150 and 300 shelter beds for 150 homes and 300 shelter beds for those in need”.
The apparent gesture received dozens of supportive comments praising the Sandgrounder’s generosity while the post was shared hundreds of times and into all manner of local groups. The only problem? It’s nonsense. For a start, there is no prize money in the Ryder Cup and there is no record of any of these plans being discussed anywhere.
Now, mutual acquaintances tell me Fleetwood is a huge fan of his hometown and he does quietly back in some ways but this is entirely made up. So what’s the point of it?
At a cursory glance, the page it is shared on - named The Golf Masters - looks relatively legitimate - a decent logo, regular content, thousands of followers and an address and phone number listed. On closer inspection, the phone number and address link to a motel in Nevada and the previous posts are a mixture of similarly positive news (including an identical donation from Rory McIlroy) and rage-baiting claims of controversial comments.
The posts also contain some low quality AI-created images (shout out to the eerie ones of McIlroy returning to his old school to meet janitor ‘Mr John’ and a deranged-looking Tiger Woods apparently sat next to daughter and her newborn baby).
Clicking on the link posted by the official page alongside the Fleetwood tale takes you to perhaps the most ad-filled page I’ve ever seen (somehow worse than local news sites) and text which contains both incredibly generic quotes and hyperbolic claims (“one of the largest philanthropic gestures in British sports history”).
My initial suspicion was this was some kind of spam that would lead to people downloading malware leading to their accounts being hacked but none of the signs seem to be there for that (assuming I’ve not brought great damage on myself by clicking on those links).
This leaves the theory that it’s purely done for the sake of collecting income from the endlessly loading adverts on the articles. The text scores highly on AI checkers so the work for whoever created the page is minimal.
But this feels an unsatisfactory answer so I’m asking for your help - can you shed any light on how these pages work and, ultimately, what the point of them is? If so, please get in touch using jamie@thelead.uk
Homeless shelter plan defended as hotel deal moves forward
‘Homeless people are friends and family’, said Cllr Liz Dowd today as she addressed some of the concerns raised about Sefton Council’s plans to purchase The Salfordian Hotel.
Cllr Dowd, the cabinet member for communities and partnership engagement, was responding to objections against the proposal including a petition calling on the council to withdraw its proposal to purchase the hotel.
That petition was launched by residents near to the Park Crescent building who warned any future plans to house people in the hotel would ‘irrecoverably’ change the area. One group of local families, who wished to remain anonymous claimed: “This building would almost certainly be used for single adult men, including ex-offenders and those with complex needs, placed here before proper risk assessments are complete.”
As first reported by The Southport Lead, the hotel has been owned by Salford City Council since the 1960s and was used to provide affordable breaks for the city’s elderly residents. However it has now closed down and the local authority recently approached Sefton Council with an offer to sell the site.
Understanding the pressures facing local authorities in providing accommodation to people in need, Salford Council were said to be keen for the property to remain in public ownership.
If Sefton Council decides to proceed with the purchase, it would need to apply for all necessary planning approvals before completing the sale. If planning permission is required, the council confirmed it will need to apply to the Local Planning Authority and that local residents will have an opportunity to comment or raise a petition on the application.
All of this was detailed in a report to Sefton Council’s cabinet during a meeting at Bootle Town Hall on Thursday. The officer presenting the report said the proposal to purchase The Salfordian gives the council a ‘valuable opportunity’ to increase its supply of temporary accommodation for eligible Sefton households.
They added: “Here in Sefton, we continue to experience a rise in homelessness. The number of households and temporary accommodation has risen sharply, driven by factors such as an increase in demand for accommodation and a lack of suitable supply.
“The homelessness and rough sleeping strategy was agreed following the public consultation, and it sets out the council’s duties and responsibilities in meeting this challenge and to support this activity.
“In February 2025 the council approved an allocation of £1m in capital to support the homelessness support service in delivering solutions such as buying and refurbishing premises that are assessed as suitable for temporary accommodation.”
The council currently supports 270 households who are experiencing homelessness and are in temporary accommodation. Around 170 of the borough’s eligible homeless households are currently in temporary accommodation and are single people.
The local authority said single-person-accommodation is in really short supply in Sefton, in both the social and private rental sectors. Purchasing the Salfordian Hotel, according to the local authority report, would allow the council to increase this supply of temporary accommodation ‘in-house’.
Responding to the report, Cllr Liz Dowd said: “Some people have raised concerns over what they think is going to happen to the building and who may live there temporarily. Indeed, some of the concerns have indicated that just because someone is homeless, that that presents some sort of threat to the community.
“Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to provide clarity and assurance about the circumstances in which someone can find themselves homeless, and come to this council seeking support.
“People find themselves in a homeless situation due to a combination of factors in life that often interact with one another and often intensify. For example, these could include relationship breakdown with a partner, family or friends they are living with, evictions, landlords wishing to sell the houses they are renting.
“We’ve seen a huge rise in Section 21 evictions, victims of domestic abuse, usually women, who literally have nowhere to go to escape their perpetrator.
“Inability to afford rent due to increased cost of living. We all know rents have increased because we all know supply is low. Market forces have driven them into homelessness.
“Lack of affordable housing supply making it difficult for people to move on easily. And let’s not forget our Armed Forces returning to civilian life, but who may have been suffering from PTSD or some other trauma related condition.
“These are the people we are talking about. ‘There but for the grace of God go we’.
“The circumstances I have alluded to are all too familiar to all of us here. This could be a family member or a friend, someone we deeply care about being able to get housing support they need locally in their community.”
Separately, Southport MP Patrick Hurley has offered his support to the plan and moved to allay some of the fears that have been raised in opposition to it while also raising one aspect which has largely been missing from the argument - the welfare of those in need of the support.
He said: “I understand the concerns people are expressing around the Salfordian. It’s a difficult policy area to get right, especially given how badly the state has failed people living on the breadline and in chaotic situations.
“In the circumstances, I support the use of the Salfordian to provide accommodation for those experiencing homelessness, as long as sufficient safeguards are put in place to ensure that the dignity that is being afforded to them is matched with a focus on the concerns of the permanent population around the park.
“At the heart of this decision is a simple but powerful truth: every person deserves dignity, safety, and a place to call home.
“Homelessness is not just a policy issue; it’s a human issue. Offering shelter at the Salfordian is a compassionate and practical step that reflects the values of our community. It’s about looking after our neighbours and ensuring no one is left behind, especially as the colder months approach.”
Hurley also pointed to other potential positives such as a reduction in people sleeping in shop doorways in the town centre.
He added: “ By providing stable housing and support, we help people rebuild their lives, access services, and contribute positively to the local economy.
“I know there have been all sorts of rumours about the proposals, with false information being posted through people’s doors understandably creating confusion and concern. I would therefore urge you to only refer to official sources of information on this issue, rather than the unfounded assumptions of anonymous letter-droppers.”
Recommended reading
The Southport Inquiry continues apace with excellent coverage from the BBC’s Jonny Humphries and the Liverpool Echo’s Patrick Edrich. Among the findings this week, an online knife retailer director admitted he did not have any curiosity about who he sold to after the killer ordered a “sinister” Black Panther machete. Other sellers of such deadly weapons have also shown both their systems and their sense of responsibility to be deeply inadequate.
Meanwhile Mirror Online reports that the director of that knife retailer has previously been cautioned for advertising knives as ‘suitable for combat’ and that weapons bought from the company have been used in the murders on multiple occasions.
Finally, The Times has details of a police visit made to the killer’s home in 2019 after which it was warned there was “potential for huge escalation”.
What’s On This Week: October 5-12
By Andrew Brown
Southport Comedy Festival 2025 has now opened, with 17 nights of laughter and some of the UK’s top comedians in town!
Here’s what you can enjoy in Southport from Sunday 5th October 2025 - Sunday 12th October 2025:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Southport Lead to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.