Scale of public outcry makes up for lack of scrutiny in decision to close Botanic Gardens aviary
A public meeting was above capacity with people keen to make their voices heard
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
It’s safe to say the decision to close Botanic Gardens’ aviary has been received incredibly badly.
The decision was actually taken earlier this year when the council passed its budget, with only a small line on a very long spreadsheet giving indication of the plans.
I suspect that the opposition Lib Dem councillors are, like me, kicking themselves for not noticing the inclusion, which gave a £60k saving from the Green Sefton budget.
Any lack of scrutiny is being made up for now though, with thousands of people signing petitions against the closure and a public meeting held on Friday.
Southport briefing
🏌️Drones will be forbidden from flying over the Royal Birkdale Golf Club while it hosts The Open Golf Championship. A temporary flight restriction zone has been implemented as part of the policing operation during the major event and is now in place until July 21 which means that from 6am-10pm each day no unmanned aircraft is permitted to fly above the course. The Civil Aviation Authority and the Secretary of State for Transport agree that it is necessary and in the public interest to introduce Restriction of Flying Regulations under Article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016 for unmanned aircraft for reasons of public safety and security. Merseyside Police Matrix Inspector Carl McNulty said: “This is a standard measure which has been in place in previous years for large scale public events. Specialist resources, made up of Merseyside Police officers and officers from regional and national teams, including air support, will be in place for the duration of the event and we are also working with partners including the local authority, other emergency services, and businesses in the community to ensure this is a safe and secure event.” Anyone who wishes to seek consideration for the safe and appropriate flight of a drone in these areas must obtain permission through the Merseyside Police Counter Drone Team on 07971688873 or via email: drone.exemptions@merseyside.police.uk
🪧 Sefton Council workers could go on strike after a row over pay. Workers at the authority are among thousands across the country represented by Unite the Union which is balloting for strike action after rejecting this year’s pay offer. They have turned down a pay offer of 3.3% from the national employers, who set council workers pay, as they believe this fails to address years of below inflation pay offers and pay freezes. Employees hree other Merseyside councils and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority are also being consulted. Workers being balloted work in various council roles including waste and bin collections, street cleaners, street lighting, teaching assistants and home care staff. In a statement, Unite the Union said the latest pay offer represents what it described as a “real-terms pay cut” and claimed it was not involved in any negotiations. Sharon Graham, Unite the Union general secretary, said: “Council workers are struggling to keep their heads above water after over a decade of pathetic pay deals. Employers are again trying to cut the real terms pay of workers instead of investing in our members, who do vital jobs in our communities. Unite will not stand by and allow our members to have another paltry pay deal inflicted on them. They have our full backing in their fight for fair pay.”
🚆 Trains will not run between Southport and Wigan over five days at the end of the month. Network Rail is replacing ageing tracks near Parbold from Monday 27 until Friday 31 July and will instead run rail replacement buses between the town and Wigan Wallgate, with trains from Manchester terminating at Wigan. Network Rail described it as vital engineering work and said it involves teams replacing sections of track, as well as sleepers and ballast. Once completed, it says, it will lead to better ride quality and a reduction in delays and speed restrictions in the area. Derek Davies, project manager for Network Rail, said: “Our teams will be replacing nearly a kilometre of track, sleepers and the ‘formation’ below the railway, as the current track is nearing the end of its life. Once renewed the track will benefit from improved drainage and offer a more resilient, smoother, and more reliable railway. We know there is never an ideal time to close the railway and we are using this closure to complete multiple pieces of work, avoiding the need for two or three weekends of disruption. The work has been planned into the school holiday period when passenger demand is lower. We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the closure.” During the disruption, Northern customers will be able to use their tickets to travel on Merseyrail’s Southport-Liverpool services, and Northern’s Liverpool-Manchester, Preston-Ormskirk and Preston-Manchester services.
Scale of public outcry makes up for lack of scrutiny in decision to close Botanic Gardens aviary
By Jamie Lopez
A public meeting to discuss how to save Botanic Gardens’ aviary had to be postponed after a woman collapsed.
A huge turnout left dozens unable to even enter the building as Patrick Hurley MP led a meeting in response to a fierce backlash at Sefton Council’s decision to close the aviary. The local authority has cited both budgetary and welfare reasons as to why it can no longer support the long-running attraction beyond next March.
The decision to close the aviary, which has been in use for more than 85 years, is set to save £60k annually and was agreed in the council’s budget in March but had seemingly gone unnoticed until the decision was passed onto the team which maintains the aviary earlier this month. The news sparked a furious response and Sefton Council only confirmed it publicly after the news was shared online by volunteers.
It has since published a FAQ list on its website to answer many of the concerns about the decision and Cllr Joanne Williams, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are proud to have continued running the aviary long after most other councils across the country stopped operating facilities housing animals entirely.
“It is no longer possible for it to operate to the high welfare standards that are rightly expected of a modern site. For that reason, the decision has been taken to oversee the aviary’s closure.
“While many will be saddened by this decision, I’d like to assure everyone that the animals’ welfare will continue to be our top priority. I’d like to personally thank everyone who has supported the aviary over the years, including the wonderful staff and volunteers who have cared for the animals on a daily basis.”
Labour MP Hurley called and hosted the meeting which also heard from David Cobham, Chair of the Botanic Gardens Community Association which is responsible for much of the upkeep and maintenance across the park and is responsible for some 8,000 hours of voluntary work annually.
Addressing the assembled crowd at the Settle Inn, the cafebar situated inside the park, Hurley said he had been given no prior indication of the plans but that his office has been working to understand the problems and how to address them since it was made public, including by speaking with the RSPB and other aviaries.
He said: “It’s easy to criticise the council but it’s much more difficult and much more productive to see what we can do to either change their mind or find a way forward rather than just saying ‘its them people over there and they don’t know what they’re doing and if I was in their shoes I wouldn’t make this decision.
“Having said that, if I was in their shoes I wouldn’t make this decision.”
