Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
It’s only been a few months since we reported on Sefton Council’s spending running far beyond what was budgeted but the issue has continued to grow since then.
New measures have been installed to help reduce costs where possible but the elephant in the room remains social care.
While Sefton Council has made vital progress on improving Children’s Social Care from the sorry state a few years ago, it has now yet managed to do so while keeping to pre-set budget. Today’s main story focuses on that issue.
Southport briefing
🏠 A long-vacant former council depot could soon be repurposed for social housing. Sefton Council Cabinet members will next week be asked to approve the disposal of five council-owned sites as part of the Sefton 2030 initiative - including the disused depot at Back Forest Lane which is earmarked for 32 homes for social rent. Sefton 2030 is a long-term partnership between Sefton Council and The Sovini Group that helps to deliver 1,000 affordable homes for local people by the end of the decade. At next week’s Cabinet meeting, approval will be sought for the Council to enter into conditional land sale agreements with The Sovini Group for five Phase 1 development sites in Southport, Bootle, Netherton and Seaforth. If approved, it will be the next stage in progressing the construction of around 230 affordable homes across the five sites, helping to address increasing demand for housing in Sefton. Cllr Paulette Lappin, Deputy Leader of Sefton Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, said: “There is a real need for more, affordable homes in Sefton. Around 3,000 households are currently registered for housing in the borough, while more than 200 households are living in temporary accommodation. Sefton 2030 represents an important step towards delivering those homes that people need.”
🚗 Motorists are being warned to prepare for delays when work ramps up on Kew Roundabout from tomorrow. The form Phase 2 of the Southport Eastern Access scheme and Balfour Beatty will start with vegetation clearance on the roundabout, before moving onto work on the installation of new signalised crossings. The council says the crossings will make the roundabout safer for those walking, wheeling and cycling, as well as for motorists using the roundabout. Leaders say the scheme will play an important role in supporting the ongoing economic growth of Southport by improving connections between the town centre, Kew and key employment and retail destinations. It also hopes that by reducing congestion, tackling rat-running on surrounding residential routes, improving access to Kew Retail Park and the industrial units on Crowland Street, and creating safer walking and cycling links, the scheme will help people, goods and services move more efficiently across the town. When the start of work on the scheme was announced in August, Cllr Phil Hart, Cabinet Member for Housing and Highways said: “There are schools, shopping and leisure opportunities located near to the Kew Roundabout and these improvements will make it easier for everyone who uses it. Young people especially will benefit from a safer way to cross the roundabout, whether by walking, wheeling or cycling. This area is a key route for Southport and currently has limited active travel links. The scheme aims to make safe walking and cycling routes for those who want to leave the car at home for short journeys and help more people to choose sustainable modes of travel.”
🚓 A 16-year-old girl suffered a serious facial injury in an unprovoked assault. The victim was left needing hospital treatment when she was assaulted by another girl while walking along Ash Street with two friends. The incident happened on October 12 and a 17-year-old girl has now been charged with Section 18 assault, grievous bodily harm with intent.
👮 A PC who tried to lie about who was driving when he went through a red light while driving home from Southport Police Station has been banned from the profession. Former PC Naseem Hoque was caught by a traffic light camera after an overtime shift in July 2024 and falsely gave another person’s name when he received a Notice of Intended Prosecution. He did the same when caught speeding after a shift at another Merseyside station 12 months later. He resigned from the force in April 2026 but a misconduct case resumed nonetheless and a panel concluded he would have been sacked and added him to the disbarred list which means he cannot work in policing again.
⚽ Former Chester FC boss Cal McIntyre has been appointed as the new Southport FC manager following the departure of Mark Duffy. The 33-year-old is among the youngest managers in the club’s history but has racked up more than 200 matches as manager in stints at Chester and Runcorn Linnets. He took charge of his first match at home to Telford United yesterday when the Sandgrounders fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Sefton Council budget overspend to reach £7.6m as social care costs spiral and recruitment frozen
By Jamie Lopez
A recruitment freeze and savings drives are taking place across Sefton Council as social care costs push its deficit in the current financial year to more than £7.6m.
The authority sought special government permission to include £12m of property sales in this year’s budget as a last gasp way to balance its books but within months looked set to miss its target by millions and the problem has only worsened.
In July, The Southport Lead reported that the forecast for the year had reached a forecast deficit of £4m just three months after the budget was set. In a new update to its cabinet, the authority’s officers report that that projected total has almost doubled.
According to documents seen by The Southport Lead, savings measures now in place include a recruitment freeze. This applies to all services across the council and any exception for certain critical posts must be approved by an Executive Director and a senior officer.
Other measures being implemented across all services is a “pause [on] any requests for growth or additionality” even if it could be funded within departmental underspends. This means that further underspends can be used to mitigate the overall financial position but does not apply to expenditure that can be fully met from external funding.
A report prepared for the cabinet states: “A full review is currently being undertaken of all budgets across the Council to identify areas of non-essential spend that could be stopped. This includes reviewing progress on spending in all areas to identify options for where additional expenditure commitments could be paused.
“This will identify further underspends that can be used to contribute to mitigating the council’s overall financial position. Savings from these reviews before the end of the financial year will be built into future forecasts.”
Meanwhile, the council is set to trial no longer locking cemetery gates overnight in an effort to save £50k. It follows a similar trail across the borough’s parks and means staff no longer attend at the start and end of each day.
The trial is due to last three months at all cemeteries - including ones in Southport and Ainsdale - and a document explaining the plan says it comes on the back of reduced anti-social behaviour.
It states: “It is recognised that there have previously been incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) affecting both Thornton Cemetery and Duke Street Cemetery.
“These incidents were an important consideration when reviewing the security arrangements and the potential consequences of reducing physical access controls.
“However, the position has subsequently improved and the previously experienced ASB at these locations has now ceased.
“This is a positive development and should be taken into account when assessing the current level of risk.
“It is recognised that the absence of recent ASB does not guarantee that incidents will not recur. However, the proposed approach would allow the Council to monitor the position closely and respond if circumstances change.
“The trial should therefore be viewed as a controlled test of the current risk environment. Any significant increase in ASB, criminal activity, damage or other security-related concerns would be reviewed as part of the trial and could result in individual sites being excluded or alternative arrangements being reinstated.
At the heart of the overspend is, once again, social services. Last year, Sefton oversaw a £20m overspend on Children’s Social Care and it is again struggling to keep a lid on costs. In the October update, a £12m overspend is now forecast just in this department. The council had built £9m into the budget to account for additional pressure and it is because of this that the overall deficit is not greater.
Local councils are legally required to fund these social services but leaders across the country have been warning for years that more support is needed from the government to avoid them becoming unsustainable.
Last month, analysis by The Guardian showed that sixteen English councils including nearby Blackpool were spending more than 80% of their entire budgets on social services. Sefton is below that figure and closer to the national average but still spends two in every three pounds on statutory services and it appears costs are only likely to rise.
Ahead of this week’s autumn budget, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that spending on providing support for children in care is rising at a rate of £1 billion a year and renewed calls to not only tackle the funding issues but crucially to improve outcomes for children.
The budgetary issue is far from limited to Sefton and, according to the LGA, a cumulative £3.2 billion overspend was recorded in the three years from 2022/23 – as councils have been struggling with escalating in-year costs.
Over that period, annual council spending on looked after children rose from £6.6bn to £9.5bn. The LGA says the figures are largely a result of “astronomical “care costs with the price of children’s home placements drastically rising as more and more private companies either enter the market or expand.
