The reality behind new walking and cycling plans in Southport
The proposals are no more than a wishlist but opposition has already begun
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
As sure as night follows day, any mention of cycle lanes in Southport leads to anger being directed at Sefton Council. This week proved no different when the council published its Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan and received plenty of criticism on social media.
What the plan actually involves and means has got a little lost in all of that so we take a closer look in today’s edition.
The Southport Lead marks its one-year anniversary in January so to celebrate we’re offering 30% off monthly and annual subscriptions for the entire month. That means you can get an annual subscription for just £34.30 or pay £3.49 a month, a little more than the cost of two hours’ parking in Southport town centre. Use this link to take advantage of the offer.
Southport briefing
⚖️ A pervert who took advantage of a vulnerable woman for sexual gain has been jailed for four years and nine months. Stephen Yates, of Derby Road, was found guilty nine counts of offences related to sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder after Liverpool Crown Court heard his victim has a mental age of a child. The offences occurred in 2020 and Yates was charged in October 2024 following a complex investigation. Detective Constable Chris Condliff said: “This was a shocking case involving the sexual assault of a vulnerable woman and it’s only right that Yates is now spending time behind bars. Yates subjected her to traumatic ordeals and we are continuing to support her through this difficult process. I would like to thank her and her family for their patience and strength in assisting our investigations and share our hope that today's outcome at least provides some form of comfort moving forward.” You can read more on the case from the Liverpool Echo’s court reporter Adam Everett.
📅 A new calendar of cultural events in Southport is to be backed by £1m of funding with more potentially to follow. The new events - Lightport (February), Cristal Palace (April), The Big Top (May) and Books Alive (October) - have been organised as innovative ways to attract visitors to the town and boost footfall to give local businesses a boost. Sefton Council has committed £500,000 towards the events which has now been matched by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and funding requests are to be submitted to Arts Council England and The Heritage Lotery. Explaining the significance of the events and the need to support them, a council report states: “The Southport 2026 events programme is one of the main drivers for recovery, the aim of the events is to drive footfall and increase overnight stays. The launch of the programme has already gained national attraction, combined with the existing events programme along with the Open Golf this will be a transformational year for Southport”.
🚉 The managing director at Northern Rail has repeated promises to improve its Southport-Manchester services after meeting with the town’s MP. Tricia Williams pointed to “green shoots of progress” while acknowledging the frustrations of passengers who are too frequently affected by delays and cancellations. MP Patrick Hurley said the pair discussed issues including the cost of travel; facilities and heating on board; Sunday services; the introduction of new trains; measures taken to reduce cancellations and delays; and the potential reintroduction of the Burscough Curves. One of the key problems is that staff are not contracted to work on Sundays and the service is reliant on them volunteering to do so and Ms Williams said no agreement has yet been reached on this. Hurley said: “I am regularly contacted by constituents complaining about the price and reliability of services on this line, and I have been campaigning for change to bring a comfortable, affordable, and reliable rail service across the constituency. I am grateful for the managing director’s time, and I will continue to work with Northern to ensure that performance improves and residents across Southport and the Northern Parishes have confidence again to travel by train.”
Cycling and walking plan is a wishlist - but could lead to new funding
By Jamie Lopez
Battle lines have been drawn over new plans which outline how infrastructure could be improved across Sefton to better enable people to walk and cycle.
Sefton Council’s cabinet this week approved a new Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) - a document which outlines how it would like to make it more possible for people to travel around the borough on foot, cycling or using a wheelchair.
Among the potential changes are new cycling routes linking Crossens to town the centre and through to Birkdale and Ainsdale along with improving existing routes which have been badly maintained and upgrading road crossings to make them safer for pedestrians.
The LCWIP could be used in future to attract funding bids for infrastructure but other than that its impact is likely to be very limited. In reality, it is little more than a wishlist at this stage but the response to its publication outlines the opposition that will be faced if any specific plan progresses further.
Cllr Mike Prendergast, the Conservative group leader and Dukes Ward councillor, led the charge ahead of the council’s cabinet approving the document on Thursday, accusing the authority’s leadership of trying to “impose more of these ridiculous schemes on our local communities”.
A report prepared for the cabinet explained that of those who responded to its consultation, 76% support its overall aims for walking, while 17% opposed. For cycling, its was 62% supportive and 28% against. Those results came from just 347 answers, which the council says is a high response for one of its policies but lower than seen to LCWIPs in other areas of the Liverpool City Region.
