Three months after Hesketh Centre fire, no-one held accountable
Plus: Social care budget crisis, hospital's new surgery unit, and your guide to the week in what's on in Southport
Hello and welcome to the ninth edition of The Southport Lead.
For today’s issue, we’re looking at fire which caused great upset and anger when it happened in November. Crews spent two days battling the massive blaze at the old Hesketh Centre, with it later confirmed the fire was deliberate.
Nearly three months on, the building lies in a derelict state with no roof and major damage across the structure. Demolition appears inevitable and with it, the loss of a piece of Southport’s Victorian history.
Also in today’s edition: the social care crisis pushing Sefton Council’s budget into a dangerous place; Southport Hospital’s new plastic surgery unit; and Andrew Brown’s What’s On guide for the week ahead.
No arrests over Hesketh Centre fire
No arrests have been made three months after a major fire gutted the former Hesketh Centre.
Emergency services were called to the disused hospital building in the early hours of November 16 and fire crews spent two days tackling the blaze. The scale of the fire was so extensive that roads around the Albert Road building were closed for multiple days to protect the public and the roof was entirely destroyed.
Crews were alerted at 2.42am and within four minutes, with both Merseyside and Lancashire’s fire services among the response. By the time of arrival, the upper floor and roof were described as being “well alight”. Despite cordons and a warning for people to stay away, residents would gather to watch on in shock as huge flames billowed out of the historic building.
By lunchtime, the gas and electric supplies has been isolated and the main body of fire extinguished. The building was already being described then as “partially collapsed”.
It now stands in a dangerous and derelict state. From the outside, the damage looks extensive but drone footage from above shows the extent to which the building has been gutted.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson confirmed to The Southport Lead this week that the fire is still being treated as arson but no arrests have been made.
The spokesperson added that information and a statement issued in November still stand today. Detective Inspector Edward Barr said: “Thankfully nobody was hurt but to set such a large fire is reckless in the extreme. We’re keen to speak to anyone who might have been passing or saw anyone suspicious in the area on the night in question. We are determined to find those responsible and put them before the courts.”
The Hesketh Centre closed down in 2020 when its services were moved to the £20m Hartley Hospital on Curzon Road. It was built around the start of the 20th century and was first operated as a ‘Hesketh Park Hydro’, a hotel offering the ‘most comfortable home’ and boasting facilities such as a drawing room, billiards room, shaded gardens and tennis courts.
It was eventually changed into a healthcare facility and remained in that use until its closure in 2020. From then, it remained owned by the NHS until last summer and despite gates and signs warning of 24 hour security, was frequently visited by ‘urban explorers’ who shared photographs and videos of the abandoned contents - including medical and office equipment - online.
The building was sold at auction in July, with a final price of £800,000 and the deal was completed in the following month. Land Registry records have not yet been updated to reveal the new owner.
Before the sale, Sefton Council had advised that it supported residential use of the building but not demolition without “full justification”. The perilous state of the building means that a demolition is now likely but as yet, no planning application has been registered by the council.
After the fire, Cllr Leo Evans, who represents Cambridge ward where the Hesketh Centre is located, said the fire had become “somewhat predictable” during the long closure.
Pointing to "a lack of effective security”, he added: “Regardless, it is a sad day for Southport as we lose another beautiful Victorian building in the town. The site was once one of the countries premier 'Hydro-Hotels' and photos from a century ago show a stunning facility just across the road from Hesketh Park, it is a real shame to lose such history in our town.”
Speaking to Southport Lead this week, Cllr Evans said he first warned Merseycare in January 2022 about the site being accessed by explorers and again expressed concerns about the risk of fire with them in November 2023.
Like many others, the Lib Dem councillors shares concerns over whether there is a realistic prospect of the building being saved.
He said: “I always felt that the longer that site say empty, the more likely something like this was going to happen. I also worry about how it is now. It's a blot on the area, it looks horrific, and even with new security measures, if that site is left as it is, it will only get worse.”
Rising social care costs push council into ‘maximum financial risk’
By Elliot Jessett
Sefton Council said it is financially ‘exposed’ and expects a budget overspend of almost £20m. According to officials, the revenues needed for its adult social care and children’s services have placed it at ‘maximum financial risk.’
At a cabinet meeting at Bootle Town Hall, councillors discussed a financial management report which highlighted major pressures in areas like high needs schools grants and special educational needs funding.
Furthermore, it acknowledged that there is inadequate resources to meet the current requirements and the evaluated risk score in the report put the local authority at ‘maximum likelihood and maximum severity’.At the end of December 2024, the forecast for the council’s the revenue budget shows a net overspend of £19.328m.
The report detailed previous assumptions about the financial position in adult social care which anticipated a ‘full achievements of savings’ proposed for the year. However, it is now accepted this is no longer the case and the budget for adult social care is expected to overspend by £6.4m during 2024/25 – – an increase of £3.523m compared to the forecast at the end of November 2024.
Stephan Van Arendsen, the council’s executive director for Corporate Services and Commercial presented a report to cabinet detailing the council’s financial management performance. Mr Van Arendsen said: “In terms of the position at the end of December, the key variation from the revenue point of view has been on Adult Social Care this month.
“The adults position has moved and its moved because the need has increased, but also there’s been a delay in delivering the savings that were built into the budget. So the position and the general balances will increase by about a £1.5m pounds moving into next year.
“The same principles that we’ve discussed in the last three to four months need to apply for the last three or four months of the year, the council, like all councils, is exposed to the volatility that exists in the market. It is exposed to the needs services.
“But the position is challenging, both within the sector and on Sefton, because if you’ve got an overspend at the start of this, and you’ve got to use reserves at the level of this, that’s a position that needs to be mitigated as far as possible between now at the end of the year.
“So the position is set out in terms of the call on general balances the rigor and the grip is within the organizational spending those in those key services, but that needs to continue, and the key issues coming out of it built into the budget package.”
Southport Hospital opens new plastic surgery unit
A new unit to support patients needing minor plastic surgery procedures has opened at Southport Hospital.
Staff in the unit have welcomed their first patients and are looking forward to seeing the service continue to develop over the coming weeks and months.
The new unit will mean the Trust’s Plastic Surgery Team can now treat a greater number of patients for minor plastic surgery procedures such as the removal of skin lesions.
This is set to be a huge benefit for patients from the Southport and Ormskirk catchment areas who will no longer have to travel for treatment.
Tracey Walker, Directorate Manager for Burns and Plastic Surgery, said: “The Unit is a huge boost for patients in the area who would previously have had to travel quite a way to get their treatment.
“We have been working on these plans for some time and are delighted to see them come to fruition. The unit will really help us speed up treatment times for patients and is a great example of how we have been able to develop services for our local community. A huge thank you to all staff who have worked hard to make this possible.”
News in headlines
Community groups in Southport to benefit from money seized from criminals (Liverpool Echo)
Discover more about multi-million pound projects transforming Sefton at special event (Stand Up For Southport)
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What’s on this week
By Andrew Brown
Love is in the air in Southport this week, as people look ahead to Valentine’s Day - while children have February Half Term to look forward to!
Here are some of the events happening in Southport from this Sunday (9th February 2025) through to Sunday, 16th February:
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