Bootle Labour Bosses have shown once again that they are essentially an 'occupying power' in Southport, unwilling to listen at all to representations from Southport people, Southport businesses and their elected representatives.

At last night's Sefton Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held in Bootle Town Hall, called to reconsider the decision to urgently lay down a new black surface from end to end of Lord Street, the Labour majority refused to listen to detailed concerns from Southport councillors about issues of conservation and matters affecting businesses and shoppers in the town. They declared that the only matter they would consider was the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) closing the road. The TRO was the only published decision of the Cabinet member - the timing of the work and the replacement of the historic red tarmac of Lord Street by standard black was carried out in private and not even registered formally.

After the meeting, Southport Town Centre councillor Tony Dawson, who had written to each of the Scrutiny Committee members prior to their deliberations, supporting the reconsideration, said:

"It was, of course, the REASON FOR the issuing of the Order which had been being 'called in', rather than the issue of the Order itself. But the Bootle 'occupiers' decided to use procedural tricks to stop a serious matter affecting Southport from being discussed sensibly."

"Clearly, Lord Street, Southport, has to be repaired and sometimes renewed. But this is not just a highways issue. Lord Street's traditional red surfacing is, and has been for many years, an inherent characteristic of the area which is the centre of a Sefton Borough conservation area. So, in addition to the issues affecting the local economy of Southport there were straightforward conservation issues which had clearly been totally overlooked in making the decision. The Council has a responsibility to both consider and consult on conservation issues before making decisions.
Sefton Council's own draft Lord Street Conservation Area Appraisal, presently out to consultation, says:

"10.12 SURFACING AND STREET FURNITURE

The general appearance of the area would benefit from the rationalisation of traffic signs and street furniture. A streetscape audit would help identify where features are redundant or unnecessary allowing these to be removed or combined. It would be beneficial for the various Council services with responsibility for the streetscape to work together with the conservation team to develop a code of practice in relation to street surfacing and street furniture within the town centre, recognising that the architectural value and commercial importance of the area warrants special attention. This would help ensure that future work in the Conservation Area is properly co-ordinated and respects the character and appearance of the Conservation Area."

It is quite clear that such 'working together' has not occurred in this matter, to date. We can see that the Borough of Sefton is saying one thing in its current consultation document and doing precisely the opposite within the highways department.

Although the state of the surface of Lord Street is not particularly good at the moment along its whole length, it is not in such a state as to require immediate work 'in emergency'. Clearly the timing of any such work is critical to the economy of the traders of Southport town centre.

The issue of whether or not the red tarmac should be retained has both cost and conservation aspects and these should both be properly be consulted and discussed with the people of Southport and their elected representatives including, though not exclusively, through the Southport Area Committee. The Southport Civic Society and Southport BID are clearly important interested parties to such decisions. The manner in which bus services are re-directed during the work - and how this redirection relates to the phasing of work - are also matters which affect many elderly residents as well as the traders who rely upon their custom."

"As a councillor for the ward which includes the entirety of Lord Street, I am appalled that the conservation and economic impact issues here have not yet been consulted with the people of Southport and our community and local bodies."

"The manner in which this decision has been taken and proper scrutiny refused is far wider than the Lord Street issue. It shows that we in Southport live under the jack boot of an 'elected dictatorship'. This is a matter that urgently needs Parliamentary and government consideration."

"occupying power", "dicatatorial", "jack boot".
Tony, do you expect to engender cordial relations with such language?
No wonder the Lib Dems wanted rid of you.

Originally Posted by Mr. Brightside

"occupying power", "dicatatorial", "jack boot".
Tony, do you expect to engender cordial relations with such language?
No wonder the Lib Dems wanted rid of you.

It gets me quite angry when our electives represent the town like this, it never achieves anything for southport and just provides a negative view of "the southport attitude"

He needs to go from his cllr role altogether, his attitude and ways of expressing self are damaging to southport. There's no way anyone would want to work with him with all his bluster and anti-opposition nature. My personal view is that whilst we have Cllrs like Tony Dawson the town will not benefit from paid electives.

Maybe the new Sainsbury's will offer him a job so will have less time to submit so many anti opposition press releases.

Wow, with all thats going on in the world people are concerned that the tarmac is black instead of red.

1st World Problems.

As a Dukes ward resident the next local election can't come soon enough.
I'm currently represented by:
A publicity hungry charlatan suspended by his party on trial for fraud.
Another suspended for bringing his party into disrepute who now seems to think he's in WW2 occupied France.
A third who we see and hear nothing at all from.

I would much prefer to see any of our streets resufaced to a good standard without getting over excited by the colour of the road surface, Lord St is now a long way from a "prestigious" shopping street.

Does anyone actually know when it was first laid in red tarmac? It certainly wasn't red tarmac in its Victorian heyday.

Once a beautiful town, Southport has now been reduced to a run down ghost town. Distantly run by a council who see it as historically 'snobby' and therefore have failed generally to understand what is required. From railings painted in the tacky Sefton colours to the army of traffic wardens who deter locals and visitors. The streets roamed by little 'scallys' trying to impersonate their role models further down the track and worse drunken behaviour at nIght than Liverpool. So yes Sefton council, I suppose there really is no point spending all that money on red tarmac!! Good job!

Dick heads

Sefton Council hammer another nail into Southport's coffin

Emperor's new clothes moment - has anyone noticed that Lord Street actually isn't red?

Originally Posted by Polly Trott

Emperor's new clothes moment - has anyone noticed that Lord Street actually isn't red?

Too many are still looking through their rose tinted glasses and haven't noticed that small point.

It was red this morning

Originally Posted by silver fox

Too many are still looking through their rose tinted glasses and haven't noticed that small point.

It's red, peppered with many grey cracks and botch up jobs and several black pot holes

Originally Posted by Mr. Brightside

Does anyone actually know when it was first laid in red tarmac? It certainly wasn't red tarmac in its Victorian heyday.

It was laid approx. early 1950's (1953?) and was laid by a company called Limmer & Trinidad (acquired by Tarmac Roadstones) using a proprietary red mix asphalt to BS594. The same mix was laid on The Mall in London and it was quite a vivid red mix.

I think Lord Street has been resurfaced twice, but for sure the existing red surface bears no semblance to the original red asphalt being much darker.

One system to use (which could appease both sides in this conflagration) would be to lay the new surface in a black asphalt and introduce red pre-coated chippings into the surface. This could be done at a fraction of the cost of a true red asphalt mix.

Incidentally on another thread 'mike1979' suggested that the road outside Bootle Town Hall was laid in red, it was actually a black asphalt with red pre-coated chipping; if it could fool 'mike1979', then there's a fair chance it could fool a lot of others as well.

Trinidad Lake asphalt was far superior to the distillates produced by the oil refinery process, one of the reasons why roads surfaces fail much quicker because they don't have the same properties as natural asphalts.