At Thursday’s Sefton Council meeting Southport’s former MP and newly elected Lib Dem Council Group leader, John Pugh is leading an attempt to retain Sefton Council’s three area committees and specifically the Southport Area Committee.



Cllr Pugh argues that such a move to get rid of the one committee that exists to deal with Southport’s concerns is both legally questionable and malicious.



“There is no evidence of public support for this move amongst the public of Southport or the councillors who represent them,” says Cllr Pugh.



“On the contrary the public want a bigger voice for Southport and more locally-based decision making. That’s why the area committees were set up in the first place because of a widespread unhappiness that the concerns of Southport were being lost in the muddle of a wider Merseyside merger. They were set up in response to a local government boundary report that identified this unhappiness as the feeling in Southport.”



“Now Labour are proposing that these important area committees should be casually got rid off in the middle of a council year. A cynic might observe that the Southport Area Committee is the only Council committee not totally controlled by the ruling Sefton Labour group.”

It’d make sense if some of our councillors knew how to behave and didn’t treat the committee like they are holding court with the peasants as it’s the only place our electives can feel important given their only weapon against “the Bootle overlords” is spurious news articles ....residents are only allowed to air views if it isn’t against the libs but if you have an example like the Kew Playground it’s a very different atmosphere to how they’re representing us....you only have to look at the photo of Dawson and Shaw in the article to see it’s treated like it’s the last place on earth where the libs/exiled libs are important.

Yes, have an area computer, but only if it works and members know how to behave both in and out of the committee, which currently the noisy few don’t! It only seems to generate popularist motions or ones against other parties anyway and we know motions and petitions aren’t usually that effective. The best chance of the libs helping Southport using positive politics was when in coalition, sadly John Pugh supported many votes that were anti Southport, think the only Tory one he went against was same sex marriage.....

If certain Southport Councilors use this forum to massage their egos, bully women who have come to raise legitimate concerns about the town and generally act like lord and master then it s simple kick it in to touch.

Maybe our councilors woudent treat the Bootle councilors like peasants if the Bootle councilors did not behave like peasants,

Bootle have little respect for Southport.

We MUST NOT let Bootle dictate what happens in Southport. - There is no comparison between the two areas!

Originally Posted by pedoja

Bootle have little respect for Southport.

If that's true it's hardly surprising given the attitudes towards Bootle displayed on this site not least from the Shaw and Dawson penned articles.

Stand by for Thursday's press release "brave fearless Lib Dems heroically fail to prevent nasty Bootle people abolishing our cherished local institution".

Given the contents of the other article and how it's recommended all the Sefton councillors get retraining and their code of conduct is reviewed because of the actions of a few Lib-Dems at the Southport Area Committee, it's no great loss as this lot have completely abused the body itself and residents who attend.

They treat it like it's their own Coliseum or some such, with anyone opposing them who attends being given the thumbs down and thrown to the wolves and pompous, vainglorious, grandstanding being the main event.

Cllr Pugh just unhappy he's lost his chance to let the silly games commence!