High Street Funding

[K-T]

Wasn't our MP, Damien Moore, all over the media a week or so ago saying that Southport had secured a slice of the government's £95m fund to restore historic shopping centres?

Well, according to ITV, we're not on the list?

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-09-14/...pO6yo4_r9V0NOM

[seivad]

Wasn't our MP, Damien Moore, all over the media a week or so ago saying that Southport had secured a slice of the government's £95m fund to restore historic shopping centres?

Well, according to ITV, we're not on the list?

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-09-14/...pO6yo4_r9V0NOM

He's got egg on his chubby little face again!

Don't count your chickens, Damien.

[salus.populi]

Wasn't our MP, Damien Moore, all over the media a week or so ago saying that Southport had secured a slice of the government's £95m fund to restore historic shopping centres?

Well, according to ITV, we're not on the list?

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-09-14/...pO6yo4_r9V0NOM

No. He was talking about the £3.6billion Towns Fund.
A different pot of money.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1...new-towns-fund

[said]

He's got egg on his chubby little face again!

Don't count your chickens, Damien.

It would really depend on whether the local Council applied for any funding. Considering the lack of attention that Southport has had from the local Labour Council - even long before Mr. Moore was elected in - it would appear that the Council does not have the interest in this town.

Even the Labour Councilors have given up the ghost in Southport - they are never reported as having done anything or said anything to support the local town. Can't blame them - they know they don't stand a chance in hell of getting in here!

[seivad]

No. He was talking about the £3.6billion Towns Fund.
A different pot of money.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1...new-towns-fund

OOPS! Sorry, Damien. Now I've got egg on my face.

[seivad]

It would really depend on whether the local Council applied for any funding. Considering the lack of attention that Southport has had from the local Labour Council - even long before Mr. Moore was elected in - it would appear that the Council does not have the interest in this town.

Millions have been spent on Southport. Would you have a pier now, or the Marine Parade Bridge? Off the top of my head they are just two that I can think of, there are many more. Southport being in Merseyside opened up so many opportunities to apply for funding projects. Much of it was EU money, matched, amongst others, by the Lottery Fund and the North West Regional Development Agency. Being classed as part of an economically depressed area has been a boon for the town.

Did you ever see the state of it under Southport Corporation? Their only concern was keeping the rates low. The town was really run down.

Here's a link to another successful bid for funding by Sefton Council in February this year.

https://mysefton.co.uk/2019/02/07/fu...-in-southport/

[said]

Millions have been spent on Southport. Would you have a pier now, or the Marine Parade Bridge? Off the top of my head they are just two that I can think of, there are many more. Southport being in Merseyside opened up so many opportunities to apply for funding projects. Much of it was EU money, matched, amongst others, by the Lottery Fund and the North West Regional Development Agency. Being classed as part of an economically depressed area has been a boon for the town.

Did you ever see the state of it under Southport Corporation? Their only concern was keeping the rates low. The town was really run down.

Here's a link to another successful bid for funding by Sefton Council in February this year.

https://mysefton.co.uk/2019/02/07/fu...-in-southport/

The pier has had to have renovations twice now because the original renovations were badly carried out. The Marine Parade Bridge was of a design of a similar bridge over a much larger expanse of water - for the comparatively small Marine Lake it is well OTT. The design of which is perfect for the dare devil commandos and those who protest actively against the lighting system of the Bridge. The money paid out for that included a French firm having to be specially called in to supply and fix the cables. Over a Lake?? The Bliss Hotel - did away with the popular public band stand and gardens, and was ideally designed to attract the graffiti of the local artists, local drug dealers and the skateboarding community. The skateboard park was a good idea as it gave the youngsters something to do and somewhere to go. But then skateboarding fell much out of favour, and the youngsters used scooters more. There are fewer bikers on there too. The golf course was allowed to close - even though the man running it was not doing so for profit - he just wanted young people to learn how to play golf. He did apply for a renewal lease but was turned down in favour of the fairground guy. The fair ground still looks like a travelling fair. Apart from that - we have a couple of benches place on Lord Street. Oh, and of course Chapel Street was pedestrianised and lights placed on either side - brilliant when they work. The flags have had to be replaced and are cracked again now because luckless mobile markets are allowed to set up along Chapel Street, it is used as a race track by young pupils coming out of school on bikes and as a station for every chugger in the North West. The beach is completely ignored, it is a quagmire of mud and grass only.

St. Annes just down the coast has a similar tidal pattern to Southport, is under a Conservative council, has had the same financial cuts as Southport - but has embraced the town as a good tourist area, traditional buildings have been looked after, it is a lively clean town with a beautiful beach that is looked after. OK?

Preston, under a Labour council, has been renovated tastefully also. Preston has experienced the same financial cuts - but its parks are really well looked after, they are fantastic - traditional buildings are well maintained, and the shopping area is far more pleasureable than Southport's.

Under the corporation traditional buildings were not demolished and replaced with ugly concrete monoliths, the road network was better and I really believe that they would have placed priority on the main focus of Southport - the beach! Against your belief - Southport would have been better out of Merseyside!

It is all down to foresight and good management, which is lacking in the local area.

[seivad]

Under the corporation traditional buildings were not demolished and replaced with ugly concrete monoliths,

Really? Now I know that you weren't in Southport during the time of Southport Corporation.

Ever heard of the Palace Hotel, Birkdale or the Victoria Hotel Nevill Street? Or the beautiful Victorian bandstand on Lord Street that was torn down and replaced with a concrete slab waterfall monstrosity. Thank you Sims-Mitchell

They did their fair share. I'm sure that other members will remember more examples, I'm going to bed!

[K-T]

No. He was talking about the £3.6billion Towns Fund.
A different pot of money.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1...new-towns-fund

Ah, I see. Thanks for the link and sorry for spreading confusion! I'm just glad we will be getting some funding to improve the town; it's looking in a sorry state.

[local]

I have to agree Southport Corporation was a disaster for the town.

From their disastrous Rainfords beach sand deal continued under the Lib Dums, the "giving away" of Royal Birkdale for peanuts to the frankly criminal neglect of our town they were awful.

You could only look back in the dark to see any good about them.

Who else would think selling our "Beach" to the Arabs was a good idea for a pitiful £65,000 a year.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...s-1188626.html


Some reading for those who aren't taken in by the anti-beach mob,

http://coastalcare.org/2009/06/docum...h-sand-mining/

[seivad]

People also forget, or aren't aware, that after SMBC was formed in 1973, Conservatives held the majority for 13 years. This was followed by 26 years of no overall control. Labour only won the majority in 2012. Labour are not exclusively responsible for decisions made before 2012.

[said]

People also forget, or aren't aware, that after SMBC was formed in 1973, Conservatives held the majority for 13 years. This was followed by 26 years of no overall control. Labour only won the majority in 2012. Labour are not exclusively responsible for decisions made before 2012.

In which case they should have been even more energetic to improve the town.

[salus.populi]

In which case they should have been even more energetic to improve the town.

What with? The depleted funds provided by the governments elected since 2010?

[seivad]

In which case they should have been even more energetic to improve the town.

Use your friend Google and calculate the number of projects and £££s spent on projects to regenerate Southport under councils of both stripes.

And, as Salus and numerous other members have said, since the (Tory) central government's austerity cuts, exactly how do you reckon they can fund improvements when their funding has been cut in half? They are hard put to find the money to cover essential public services, never mind an all singing all dancing "Make Southport Great Again" programme.

[Alikado]

Funding for High Streets needs to be spent on making the High St smaller and more compact, spend the money on the periphery turning empty / under utilised sites into something useful many of the shops have large stock rooms above from past times when large stocks had to be held, giving grants to convert them could solve more than one problem.