Decision deferred on controversial Bankfield Lane development
A decision to grant planning permission to a contested housing development on Bankfield Lane has been deferred. Council planning officers had recommended that permission be granted to construct houses at the base
Council scramble to save cycle lanes after disclosure legal orders expired four months ago
Sefton Council have moved to save their controversial town centre cycle lanes, as OTS News can exclusively reveal that the legal orders used to enable them expired over four months ago. Cycle
Work on Sainsbury’s in Kew set to begin after latest legal challenge fails
Demolition of the former Homebase unit on Kew Retail Park will begin next month, after years of legal challenges against a new Sainsbury’s ended unsuccessfully. Demolition of the Homebase unit, and construction
Northern Trains advises passengers “not to travel” next week during biggest rail strike in a generation
Network Rail and over a dozen rail operators are set to walk out on strike next week, which will see some services from Southport cancelled. Northern, who operate services to Manchester from
Billy Bingham, legendary Southport & Northern Ireland manager, dies aged 90
Former Southport FC manager Billy Bingham, who secured promotion for the Sandgrounders among a career otherwise littered with honours, has died aged 90. Bingham passed away yesterday in his Southport care home
Data shows Southport residents wait longer for life-saving ambulances
Data obtained by OTS News shows that Southport residents wait longer for ambulances than emergency calls placed nationally or within the North West. Using the Freedom of Information Act, OTS News asked
John Pugh highlights “critical” taxi licence delays
Former Southport MP John Pugh says that councillors have received “a flurry of complaints” regarding delays in distributing new or renewed taxi licences in Sefton. He says that “many taxi drivers have
Rate of new covid cases in Southport reaches lowest point in 12 months
The rate of recorded new coronavirus cases in Southport has sunk to its lowest point in 12 months. 50 to 60 patients a week are now being diagnosed with Covid-19 in the
Sefton asks other local councils for help with green bin backlog
Sefton Council has asked other local councils for assistance in dealing with a backlog of green bin collections. Internal paperwork issued by Halton Borough Council, and seen by OTS News, says that
MP statement hints at vote to remove Prime Minister – stops short of confirmation
Southport MP Damien Moore has published his strongest condemnation yet of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but again stopped short of directly calling for new leadership of the Conservatives. It was confirmed this
Damien Moore expressed “total disapproval” to Boris Johnson over social gatherings inside No. 10
Damien Moore has said that he has expressed the “total disapproval of my constituents and I” to Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding social gatherings that occurred in 10 Downing Street during coronavirus
Mitchell Quy denied parole
Killer Mitchell Quy, who murdered his partner Lynsey in 1998, has been denied parole for the third time. Following his recent parole hearing, the Parole Board has decided that there will be
Decision to close St Teresas school set to be confirmed next week
The closure of St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School is set to be confirmed at a Council Cabinet meeting next week. In October, the council detailed that the primary school retained just 15
New councillor group blames lack of “clarity” and “direction” for split
Cllrs Terry Jones and Sinclair D’Albuquerque have blamed “a lack of clarity, direction and a weakness in the leadership” of the local Conservative association for their decision to form a new breakaway
Two Sefton councillors leave Conservative group
Two Sefton councillors have left the Conservative Group this morning. Ainsdale’s Terry Jones and Cambridge’s Sinclair D’Albuquerque will form what they are calling “The Southport Councillor Group”. OTS News contacted both Cllr
Pugh: Local councillor resignations a sign of “polarised and tribal” politics
Local Liberal Demoncrat leader John Pugh has said that the resignations of Cllrs Jones and D’Albuquerque, along with the recent resignations of five Labour Councillors on Sefton, are a product of “an
Council’s children’s services slammed in damning Ofsted report
Children’s services supplied by Sefton Council have been rated ‘inadequate’ in a scathing review published by Ofsted today, with the report finding: “both serious and widespread failures in core areas”. The assessment,
All Southport seats held by current parties but close calls for Conservatives
Following a sometimes dramatic but ultimately anti-climactic evening at Dunes Leisure Centre on Thursday, not a single Southport Sefton Council seat changed hands. Each one of the seven Southport seats up for
Gig lovers left out of pocket after UB40 and Comedy in the Park promoter collapses
Ticket holders for planned UB40 and Comedy in the Park events this summer have been told they will not receive their money back, after the promoter announced it had closed down due
Former SFC board member Phil Hodgkinson’s PURE group collapses
9 companies headed up by former Southport FC board member Phil Hodgkinson have been placed into administration. A statement on the PURE Business Group website confirms that Pure Business Group Limited, Pure
Port beat Spennymoor 3-2 to set up FA Cup tie against old rival
Southport came back from behind to defeat Spennymoor 3-2 in the Emirates FA Cup at Haig Avenue, setting up a mouth-watering tie against familiar foe Altrincham. Having drawn 0-0 in the initial
Southport Conservatives dispute Council’s town centre cyclist figures
Conservative councillors from Southport have rubbished claims from Sefton Council that “hundreds of thousands of cycle journeys have been made on the town centre cycle scheme.” Sefton Council made the claim yesterday
Hospital partnership with St Helens trust confirmed
Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust Chair Neil Masom has confirmed to staff that the trust will enter into “a partnership” with St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals from 20 September. In an
‘Hospital not closing’ says MP as spat grows over healthcare campaign
Southport & Ormskirk NHS Trust’s departing CEO Trish Armstrong-Child has confirmed in a letter to MP Damien Moore that “there are no proposals or plans which would see Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals
Feisty affair sees Port earn solid point on opening day
The last time Southport played Gloucester City on the opening day, the Yellows lifted the Conference North trophy. Like 2009, Southport today found themselves 1-0 down in the opening ten minutes, with
Southport Hospital ‘target of takeover’ after chief exec departure say experts
Trish Armstrong-Child, the chief executive of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, is stepping down having accepted the role of chief executive at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The HSJ, a
Councillors vote to oppose political boundary changes
Sefton’s councillors have voted to oppose changes plans that would see Ainsdale removed from the Southport political constituency. A motion filed by Labour councillor Greg Myers moves “that Sefton Council rejects in
Council motion to delay cycle lanes defeated
A council motion filed by the Liberal Democrats that would have delayed the consultation and potential implementation of cycle lanes in Southport has been defeated. At a full council meeting in Crosby
Southport FC win one of two National League appeals
Southport FC have won an appeal against the National League over “misleading” the league on the covid status of players but have lost a second over failing to fulfil fixtures. Southport was