Southport MP Damien commented:
“I will be updating my Facebook page and website later this week to update constituents about funding for Sefton Council, but I wanted to tackle this article by the Labour Party head-on:
“At no point has Cllr Myers contacted me regarding local council funding, either during this pandemic or otherwise.
“Not once have I been contacted by Cllr Myers – or any other Labour Councillor – on behalf of a local resident or his community during this pandemic.
“Not once has any representative of the Labour Party effectively communicated their help and support to the residents of Southport during this pandemic. Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have.
Southport Tory MP quizzed over “black hole” Sefton Covid cash cuts.
“The Leader of Sefton Council, Ian Maher, has not once sought my assistance or shared with me his concerns about local council finances during this pandemic or otherwise.
“The term “cuts to emergency funding” is inaccurate and misleading. As income revenue (car parks, council tax etc) to local councils increases as we return to normal, the unprecedented level of financial support provided by the Government will gradually decrease.
“I have spoken with the CEO at Sefton Council on a daily basis to ensure the council receives all the funding it requires throughout this period, and to ensure short-term issues surrounding PPE to care homes, council-tax relief and business support grants amongst other matters are handled quickly and efficiently.
“Most residents would agree that the Government has already supported Sefton Council, our community, workers and businesses, through an unprecedented program of financial support beyond what was expected.
“Sefton Council has yet to publish the full impact of Coronavirus on its finances. I cannot ask the Government to underwrite the debt of this council when I have not been provided with the full details or a total cost.
“My primary concern for asylum seekers in Southport during this period has been for their wellbeing. The placement of a significant number of people in a single hotel is unacceptable and has only increased the chances of Coronavirus spreading.
“The placement of those asylum seekers has been done with the full involvement and cooperation between Sefton Council and the Home Office.
“I have not become “strangely quiet” on the subject of asylum seekers. I wrote to Sefton Council a month ago requesting further details about their wellbeing, but I have still not received a response. I have also published my comments in local newspapers and online, and I have spoken with SERCO and the Minister for Immigration directly.
“This is the third time an image of me signing the Holocaust Memorial Book on behalf of my constituents has been cropped out and used in a Labour article, which is inappropriate and distasteful, but not unsurprising given their poor record on anti-Semitism.
“I have posted frequently and consistently throughout this pandemic, keeping both constituents and businesses informed about new Government guidance and announcements. My office and I have helped thousands of constituents throughout this difficult period and I intend to help many more.
“This article is part of the long and coordinated attempt by Cllr Myers and his Labour colleagues to make out as though I do not respond to constituents when I do respond to as many as I possibly can in any given week.
“I will always support my constituents with matters of casework as a priority.”
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