John Pugh Begs Council To Drop Cuts And Set Up A Taskforce

Sefton Chief Executive Urged to Trust Southport.

John Pugh is writing to Sefton Chief Executive, Margaret Carney, suggesting that cuts to the Botanic Gardens be put on hold while ‘a task force’ looks into developing the potential of the iconic site.

“We are entirely in Sefton’s hands here but there is the danger that the council is starting to look at its best assets as liabilities. Salami slicing facilities is the road to ruin. The superb Friends Of the Botanic Gardens are already discussing how more income can be generated at the park and previous cut actually stopped the nurseries raising revenue

Building on its iconic status, working with the wider community is a better route forward than gradual decline. The example of the Pier and the Flower Show – both of which were about to be abandoned by the council at one time show what can be done when you bring in the right people.

There is a huge role for outside sponsorship. I would like to see people from organisations like the Flower Show brought in with business expertise to help with this. Currently the Flower Show company pay Sefton only a bunch of Roses for the use and control of Victoria Park.

We don’t want a situation where at one end of Southport we have the North’s premier flower show while at the other end we cannot keep up our own public gardens. The Flower Show are by no means not the only business who can help !

This really is a very simple plea to Margaret Carney. “We get the budget situation but the council has very significant reserves. Put the Botanic Gardens cuts on ice and allow a task force with a fixed time scale to show how the Botanic Gardens can be a net asset to the council. Trust the Southport people.”