Southport Lib Dems ‘here for the pier’ as they take their pier petition to the streets

Nearly 500 people have signed a petition calling on Sefton Council to prioritise the reopening of Southport Pier

The Lib Dem led petition calls for the Council to prioritise the town’s pier and get it back open for residents and tourists. Over 450 people signed the petition today.

The most recent structural report puts the costs of restoring the pier at £12 million. Sefton Council funds currently only extend to preliminary work and the pier faces the prospect of a long period of closure while Sefton tries to find external sources of funding.

Southport Liberal Democrats want the council to take the advice included in the recent report that repair work can be conducted in a phased way which would avoid complete closure of the pier.

Cllr Gareth Lloyd-Johnson, commented: “It’s clear from the engineering report that the pier hasn’t been maintained properly over the last few years to deal with the impact of sea, weather and public use.

“It seems crazy that the Council want to keep the pier closed for potentially years when there is the option of keeping parts of it open. We have been contacted by so many residents about this issue which is why we have launched our petition.

“The response we have got today highlights how important the pier is to the town’s identity and how loved it is. Hopefully our petition will spur the Council on to rethink their plans.”

Erin Harvey, local resident and campaigner, added: “I recently moved back to Southport after a while living abroad. What drew me back in part was the coastline and the fresh air, and it’s thoroughly depressing that a landmark like the pier has been allowed to get to this point of decline.”