Almost 100 candidates are set to contest just 24 seats on Sefton Council at next month’s local elections.
These include representatives from nine different political parties, plus five independents who are all attempting to secure a spot on the council in an election that was postponed from last year due to the pandemic.
With the election only weeks away, the ECHO has asked those taking part in the election to send us a statement setting out their promises for what they will do if elected.
Below are the statements we received from the candidates, setting out why they think the people of Sefton should vote for them on May 6.
Labour
The ruling Labour Party is contesting all 24 seats up for election next month.
In a statement, the party said: “Sefton’s Labour council has, in recent years, faced unprecedented financial difficulties due to Conservative and Liberal Democrat austerity policies.
“Over half our funding from government has been withdrawn, placing ever increasing costs directly onto local tax payers. Despite this, we have managed to find, in this year’s budget, an additional £500,000 to help improve cleansing within our borough.
“We will also replace all street lights within Sefton over the next few years with LED lights, significantly reducing the council’s carbon footprint and electricity bill.
“Sefton’s Labour councillors continue to support our communities during this pandemic and have, for instance, volunteered by:
- Making PPE, delivering food parcels, visiting shielding residents, signposting businesses and residents to the appropriate services, working at local food banks, marshalling visitors during the summer, helping at beach clean ups, offering support at flooded sites, supporting voluntary sector activities, supporting Covid testing and delivery etc.
“Labour in Sefton will continue to :
- fight for better education for all and oppose school funding cuts
- stand up for families struggling with housing by tackling bad landlords and
- deliver more affordable housing
- stand up for community safety
- tackle anti-social-behaviour including dog fouling, littering and fly-tipping
- support our communities through this awful Covid pandemic.”
Labour leader Cllr Ian Maher added: “Residents in Sefton have shown, in recent years, a growing understanding and recognition of the issues facing our borough, many of which are caused by this Conservative government’s anti-local government policies.
“I hope local people here in Sefton continue to grow their support across the borough for Sefton Labour who will champion the needs of our borough and continue to press for government to reverse their austerity and stop passing the cost of local services onto hard-pressed local people.”
Liberal Democrats
Sefton’s largest opposition group, the Liberal Democrats have put forward candidates for 16 of the 24 seats up for election in May.
Group leader Cllr John Pugh said: “After a year of anxiety, privation and worse, every community chershies hope for a better future.
“Even now we have huge challenges ahead with livelihoods, health and normal day-to-day existence still under threat. We believe that returning our life to normality and building on the community spirit that emerged during Covid would be greatly assisted by three things:
“Better politics - More open and honest decision making at all levels. Whether it’s national government giving billion pounds worth of contracts to favoured supporters or local councils doing secret and questionable deals, the truth is too much has been hidden.
“Too much power is concentrated in the hands of too few without proper scrutiny or challenge.
“Elected mayors and small cliques of councillors from one party ruling the roost leads to poor decision making and worse. Sefton Council abolished the only committee capable of voicing the views of all Southport people. Better politics also involves encouraging a proper civic and civil debate without silly point scoring.
“Better use of your money - Every penny the government or the council spends comes out of your pocket. THat’s why we need to take great care not to waste it.
“That did not happen in the case of the Bootle New Strand. Without effective checks other money the council has or receives from public funds can be wasted without anybody having a voice apart from the small group of councillors who call the shots. We badly need to change that balance.
“Better listening to people - Whether it’s plans to give everyone an additional blue wheelie bin they don’t want or putting cycle lanes in the wrong place or refusing to do anything about flooding issues or simply making a mess of dog regulations, it is clear that the council does not really listen or want to listen.
“Only by electing councillors prepared to listen to the public rather than their party can this problem be solved.”
Conservatives
The Conservatives currently hold six seats on Sefton Council and are contesting all 24 seats in the borough.
The party did not provide a statement prior to publication.
FRAG
The Formby Residents Action Group (FRAG) has two candidates standing at this election - group leader Bob McCann is seeking re-election in Ravenmeols while Aimee Brodie is contesting Harington.
Cllr McCann said: “Our job, if elected, is to continue the fight for a better deal for the residents of Formby and Ince Blundell; to highlight the needs of vulnerable residents both young and old, and to support our local businesses and facilities in these troubling times.
“We will continue the fight to retain important services, such as Philips Lane clinic and the library, and to provide more doctors, dentists, improved public transport and bus services that are both reliable and practical in their destinations. We want to see an increased provision of children’s and young residents’ facilities, many of which have been neglected and removed as budgets have been slashed.
“We will continue to push for investment in traffic management and targeted policing of our village centres, our protected and rural areas and to address the growth of both visitor numbers and antisocial behaviour, whilst at the same time holding the National Trust to their promise to invest in our much-prized coastline.
“We will continue to press the local authority and utility companies to address Formby and Ince Blundell’s failing infrastructure and step up the campaign to invest and improve our surface water and sewerage systems that are not fit for purpose and that have seen increased pressure because of new development.
“We will continue to fight for our environment, the threat to our green belt has not gone away despite the platitudes of the ruling Labour Group on Sefton Council. The destruction of our hedgerows and trees has accelerated. We will fight to retain and enhance this vital green infrastructure that has always been valued by our community but never more so than during our national lockdowns.
“Most of all, if re-elected, FRAG will be the voice of residents, not the voice of the council.”
Tony Dawson - Independent
Tony Dawson is a sitting councillor standing for re-election in Dukes ward. Formerly a Liberal Democrat, he was expelled from the party but still sits with other Lib Dems as part of a wider group on the council.
Cllr Dawson has the support of the local Lib Dem leadership, but did not provide a specific statement prior to publication.
Greens
Although the Greens have no councillors in Sefton at the moment, the party is contesting 20 of the seats up for election in May.
Mike Carter, the party’s candidate in Church ward, said: “The Sefton Green Party propose a great green deal for Sefton.
“We need new green homes, new green transport and new green jobs to get us on track to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions towards net zero by 2030 and provide new opportunities for everyone to live happier and more secure lives.
“Sefton has a very high number of empty properties but is still planning to use the valuable green belt land around our urban areas for development. The Green Party is committed to providing sufficient decent housing, while protecting the green belt, through making the best use of existing houses and encouraging development on brownfield sites where there is an overall benefit to local communities.
“We need a public and sustainable transport revolution, which will allow people to travel cheaply and safely on new trains, buses, cycleways and footpaths. We will establish a local planning approach that stops always giving priority to cars.
“More roads do not solve traffic issues, rather they create more traffic. The proposal for a new road through Rimrose Valley Park is an example of this flawed thinking and we will continue to work with local communities to oppose this plan.
“Better energy solutions: including the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy with Sefton well placed to develop wind, solar and tidal energy.
“Industry: including support for businesses to decarbonise and the provision of training to give people skills to access millions of new green jobs.
“Food, farming and forestry: including the planting of 700m trees in the UK and support for healthy and sustainable food and farming systems.
“Incomes: including the creation of a Universal Basic Income, paid to all UK residents to tackle poverty and give financial security to everyone noting that Sefton is in the top 20% of local authorities measured by deprivation.
“The Green Party offers a unique plan to reinvigorate local government at its time of greatest challenge to unleash new thinking and community power to make local lives and places better.
“When Greens get elected our communities benefit from real change.
“One Green will change everything.”
Liberals
The Liberal Party, which has no connection to the Liberal Democrats, is putting forward one candidate at the elections with Angela Preston standing in Blundellsands.
Ms Preston said: “As your prospective councillor for Blundellsands I give you my word to deliver on the promise of building on the vibrant place we are all already part of.
“I will ensure businesses have the support they need as we step out of what has been a devastating year for all organisations.
“As a business owner myself I know the impact covid has had on the SME sector, I am looking to lessen the effect and provide assistance to those business owners within the constituency to develop a strategy that not only improves their revenue and clientele but also show them how to build the resilience to not only lead through tough times but to prosper.
“Previous work has included supporting Sefton Baby Baskets and Boxercise for Mums Stay and Play, this is only the beginning of the support I will offer as your councillor.
“As a parent of three sons my passion is children and my work includes working in schools across the whole of Merseyside through a range of accredited personal development programmes. It is my mission to equip as many children with the tools they need to achieve their full potential.
“Our children of today are the future of tomorrow, it is my guarantee as your councillor every child will have the opportunity to work towards being the best version of themselves.
“As someone who enjoys the outdoors, I believe it is important to ensure our green spaces and beach are kept clean and safe for us all to enjoy, so I make it my duty to uphold all of the promises I make to you if you were to elect me as your councillor.”
Workers Party of Great Britain
George Galloway’s Workers Party of Great Britain has nominated two candidates for the election. Chris Haws is standing in Ford ward and Robert Green is standing in Sudell ward.
Mr Haws said: “I’ve spent six of the last twenty years on the dole, so I know how hard it is to find a job. The dockland from Seaforth to Liverpool should be used to employ local people.
“As a non-driver, I also know how important public transport is and I will fight for more regular buses and direct routes to other areas of Merseyside and West Lancashire.
“We all live in a densely populated area and access to green space, nature and the peace and quiet is something we all need so I volunteer for Friends of Rimrose Valley to help keep the park tidy, and I also keep an allotment on Ford Lane.
“Local residents also know me from the darts matches I’ve lost at the Queen of Peace, Star of the Sea and Robert Bellarmines.”
Mr Green added: “I have lived in Sefton all my life. I was born and raised in Bootle then moved to Maghull when I got married in 2006. I have been a postman in the area since 2005 and my son, who was born in 2011, also goes to school in the area. This has given me a great sense of community and a strong connection to Maghull.
“I am a trade union representative and prior to joining the Workers Party, I had always voted Labour. Under Corbyn I felt that the party had the working class needs as their priority.
“However, since Keir Starmer has taken over, it has clearly gone in a different direction and I felt politically homeless with no one to vote for that shared my values. I was drawn to the Workers Party through their dedication to meeting the needs of the working class.
“Their policies, which include no increase in council tax until a corona tax of 5% is passed on individuals whose wealth is in excess of £10 million, free school meals for all children and free bus travel for children will really have a big impact on families in the area.
Northern Independence Party
The Northern Independence Party is not officially standing candidates at this election - it failed to register as a political party in time - but it is endorsing three independents in Sefton.
These are Billie Jo Gibson in Litherland and Mike Duffy and Peter Nelson in Derby ward.
Billie said: “I decided to join the Northern Independence Party after I heard that they were a new democratic socialist party, whose co-leader was trans, and that they also had a large percentage of the membership base who identified as either trans, non-binary, neurodivergent or all three.
“That, and the prospect of having a free, fair, equal and independent North really enticed me even more to sign up and support the party.”
Mr Duffy said: “In Bootle where I live, I have seen the Labour Party do a terrible job for many years now. There’s no investment, and local residents aren’t even provided with wheelie bins.
“I know that local public services in Bootle can be so much better than this, and if elected to Sefton Council I intend to make that happen.”
Mr Nelson added: “I can see the same thing happening again, and I want to make my grandad proud, so he can look down and see me fighting for our community in the same way that he did.
“As of this moment, the Labour Party are not fighting for the people – the people of Bootle deserve councillors who will stand up to vested interests and fight to improve the material interests of their constituents”.
Freedom Alliance
Anti-lockdown party Freedom Alliance has one candidate at next month’s elections, Joanne Allman, who is contesting Harington ward.
Ms Allman said: “I am standing for Freedom Alliance in Harington ward, Sefton, to offer a real alternative to local voters.
“The government and main opposition parties have all supported the lockdowns, business and school closures, and other restrictions which have destroyed lives and livelihoods, and have blighted the life chances of a generation of young people. I suspect the government will impose another lockdown in the autumn, and that this will not be opposed by the other political parties at Westminster.
“It is now well established that COVID-19 is vastly more dangerous to the old and infirm than to younger people with no serious health conditions. Efforts and resources should be focused on providing protection for the vulnerable, if that is what they choose, while allowing those at minimal risk to live their lives normally.
“Research shows that lockdowns do little to reduce virus-related mortality, but have a devastating impact on society, education, the economy, and physical and mental health.
“I have lived in Formby for almost 13 years, and am a carer for my disabled adult son. I have a strong interest in disability issues, and for the past ten years have been Trustee and Treasurer of a parent-run national autism charity. In 2015, I helped lead a successful campaign against Sefton Council's proposed cuts to post-16 transport to schools and colleges.
“If elected, I will put the civil and human rights of individuals and families at the centre of local decision making, and will vigorously oppose all unnecessary and harmful restrictions on people's lives.
“No government, local or national, should have the right to dictate where you can go for a walk or on holiday, whether you can open your business or go to work, or when and where you can see your family and friends.”
In relation to Joanne Allman's comments that 'Research shows that lockdowns do little to reduce virus-related mortality', we published a statement in the original version of this article advising that there was “overwhelming scientific consensus that lockdowns are the most effective way of cutting transmission of the virus and thus reducing the number of deaths from Covid-19”.
Whilst there are scientific studies that support a link between lockdown measures and a reduction in Covid-19-related mortality, the Independent Press Standards Organisation found that the studies we provided did not amount to an “overwhelming scientific consensus” and did not specifically demonstrate that lockdowns are the “most” effective way to reduce Covid-19 related mortality.
This correction has been published following an upheld complaint by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
Mike Brennan - Independent
Mike Brennan is standing as an independent candidate in Derby ward.
He said: “I live in Derby ward with my wife and children and have done so since 2007. I want to represent our community and address the issues that are important to us.
“I set up Bootle Action Group in 2016 because I was determined to make the area a nicer place to live. Since then, we have cleared up grot spots, organised regular litter picks and last year I won the Echo Environment Community Impact Award with BAG due to the work that I continue to do in our local area.
“This has included planting new trees to improve the streets of Derby ward and to combat pollution where it continues to be a major concern. I have also revitalised Oxford Gardens, a beautiful but neglected space on one of the main routes through our area, with the addition of trees, flower beds and improved fixtures so that the community can continue to enjoy it.
“In addition to this, I reintroduced community Christmas events to the town and we have held 3 free Christmas events so far which get bigger and better each year.
“If I am elected:
- I will fight to reintroduce community skips which make such a huge difference in the fight against fly-tipping which plagues our neighbourhood.
- I will continue to fight to save our heritage within the Derby Park Conservation Area.
- There has been an increase in unregulated HMO’s in the area, and I will tackle these to ensure residents have safe and secure accommodation.
- Safety outside schools is important to me and I will ensure vehicular traffic is better managed.
“I am very active in the local community and care passionately about the area that we live in. This is why I am standing in the local elections.”
John McDonald - Independent
John McDonald is standing as an independent candidate in Ford.
He said: “The main reason these communities will vote for me are very clear! I will be one of the very few councillors who actually live in their Ward!
“My aims to put ‘people first’:
*Prioritise, the Health and wellbeing of our children - they are our future.
*Expose the skulduggery behind the Sefton hidden documents scandal!
*Insist on compliance with High Court judgments and World Health Organisation standards to protect our communities!
*Address the ‘unfit for purpose’ air quality standards ignored by Sefton MBC.
*Stop the excesses of town hall executive salaries to fund much needed jobs for local people!
*Remove digital deprivation for all ages with local schemes run by local people!
*Work with Highways England, City Region, Peel Ports for regional development, and to maximise on the funding for OUR communities! This will include local public discussion on extra South Sefton facilities throughout Rimrose Valley for the benefit of the many not the few!
*Support for targeted health screening in highly polluted areas, and Digital AQ monitors at every school! No more guess work, or whim, politicos
*Remove HGV traffic through residential areas!
* Work for safe, lighted streets, walkways, and subways so we everyone walk in safety
*Stop any attempt to create a ‘sacrifice zone’ out of Bootle.
*Close off known fly tipping sites, and installing cameras to identify and prosecute offenders!
*Work with police to tackle problems of thuggery, and crime on Rimrose Valley, and identify miscreants!
*Work at local level within communities to prosecute dog owners who do not clear up their pets poop! This should be regarded as neglect, and those dog owners should never be allowed to own a dog again! Heavy penalties from the courts is a must!
*Urban terrorism by gangs must be stopped!
*Develop local meeting places within small communities to enable neighbours to meet! Neighbourhood coffee shops would encourage lonely people to just turn up and enjoy a cuppa with neighbours!
*Seek out every source of funding for community projects!
*I will work with anyone who has achievable goals within these communities as long as they are beneficial to local communities!”
Mo Walker-Miller - Independent
Mo Walker-Miller is standing as an independent in Litherland ward.
She said: “I was born in Lander Road, spent much of my childhood in Chelsea Road and Bark Road, before moving to the Vincent Road area; I still live and work in the heart of Litherland.
“I have seen first-hand how the council have neglected our area and South Sefton while investing heavily in North Sefton, from Formby Bypass onwards.
“I have dedicated myself to the community for 35 years, being part of various resident associations around the area and running Tweenie Tots 2, a not-for-profit community childcare charity in Litherland.
“I am passionate about improving the lives of all Litherland residents. I am frustrated with our councillors and how they do things to us, rather than for us and how they tell us what’s happening in our community rather than consulting us.
“My election pledges are:
- To fight to ensure the safety of all Litherland residents;
- To fight for changes to the education system in our area, we need more local school places;
- To fight against any further development of the A5036;
- To fight for improvements to Litherland’s bus routes for our local community;
- To be accountable to all of Litherland’s residents, with a real community presence;
- To fight for the creation of clean air zones;
- To fight to improve standards of alleyways and other spaces in the Linacre Road area.”
Lisa Ford - Independent
Lisa Ford is standing as an independent in Netherton and Orrell ward.
She said: “I have decided to stand as our ward’s independent candidate after seeing the consequences of being a Labour Party member and voter.
“Having lived most of my life in this ward, I am concerned by how much our standard of living has decreased. I want to see a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer environment for all of us in the future.
“To achieve this, there must be a review of our current circumstances, with solutions provided to see our community improve and thrive. Investments must be made as the population increases; it is vital that our schools, roads and services can cope.
“We need more GP and dental practices as well as access to other health and wellbeing services. We need more support for our elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents.
“Working together we can make a change; every voice matters.
“My pledges are:
- Secure more investment in education and skills training to tackle deprivation in our ward;
- Look to improve services for our elderly, vulnerable and disabled residents;
- Improve online access for the digitally disadvantaged;
- Ensure regular maintenance of our public spaces, especially our parks and cemetery;
- Oppose the council’s maritime improvement scheme which aims to increase general and port traffic through the ward via Park Lane, Bridle Road, Bailey Drive, Linacre Lane and Southport Road;
- Be accessible to all residents, in person and online, with a transparent blog and the opportunity to have Q&A sessions.”
