Back to Basics

Planned maintenance seems to have gone by the board in Sefton according to Cllr. Mike Kirby - a member of the Kew ward Lib Dem team. Whether it's potholes, weeds, flooded surfaces or blocked pathways it's ony when residents complain that the council seems to take the required action. Since getting elected this May, Mike and his fellow councillors have been inundated with residents issues that usually come down to the council not delivering its basic services well. Usually there is the excuse the the council has not got enough money. However ,Sefton is a council that has just borrowed over £52M for its flagship project the replacement of the Southport Theatre and Floral Hall with a new Events Centre- costing in total £106M. “It's not just a question of cash,” says Mike, “ but a question of priorities”. 

More money spent on planned maintenance would cut the cost of the continual crisis management and intervening when matters have got out of control. It's great that people can rely on their councillors, but unacceptable that there are so many problems in the first place.